How do two new releases in January already feel like "Best of 2005" contenders? More satisfying with each repeated listening, two new CDs hitting store shelves on Tuesday have dominated my stereo for the past few weeks, and I'm not ready to hit eject yet. Om Records serves up the
Greenskeepers and their new album,
Pleetch, an infectious masterpiece of electronic Funk and sexy dance grooves that sizzles like a 1970s roller rink all-skate on a Saturday night. Slipping between genres, the duo of DJ James Curd and multi-instrumentalist Nick Maurer mix up a variety of vocalists alongside live bassist Coban Rudish to clever effect. This hug-drug dancefloor daydream is unashamed to wear its influences on its sleeve, from Earth Wind & Fire, Parliament and KC & the Sunshine Band to Yaz, The Tubes, Timbuk 3, Ween and the Yellow Magic Orchestra. Not just a feel-good dance mix, surprises are like extra cherries on the sundae, from an earnest cover of Christopher Cross' hit "Sailing" to the must-hear Rock ode to Silence of the Lambs' seamstress "Buffalo Bill" in "Lotion" (with its creepy Joe Meek-ish handclap production and the eerie chorus of "it rubs the lotion on its skin ... or else it gets the hose again"). More electronic seduction comes Tuesday with the epic third album from
M83,
Before the Dawn Heals Us, on the Mute Records imprint. Fans of Mogwai, My Bloody Valentine, Air and Brian Eno will thrill to this sweeping, cinematic howl of electronic energy that tumbles in settled, calm and ambient waves, only to build and crash inside the tide. Primarily instrumental in its ethereal swell of synthesizers, this spinning tour de force simply commands the gravity of its space. Highly recommended for adventurous ears.
Television Alert
The Late Show with David Letterman hosts ... And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead Wednesday. Late Night with Conan O'Brien boasts Ice Cube Wednesday. And The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson toasts the vocal talents of actress Minnie Driver Wednesday.
New Releases Coming Tuesday
and like the winds, young grasshopper, are subject to change ...
7 Seconds Take It Back, Take It On, Take It Over! (Side One Dummy) after almost 25 years at the Hardcore helm, this is new music from Kevin Seconds and company; Kelli Ali Psychic Cat (One Little Indian) new solo album from the former Sneaker Pimps vocalist, with guest guitarist Andrew Innes of Primal Scream on "Ideal"; Assault on Precinct Thirteen original motion picture soundtrack (Varese Sarabande) music from the new remake of John Carpenter's original film, featuring a new song by KRS-One and a score by Graeme Revell of SPK; Adrian Belew Side One (Sanctuary) a return to the studio "power trio" setting with bassist Les Claypool and Tool drummer Danny Carey; Tim Booth Bone (Koch) domestic issue of this new solo album from the former frontman of James; Bright Eyes Digital Ash In a Digital Urn (Saddle Creek) electric with Yeah Yeah Yeah's guitarist Nick Zinner; Bright Eyes I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (Saddle Creek) acoustic sessions with Emmylou Harris and My Morning Jacket's Jim James; Buck65 This Right Here is Buck65 (V2) featuring his hip-honky-tonk track, "Pants On Fire"; Emma Free Me (19 Recordings/Universal) solo debut from the former Baby Spice; Jimmy Chamberlin Complex Life Begins Again (Sanctuary) new project from the Smashing Pumpkins drummer featuring guest vocalist Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers; Chemical Brothers Push the Button (Astralwerks) with guests Tim Burgess of the Charlatans, Anwar Superstar, Kele Okereke and Q-Tip; Kenny Chesney Be As You Are (BNA); Cowboy Mouth Easy (Valley) re-sequenced reissue from 2000 with two bonus live tracks; Graham Coxon Happiness in Magazines (Astralwerks) new from the former Blur guitarist; Crash Kelly Penny Pills (Liquor & Poker) featuring a cover of Cheap Trick's "Elo Kiddies"; Ani DiFranco Knuckle Down (Righteous Babe) housed in a beautiful designed digi-pak slipcase, with co-producer Joe Henry and guest Andrew Bird; Drive-By Truckers Gangstabilly and Pizza Deliverance (New West) remastered CD reissues from 1998 and 1999; Erasure Nightbird (Mute) celebrating their 20th anniversary by touring America in April; Marianne Faithfull Before the Poison (Anti); Franz Ferdinand "Michael" (Domino USA) new 12-inch single with three remixes; John Frusciante Curtains (Record Collection) all-acoustic CD wrapping up his "six CDs in six months" series; Rosco Gordon No Dark in America (Skuntry/Dualtone) the final sessions from this recently deceased R&B master pianist, blending Boogie Woogie and Roadhouse Jazz; Halifax A Writer's Reference (Drive-Thru) seven-track CD EP featuring an acoustic version of "Sydney"; Ray Willie Hubbard Delirium Tremolos (Philo/Rounder) new originals and covers from the Texas singer/songwriter with guests Patty Griffin, James McMurtry and Ian McLagan; Jennifer Gentle Valende (SubPop) third album and American debut from this tripped-out Psychedelic Pop Italian duo, drinking heavily from the LSD inkpot of Syd Barrett; Kill Your Idols From Companionship To Competition (Side One Dummy) featuring "Only Dicks Don't Like Black Flag" and a cover of The Pist's "Still Pist"; Low The Great Destroyer (SubPop) heavier, majestic waves from this harmonic, minimalist trio; Magnapop Mouthfeel (Daemon) the return of these poppy Atlanta favorites; The Moaners Dark Snack (Yep Roc) gargantuan wall of swampy rawk n' wail from the duo of Trailer Bride guitarist Melissa Swingle and Grand National drummer Laura King; Casey Neill Memory Against Forgetting (Daemon) career-spanning retrospective from this politically charged songwriter; One Tree Hill original television soundtrack (Maverick) featuring Sheryl Crow's acoustic cover of "The First Cut Is the Deepest"; The Pernice Brothers Nobody's Watching/Nobody's Listening (Ashmont) CD and DVD set featuring radio sessions and student-created videos; Shai Hulud A Comprehensive Retrospective (Revolation) featuring original four-track demos and live tracks from 1997; Slavery and the Making of America original television series soundtrack (Valley) companion to the PBS series airing Feb. 9, composed by Michael Whalen; The Chris Stamey Experience A Question of Temperature (Yep Roc) new from the dB's founder with Yo La Tengo as his backing band, and featuring a blistering cover of the Yardbirds' "Shape of Things," plus a 30-second pro-voting PSA; Street Dogs Back to the World (Brass Tacks/DRT) featuring Boston's own Mike McColgan, full-time firefighter and former member of the Dropkick Murphys; Yello The Eye (Radikal) domestic issue of the latest album from the Swiss duo, featuring a bonus CD of remixes; Various Artists Elko! A Cowboy's Gathering (Western Jubilee/Dualtone) curl up closer to the campfire and listen to this wonderful two-CD collection of eclectic "cowboy poetry" and songs about the American West.
