Biggish news this week, with the arrival of Neil Young’s new album, “Fork In The Road”, Neil’s collaboration with Booker T and The Drive-By Truckers, and the second solo joint by ex-Trucker Jason Isbell, which makes me feel like I’ve been moving in ever decreasing circles for the past couple of days. Not convinced what I think of any of these thus far, but I can unequivocally recommend the new Wooden Shjips and Raphael Saadiq albums. I also feel the need to listen to Friendly Fires properly, after dismissing them pretty hastily sometime last year. They were an unexpected highlight of the NME Awards last night, with a lot of samba school drumming, carnival dancers (a day late for Fat Tuesday of course, but whatever) and glitter cannons. In comparison, the Blur reunion – or more accurately the Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon acoustic jam – was shaky and understated, considering the blousy potential of “This Is A Low”, and probably all the more affecting for being that way. I’m now rinsing out the office with the new Boredoms EP. My God, the Lindstrom remix is levitational. 1 Peter Walker – Spanish Guitar (Birdman) 2 The Beastie Boys – Paul’s Boutique: 20th Anniversary Edition (Capitol) 3 Sleepy Sun – Embrace (ATP Recordings) 4 Alasdair Roberts – Spoils (Drag City) 5 Nathan Fake – Hard Islands (Border Community) 6 Heartless Bastards – The Mountain (Fat Possum) 7 Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit - Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit (Lightning Rod) 8 Neil Young – Fork In The Road (Reprise) 9 Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson (Transgressive) 10 Booker T With Drive-By Truckers And Neil Young – Potato Hole (Anti-) 11 Sinead O’Connor – I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (Special Edition) (EMI) 12 The Lonely Island – Incredibad (Universal Republic) 13 The Rockingbirds – The Rockingbirds (Heavenly) 14 Wooden Shjips – DoS (Holy Mountain) 15 Richard Swift – The Atlantic Ocean (Secretly Canadian) 16 Faust - C’est Com. . . Com. . . Compliqué (BB 21) 17 The Dukes Of Stratosphear – Psonic Psunspot (Ape House) 18 Art Brut – Art Brut Vs Satan (Cooking Vinyl) 19 Raphael Saadiq – The Way I See It (Columbia) 20 Bob Mould – Life And Times (Anti-) 21 Smoke Fairies – Living With Ghosts (Music For Heroes) 22 Boredoms – Super Roots 10 (Avex Trax)
Biggish news this week, with the arrival of Neil Young’s new album, “Fork In The Road”, Neil’s collaboration with Booker T and The Drive-By Truckers, and the second solo joint by ex-Trucker Jason Isbell, which makes me feel like I’ve been moving in ever decreasing circles for the past couple of days.
Not convinced what I think of any of these thus far, but I can unequivocally recommend the new Wooden Shjips and Raphael Saadiq albums. I also feel the need to listen to Friendly Fires properly, after dismissing them pretty hastily sometime last year. They were an unexpected highlight of the NME Awards last night, with a lot of samba school drumming, carnival dancers (a day late for Fat Tuesday of course, but whatever) and glitter cannons.
In comparison, the Blur reunion – or more accurately the Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon acoustic jam – was shaky and understated, considering the blousy potential of “This Is A Low”, and probably all the more affecting for being that way.
I’m now rinsing out the office with the new Boredoms EP. My God, the Lindstrom remix is levitational.
1 Peter Walker – Spanish Guitar (Birdman)
2 The Beastie Boys – Paul’s Boutique: 20th Anniversary Edition (Capitol)
3 Sleepy Sun – Embrace (ATP Recordings)
4 Alasdair Roberts – Spoils (Drag City)
5 Nathan Fake – Hard Islands (Border Community)
6 Heartless Bastards – The Mountain (Fat Possum)
7 Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit – Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit (Lightning Rod)
8 Neil Young – Fork In The Road (Reprise)
9 Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson – Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson (Transgressive)
10 Booker T With Drive-By Truckers And Neil Young – Potato Hole (Anti-)
11 Sinead O’Connor – I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (Special Edition) (EMI)
12 The Lonely Island – Incredibad (Universal Republic)
13 The Rockingbirds – The Rockingbirds (Heavenly)
14 Wooden Shjips – DoS (Holy Mountain)
15 Richard Swift – The Atlantic Ocean (Secretly Canadian)
16 Faust – C’est Com. . . Com. . . Compliqué (BB 21)
17 The Dukes Of Stratosphear – Psonic Psunspot (Ape House)
18 Art Brut – Art Brut Vs Satan (Cooking Vinyl)
19 Raphael Saadiq – The Way I See It (Columbia)
20 Bob Mould – Life And Times (Anti-)
21 Smoke Fairies – Living With Ghosts (Music For Heroes)
22 Boredoms – Super Roots 10 (Avex Trax)