BLACKBERRY SMOKE – The Southern Ground Sessions
Acoustic versions of five songs off their last album “Find A Light”, plus a cover of Tom Petty’s “You Got Lucky”. Amanda Shires guests. Fans will love this. (7)
DEAD CAN DANCE – Dionysus
A worthy addition to this great band’s discography, closer to 1998’s “Spiritchaser” than to any of their other albums. Oh, and it’s a concept album. (8)
DR. FEELGOOD – Live At The BBC
Legendary pub rockers in early-career live recording that just saw the light of day. It does capture their manic on-stage energy but if you’re a Dr. Feelgood newbie you’re probably better off checking out “Stupidity” first, their legendary hit live album recorded a couple of years down the road in 1976. (7)
JULIA HOLTER – Aviary
The beautiful orchestral chamber pop of 2015’s excellent “Have You In My Wilderness” gives way to an impressionistic, complex, cacophonous 90-minute epic representation of the chaotic world we live in. An album much easier to admire than to actually enjoy. (7)
MARIANNE FAITHFULL – Negative Capability
She’s lived the fullest life possible and now at 71 she releases an album of meditations on death, eerily reminiscent of Leonard Cohen’s swan song. It’s fantastic, but the main reason I’m reviewing it is to point out that Warrior Soul’s Kory Clarke has always sounded EXACTLY like Faithfull. (8)
MAVERICKS – Hey! It’s Christmas!
Eight originals and a couple of covers on a very happy-sounding Christmas album blending country, swing, rockabilly and latin music, this will definitely put you in a festive mood. (7)
PISTOL ANNIES – Interstate Gospel
Top-notch songwriting, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, sometimes both at the same time. These ladies just released the finest country record of 2018. (9)
RODNEY CROWELL – Christmas Everywhere
This is not a happy Christmas album like the one by the Mavericks. This is a realistic Christmas album by one of country music’s lesser known true heroes, starring dysfunctional couples, depressed loners and drunken idiot relatives. (7)
STEVEN WILSON – Home Invasion: In Concert at the Royal Albert Hall
145 minutes of Steven Wilson live with a great track listing and amazing sound quality from the guy who, whether you like it or not, singlehandedly keeps progressive rock alive in the 21st century. (8)
THE OCEAN – Phanerozoic I: Paleozoic
Like a prog Neurosis but with a degree in Paleontology and less facial hair. (7)
TY SEGALL – Fudge Sandwich
Garage rocker covers an eclectic bunch of his favorite songs (War, Spencer Davis Group, John Lennon, Funkadelic, Neil Young, Gong, Amon Duul II etc.) and truly makes them his own. (8)
WARREL DANE – Shadow Work
Closer to the Nevermore sound than anyone would’ve hope for but it’s not the same without Jeff Loomis, is it? (7)
WHITEY MORGAN & THE 78’S – Hard Times And White Lines
Whitey Morgan sounds like he was born in a roadhouse, or at least like he'll die in one. (7)
No comments:
Post a Comment