Album Reviews

Creedence Clearwater Revival, as befits their increasingly storied history (and John Fogerty's ever-growing solo career), has been the subject of more than a few reissues, but there is no more enlightening cross-section of their recordings than The Ultimate Collection: Greatest Hits and All-Time Classics.

This may not change the world of folk/pop music, but through McKeown's deft hand at flirting with different genres, all against the backdrop of solid songwriting, Manifestra holds its own in her discography and is a great step forward for her.

 The variable orchestration and detailed lyrics found on Fourth Corner show Trixie Whitley’s ability to structure ideas in separate environments, all while maintaining descriptive imagery for her voice to project upon.         

Over the last 15-odd years, it almost seemed unfathomable to think of a new Yo La Tengo album without the incorporation of a track that surpasses the 10 minute mark.

On paper the pairing appears unlikely — one was born in ’69, the other turns 69 next week — but Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite bridge their age gap with a proper album that traces their bond to the late ’90s. Blues great John Lee Hooker recruited them for a session, and that first meeting inspired another in 2003, when Harper backed Musselwhite on his Grammy-nominated Sanctuary. Get Up! reunites these old souls a decade later, with Harper leading the effort on his twelfth album and first for Stax.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra's second album, aptly titled II, is being released on Jagjaguwar and the band shows off some musical evolution in its sly psych-rock skronk. An amalgamation of dusty, garage-rock production, cozy, “as if” sampled grooves, falsetto vocals and opaque funk nudge the band forward.

Pared down and clocking in at just over thirty minutes, Beta Love serves as a reminder that sometimes more actually is more.

Centralia is mood music, perhaps enjoyed best as a palate cleanser in a music library shuffle, or in certain settings—with a nice pair of headphones, during a yoga or meditation session, or as a soundtrack to the television during a 3am post-party.

Camper Van Beethoven’s eighth album and first in eight years revives the character study of American oddities the band’s reunion record, New Roman Times, hatched way back in 2004. On La Costa Perdida, Camper keeps the crazies confined to small-town California in this second ode to scandal and scoundrels, among them a fugitive speaking broken Spanish and harboring a secret he can’t outrun. This “half-aware-o caballero” of the album’s upbeat title track kills off his woman and goes on the lam, all the while snarling a half-sinister warning: “You don’t wanna know.”

With Wolf’s Law, The Joy Formidable have released what is sure to be a contender for year-end album best of lists. These might be bold words for an album that is only being released in January, but Wolf’s Law improbably fuses together epic rock with gorgeous melodies, swelling choruses, singer Ritzy Bryan’s both pixie-ish and ethereal vocals and all the dramatic sweep and scope of a concept album without imploding under its own weight like most concept albums do.

No one is making music like Free Energy. The Philadelphia-by-way-of-Minnesota five piece just self released their second full length, Love Sign, after parting ways with James Murphy’s DFA Records.

In lieu of the usual assortment of outtakes and alternate recordings, only a small array of which appear on this deluxe edition of Steve Winwood’s Arc of a Diver, the two CD set includes a BBC Radio documentary which follows a customary blueprint of interspersing scripted intros to interviews of peers including brother Muff and co-musicians such as the late, long-time Traffic collaborator Jim Capaldi. Much of what's here is easily well-known or researched (of particular interest the various music that’s referenced) but also, as is usually the case, nuggets of insight appear alongside the over-emotive segues.

Ahh the elder Punk…what becomes of him or her? Most 12 years old slam-dancers want to grow up to be Mike Ness but that can't be everyone's path.  You can keep on the Hey Ho Let's Go! route until you die like godfathers The Ramones, or you could find yourself in some sort of mid tempo vortex of middling hell ala The Scenics with Dead Man Walks Down Bayview

As one of the tracks on Signed and Sealed in Blood declares, Boston’s favorite Celtic punk rock sons the Dropkick Murphys are back and they’re looking for trouble. Signed and Sealed in Blood is loaded with the kind of energy, passion and raucous chorus-like chants that have been somewhat muted on their past couple of releases, and it is a welcome relief for those who have been missing some of the pump your fist spirit that filled the band’s earlier records.

Since splitting with his vaunted backing band The Rumour in 1980, Graham Parker’s been able to maintain his edge working as a solo artist and with various accompanying ensembles. He’s able to wield that edge here in the thirty-year reunion with his former comrades, most effectively as Three Chords Good comes to an emphatic conclusion.

kyline Drive is what happens when 60 Watt Kid guitarist Derrick Thomas downshifts from art-rock to Americana folk. Topanga Ranch Motel is the first offering from the Thomas lead group that drips cinematic, heartfelt, mid tempo, modern day folk numbers.

Here Come the Girls is more than a sonic continuation from where The London Souls left off in 2011 with the release of their self-titled debut, it’s a reaffirmation of the fact that the soul of the band is more deeper than just its sound.  This past year alone being the leading example that true miracles are capable of happening, and capable of healing. 

To celebrate their 50th anniversary the Preservation Hall Jazz Band took their show on the road to one of the most famous stages in the world, Carnegie Hall. Inviting friends along for the event the group played their hot style of jazz and blues to a receptive crowd on a cold New York City night and their newest release St. Peter & 57th St. is a live recording of that eventful night.

The bands sound and tone is reminiscent of a less wordy version of The Weakerthans in their style of making things seem happy even when singing about a “black spot in your heart”.  There is no new ground broken by The White Wires on WWIII, but the songs are pleasant if firmly one note romps with solid production behind the garage band aesthetic.    

Black Country Communion is a hard rock super group whose sound is far more than the sum of its collective chops and they put the “eyebrows” on every track on Afterglow, their fantastic third album. Whoever it was that said “they don’t make ‘em like they used to” hasn’t heard Black Country Communion. Their pedigree alone qualifies them for some kind of exalted status.