Album Reviews: The Beatles, Future of Forestry, A Fine Frenzy
»Album Reviews For Release Date: 09.01.09 and 09.08.09
by Joshua Krage
These last two weeks have had lots of releases but honestly nothing that got me really excited. So I’ll run it down like this, starting with the few things I’m actually excited about:
The Beatles are releasing their entire catalog remastered on Wednesday, 09.09.09. It’s gonna make them the best-selling band of this decade, and I can tell you (through leaks – yay interwebs) that it sounds much, much better than their current catalog recordings. Good stuff.
Future of Forestry (Travel II EP) is one of my favorite bands in general, trading on an incredibly dynamic guitar sound, atmospheric production, and impassioned vocals by Eric Owyoung. Consistently brilliant and inspiring.
I had mixed feelings about the debut from A Fine Frenzy, but Alison Sudol really takes some chances for her sophomore effort, Bomb in a Birdcage, and the dreary ballads are far outweighed by new, exciting, and heavier tracks on the new LP. Worth checking out.
If you like singer-songwriter stuff, you’ll enjoy perusing the new entries from Howie Day, Marie Digby, Sondre Lerche, A.A. Bondy, David Bazan, Derek Webb, and Liam Finn (+Eliza Jane).
If you’re a hard rock fan, you’ll enjoy Saoson, Thousand Foot Krutch, and The Used.
Indie hipster rock fans, enjoy Blk Jks, Vivian Girls, Yo La Tengo, Datarock, and perhaps Simian Mobile Disco.
Those are all the comments I have to offer over the last two weeks. Here’s the list in long form:
09.08.09
The Beatles – remastered (9/9/09)
Blk Jks
Boys Like Girls
Brooks & Dunn
Buckcherry
The Clean
Howie Day
Marie Digby
A Fine Frenzy
Flying Machines
Future of Forestry
Jay-Z
Stephen Kellogg
Sondre Lerche
Little Dragon
Jeb Loy Nichols
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Os Mutantes
Phish
Polvo
Raekwon
Rodrigo Y Gabriela
Saosin
The Stone Roses
Taken By Trees
Thousand Foot Krutch
Three Inches of Blood
Tulku
Frank Turner
Vivian Girls
Wild Beasts
Yo La Tengo
09.01.09
A.A. Bondy
Andrew W.K.
David Bazan
Black Crowes
Chevelle
Cross Canadian Ragweed
Datarock
Casey Donahew
Dreams
Drive-By Truckers – Oddities and Rarities
The Entrance Band
Farewell
Liam Finn + Eliza Jane
John Fogerty
Radney Foster
Whitney Houston
Insane Clown Posse
Killer Mike
Ladyhawke – special ed.
Juliette Lewis
New Boyz
Pitbull
Porn Sword Tobacco
Queen – reissues
Chuck Ragan
Simian Mobile Disco
Rod Stewart – (yet another) best of
Allen Toussaint
Trey Songs
The Used
VA – Ministry of Sound Summer 2009
Derek Webb
Yonder Mountain
I’ll be back in top form next week with reviews of new albums by Muse, Grand Archives, David Sylvian, and the sophomore album by a band who made one of 2007′s most arresting debuts, Stars of Track and Field. I might even give that ScarJo/Pete Yorn LP a taste or two. Until then, see you when I read you.
P.S. enjoy a sampling from this week’s new songs on my MySpace page. It’s updated pretty much weekly now…
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