09/26 – 09/30:

Pixies, Trompe le Monde Pixies swan song was a sort of return to the unpreditcable explosion of their earlier material. But while it can be as frenetic and intense as their first couple records, the actual sounds producing that feeling are markedly different, expanding the abrasive rock music with layers of sounds cultivated over their whole career. Kim Deal didn’t write anything on it, a big signal that this would be their last album. It’s a weird ol’ record. I think it was a fitting end to the group. Pixies, “Planet of Sound” Das Racist, Relax After a flood of free music in the last couple of years, DR is finally asking you to buy something. And I think it’s well worth doing so. They’ve changed things up on Relax. It’s easy to say they did it to make the album more palatable to a wider audience, but given the rapid evolution they’ve gone through from “Combination Pizza Hut And Taco Bell”s viral success to now, it could easily just be what they’re into these days. Regardless, there’s more singing, some songs you could call “club friendly,” but also really insane songs that seem as far from commercial as possible, and one of those, “Michael Jackson,” is the lead single. “Shut Up, Man” is a particular highlight, with a searing verse from producer El-P and a title seemingly designed to be the last word on the previous phase of their career. “Rainbow in the Dark” from the first mixtape is the only old song to make an appearance, although theoretical club banger “Booty In The Air” uses the same beat and a brief passage of lyrics from ancient artifact “Different Schools.” Overall, I think it’s a fine introduction to the group for the commercial music biz. Next up: free solo mixtapes from every member to released on the same day in January. Das Racist with El-P, “Shut Up, Man” St. Vincent, Strange Mercy The new St. Vincent is weirdly funky. It’s still got the dense-yet-ethereal, fragile beauty of her previous work, still surprisingly dark lyrics for the sound, but there’s some serious groove winding through a lot of these songs. In her own weird way, of course. There’s some surprisingly ripping guitar work, too. This album is a fine example of an artist building on the strengths of past work while trying new things. Full success! St. Vincent, “Cruel” Deftones, Diamond Eyes Quite the emotional album, this one. Deftones bassist Chi Cheng remains in a coma, years after the car accident that nearly killed him, derailed Eros, the album the band was recording at the time, and left the rest of the band in turmoil. Nothing in the lyrics of this album references those experiences directly, but the sound, emotions and passion on display leave little doubt as to what was on their mind when they were writing. All those factors combine into the band’s most inspired work in a decade, too. The band’s penchant for both raw aggression and shimmering moments of beauty both feel more honest and intense than they have in years. It’s a whirlwind listen, especially if you know the context. Deftones, “Diamond Eyes” Lush, Lovelife Lush is a band that I appreciate more now than I did at the time. At the time, I was a teenage goofball and all into various grunge and post-grunge items. Obviously, that’s not all I was listening to, but it was my primary focus. Lush was a good band, I bought their music, but they weren’t a major factor. 15 years later, I like them more than a lot of the bands I spent more time with back then. Lush, “Ladykillers” Tori Amos, Little Earthquakes Ok, not just grunge things, I was super into Tori Amos, too. I still like her, although she’s kinda gone off the rails in the last decade. But her intense, personal music was pretty hard not to get wrapped up in as a younger person. I hadn’t heard this in awhile. For whatever reason, my go-to Tori record tends to be from the choir girl hotel. I forget what prompted me to listen to it. But: still good. Tori Amos, “Winter” Yup. --D

09/19 – 09/23:

Jean Grae, Cookies Or Comas mixtape Jean Grae is ready to take over, I think. She stole the show in her guest turns on Talib Kweli and Pharoahe Monch’s albums, she did it again on the Rapsody mixtape, and now her own mixtape is finally out. Allegedly a warm-up exercise for her upcoming 4th official album Cake or Death, Cookies Or Comas is strong enough to be an official album itself. Jean’s wordplay only gets more and more sophisticated, and she continues to walk the tightropes that make her so engaging, balancing between serious and funny, between classic hip hop braggodocio and personal stories. She does it all admirably, and I’m hoping this is the year she finally gets the credit she deserves for it. Hear for yourself, it’s a free download here. Jean Grae, “I Rock On” Kassa Overall, The Stargate Mixtape Kassa Overall is signed to Das Racist’s Greedhead label, and if he’s any indication of the type of talent they’ll be representing, Greedhead is going to be a label to watch. A unique figure, Kassa is a classically trained drummer who performs with jazz groups, a hip hop producer, and a rapper. This mixtape finds him going in over beats the production team Stargate originally made for various big name artists like Katy Perry and Jennifer Lopez. His songs can be playful, silly, or deadly serious, and his rapping is assured and engaging throughout. I was impressed, and you can be too, as it is a free download. Kassa Overall with Kool AD & Katy Perry, “Firework Remix” Metallica, Ride the Lightning In spite of first making the decision to start making terrible, terrible music, then becoming the enemy of their own fanbase in the Napster thing and then confirming your long-held suspicions that Lars & James are insufferable idiots in the documentary Some Kind of Monster, sometimes... just sometimes... it’s nice go to back and listen to the old stuff. There's a reason they became the biggest band in their genre before going all terrible, after all. They were pretty good. Metallica, "Fight Fire With Fire" TV On the Radio, Nine Types of Light Nine Types of Light continues TVOTR’s fascinating, rewarding evolution. After revealing a new level of complexity and emotional resonance their (quite good) previous material didn’t even hint at on Return To Cookie Mountain, they made about as close to a straight up rock record as their sound will allow with Dear Science, and now Nine Types of Light sort of synthesizes all of those experiences. By turns fragile, haunting, defiant and energetic, Nine Types of Light is a broader album, seemingly less focused on a cohesive atmosphere or mission statement and more on just recording great songs. The sequencing makes the album something of an emotional rollercoaster, giving you pensive, introspective music before hitting you with a banger or two and then receding into the ether again. It’s another homerun from one of the most reliable bands of the 21st century. TV On the Radio, "No Future Shock" Yup. --D

09/12 – 09/16:

Sims & Laserbeak, Wildlife EP Wildlife is a collection of leftovers from Sims & Laserbeak’s fine album Bad Time Zoo, and a case of the cast offs being just as engaging as the songs that made the album. It features two songs pre-order customers got back then (It pays to support indie artists) and 3 others. “Here I Stand,” I was surprised to learn, recycles the beat from “Do Not Stay” by POS on Doomtree’s False Hopes XV release, but the vocals & lyrics are all-new. It’s a great listen, and best of all it’s free! Sims & Laserbeark, “The Lighthouse” Tom Waits, Mule Variations Pound for pound, I think my favorite Tom Waits album. It’s really hard to choose, and I think Waits may be another rare artist for me where songs outweigh albums, but yes. It has some of his strangest songs, some of his most beautiful songs, some of his best ideas. Whether he’s stomping out a song like “Big In Japan” or “Filipino Box Spring Hog,” breaking your heart with “The House Where Nobody Lives” or “Georgie Lee,” or building yo back up with “Hold On” or “Come On Up To The House,” or just being really, really weird on “Eyeball Kid” or “What’s He Building In There,” this album has some of the finest examples of everything you want from post-Swordfishtrombones-era Waits. Probably not a good starting point for the uninitiated, but probably soon to be a favorite once they get to it. Tom Waits, “Big In Japan” Mike Doughty, Yes and Also Yes Half the fun of a new Mike Doughty album is just seeing what it will sound like. Sometimes, he applies a big, clean production with many instruments to his compositions, other times he strips it down to the bare essentials. While his basic approach to songwriting may not change drastically from album to album, you never know what those songs will actually sound like. Previous album Sad Man Happy Man was a very basic affair, but Yes And Also Yes finds him swinging in the other direction again. Not super-slick, AC Top 40 production like his sort-of-solo-debut Haughty Melodic, but a fuller sound with some interesting percussion and clear, crisp production. This album seems a little more melancholy than usual, but no less enjoyable as a result. Not outright sad, but a somber mood certainly seems to power songs likes the gentle “Russell,” the lovely duet with Rosanne Cash, “Holiday (What Do You Want?),” and even upbeat numbers like “Na Na Nothing” and “Strike The Motion.” The overall effect is a very cohesive set of songs and a fine listen. Mike Doughty with Rosanne Cash, “Holiday (What Do You Want?)” Kittie, I’ve Failed You Kittie has had an interesting career trajectory. When they hit the scene at the height of the nu metal craze, I think their gender and age propelled them to greater infamy than they otherwise would’ve had. A quartet of teenage girls playing heavy music? Whether they wanted to be or not, they were a novelty act. And the music, with its simple nu metal riffs, basic drumming and rather humorous “growling” vocals... “quaint” is a word. So it was pretty shocking when their second album was a ferocious death metal-esque assault. Morgan’s vocals were suddenly vicious and reminiscent of Zao, the musicianship was markedly improved, their songs were dark and brutal... it was like a totally different group. As the nu metal thing faded away, Kittie pressed on, refining their sound, trying new things, seeming to change members every year or two. By their 4th album, they were adding a sort of classicist metal sound, with really catchy riffs and solos and Morgan singing clean vocals much more often, but still retaining the extreme metal sound they’d become known for. But 5th album In The Black seemed like they weren’t sure what to be anymore. The classicist element was still present, but they seemed less excited by it, it and the record still seesawed between that approach and the more brutal sound, and the whole affair just felt lost. Album number six finds them evolving yet again. Some unique new guitar sounds are accompanied by Morgan not just returning to more shouted vocals, but sounding harsher than ever. Easily their most aggressive album to date, it’s also their most cohesive album in years and their most ambitious, with more complex songwriting, more personal lyrical content, and a two-part mini-epic in the middle. Once again, they’ve taken me by surprise, and I’m pretty happy about it. Kittie, “We Are The Lamb” Yup. --D

09/05 – 09/09:

Ani Difrano, Knuckle Down

Ani seemed to be casting about in the mid-2000s. She disbanded her long time band after feeling it was getting too comfortable and released a really uneven album of acoustic solo material and spoken word called Educated Guess. This was the follow up, and it set the ship right. Ani let some of her fellow musicians back into the room, and shared production credits with the always-reliable Joe Henry, and the result is one of her strongest albums. It’s a pretty melancholy experience for the most part, but well-crafted and confident, without a weak song in the pack. “Parameters” is the record’s eerie centerpiece, slowly uncoiling a sense of dread while keeping the details of its breaking and entering story vague enough that you’re not entirely sure what you were just told, whether it was metaphor or anecdote... but you’d like to hear it again. The last track, “Recoil,” almost comes off like an offer of support after you and Ani have gone through the experience of the record together. It may not be the most happy-go-lucky record you’ve ever heard, but it’s a powerful and rewarding listen.

Ani Difranco, “Parameters” (Ignore the weird video)


Electric Six, Switzerland

Electric Six’s 3rd album, if you forced me to choose, could be my favorite. In spite of opening with a headscratching, uncharacteristically sad song, it gets off to a rollicking start with “I Buy the Drugs” and maintains it. The songs come in the familiar E6 dance rock style (“Infected Girls,” “Pulling The Plug On The Party”), but also branch out into new ideas and genres (“Pink Flamingos,” “I Wish This Song Was Louder”), and everything works. Even the aforementioned bizarre opener, “The Band In Hell,” has its charms once you get used to it. It’s fun, it’s funny, it’s their last album without a single weak point.

Electric Six, “Infected Girls”

G. Love & Special Sauce, G. Love & Special Sauce

The first G. Love & Special Sauce album is guaranteed to put me in a better mood. Their free-wheeling, laid back mix of blues and hip hop has never been better than it is here. I love the big energy songs liked “Cold Beverages” as much as the slow rolling numbers like “Blues Music.” It’s a great time.

G. Love & Special Sauce, “Baby’s Got Sauce”


Janelle Monae, The Archandroid

Janelle Monae is as close as pop music is gonna get to an actual artist for the forseeable future. I say it that way because I’m not sure she truly qualifies as pop, but she’s getting more airplay than basically worth listening to, so she’s something of a pop star. Monae is definitely an artist, though. Her ambitious vision of a series of concept EPs about a robot on the run in a dystopian future inspired in part by the movie Metrolopolis is way more complicated than... well, anything else on the radio. That she is able to make infectious, danceable music in a variety of styles without compromising her vision is admirable, that she uses her far-fetched concept to comment on today’s society like the best sci fi is engaging, and there’s no denying she’s got a great voice and a unique style. The music that comprises The Archandroid was actually intended to be parts 2 & 3 of her opus, following the independently released beginning Metropolis: The Chase Suite, but when she signed to Bad Boy (What on Earth is that about??), they convinced her to combine them into a full album. On the one hand, the album is still the default format, but in this age of single-song downloads and short attention spans, I wonder if she might not have been on to something with the EP concept. Ah, well. The music is what matters, and it’s completely worth listening to.

Janelle Monae, “Cold War”


Yup.
--D