Weekend Music Roundup

 

Well, another week has passed where I didn't post anything between Roundups, but that's not going to keep me from posting another roundup. This is a pretty random collection of stuff that I've been jamming to recently. It includes a couple of Record Store Day releases, one from each of the two drops. There's some new, some old, and whatever I've been exploring. Keep exploring, that's my motto. Enjoy.

Czarface - Czar Noir: These days Record Store Day releases are typically repackaged and re-issued albums and it's rare that an artist releases new material on that day anymore. Well, not these guys. The NYC outfit led by Wu's Inspectah Deck released a new album along with a comic book. This is an instrumental record with super groovy and interesting beats meant to go along with the comic, which is also a fun read. This is really something for collectors more than for casual music listeners.

Comet Gain - Magnetic Poetry: The second full length album from the 90s Oxford indie band was released in 1997. It was a little odd for an indie band during that time to blend so many varying influences. Generally a lo-fi garage band, clearly inspired by The Jam, as well as northern jangle pop, though far more punk inspired than the more mainstream contemporaries. I really wish I had been clued in to this when it came out, it would have been right up my alley. Still quite enjoyable.  

 

Todd Rundgren - Todd: By the mid-70s, Rundgren had established himself as one of the leading progressive psychedelic pop artists with his solo work and with Nazz. This album was released in '74, a year after his legendary "A Wizard, a True Star" record. Like that album, he continues to explore experimental rock on this double album. This takes some solid listening time to truly see how brilliant it is. It's definitely quirky and surreal, and has flashes of the kind of Blue-Eyed soul and classic rock sounds that always creep into his work. I picked up this double LP for a few dollars to continue my exploration of his work. . "The Last Ride," "Everybody's Going to Heaven," "Number 1 Lowest Common Denominator," "Izzat Love," and "Heavy Metal Kids" are standouts.

 

Andy Bell - All on You EP: Released in June, this EP follows the BritPop icon's debut solo album from last year. Andy has been a member of Ride, Hurricane #1, Beady Eye and Oasis and has been on the forefront of Britpop and British psychedelic pop since the late 80s. This acoustic EP is more toned back than a lot of his more recent projects, but falls in line with some dreamy Ride stuff, though far more lo-fi. Very enjoyable and something long time fans like me can appreciate. 

 

 

Richard Hell and the Voidoids - Destiny Street Demos: A Record Store Day release this year, these are the demos for the NYC punk icons' 1982 follow-up to their '77 debut, Blank Generation. They have moved into the art punk on here, but the demos are still a little rougher and have that Television edge to them. By this time, the music world was moving beyond punk and this album fell between the cracks and is one of the last true NYC punk albums from the first wave of punk. 

 

Grim Reaper - See You in Hell: The second album from the UK band came out in '83, right at the peak of the NWOBHM movement dominated by Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Saxon, and Judas Priest. These guys made their biggest impact with this album which is a blistering example of the genre. Shredding guitars, falsetto vocals, and songs about hell being a winning formula. Certainly not essential, but a nice addition to the collection from one of the better second tier bands.