BON
JOVI – New Jersey 25th Anniversary Edition
Right!
Now I’ve got me enough “Oh-oh-oh”’s and “Na-na-na-na”’s to last me for another
25 years. (7)
DR.
JOHN - Ske-Dat-De-Dat...The Spirit Of Satch
Look
Doc, you know I love you and everything, but a funk version of “Mac The Knife”
with a guest rapper? Bad, bad idea. Horrible idea. Louis Armstrong would’ve
hated that. But at least the Bonnie Raitt and Blind Boys of Alabama
collaborations are pretty cool. (6)
DUB
COLOSSUS – Addis To Omega
Fourth
release by the Anglo-Ethiopian dub reggae project. OK as a soundtrack to
drinking Pina Coladas on the beach, if you’re the kind of person that drinks
Pina Coladas on the beach. (6)
FKA
Twigs – LP1
As an
eclectic music critic I’m supposed to like this Bjork-y, triphoppy,
overproduced R'n'B poptronica, but as a matter of fact I find it fucking annoying.
Where are the damn tunes? (4)
GOAT –
Commune
Pseudo-world
music, faux-psychedelic charlatans, probably just a bunch of stoner rockers under
those masks but still lots of fun. (8)
GRUMBLING
FUR – Preternaturals
Almost,
but not quite, as annoying as FKA Twigs. (5)
JANDEK
– Ghost Passing
An
autistic six-hour drone-athon that consists entirely of seemingly random piano
doodling and guitar effects until the first (and last) words are mumbled around
the 4-hour, 35-minute mark, this makes the full SunnO))) discography roll by
like a Ramones outtake. And yes I did listen to the whole thing from start to
finish, twice. (?)
JOHN
GARCIA – John Garcia
Nothing
really exciting happens during the 46 minutes of this album, but then again
this is stoner rock so perhaps that’s the whole point. (6)
JONAH
TOLCHIN – Clover Lane
What a
great album! Original folk/blues with an attitude, I love it. But how old is
this kid anyway, he sounds ancient and he’s probably 20 or something. (8)
LAZER/WOLF
– The Beast Of Left And Right
Interesting debut by this almost instrumental, sort
of prog, post-metal band, but if you have to spell out to people just how smart
your album is then it’s probably not as smart as you think. (7)
NAOMI
SHELTON & THE GOSPEL QUEENS – Cold World
Wonderful
old-school, stripped-down church soul/blues music from a genre veteran and her
band. The best thing about it? You don’t have to be a believer to enjoy it. (7)
PAUL
GILBERT – Stone Pushing Uphill Man
Better
than 99% of the guitar heroes out there but just as boring when he gives the
muso instrumental treatment to a bunch of classic tunes that were meant to be sung. This is nothing more than muzak
for the elevators at Berklee. (5)
SOMI –
The Lagos Music Salon
A
fascinating mix of afro-jazz and western pop, “The Lagos Music Salon” could’ve been
a true masterpiece if it was more laconic – at 18 tracks and 71 minutes it’s a bit
too much. Still, expected to get plenty of airplay on this writer’s stereo. (8)
THE
DWARVES – The Dwarves Invented Rock And Roll
Y’
know, for a while there while listening to stupid/genius tracks like “Trailer
Trash”, “Sluts Of The USA” and “Get Up & Get High”, I almost believed the
album title? (8)
THE
GASLIGHT ANTHEM – Get Hurt
It’s
so disappointing when a band you really liked and invested your hopes in
replaces the Springsteen/Clash hybrid sound which was what attracted you to it
in the first place with this sub-par, sub-Nickelback shit. (5)
TOM
PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS – Hypnotic Eye
Still
in pretty good shape at 63, Petty delivers his hardest rockin’ album in
decades. Well written, superbly played. (7)
VARIOUS
ARTISTS – Country Funk II 1967-1974
Second
fantastic compilation of songs from a totally non-existent genre. Apparently
Vol. I sold well because this second time around they got rights to some bigger
names: At your next party play this and let Dolly and Willie and Kenny and JJ
and Townes and the rest get down and funky! (8)
ZZ TOP
– The Very Baddest
Double
CD, 40 songs, it’s got all the hits from all eras. Great, comprehensive
compilation for whoever wants to (re)discover one of the great southern blues
rock bands of the last 45 years. (9)
