THE LOUDER STUFF
CORONER – Dissonance Theory
Even the album title is perfect bait for 100-year-old metalheads such as myself who worshipped Coroner alongside Voivod and other thrash-adjacent weirdos back in the day, and their first album in 30+ years doesn’t disappoint, seamlessly blending quantum physics-level of prog into their brutal speed metal assault. (9)
ORCUTT SHELLEY MILLER – Orcutt Shelley Miller
Experimental/noise musicians form “traditional” power trio and record their first show together live. It’s all instrumental and manages to sound like Jesus Lizard warming up by playing Led Zep, locking into a groove and pummeling it to death. (8)
SERJ TANKIAN – Covers, Collaborations & Collages
Just what the title promises. It sounds nothing like SOAD, of course. (7)
WINO – Create Or Die
You’ll find the blue-collar doom metal riffs you expect here, but where Wino really shines on this solo outing is when he puts on his Townes Van Zandt hat, as on the magnificent “New Terms” and “Noble Man”. (8)
VARIOUS ARTISTS – Can't Get Enough: A Tribute to Bad Company
The legendary band’s greatest hits performed by Halestorm, Myles Kennedy, Def Leppard, Blackberry Smoke etc. Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke guest on a few tracks. Most participants play it straight so you might as well listen to the originals? (7)
THE OTHER STUFF
AMADOU & MARIAM – L'Amour À La Folie
Posthumous addition (Amadou Bagayoko passed away earlier this year) to the duet’s catalog, one of the best ambassadors of West African music of the 21st century. Too bad they overdid it this time with the Autotuned vocals. (7)
THE BESNARD LAKES – Are The Ghost Nation
Spiritualized meets the Beach Boys. Epic, as always. (8)
CHARLES LLOYD – Figure In Blue
87-year old jazz saxophonist pays tribute to Duke Ellington, Billy Holiday, Leonard Bernstein and other heroes of his youth. Drummerless, just him, a pianist and a guitarist, and gorgeous. (8)
CARSON McHONE – Pentimento
An ambitious folk-rock record with plenty of hooks laced by rich instrumentation and spoken word/poetry. Better that the last few spouse/collaborator’s Dan Romano records, which are pretty good to begin with. (8)
THE NECKS – Disquiet
I love The Necks and their ambient jazz thing and they have made The List several times in the past, but this one, at over three hours long, can put anyone’s attention span to the test. (7)
TODD SNIDER – High, Lonesome And Then Some
I love Snider from his debut album in the mid-90’s onwards, but this album sounds like a departure from his trademark joke-laced heartland country rock – it’s much quieter and lyrically darker. I hope he’s doing OK. (7)
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN – Nebraska '82: Expanded Edition
4-disc reissue including the original album remastered, live versions, and demos/outtakes. The meat in the sandwich of course is disc 2, “Electric Nebraska”, recorded back in the day with a small band including assorted E-Street Band members, which gives you an idea of what this classic Springsteen album would have sounded with a full band. Required listening? No. Will it make fans drool? Yes. (8)
VARIOUS ARTISTS – Telepathic Fish: Trawling The Early ’90s Ambient Underground
Legendary underground London chill-out party that launched the career of several big-name 90’s DJs gets its own compilation of favorite tracks from the era, featuring the likes of Nightmares On Wax, Tranquility Bass, No-Man etc. (9)
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