Tuesday, October 27, 2009

If It's Tuesday, It Must Be Street Date: 10/27/09

WARNING:
THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SOME QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE. CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 14, AND PEOPLE WITH STICKS UP THEIR ASSES, GO BACK.







DEVENDRA BANHART- WHAT WILL WE BE

Indie darling, folk-hippie, greatest thing since Pringles, Devendra Banhart releases his second album with the same crew that recorded "Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon." This is being cited as his most accomplished work yet. We'll SEE about that.






CREED- FULL CIRCLE

First record in 7 years from the kings of the big, grungy, rock radio anthem. As J. Phoenix says in his Amazon review, "It's finely polished Creed."







ROSIE FLORES- GIRL OF THE CENTURY

The rockabilly filly is back with her first release for Bloodshot Records. Rosie is solid as usual, and "Girl Of The Century" is thankfully, more of the same country swing with a whole lotta cool that Flores has been pumping out for years.









GARAGE A TROIS- POWER PATRIOT

GAT started out as a late night jam session during the weeks of the New Orleans Jazz Festival, and featured the hardest working man in New Orleans, Stanton Moore on drums, jazz mainstay Charlie Hunter on guitar and Seattle's horn blowing treasure, Skerik on sax and anything else that got in the way. With the addition of Mike Dillon on percussion, two records were released, the equally brilliant, funky, strange and beautiful "Emphasizer" & "Outre Mer," each containing music that was driven by the impossible rhythms of one of my favorite drummers, Mr. Stanton Moore, and the melodic but never boring melodies and arrangements of the aforementioned band members. One minute you were wiggin' out to psychedelia meets Coltrane and the next you were pounding your feet to some heavy delta blues. All of it was completely original, with sounds and textures coming at you like a Nolan Ryan curveball.

Out goes Charlie Hunter and in comes keyboardist and jam band cult hero, Marco Benevento, and their first recording together sounds like a Marco Benevento solo project, with melodies on the back burner, and the rest of the band playing second fiddle to Benevento's treated keyboard noodling. "Power Patriot" lacks the necessary ingredient to make a jammy record stand out from all other jammy records; the tune. It's fun to hear some of the best musicians in the game get off, but it's more fun when you know why. I've been waiting awhile for this record, and I plan on sticking with it. I love these guys too much. But first listen left me cold.








GOV'T MULE- BY A THREAD

I don't know if anyone remembers this, but back in February, the 19th I believe, between the hours of 2:15 and 3:45, Warren Haynes was NOT on the road. I'm guessing it was at that moment, he and the boys found the time to record "By A Thread," a better than usual studio recording from a band who has been touring incessantly since their inception. Billy Gibbons guests on the best track on the record, "Broke Down On The Brazos."








JACK JOHNSON- EN CONCERT


The "21st century kingpin of beachside pop/rock" releases a live record with some special dude guests, like Ben Harper and G. Love.








PINK MARTINI- SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS.

''The fourth album from the celebrated and beloved 12-piece little orchestra Pink Martini is the follow-up to the band’s wildly successful 2007 release Hey Eugene! (which debuted at #30 on the Billboard Top 200, #1 on Amazon and #9 iTunes Top Albums).'' Pink Martini’s three previous albums have sold over 2 million copies worldwide. Long-awaited fourth album features several songs in a classic Pink Martini style alongside excursions into 1970s, modernist minimalism, classic ranchera, and swing." It's about time someone played a little "classic ranchera."








CHUCK PROPHET- LET FREEDOM RING

"The studio was state-of-the-art...for 1957. Surgical masks were as common as sunglasses. Earthquakes shook the streets." This was Mexico City, 2009, the city that was the muse for Chuck Prophet's new album ¡Let Freedom Ring! Needing a vantage point outside his home country to make what he calls, ''a political album for non-political people,'' Chuck and his band found themselves at the epicenter of the biggest pandemic scare of the new century. Swine flu was in the air, literally and figuratively, yet underneath the paranoia of H1N1 lay something more, something even larger. A cultural sea change was stirring. Brought on by the democratizing power of the internet, traditionally poverty stricken youth all over Mexico City were being exposed rapid-fire to music and art that had always been hidden from them. Inspired by this renaissance ¡Let Freedom Ring! billows with primal color and sound, evidenced by Prophet's return to the direct ''two guitars, bass and drums'' rock music of his past.






R.E.M.- LIVE AT THE OLYMPIA

Early versions of songs from "Accelerate" and a whole lot more on this 2 CD live set recorded in Ireland.

Full Set List

Disc: 1
1. Living Well Is The Best Revenge
2. Second Guessing
3. Letter Never Sent
4. Staring Down The Barrel Of The
5. Disturbance At The Heron House
6. Mr. Richards
7. Houston
8. New Test Leper
9. Cuyahoga
10. Electrolite
11. Man-Sized Wreath
12. So. Central Rain
13. On The Fly
14. Maps And Legends
15. Sitting Still
16. Driver 8
17. Horse To Water
18. I'm Gonna DJ
19. Circus Envy
20. These Days
Disc: 2
1. Drive
2. Feeling Gravity's Pull
3. Until The Day Is Done
4. Accelerate
5. Auctioneer
6. Little America
7. 1,000,000
8. Disguised
9. The Worst Joke Ever
10. Welcome To The Occupation
11. Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcar)
12. Harborcoat
13. Wolves, Lower
14. I've Been High
15. Kohoutek
16. West Of The Fields
17. Pretty Persuasion
18. Romance
19. Gardening At Night








CARLY SIMON- NEVER BEEN GONE

Newly recorded, stripped down versions of older songs from Miss Simon's long, respected, and very uneven career.







ROD STEWART- SOULBOOK


The once great, but now painfully pathetic Rod Stewart absolutely fucking ruins all your favorite soul tunes, with his passionless, gutless rasp and by the book arrangements, on this new sham of a series, which by the way has about as much zest as Sunny Von Bulow in late 2006. Otis Redding could make a better record NOW! This is an abomination, an insult to anyone who has ever put a quarter in a jukebox, did The Jerk, or simply enjoyed "Maggie May." This record will no doubt sell millions, thanks to the lazy fools who have given up making their own decisions. I implore you, search out the originals. You do NOT need this record. This is only the first volume. THERE WILL BE MORE VOLUMES OF THIS SHITE!






STING- IF ON A WINTER'S NIGHT

Speaking of sad, pathetic shite, the once respected but now abhorred Sting, pays tribute to his favorite season...oh joy...winter, with some lute-loving, harpsichord- tinkled tunes. Features such toe-tappers as "Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming" and "The Snow It Melts The Soonest." (The Sting He Blows Ith The Most'est.)





SWELL SEASON- STRICT JOY

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova won our hearts in the 2007 film, Once, and brought the couple a Best Original Song award at that year's Oscars. This is their highly-anticipated new record.




U2- THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE- 25TH ANNIVERSARY REMASTERED EDITION

The classic, with lots of b-sides and bonus material.


FULL TRACK LIST:

Disc: 1
1. A Sort of Homecoming
2. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
3. Wire
4. The Unforgettable Fire
5. Promenade
6. 4th Of July
7. Bad
8. Indian Summer Sky
9. Elvis Presley and America
10. MLK
Disc: 2
1. Disappearing Act
2. A Sort of Homecoming (live)
3. Bad (live)
4. Love Comes Tumbling
5. The Three Sunrises
6. Yoshino Blossom
7. Wire (Kervorkian Remix)
8. Boomerang I
9. Pride (In The Name of Love)
10. A Sort of Homecoming
11. 11 O'Clock Tick Tock (single version)
12. Wire (Celtic Dub Mix)
13. Basa Trap
14. Boomerang II
15. 4th of July
16. Sixty Seconds in Kingdom Come
Disc: 3
1. The Unforgettable Fire
2. Bad
3. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
4. A Sort Of Homecoming
5. The Making Of The Unforgettable Fire - documentary
6. MLK (at A Conspiracy Of Hope Concert 6-15-86)
7. Pride (In The Name Of Love)(at A Conspiracy Of Hope Concert 6-15-86)
8. Bad(at A Conspiracy Of Hope Concert 6-15-86)
9. Sunday Bloody Sunday (U2 at Live Aid 7-13-85)
10. Bad (U2 at Live Aid 7-13-85)
11. Pride (In The Name Of Love) - Sepia version
12. 11 O'Clock Tick Tock (Bootleg versionLive 6-29-85)

11 comments:

Sammy said...

i hope you realize you probably won't be invited to any rod stewart soirees this coming holiday season...steven

jeff said...

so how is the swell season swell, or swill?

Anonymous said...

I have to tell you Sal, that the week doesn't begin for me til your tuesday "street date" round up, i've picked up so many cd's because of your reviews. I look forward to checking out Swell Season& Garage A Trois.
Keep up the good work!

Veronica Breth

Anonymous said...

Sal, do you think i should buy the Beatles mono or stereo box? My cousin who works in finance says i shouldn't spend any money right now because of the economy but i really want it and may go to my favorite record store today, so i need you opinion.


Mark

Sal Nunziato said...

Mark,

Tough call if you can only get one.

I would say this...if you're a real Beatles fanatic, buy the Mono, then get "A Hard Day's Night," "Beatles For Sale," "Abbey Road" and "Let It Be" separately in stereo.

Unknown said...

In the immortal words of L'il Willie Shakespeare.....
"Oh Sting, where is thy death?".....

Anonymous said...

Thanks Sal, you're the best!!! I wish you worked in a record store, you're a great salesman.

Mark

Unknown said...

With this new Rod Stewart Soulbook, I suggest he
create a new band name to go with it. I'm thinkin'
The Feces.... (Volume 1 is really #2....)

Meanstreets said...

Burning Wood, what is your initial thoughts on FRANK'S new box set, titled NEW YORK, from the VOICE'S performances there over the years ?
The set includes a DVD. I have just bout every song on their original studio recordings...Do I spring for this ???

***release date 11/3

Sal Nunziato said...

Not sure what to tell you, Meanstreets. There is a lot of live Frank out there, and though there may be a gem or two, I can't imagine stuff from the late 80s being a necessity.

Nina said...

Both of these hack-wads were on the Today show this past week--what a thing to wake up to---especially while "on the road:-wish I'd had your comments to guffaw at instead---