Audioholic Media

»Album Reviews For Release Date: 05.18.10
by Joshua Krage


Some familiar returns this week and many of them are in top form, but the real gravy is to be found in the grooves, especially the sampled vinyl. Read on to find your own gravy:

Mindi Abair
Timothy Andres

Band of Horses, Infinite Arms – there’s something strangely therapeutic about BoH frontman Ben Bridwell’s high, Neil Young-ish tenor, which is why it’s comforting that, after three albums and dozens of flannel shirts, he is the one constant in this revolving door of a band; he’s the “stable” one, pardon the horrible name pun. Their second album, 2007′s Cease to Begin, was similar in sound to their debut but packed a few more hooks and some better production into it, garnering the level of notice they now enjoy. This new album is furthers the growing-up process, slowing down and honing in even more on succinct melodies and deliberate instrumentation. I’m still digesting and debating whether or not it’s “better,” per se, but as compared to their last, it is definitely less rough and more arranged, with only a few solid rockers and a bigger helping of acoustic Americana, which is a good and relaxingly mellow thing.

David Bazan – live
Bo Bice

The Black Keys, Brothers – Dan Auerbach and Pat Carney are on fire. With their last couple works and this new album, they’ve scored a production hat trick involving Danger Mouse, a flurry of hip-hop A-listers, and now Muscle Shoals. Q: Is this band really good enough to deserve attention from so many high-profile producers? A: Yes, yes they are. The unadorned blues-rock of this duo’s early albums shares more kinship with the Muscle Shoals sound, and this album definitely favors raw muscle over the psychedelia which peppered their previous proper LP, but the strange and wonderful sounds they’ve added to their arsenal are still present in the grooves and interludes, showing their skill in the production booth this time around. There’s enough meaty blues licks for all the guitar fiends and enough hazy juju for anyone hoping to hear more of what made their last album great. There’s just no denying that this album is a win for everybody, longtime fans and new converts alike.

Devo – New Traditionalists bonus reissue
Digital Underground, The Greenlight EP – billed as the “final release” from Shock-G and his rotating cast of the most funktastic hip hop group to ever do the hump.
Pete Francis
Mary Gauthier
Greg Ginn
Glee Cast – Glee vol 3
Great Lake Swimmers
Green Day – American Idiot Broadway Cast Recording
Harvey Milk
Indigenous – acoustic sessions
The Jayhawks
Mick Karn
Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek

LCD Soundsystem, This Is Happening – this record could almost be a throw-away for James Murphy, in that no matter how good or bad it ends up being, it’ll still be seen as “not as good as Sounds of Silver,” their previous LP. And thus the worry rings true, but not because this album isn’t brilliant–it actually is, full of just as many dry, sardonic dance jams and snarkily-worded missives on the inner city hipster nightlife; rather it feels more like a continuation and progression from that album’s mature songwriting and amazing production. This is a great followup to an album impossible to follow up; taken on its own merits, it’s a dazzling and engaging listen with as many vulnerable, soul-searching moments as hip dance floor boot-shakin’ breakdowns.

Jamie Lidell, Compass – you can check out our Hype piece on this electro-clubber turned soul-crooner’s new album for a full scoop, but suffice it to say he’s following up 2008′s stellar neo-soul tour de force Jim with an album that combines all his tricks, from dance production to experimentalism to straight-up Prince-style baby-making soul grooves. There’s loads of good stuff to find all over this record.

Audra Mae
Moby – remixes
Janelle Monae 
Nas / Damian Marley

Jimmy Needham, Night Lights – this guy is the unrelentingly upbeat king of pop gospel music. Think Jason Mraz singing about Jesus and you’re right there. Ridiculously catchy pop hooks and sunny, bouncy production… it can be a bit much but it’s so well done that it’s hard not to smile at it. For you fans of singer/songwriters who need a lift.

OST – Friday Night Lights, Vol. 2 – this TV adaptation’s creators and producers take great care to choose music that’s both groundbreaking and spot-on with their episodes and strike emotional gold in scene after scene of this excellent show. This second volume features tracks from Band of Skulls, Avett Brothers, Sufjan Stevens, Heartless Bastards and many more top shelf fringe artists.

OST – MacGruber
Pearly Gate Music
Poison Control Center
Pontiak
Rolling Stones – Exile on Main St Deluxe Ed.
Rooftops
The Sadies
Guilty Simpson

Solex vs. Cristina Martinez & Jon Spencer, Amsterdam Throwdown – quite the interesting amalgamation of ’90s indie rock alumni here. Boss Hogg/Pussy Galore singer Cristina Martinez, Jon Spencer’s visceral guitar and vocal wail, and Solex frontwoman Elisabeth Esselink’s cool, electro-friendly samples form the core of this musical smorgasbord, which ends up employing a small army of side-players and obscure borrowed bits of other recordings by the time all 15 tracks play out. For so many pieces going into it, the end result is surprisingly cohesive, and Spencer’s dry, punked-out guitar work keeps the whole affair raw and on the indie side no matter how phat a beat or horn riff the song is sporting. Endlessly interesting, and a must for fans of bohemian mash-up projects like Butter 08 and Cibo Matto.

Tech N9ne
Tracy Thorn (ex-Everything But the Girl vocalist’s 2nd solo album)
VA – Shel Silverstein tribute
Reggie Watts
Andre Williams

It’s probably just me, but anything involving Jon Spencer instantly gets a green light in my book for sheer bravado let alone musical taste. The Black Keys & the LCD’s are on the list as well, and those Band of Horses and Jamie Lidell albums hold their water well. Get crackin’, and I’ll see you with more musical money next week.

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