Casual Listening
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Dantesco – Pagano (metal)
A bel canto operatic singing style would seem the polar opposite of the guttural shouting that passes for singing on most metal albums, but if you think about it, opera and metal aren’t that far apart. Melodrama, pretense, Vikings – I’m surprised someone hasn’t thought of this before. These mythic odes are in Spanish, adding to the mystique.
Casual Listening
a review of cool new music
by Jeff Pinzino
Casual Listening will be on vacation next week
Sixpence None the Richer – My Dear Machine (rock)
The latest salvo in the “pay what you want” download movement, this EP is worth the suggested $4. Catchy melodies in an ethereal voice over ambling rock with Christian overtones. You can find this and many others at a cool site called NoiseTrade www.noisetrade.com. You can preview samples, and then name your price to purchase albums. 90% of the proceeds go directly to the artist, which is about 80% more than they usually get.
Miss Leslie and Her Juke-Jointers – Between the Whiskey and the Wine (country)
Great honky-tonk and western swing in a classic vein. Lewis’ powerful alto delivers a set of heartbreakers that echo the sound of the great Hank Williams.
Drakkar Sauna – Wars and Tornadoes: Drakkar Sauna Faithfully Sing Songs of The Louvin Brothers (country)
A loving (louving?) tribute to the classic country and gospel duo that was the musical godfather of the Everly Brothers. Shining harmonies with guitar, mandolin, and fiddle revive sweet songs of yesteryear.
Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands – Live (bluegrass)
Sizzling bluegrass picking that benefits from avoiding the recording studio. Great live energy that reminds you of being at a good summer folk festival.
In the blog: Dantesco
* 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
a review of cool new music
by Jeff Pinzino
! Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis – Two Men With the Blues (jazz)
An unusual feat of musical alchemy produces pure gold. These two may seem an odd couple, but remember that Nelson is the songwriter of "Crazy," one of the most memorable jazz standards of the last 50 years. The band is a new Hot Seven - guitar and harmonica swagger over piano, drums, upright bass, and saxophone, with Marsalis giving a command performance in the role of Louis Armstrong on trumpet. The resulting style lives at the crossroads of Dixieland and delta. This album is tops among recent releases in any genre.
McCoury reconstructs a depression-era soundscape, complete with recorded excerpts from Franklin Roosevelt’s fireside chats. This is a populist album about hard times, set to fiddle, banjo, and mandolin. In addition to McCoury, there are contributions from other country notables such as Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, and Patty Loveless.
James Intveld – Have Faith (country)
Honky-tonk revival. Intveld is a student of the “Bakersfield Sound,” a counter-current in country music known for tight songwriting and acrobatic pedal-steel guitar. Intveld pulls it off with flair.
Beck – Modern Guilt (rock)
Is there such a thing as a bad Beck album? His trademark slacker singing style floats on an array of beats and samples, provided by DJ Danger Mouse of Gnarls Barkley fame. Nothing revolutionary here, but a great creative ride.
Gaelic Storm – What’s the Rumpus (Celtic)
Your friendly neighborhood Celtic bar band. Fiddle, accordion, pennywhistle, and lots of group singing.
* 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!
Los Lonely Boys – Forgiven (rock)
This is a good rock-and-roll ride. Hendrix-inspired guitar work, with spot-on vocal harmonies, and an occasional South-of-the-border spice. A cover of Spencer Davis Group’s “I’m a Man” captures the spirit of where this band is at.
South – You Are Here (rock)
Released several weeks back, I just caught this today. Fragile songs, extensively arranged, give this group a sound that’s richer than your average brit-pop youngsters.
Casual Listening
a review of cool new music
by Jeff Pinzino
* The Locos – Energía Inagotable (ska)
Horns and guitars balance frenetic, party-spirited songs en español. Third-wave ska fans will have a ball with this group.
Craig G and Marley Marl – Operation Take Back Hip Hop (rap)
These guys were recording ten minutes after the birth of hip hop, and more than 20 years later are trying to redirect an art form they feel has spun out of control. They’ve added in the multi-layered production style that’s evolved since their early days, and pull in guests such as KRS-ONE and Talib Kweli among others. As much a manifesto as a comeback album.
A true-blue American rock record for the 4th of July. Power chords and hook-driven tunes give you a perfect excuse to open up the t-tops on your Trans-Am and rock out.
Adron – Adron (folk)
Bossa Nova channeled through a next-generation American songwriter. Adron’s voice has a pinch of Nora Jones and easily shuttles back and forth between northern and southern hemispeheres, resulting in a smooth, mellow mood.
Nels Andrews – Off Track Betting (rock)
Andrews conveys a deep
Kofi – Rocking Eternally (reggae)
Top-shelf contemporary reggae. Kofi’s expressive vocals are easy to love, and a mostly electronic background works to drive a slow, urgent groove with an occasional dose of dub psychedelics.
In The Blog: Los Lonely Boys, South.
* 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!
Gilberto Gil on Democracy Now
He’s been a musical innovator, a political prisoner, and is now
Au – Verbs (folk)
Ry Cooder – I, Flathead (rock)
Big Blue Ball – Big Blue Ball (world)
Kutless – To Know That You’re Alive (rock)
Withered – Folie Circulaire (metal)
Amos Lee – Last Days at the Lodge (R&B)
Immortal Technique – The 3rd World (rap)
Given the ridiculous number of reviews already this week, I won’t be writing in detail about any of these. I’m not sure I’d spend money on Au, but it’s a big mind-opener. Ry Cooder is hit and miss space-rockabilly. Big Blue Ball is Peter Gabriel and friends, and is a broad mix of world beat. Kutless is Christian rock that really rocks. Withered is one of the most listenable black metal albums I’ve come across. Amos Lee is notable blues-folk in a Tracy Chapman vein and might have made the list on a slower week. Immortal Technique is revolutionist hip-hop, and whatever you think of his politics, there’s no doubting that he’s part of the minority of rap artists who believe in the power of words.
Killing Karma, Saturday,
Check out some cool alternative metal at the Elbo Room in
Casual Listening
a review of cool new music
by Jeff Pinzino
* Niyaz – Nine Heavens (world)
Global goth with Indian and Persian flair (remember the oud lesson from last week?). Imagine a Bollywood film scored by Dead Can Dance, and you’ll be in Niyaz’ magic neighborhood. This is 21st century music for ecstatic dancing.
* Dr. John – City That Care Forgot (funk)
Masterful party-time
* Crooked Still – Still Crooked (bluegrass)
A bluegrass-inspired lineup playing beautiful, non-traditional folk. You’ll hear fiddle and killer banjo rub shoulders with cello and expressive alto vocals and duets. For those still mourning the loss of Nickel Creek, Crooked Still is your rebound band.
* Watermelon Slim – No Paid Holidays (blues)
Watermelon Slim is one of the freshest voices in blues today, and this album shows he just keeps getting better. Screaming slide guitar and dastardly harmonica drive a blues-rock sound that brings the essence of the blues into unconventional jams. Add to this the absolutely transcendent acoustic track “This Traveling Life,” and you’ve got a must-hear blues album.
Sigur Rós – Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust (rock)
The dulcet, ethereal tones that have endeared this band to the indie scene are here, but jolted to life with a mix of songs that verge on peppy. The translated title captures a piece of it: “With a buzz in our ears we play endlessly.” Put away your Coldplay album, and try on something more…well…Icelandic.
Seun Kuti and Fela’s
Big brass over driving percussion is the essence of Afrobeat, the influential jazz-pop form created by Fela Kuti, Seun’s father. Seun inherited the bandleader role in his dad’s band, and delivers a set of definitively thick grooves that would make Fela proud.
Eliza Carthy – Dreams of Breathing Underwater (rock)
Carthy brings a harder edge to the British folk-rock scene of which her parents were key figures a generation ago. Bold but tender vocals spin vivid ballads across a broad array of traditional and modern instruments, including violin, flute, electric guitar, and plenty of concertina accordion.
T-Model Ford – Jack Daniel Time (blues)
Just an old man with a guitar and a lifetime of hard living he channels into his music. Ford does blues standards plugged into an amp that sounds as old as he is, with a band that provides a minimum of adornment. If Lightnin’
Be Your Own Pet – Get Dangerous (rock)
This EP consists of the three songs this band’s label thought were too edgy to put on BYOP’s latest album. Biting, punk-inspired tunes with gutsy female vocals and over-the-top vengeful lyrics that rewrite the yearbook on high school angst. I’d happily take these three songs over the full-length release.
In The Blog: Gilberto Gil on Democracy Now, Ry Cooder, Peter Gabriel’s new project, and many more.
* 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.
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