Casual Listening: Spam Allstars, Maiysha, Motorhead

Casual Listening

a review of cool new music

by Jeff Pinzino

Hey everyone. The reviews are abbreviated this week, and a couple days early since I’m going out of town. Enjoy, and see you next week!

August 29, 2008

* Spam Allstars – Introducing Spam Allstars (Latin)

Salsa flair in a laid back groove that invokes everything from P-Funk to Fela Kuti. Totally infectious.

Listen to Spam Allstars “Gallo Pinto”

* JJ Grey and Mofro – Orange Blossoms (soul)

Boss soul blues. A heavy sweet sound with great vocals and a tight band. Special to the Wayne Cochrane fans on the list – you’ll dig this.

Listen to JJ Grey and Mofro “Orange Blossoms”

Maiysha – This Much is True (R&B)

Great tracks, powerful vocals, and a far broader range than most contemporary R&B.

Listen to Maiysha “Chase”

Tomer Yosef – Laughing Underground (world)

The Israeli answer to Reggaeton. Booty-shaking hits with dancehall and rap influences.

Listen to Tomer Yosef “Underground”

Motörhead – Motörizer (metal)

Metal pioneers that kick serious posterior. You can listen to some of the album via a web widget at http://www.spv.de/motoerhead/widget/

Delta Spirit ­– Ode to Sunshine (rock)

Beatles-influenced pop that does a better job than most.

Listen to Delta Spirit “Tomorrow Goes Away”

* highly recommended

! highest recommendation

Check out the blog at http://casuallistening.blogspot.com . To subscribe or unsubscribe, or just to say hi, send an e-mail to jeffpinzino@gmail.com.

Casual Listening Extra - David Byrne & Brian Eno

Casual Listening

Extra!

August 22, 2008

David Byrne & Brian Eno – Everything That Happens Will Happen Today

Two art rock giants – Byrne of Talking Heads fame, and Eno maybe best known for producing U2, among others – make a great effort at a collaboration that doesn’t come close to the best of what each has done on their own. That may not be saying much, given the fact that their best is stratospheric – this is still a nice album of songs. Nothing super-inventive. You can hear it for free at http://www.everythingthathappens.com/ and if you are drawn to it more than I was, you can purchase and download it in a number of formats.

Casual Listening - George Jones, Dandy Warhols, Staind

Casual Listening

a review of cool new music

by Jeff Pinzino

August 22, 2008

* George Jones – Burn Your Playhouse Down (country)

Get yourself a big glass of beer to cry in with this one. The renowned honky-tonker gives a set of well-crafted duets with a star-studded array of guests. Jones aims straight for the heartstrings, and hits on nearly every song. This songwriting is strong enough to turn more heads than just the hat-and-boot crowd.

Listen to George Jones “The Window Up Above”

Salme Dahlstrom – The Acid Cowgirl Audio Trade (dance)

Contagious pop grooves with heavy drum beats, samples, and cool-girl vocals. Enjoy this summer party album before the summer gets away from you.

Listen to Salme Dahlstrom “C’mon Y’all”

Dandy Warhols – ...Earth to the Dandy Warhols... (rock)

This band puts catchy songs behind layers of sound -- primarily guitars and electronica with an occasional smattering of other instruments, including banjos, trumpets, and glockenspiels. I may live to regret this comparison -- Sonic Youth meets Duran Duran? Don't take my word for it -- you can actually hear every track from their new album for free at http://www.dandywarhols.com/ts/?account_id=75183 If you really like it, $35 gets you a subscription: a download, CD, concert poster, advance concert sales, 10% of merchandise, and b-sides e-mailed to you throughout the year.

Listen to Dandy Warhols “Love Song”

JW Jones – Bluelisted (blues)

I think I’m late to this party, but it’s a good party, and worth checking out. JW draws on electric blues and early rock & roll with spot-on guitar riffs and Hammond organ. The cavernous reverb on the album sounds like it was recorded at a 1950’s vintage VFW hall. A real treat of a blues set.

Listen to JW Jones “Can’t Play a Playboy”

Staind ­– The Illusion of Progress (rock)

For a bunch of guys known primarily for rocking really hard, there’s a lot of finesse to the songs on this album. Big guitars play second fiddle to shadowy, introspective vocals and a tunefulness that’s a rewarding listen. I wish more alternative rock bands set the bar this high.

Listen to Staind “Pardon Me”

Matthew Stubbs – Soul Bender (soul)

Horn-driven old-school soul music. This all-instrumental album shows off Stubbs’ serious guitar fretwork on a set of songs that is screaming to find its way onto a movie soundtrack.

Listen to Matthew Stubbs “Soul Bender”

Jerry Douglas – Glide (bluegrass)

Douglas is maybe the best-known dobro player on the bluegrass scene, bringing a characteristic slide guitar sound to a varied set of original acoustic compositions. He continues to show off his chops with newgrass pals such as mandolinist Sam Bush and bassist Edgar Meyer.

Listen to Jerry Douglas “Bounce”

In The Blog: David Byrne & Bryan Eno

* highly recommended

! highest recommendation

Check out the blog at http://casuallistening.blogspot.com . To subscribe or unsubscribe, or just to say hi, send an e-mail to jeffpinzino@gmail.com.

Casual Listening: Inara George; Daddy Yankee; Extreme

Casual Listening

a review of cool new music

by Jeff Pinzino

August 15, 2008

* Inara George – An Invitation With Van Dyke Parks (easy listening)

Easy listening returns with a vengeance. Orchestrated strings support a beautifully sad female voice. The sound is shockingly retro, blowing off more than fifty years of dust in such a way to make one think that maybe the Nelson Riddle Orchestra records in your grandparents' collection aren't such a joke after all.

Listen to Inara George “Night Happens”

* Bark, Hide, and Horn – National Road (rock)

You might call this style Baroque Americana - twangy rock heavily orchestrated with everything from vibraphone to trumpets to banjo. Depending on the track, the sound ranges from freaky to sublime, but is consistently inventive throughout.

Listen to Bark, Hide, and Horn “Wetherill Mesa”

Paul Austerlitz – Journey (jazz)

Austerlitz is a jazz chameleon, equally convincing on a Cuban-inspired tune, "A Love Supreme"-era Coltrane, and a beat poetry jam. He plays a bass clarinet, which has a mellower tone than a tenor or baritone saxophone. Strong international influences, including Caribbean, Indian, and African all weave into a tapestry of American jazz.

Listen to Paul Austerlitz “Baro Suwa Yo”

Daddy Yankee – Talento del Barrio (reggaeton)

Daddy Yankee is the godfather of reggaeton, combining rap in Spanish with a highly danceable Latin beat. This is the soundtrack to his film debut, and has more of an epic quality than his club tracks. If you haven't discovered reggaeton yet, this album will give you a strong flavor of the music.

Listen to Daddy Yankee “Temblor”

Extreme – Saudades de Rock (rock)

Old metal never dies, even if the man-perms fade away. Heroic guitarists tapping on the fingerboard at 100+ decibels, these guys are still rocking like it's 1985.

Listen to Extreme – “Comfortably Dumb”

* highly recommended

! highest recommendation

Check out the blog at http://casuallistening.blogspot.com . To subscribe or unsubscribe, or just to say hi, send an e-mail to jeffpinzino@gmail.com.

Casual Listening Extra 8-8-08

Casual Listening

Extra!

August 8, 2008

Closure in Moscow – The Pennance and the Patience (rock)

Emo that breaks the mold. The loud guitars and anguished vocals are still there, but with a variety in tempo, style, and melody beyond what you usually hear on alternative radio.

Listen to Closure in Moscow “We Want Guarantees, Not Hunger Pains”

Issa Bagayogo – Mali Koura (world)

Music from Mali set to a serious dance groove. Deep vocals, bright guitars, and a mix of sampled and actual percussion.

Listen to Issa Bagayoyo – “Poye”

The Rumble Strips – Girls and Weather (ska)

Influenced by third-wave punk ska, but with more than just the relentless two-step beat. This group throws a good bit of horn-driven rock into the mix.

Listen to The Rumble Strips “Girls and Boys in Love”

Clan 537 – Habia Una Vez: La Caperucita (Reggaeton)

Solid Reggaeton, which for the uninitiated is the relatively new and immensely catchy Latin rap-pop dance craze. Roll down the windows and play loud.

Listen to Clan 537 “Dan Jan”

Casual Listening 8-8-08

Casual Listening

a review of cool new music

by Jeff Pinzino

August 8, 2008

! Randy Newman – Harps and Angels (rock, for lack of an appropriate category)

Randy Newman is the Kurt Weill of contemporary American song – a composer of intelligent satire and sentiment aimed at an everyman audience. His latest album of bluesy piano cabaret is notable for its heart. Amidst the omens of declining civilization there are riffs of optimism, including the title track’s recounting of a near-death experience. There are also two of the most beautiful love songs I’ve heard in years. It’s the album I’d put in a time capsule to remember what it felt like to live in the millennial decade.

Listen to Randy Newman “Feels Like Home”

* Mr. B – Joybox (blues)

Elegant piano blues. Each song displays a different facet of the art form – barrelhouse, jazz, gospel. Mr. B makes it all look easy, which is the charm of this album. He uses his copious skills not to show off, but to bring you along on a joyride through some terrific music.

Listen to Mr. B “Circle Blues”

La Shica – Trabajito de Chinos (world)

Flamenco guitars with a Europop twist. She raps as well as sings with modern style and traditional Spanish flair.

Listen to La Shica “Zingara Rapera”

The Weight – Are Men (country)

Despite the reference to classic-era recordings of The Band, The Weight borrows from several corners of the alternative country map, including the rural gothic sound of the Drive-By Truckers, Neil Young’s electrified laments, and Uncle Tupelo’s Midwestern grit. Rock band instrumentation plus pedal steel and an unvarnished vocal style defines the sound.

Listen to The Weight “Sunday Driver”

The Real McKenzies – Off the Leash

A raucous album of bagpipe punk. Loud, peppie, and fun.

Listen to The Real McKenzies – “Chip”

In the blog: Closure in Moscow, Issa Bagayoyo, The Rumble Strips, Clan 537

* highly recommended

! highest recommendation

Check out the blog at http://casuallistening.blogspot.com . To subscribe or unsubscribe, or just to say hi, send an e-mail to jeffpinzino@gmail.com.

Casual Listening Extra 8-1-08

Casual Listening
Extra!
August 1, 2008

Buddy Guy -- Skin Deep (blues)

For an artist that has been known on recent albums to take real risks, this album plays it a little too close to the vest. An A-list of guest stars -- Clapton, Susan Tedeschi, Robert Randolph, and others pitch in for a set of electric party blues. It's hard to pan a Buddy Guy album -- this one's still too much fun to let go -- I just wish it was a little less conventional.

Listen to Buddy Guy "Show Me the Money"

Casual Listening 8-1-08

Casual Listening
a review of cool new music
by Jeff Pinzino

August 1, 2008

Jake Smith - All That We'll Ever Need (rock)
Six carefully crafted songs in a mellow mood across a variety of backdrops -- acoustic guitar, piano, and steel guitar. Nothing flashy, just the joy of watching an excellent songwriter at work.

Listen to Jake Smith "Can't Save Your Soul"

Enrico Pieranunzi - Enrico Pieranunzi Plays Domenico Scarlatti: Sonatas & Improvisations (classical/jazz)

Pieranunzi uses piano pieces of the baroque master as a jumping-off point for his own piano improvisations. The improvisations have jazz elements that smoothly flow from the Scarlatti originals. A revelatory reinvisioning of classical work.

Listen to Enrico Pieranunzi K377/Impro K377

Sidiki Conde - Sidiki (world)

West African music designed for dancing. Call and response vocals, kora, and lots of marimba anchor a solid album.

Listen to Sidiki Conde "Dalina"

Alice Cooper - Along Came a Spider(rock)

Yes, that Alice Cooper, the 80's metal star with the face makeup that freaked out a generation worth of parents. The new album is back-to-basics - hook-laden guitar rock with b-movie horror lyrics. Surprisingly good.

Listen to Alice Cooper "Wake the Dead"

Richie Havens - Nobody Left to Crown (folk)
Call it nostalgia, but I love to hear Richie sing. This set delivers political songs about the state of the world with a soft touch. Acoustic guitar, cello, and electric organ, plus the resonant baritone that cried freedom to the crowds at Woodstock some 40 years back.

Listen to Richie Havens "Won't Get Fooled Again"

In the blog this week: Buddy Guy


* highly recommended
! highest recommendation
Check out the blog at http://casuallistening.blogspot.com/ . To subscribe or unsubscribe, or just to say hi, send an e-mail to mailto:jeffpinzino@google.com.