Audioholic Media

»Album Reviews: The Oops-We-Took-A-Vacation-But-Now-We’re-Back Rundown
by Joshua Krage

Here’s the best stuff from the past four weeks, some reviewed and some merely mentioned, but all noteworthy. Enjoy:

7/20:

Big Head Todd
The Books
Marc Cohn
Sheryl Crow
Brian Culbertson
Ry Cuming
Frazey Ford, Obadiah – 1/3 of the Be Good Tanyas
David Garrett, Rock Symphonies – new-school classical violinist who’s fashioned a bit of a rock star following and image and has, to this point, created some decent symphonic arrangements of songs you know and love and now continues the trend with well-knowns from Nirvana, Metallica, and risking it all tackling Zep’s “Kashmir.” This better be good.
Jimmy Gnecco, The Heart
Jonas Brothers
Kidz Bop Kids – Kidz Bop vol 18
Shawn Lee, Sing a Song – the best retro-vintage producer and instrumentalist this side of the original Stax players goes for another round of vocal numbers and diabolical duets, contributing some decent vox himself in the process. Home of my favorite song title of 2010, “Christopher Walken on Sunshine.” Genius.
Yo-Yo Ma – remasters
M.I.A., xxxo Remix EP
Miniature Tigers
OST – Jersey Shore
OST – Step Up 3D
Portland Cello Project
Max Richter
Rick Ross
Brian Setzer Orchestra – live
Shannon Stephens
Stereo Skyline
Tokio Hotel – live
12 Stones
Zero 7 – best of

7/27:

Atomic Leopards
Avenged Sevenfold
Best Coast
Brian Bromberg
Robert Cray
Cut Chemist
Dean & Britta
Die Antwoord
Eric Gales
Fred Hammond
Jesca Hoop
Jaill
Tom Jones, Praise and Blame – this is Tom Jones singing classic spirituals. It sounds like a genius idea, and that’s because it IS a genius idea. The voice that brought you “What’s New Pussycat” and “Sexbomb” now balances the scales by exploring God’s musical virtues, produced by Ethan Johns. This is rilly good you guyz, serious.
Seu Jorge – remember that chill fellow playing all those David Bowie songs on acoustic during The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou? Yeah, I thought you did…
Major Lazer (EP)
Menomena
Miniature Tigers
Mark Olson
OST – Cats and Dogs
A.R. Rahman
Rufio
Pete Seeger
Matthew Shipp – live
Sky Sailing, Airplane Carried Me – this is Adam Davis, AKA Owl City. Not sure why he needed another moniker, the formula’s the same (i.e. EXACTLY the same) so if you’re an Owl City fan (and chances are, after that “Fireflies” song exploded onto the mainscene, that you very much are), you’ll want to check this out.
Slum Village
Ringo Starr – live
J. Roddy Walston
Young Galaxy

8/3:

All Out War
Horace Andy
Arcade Fire, The Suburbs – need I say anything? I didn’t think so. It’s good. Go buy it.
Autolux
Bitter End
The Black Crowes – best of
Buckcherry
Bun B
Colour Revolt
Dr. John
El-P
Fan Death
Fields
Gaelic Storm
Paul Gilbert, Fuzz Universe
Gov’t Mule
jj, jjno2
Lady Gaga – remix
Ferraby Lionheart
Jeff Lorber
Los Lobos
Katie Melua
Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band
OST – The Kids are Alright
OST – Middle Men
Queens of the Stone Age – Rated R Deluxe Reissue
Secondhand Serenade
Squeeze, Spot the Difference – how would you feel if you didn’t own the rights to a back-catalog you spent decades building? This album remedies this dilemma for these British classic pop/rockers, who painstakingly re-record 14 of their greatest hits and somehow come out with the publishing intact, some 30+ years later.
Ryan Star
Tom Petty – Damn the Torpedoes reissue
Versus
Wavves

8/10:

Animal Collective – Oddsac DVD
Black Label Society
Sarah Blasko
Buckner and Garcia
The Budos Band, Budos Band III
Colour Revolt
Cut Chemist
The Charlie Daniels Band
Manu Dibango
John Digweed
George Duke
Robben Ford/Christian Howes
Grits
Lost in the Trees
Modest Mouse – The Moon & Antarctica 10th Anniversary
OST – Big Time Rush
OST – Camp Rock 2
OST – Going the Distance
OST – Scott Pilgrim vs. The World – OK this soundtrack is all kinds of indie weird awesome, from the Beck-penned songs for Michael Cera’s on-screen band, Sex Bob-Omb, to the rival band, Crash and the Boys (Broken Social Scene in disguise), to the random Canadian bands past and present popping up all over to Black Francis contributing a tune, all topped off by an 8-bit version of one of the Sex Bob-Omb songs to nod to the film’s video game component. This is top-shelf stuff, and I would expect nothing less from the man who directed Shaun of the Dead. Brilliant.
Mike Posner
PVT
Eli Paperboy Reed
Blake Shelton
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – reissues
Starflyer 59
Street Sweeper Social Club
Tangerine Dream
The Who – Isle of Wight 2CD

Hope that gives you some worthy targets to aim all that cashflow you don’t have but will have when that next birthday/graduation/bat mitzvah comes around.

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