John Vanderslice - Emerald City - BARK66

John Vanderslice is a one-time producer of, and a collaborator with, The Mountain Goats but he has a string of solo albums to his name as well. He's a good story-teller, with a distinctive voice, and original arrangements. The reviews, and there aren't many, of this album all focus on the fact that it was written after his French girlfriend was refused a US visa. In fact, it seem much more about 9/11 and the reaction to it, which he seems to blame for the rejection. The album isn't preachy, or political, and he uses some wonderful images of the twin towers and minarets before turning to his loneliness and despair about the visa in the last two songs, Numbered Lithograph and Central Booking.

I should say that I nearly didn't get past the first track. It's amazing how one line in a song can put you on edge and I always brace myself when listening to Dylan's Street Legal for "can you cook and sew, make flowers grow." It's just so corny. Well, Vanderslice comes up with something about kookaburras and frangepani trees which is equally bad but, once that's out of the way, you're in safe hands.

Linda Kekama – I am an African – Gallo Jazz CDGURB035

This album turned up today from the Sterns sale. It's a wonderful album. I've never heard of any of the musicians, so it seems to me that there is a younger generation of SA jazz musicians, well imbued with the spirit of Abdullah Ibrahim, knocking around SA now. It was recorded in 2002.

I'm most impressed by Dhlamini and, particularly, by Sello Manyaka, who doen't seem to me to have anything more to do to be a great jazz saxophonist, in the Kippie Moeketsi tradition.

Most of the songs are originals, the words by Linda, the music by her husband, Ephraim Kekana, who doesn't appear on the record. The exceptions are the title track, which is a speech by Thabo Mbeki, recited and sung over an old Abdullah Ibrahim tune, the title of which eludes me for the moment; and "Senanapo" which has original music set to a traditional story.

Linda seems to me to occupy a similar kind of space to Ursula Rucker, the Philadelphia rap artist whose work is a lesson to everyone about Hip Hop and the world. Indeed, a couple of the tracks on this album are every bit as painful to listen to as some of Ursula's raps; the world CAN be a beautiful place, but often it is almost too terrible to believe. But, of course, the music is different; what you get here is the same kind of Mbaqanga influence turned into jazz via Abdulah Ibrahim, but carried into a different area. The way Linda uses her voice reminds me a bit of Abbey Lincoln; but I don't like Abbey much - I do like Linda, so it ain't the same.

This is on sale cheap at Sterns UK. You can listen to samples of all the tracks here. But I wouldn't advise listening to either Loss Of a Childor Newsflash as samples. And U Could Be Happy Too is untypical of the album, as it's a slow Salsa number. If you're interested in SA Jazz, make a grab for this. If you're interested in unusual and meaningful music, grab this - AM

Lambchop - Damaged - SLANG1041092

It's taken me a while to get the hang of Lambchop. I first tried Awcom and was baffled, mainly by the corny instrumentals, but then I was introduced to Is A Woman, which made more sense. Now Damaged has got me hooked.

Kurt Wagner's fractured vocals blend particularly well with the smooth, almost orchestral backing and, although most of the songs are as calm and quiet as those on Is A Woman, the album holds your attention. The opening song, Paperback Bible, celebrates the small things - an old birdbath, a recliner and a prom pageant dress - being offered for sale on an American radio programme, presumably a forerunner of eBay. There is a real pathos in all these old possessions being cast out into the world to find a life with a new owner. I Would Have Waited Here All Day is the voice of a disappointed wife, dragging out her day, waiting for her husband to come home. It's not clear things will get any better when he does. The final track, The Decline of Country and Western Civilisation, raises the temperature with its reference to Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest and its refrain of "damn you're looking ugly to me."

I'm a convert now.

Houston Person & Etta Jones - Don't Misunderstand, Live in New York, 1980

Oh my, on my, this is some recording!!!!  OK, I LOVE these two together. So I AM biased. They are great live. When I saw them in 1990, they put on a wonderful show at the Blue Note. But I never saw them like this.

Houston, Sonny and Frankie take the lion's share of the CD. But Etta's performances are really there - particularly the title track, which is another object lesson in how Etta can GET you! It is almost in a different galaxy to the version she recorded about three years before on the "My mother's eyes" LP. But Etta and Houston are kind of known factors.

THERE IS A REVELATION IN HERE - it's SONNY PHILLIPS.

I've got everything Sonny recorded, but he never really CONNECTED with me 'til now. His playing here is awesome; no guitarist, so he is taking the load. And he plays really so much MORE than I've ever heard him before. Maybe, simply because he's taking the load, what he's playing is so much more in your face than usual. He also takes a bass solo, which not too many organists have tried (only Lou Bennett, I think, and that was on a trick machine).

All organ fans should have this album!!!!! End of story - AM

Allan's review originally appeared on Organissimo - Ed

 

Interpol - Our Love to Admire - Capitol

Several of the reviews I’ve read of this album have remarked on the perversity of starting with the long and dirge-like Pioneer to The Falls but as many of the writers have been quick to point out Interpol’s similarity to Joy Division, what else do they expect? Having said that, Our Love to Admire isn’t as upbeat or catchy as Turn On The Bright Lights or Antics and ends with the even more dismal The Lighthouse, which really doesn’t have much to recommend it at all.

Between those two lows, and Pioneer isn’t half-bad, there’s much to admire. The Heinrich Maneuver is as good as anything on the two previous albums, and I remain happily baffled by the reference to seven ancient pawn shops on Mammoth. Wrecking Ball is slower and sadder and a great piece of song writing, as is Rest My Chemistry, but there isn’t really a bad track apart from the final one.

Expect the usual guitar-drenched Interpol sound with a few extras and best listened to on the excellent LP you can buy from Diverse Vinyl.

Seasick Steve - Dog House Music B000JU7ITW

Well if you're a Blues fan this really hits the spot. Not sure how I've missed him up to now. Seasick Steve plays Delta slide blues, usually on an old Trance guitar with only three strings - but he makes it sound as full as can be. These are modern tales of the hobo life, the southern states and a man struggling against the odds. Think of a hard blues Tom Waits with a guitar and tattoos...but when he starts his Trance Boogie, banging his mississippi drum machine (aka a wooden box) I defy anyone to stay still.

CoCoRosie - The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn - TG314CD

This is the third album from the two sisters and they’re beginning to sound a little less like a soundtrack to a fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm but then who else records songs about werewolves? They still use random sounds with an abandon that makes Lee Scratch Perry seem conservative and the usual creakings, yelps, and drippings are present in abundance but there’s even a touch of rap, notably on Promise.

They return to their previous Grimm ways with Bloody Twins, with a wind in the background and a spooky music box. Japan is pretty straightforward, apart from the howls and the fact that it turns to near opera at one stage. Oh, yes, and the fact that it’s sung in a Shirley Temple-like voice and refers to being taken home and raped by queens in drag.

Why should you buy anything as apparently deliberately strange as this? Well, because you won’t be getting the same old, same old, or even the worse than same old. You’ll be getting something fiercely original and intense that broadens the meaning of music. You might not like it, but that’s another matter entirely.

Bat For Lashes - Fur And Gold - B000HC2OLE

Well, I dont know many albums that start with a harpsichord melody that sounds so simple that it may as well have come out of one of my childhood keyboards, but still retains a certain baroqueness about it. But here we are! Bat For Lashes is essentially Nataschka Khan's band, a gifted singer/songwriter who mixes a Bjork-like individuality with unusual instrumentation and graceful songwriting. The album relies mostly on piano/keyboard/violin melodies and Khan's direct yet soft vocals.

Listening to it, there doesnt seem to be a definitive song for this band, as each of the 11 tracks on offer here sound unique. That doesnt mean they're all winners; all of the songs can be praised for individuality but some for being unmemorable. This, in turn, makes haunting piano-led ballad 'Sad Eyes' stand out, aswell as opener 'Horse And I' with its impressive vocal melodies. Album highlight would be 'The Bat's Mouth', which slowly builds to a beautiful melodic pinnacle of optimism and ends with a lovely quiet ending, touching violin lines and all.

Unusual, varied, slightly moody but not depressing, individualistic and slightly poppy would be the best way to describe it. Whilst 'Fur And Gold' isnt a classic its got plenty of memorable moments on it, and it bodes well for Khan's career if she's making songs this good on her debut.

Joanna Newsom - Ys - B000I2K9M4

So. Originality, eh? Tough job in music. But on the other hand, have you heard of a San Franciscan singer/songwriter who plays a harp and has a voice so quirky it makes chipmunk's blush? Wait, don't answer yet. This album only has 5 songs but they stretch to around 55 minutes in total, and has a 30+ piece orchestra. Well, I guess it's as close to originality as we can get, right?

Joanna Newsom's sophomore album has all of these things, but it's difficult to get the full scope of this album across because there's so much going on. Be it her voice, cooing, crooning and dramatising each song, the fantasy-themed stories presented throughout, as in 'Monkey And Bear', or the quality of the playing, as in the stunning 'Sawdust And Diamonds', in which an unaccompanied Newsom plucks for almost 9 minutes at dizzying speeds, singing lines such as "I wasnt born of a whistle or milked of a thistle at twilight". That's not mentioning the highly intruiging cover, or the 'blimey!' factor achieved whilst listening.

Don't worry if you perceive this album to be mental, because in all fairness, it is. But it's also intensely listenable, accessible and absorbing. It's length can be a bit of a crutch at first, but after repeated listens the full majesty of this album eventually flourishes into one of the most ambitious and original records I've heard. I'd suggest giving it a go just on the strength its identity and character alone, because it's truly unlike anything you're likely to have heard before.

Reuben Wilson, Bernard Purdie and Grant Green Jnr - The Godfathers of Groove - 18th & Vine 18V1048

This album was actually recorded in September 2005 but the label didn’t get around (or couldn’t afford) to issue it until 9 January this year. But it’s GOT to be the Soul Jazz release of 2007. This is the second album these three have made together. The first, Masters of Groove Meet Dr No, was a great fun album. This is altogether heavy: an hour of potent, greasy, funk.

A word of explanation: Grant Green Jr (whose real name is Gregory – his younger brother is Grant Jr) does have a remarkable tendency to play like his father (and damn near as well). Well, you would, wouldn’t you? But he does also have a bit of his own thing going within that framework. In this album, he even sings on a couple of tracks – and he has a good voice; I’d much rather listen to him than George Benson (oh, I know that’s not saying much). Oh, and GG Jr writes nice tunes, too.

Second word – the headliners are joined by Jerry Jemmott – refugee from the old King Curtis band – on bass. It’s not clear to me why, because Reuben has a great bass line. But Jerry doesn’t get in the way - AM

Mavis Staples – We’ll Never Turn Back - Pinnacle

The message of this collection of civil rights songs from the fifties and sixties is that not only will veteran singer Mavis never turn back, she and her fellow campaigners will keep pushing on. “Things are better but we’re not where we need to be,” she remarked. The album is produced by Ry Cooder, who has given it a contemporary sound, and he plays guitar (needless to say, son Joachim, is on percussion) and, although the music sounds fresh, I do wonder whether We Shall Not Be Moved warranted inclusion. It’s the only song on the album that sounds tired.

The two strongest songs are Down in Mississippi and In The Mississippi River, for the horror of what they relate and the strength of the arrangements. Atmospheric though the arrangements are, it’s Mavis’ voice, full of strength and depth and drawing on personal experience of fear and prejudice, that carries the album.

Civil rights and spirituality were inseparable for Mavis and the other Staples Singers once Pop Staples saw Martin Luther King speak in 1963. They still are for Mavis: “A lot of people would rather hear a message in a song than listen to a preacher.” But really, she’s a singer and a preacher.

Various Artists - Ghana Soundz - Soundway SNDWCD001

This is a compilation of Afro-beat, funk and fusion recordings made (mostly) in the 1970s in Ghana.

I haven’t paid a great deal of attention to Ghana in the past; after I got this, I am beginning to regret that oversight. Of 14 tracks (in 72 minutes), only one is kinda duff. All the rest are highly pyracoustic – and inventive with it. They really are what the sleeve says – a fusion of Afro-beat, heavily influenced by Fela Kuti, jazz and funk, clearly aimed at the dance floor, but equally, as ever in Africa, with something political to say.

One of these tracks Bukom Mashie, by Oscar Sulley & the Uhuru Dance Band, has been included in the soundtrack of the film The King of Scotland – an adventure film about Idi Amin – yet another glorious example of the movie business’ geographical “who gives a fuck?” – well, they both have a G and two As and an N. But if you see the film you can get a good sample. The rest of the album is well up to this standard.

There’s a volume 2, as well, but I haven’t got round to getting it yet - AM

Joan Armatrading - Into The Blues

For those of my generation it's always a cause for celebration when a 70s star, presumed long squeezed dry of creative juice, re-emerges with fresh inspiration and something actually GOOD. So put aside recollections of "Love and Affection" - Joan has taken to the blues with relish. All her own compositions, but with some real edge coming through - she's picked up her electric guitar and the voice is still fantastic. "Play the Blues" seems to be a tribute to John Lee Hooker from what I can make out. She sings "Baby when you play the blues I could take all my clothes off for you". (Steady on Joan - at our age some things are best left covered, but I'm sure he would appreciate the sentiment.) The pace and the acid picks up on tracks like "There aint a girl alive (who likes to look in a mirror like you do"). And if you download it you get a bonus track - a roustabout shuffle "Can't push me down" which is for me the best track of all. Sounds like they had a lot of fun recording it and so far it has become a regular destination when selecting something to get me through a long tedious car journey...

Björk - Volta - tplp460cd

This was baffling. The Amazon review cleary states that 'Volta' is a 'return to the more commercial, upbeat sound of her early work.' Well, maybe for the opening tribal drumming pop of 'Earth Intruders', but afterwards we're surely confronted by Björk's most difficult and challenging record yet.

That's not to say it isnt good, far from it. There are some great songs here, like the deliciously gentle 'I See Who You Are', the relaxed beats of 'Hope' and closing 'My Juvenile', one of two good duets with Anthony Hegarty from Anthony and the Johnsons. But on the flipside of that we have an album popping up with ships sounding together (yes, you read right), and the simple, repetitive horn instrumentations that dominate the dramatic 'Vertebrae by Vertebrae' and the quieter 'Pnuemonia'. At times, these two songs in particular get a bit.....well, annoying. Couple that with 'Declare Independence', a loud techno number, which is the Icelandic songstress' harshest and surely most unlistenable song to date, then you really do have an album with two faces.

There is a good album within 'Volta' (well, half a good album at the least), but as with 2004's 'Medulla', I'm left thinking that at times she's becoming too self-indulgent in her conquest for originality. As with Björk last few albums, it's a challenging listen and it's her longest album to date, but please dont expect a return to her more commercial days with 'Volta', because you really will not get it.

Willy Mason – If The Ocean Gets Rough – 094638390329

Willy Mason is a 22-year-old singer/songwriter from Martha’s Vineyard. Careless spelling will lead to confusion with the Australian Rugby League player and hardman, Willie Mason, aka Stone Mason, but your confusion is not likely to last for long.

Mr and Mrs Mason were folk musicians and Willy’s pretty much in that tradition, with a fine line in melody and mostly acoustic backing, but don’t hold that against him. He’s also been described as the new Bob Dylan but his songs are much less sparse than early Dylan, his lyrics far less opaque, and his voice fuller, though it does crack and break at just the right moment.

The album is rich and varied, starting with the up-beat and catchy Gotta Keep Walking, then moving into The World That I Wanted, with its lilting refrain and story of lives wasted, and turns sinister on Simple Town. He always sounds as though he’s relishing his lyrics, which he should, with lines like: “when the disillusioned are cleaned off the streets/will you clean my shirt and hide me from police” from When The Leaves Have Fallen.

His brother, Sam, plays the drums which are nearly always forward in the mix and which drive the whole thing along; it’s over too quickly.

The Doctor Is In – Crash feat Dr Lonnie Smith – Cellar Live CL090603

I only found out about this album a few months ago, though it’s been out since 2004.

Crash is a Canadian band, working in Vancouver. Personnel is Corey Weeds (alto), Jerry Cook (tenor), Dave Sikula (guitar), Mark Humeniuk (bass) and Bernie Arai (drums); not a bunch of names to conjure with, but those guys can play! Apparently, they are Lonnie Smith’s backup musicians of choice when he’s in the area.

This is a record of one such gig, from September 2003, at the Cellar Jazz Club, owned by Weeds (as is the record label). And the night was pyracoustic! Crash support Lonnie like I’ve never heard any other band - really. The opening number – Nick’s Kick – a feverish groove that would kill you if you tried to dance to it for its 12 minutes – but how can you help it? – sets the tone for the whole set. All the tracks are long and give Crash members plenty of space to show their stuff, as well as featuring Lonnie. All the tunes are Lonnie’s (except maybe Nick’s Kick), and include a prototype of Your Mama’s Got a Complex which Lonnie recorded in the studio a few months later.

Phew! Only obtainable from CD Baby- Allan Moss

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible - URA210

Not for the faint-hearted this, as the whole album is pervaded by a sense of forthcoming disaster and a “they’re coming to get me” neurosis. Hence, I suppose, the track entitled Keep The Car Running and then, in the following title track, “Not much chance for survival/If the Neon Bible is Right.” I do find the album a bit repetitive but, on the whole, it’s a groove I’m happy to be in at the time. As you’d expect, it’s richly arranged with organs and strings, and all sounds rather majestic. This is not an album to listen to in a compressed format (what is?). When I heard it in MP3, I was definitely underwhelmed. On CD, it sounds grand and I guess it’s even better on vinyl.

Amid all the impending doom tracks, you’ll find Antichrist Television Blues which is, I think, about a father preparing to exploit his daughter as a child singer. It’s quite chilling in its calculations. Perhaps the disaster has already happened.

Koop – Koop Islands – K7 B000I2JKX8

Koop is two Swedish lads with fine taste in make-up and dresses and an ability to write songs that sound as though they come from another era. Think cocktails, cigarette holders and big-band arrangements with a touch of Euro-lounge and you’re there. Vocalists Yukimi Nagano and Ane Brun keep things cool and sophisticated and the songs are skilfully orchestrated. There are no great surprises and it’s a pretty short album, but with ten well-honed tracks, that’s a strength rather than a weakness. Mix a Martini, sit back and get hooked.

Jon Redfern - May Be Some Time - Reveal

Well, if the site's not dead yet, I'll tell you about Jon Redfern. The album came to me as result of a recommendation by Paul in Diverse Music. As he predicted, it's a grower. It's a quiet, acoustic album, with the music, rather than the voice, to the forefront. The combination of strings, guitar and saxophone works well and nearly every track has strong, lilting melody. At times, you could be listening to a string, or even a jazz ensemble. The songs themselves are pretty minimal and I suppose I'll forgive him for the line "I love the sun/It shines down on every one". After all, didn't Dylan get away with "can you cook and sew, make flowers grow"? That aside, nothing offends me, there's much to enjoy and it sounds fabulous on LP. My copy came with a free CD of the album. Oh for the day when they start giving away LPs with CDs.

Neil Young - Live at Massey Hall 1971

(I refuse to accept this site is dead. Yet.)

Review Caveat - I am a huge Neil Young fan. I've read his biography twice (which if you look at it you'll recognise as an achievement in itself) and have almost everything he's recorded. So when I say this album is the best thing I've heard in years, it's in that context. Recorded five years after he left Canada and between After the Goldrush and Harvest, he's at his peak introducing some of his greatest songs as "something I just wrote" and with equally laconic introductions to the rest. The quality of the recordings is great. It stands along Live at the Fillmore - the Crazy Horse archive album he released a year ago. Listen out for an acoustic Cowgirl in the Sand, Needle and the Damage Done and Old Man.

Lucinda Williams - West (Lost Highway records)

Much has been written about this album so I won't say more except to confirm it's all true. A mix of country, blues and rock. Songs of loss and redemption filtered through her gravel-edged voice. Play it three times in a row and it will be firmly set as one of your albums of the year. Highlights for me: Learning How to Live and Where is My Love.

Jerry Lee Lewis - Last Man Standing (Artful Records)

This is one of those "guest artist" albums with the great and the good joining in to shift copies: The Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Neil Young, Muddy Waters and more. But unlike many others, this one is at times sensational. He kicks off covering Led Zeppelin's Rock and Roll with Jimmy Page on guitar and tears it up like a man possessed. The stage is set, as the album rolls on through some great covers, with amazing flair and energy by any standard, let alone from a man of 72. There's hope for us all.
He started his career with Sun Records alongside Elvis, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly and others - but is, as the album says, the last man standing. He's certainly not on his last legs however judging from this. I predict you won't hear a more rockin' album this year. One turkey of a track - skip the "execrable" Honky Tonk Woman cover with Kid Rock (adjective courtesy of Threshold Record's recommendation of the week review. My local music store is right about this as so much else...)

The Mountain Goats – Metro Theatre, Sydney – Saturday, 6 January

It takes quite a nerve for a two-man band confronting the biggest audience they’ve ever attracted (around 1,000) to open the set with a song as intimate and introverted as Wild Sage but it was delivered with such confidence and conviction that the audience was soon hanging on every note.

For this Australian tour, the Goats are John Darnielle (of course) and bassist Peter Hughes, with current producer, John Vanderslice, lending a hand for the closing songs, and also acting as the support act.

That first song swept away all doubts about whether a band whose songs travel such dark and often depressing territory could engage such a big audience. Quite simply, they communicate, though it was sometimes hard to tell whether Darnielle was expressing savage glee or deep torment when he delivered classic lines like “I hope you die/I hope we both die” from the classic No Children or “I am going to make it through this year if it kills me” from This Year.

Either way, it worked, not least because he clearly now has a huge following who embrace the lyrics like old friends. The Goats generate a huge sound from just two guitars and as much emotion and excitement. I’m an even bigger fan now.

The Be Good Tanyas – Hello Love – Nettwork

There seems to be some controversy about how to categorise the music of the Be Good Tanyas, as they’ve been labelled as folk, blues, bluegrass, alt country and Americana. I guess the truth is that there’s something of all these genres in their output, though I remain unsure about the difference between alt country and Americana. Controversy may be too strong a word, come to think of it, as nobody seems too bothered, wisely preferring to listen to the music instead.

But then the music isn’t likely to get you too worked up, either. It’s all slow, dreamy and beautifully played, ranging from the traditional, like What Are They Doing in Heaven Tonight, through John Hurt’s Nobody Cares for Me, on which Jolie Holland makes an appearance as a former band member, to Neil Young’s For the Turnstiles and the Tanyas’ own songs. I think the dreaminess is part of the problem, coupled with their quiet, slurred delivery that makes it hard to make out the words. I’ve enjoyed the album every time I’ve played it, rather like a walk on a familiar beach – you’re glad you went but you didn’t see or hear anything new.