11/14 – 11/18:

Tom Waits, Bad As Me 


A new Tom Waits album is a rare treat these days, some 6 years after his last studio album. But Bad As Me is worth the wait. It almost plays like a career retrospective, with songs evoking his early, almost unrecognizable barroom ballads all the way through his transformation into a truly bizarre musical treasure and through previous album Real Gone, which was just about as unhinged as he could get. But not in that order, of course. Fine guests like Keith Richards, Charlie Musselwhite and Les Claypool are along for the ride, and everyone sounds energized and excited. It’s as if some one made a greatest hits album with all-new material on it. I can’t stop listening to it. 


Tom Waits,“Satisfied”

Idle Warship, Habits of the Heart 

Metaphorically, of course. I am not that kind of person, really, so I listened to this, too, the first official album by Idle Warship. Talib Kweli and Res have been Idle Warship for many years, touring, releasing a song here and there online, but never managing to release an album. In 2009 they got a full mixtape out, and this year, finally, a proper album. A lot of hip hop team-ups these days just sound like the artists heard the music, wrote some lyrics, and some one put their vocals over the music. So true collaborations like this, where the players interact, riff off each other, and basically justify their pairing is rare and rewarding. The production is varied and adventurous. A handful of friends stop by to contribute (Including the always delightful Jean Grae). And Talib & Res do what they do best, together. It’s a great listen.

Idle Warship, “Laser Beams”

 PJ Harvey, Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea 

PJ Harvey calls this her attempt at a pop album. I’m not sure anyone in the pop world would ever see it that way, but the huge production, bright tones and slick songwriting probably do amount to her most accessible album. A duet about a troubled romance with Thom Yorke provides the album’s secret weapon, but there’s not a bad song in the bunch. 

PJ Harvey with Thom Yorke, “This Mess We’re In”

Some One Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Pershing 

Perfect pop rock. That’s what you can expect from this band. Don’t let their long silly name fool you, they write a fun, infectious, lushly-produced song like nobody’s business. This album is my favorite of theirs. 

Some One Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, “Modern Mystery”

Los Campesinos!, Hold On Now, Youngster... 

I was really impressed by this album when it came out, and it still holds up. The relentless energy, the wall of sound, the sarcastic, often hilarious lyrics, the exuberant backing vocals, the whole package just clicked for me instantly. That they released a whole second album that was just as good mere months later is insane. 

Los Campesinos!, “Death To Los Campesinos!”