Weekend Music Roundup

 

The weekend is here again, and this week I finally had some time to digest a bunch of new releases. It's been mostly indie rock coming through the speakers these days, so that's what this list is mostly about. I've also included two recent vinyl pick-ups, a 70s glam rock album and '60s folk, two favorite genres in my life. Hopefully there's something here that makes you go exploring. Enjoy.

Hello Operator - Hello Operator: Released in November of last year, this is one of those albums that I finally got around to listening to. It's the debut album from a four man rock band out of the UK. These guys remind me a lot Kasabian, Placebo and even early Cooper Temple Clause. It's that kind of British indie rock that's a bit aggressive, a bit noise rocky, but still dance punk at the same time. "Cruel," "I Created a Monster," "I Am Your Bible," "Strangers in the Rain," and "Kings of Ruin" are my personal favorites on this great debut.

Guided by Voices - Surrender Your Poppy Fields: Released just over a year ago, I finally got around to listening this, the first of three albums the band put out last year. Robert Pollard has always been prolific, but with this recent line-up, GBV has gone into overdrive. I'm certainly glad for it, though I do admit, it's hard to keep up with their output, especially when their albums are very indistinguishable from each other. It's almost as if all their albums over the past few years are just one continuation, which also makes it hard to review. They are all consistent, all lo-fi sketches, and all have Bobby Bare Jr's great guitar work. If you're wondering which albums to listen to, I'd simply suggest whichever quirky title grabs you most. 

Billion Dollar Babies - Battle Axe: I found this '77 album while flipping through the stacks at the local shop. I paused at the title, an obvious reference to the my favorite Alice Cooper record. I figured for a few dollars, I'd check out...not knowing that this is Cooper's band. It's not just a reference, they are the Billion Dollar Babies doing glam rock straight from Detroit. This is a quality album with a few standouts, including the title track. 

TV Priest - Uppers: The debut album from the London rock band was released on SubPop this February. I saw it pop up a lot of places and was eager to check it out. This album has style. It's hard to explain what I mean by that, but once your head anything off it, you'll see what I mean. It's like a Irvine Welsh novel if his writing were music. It's a Silver Jews meets Iggy Pop kind of album. It's got style. I don't always love it, but I give them credit for being something that sounds legitimate. 

Dave Van Ronk - Folksinger: In the early 60s, Dave was one of the more prolific and talented Greenwich Village folk artists. Released in '63, at the height of his abilities, this album feels special. Though all of his early records are great, this one seems exceptional. His story was documented in the film Inside Llwyen Davis and it's tragic that he never garnered enough main stream attention. He was a legend.