Portastatic
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recently acquired and spending a lot of time in rotation:
Dirty Projectors - Rise Above after seeing them in Minneapolis last Feb where they played a couple songs from this remake-of-Black-Flag-but-just-the-lyrics album, i knew this would be stunning and it is. crazy is also what it is, just listen to it, there's no point in me trying to describe it. how does he sing while playing those guitar lines? how do the girls sing what they're singing while he's singing? it all works.
Stars - In Our Bedroom After the War not captivating me as immediately as Set Yourself On Fire did, it's just a bit slicker and paler, but it's growing on me quickly. the guitars are dialed back so there are fewer approaching Pale Saints-style shredding moments and more borderline-early-Cardigans moments (not that that's a bad thing), but many of the melodies are indelible and there's some kind of emotional story that comes through the slickness. perhaps it's 80's nostalgia on my part, but perhaps they're just really good at what they do...i vote for the latter -- take me to the riot! i say feyly.
Jesu - Conquerer i thought this would be metal, but it's more shoegazer-y, i'm still adjusting to the prettiness of it.
Charles Mingus - Mingus Plays Piano i always loved the COVER of this record but never owned the thing, and now i'm wondering why i waited so long, it's beautiful. nice review over at All About Jazz
Mu-Ziq - Duntisbourne Abbots Soulmate Devastation Technique the original alias of Mike Paradinas has reverted here, in a good way, away from the intense harsh nastiness of Bilious Clouds and into a more lo-fi world of woozy humanized synth melodies and songs, ableit with distorto rhythm tracks intact. supposedly a break-up album, but you'd never know that just from listening. Royal Astronomy may still be the peak but after i'd given up on another Mu-Ziq album this is a nice surprise.
Bruce Springsteen - Magic ugh i still can't believe it's called Magic, but this record is really good with great moments, including the previously mentioned Stephin Merritt-channeling "Girls In Their Summer Clothes," and it's getting better with each listen. bring on the tour!
too long without a post here! i know. been Portastatic-ing here and there. also been visiting the CD store. possibly preventing a huge financial hemorrhaging when i visit NYC (and other music) this weekend, but i doubt it! here's some recently picked up stuff i've been listening to...
_Pelican - City of Echoes_ the worst thing about metal is usually the vocals. Pelican conveniently leaves that part out for your listening pleasure. heard a track on Salon and went out and got this one, their newest, and while it drags in places there are some really fantastic, heavy-but-pretty moments on here. reminds me of some of Bitch Magnet's more epic episodes. damn wish i woulda seen this band at Primavera! along with... _Wilco - Sky Blue Sky_ i'm loving the gentle Wilco mode, especially the first song "Either Way" and "What Light." i also like the "weird Wilco" of Ghost, Yankee, etc which wasn't really that weird at all, but much of this album sounds more natural to me. damn i wish i woulda seen this band at Primavera. _Tracey Thorn - Out of the Woods_ psyched to see this get a domestic release. ever since the Marine Girls , i've been pretty much "gimme some Tracey Thorn" from the wispy indie days through the Everything But the Girl disco nights til now. this is still on the electronic tip but some of the keyboard sounds could almost be tounge-in-cheek...a bit lighter in mood than some of the later EBTG. Thorn's voice always manages a great balance of detached and wounded. i just saw on the EBTG site that the b-sides to her new single are Magnetic Fields covers, you can hear 'em on her myspace page and they sound Magnetic Fields-y. _Electrelane - No Shouts No Calls_ whereas i often prefer my metal instrumental, i like my Electrelane with singing and there's more here than ever. earlier records i enjoyed but didn't engage me like this one, which seems less controlled, more propulsive, and with the aforementioned vocals carrying the hooks along. immediate and lovely.
the modern jazz pianist i go back to the most is Andrew Hill , his well of composition, performances, incredible combinations of players, and just melodic thinking just seemed bottomless. Hill died of cancer this weekend at age 75, and has been remarkably productive in the last few years to the point where i had been enjoying his most recent album Timelines so much that i had forgotten that i knew he had been ill since 2004 when he was diagnosed with what killed him. i got to see him play once in the late 90's and it's as though his unique voicings and ideas flowed out of him undiminished even decades after he made his classic blue note sides. so many great older recordings have been reissued recently as well - both solo and ensemble stuff from the 60's and 70's - that there's an incredible wealth of music to live with, but it's still sad that Hill's gone.
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Will check out the Dirty Projectors, they sound pretty interesting.
Stars, I am very dissapointed with this release. It sounds like you might be saying I need to give it a few more spins?
Jesu, Loving Conquerer. A solid record. If it is piques your interest, I strongly encourage you to check out the Silver EP.
Either way, thanks for the list of your current favorites.
I love that Jesu album -- I was surprised, too...thought it'd be more like Red Sparrows or Pelican or something. I need to listen to that Dirty Projectors...last album they did had a track called "Fucked for Life" that turned into my top-played song for a while, kind of embarrassing actually.
I've been listening to some good stuff lately, too. Really liking the new Kinski, Akron/Family, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Sadies, Frightened Rabbit, and I just got this new hip hop record by an artist named Sole (it's on Anticon) that I've gotten completely obsessed with.