Music Blogs

It's February, and the Names are arriving!

The Names are people we all like and respect and don't need any introductions to. The Names are steady sellers, not necessarily celebrities, and people we probably have five or six albums by already.

Names are people like Tom Petty--who countless gazillions witnessed during the Superbowl Sunday night, and who, though he's got no new album this week, is a comfortable fit in our lives! We know what he sounds like, and if we like that, we know a new album by him will sound just like that, only newer!

And so it is we have new releases by Sheryl Crow, Lenny Kravitz, k.d. lang--heck, even newcomer Jack Johnson, who's been making records for long enough now that he can join this party, too!

They might not make major headlines, they might not get involved in major scandals, they might not even show up on the cover of People magazine anymore, but, by golly, some would say they're the meat and potatoes of today's record industry!

On a related note: Did you know that between 1994 and 2000 there's been a four-fold increase in the number of American vegetarians?

Sheryl Crow: Detours (A&M/Interscope) The cynical among us would expect Ms. Crow to join the throngs whose careers have conspicuously crashed and burned, but guess what? Her new record is great! I suppose the fact that the disc was produced by Bill Bottrell, who produced her famous Tuesday Night Music Club disc, is of some note--but Crow has never seemed the sort of artist whose music lived and died as a function of who produced it. Song topics are a mixture of personal and political, they're sung and played like they're deeply felt, and unlike many of today's one-hit-and-the-rest-is-crud albums, a surprising amount of the good stuff here is actually located on the second half of the CD. Hey, I would marry this album if it would have me!

Taylor Dayne: Satisfied (Intention) If I was making a movie about my life, I think I would include a speeded-up clip of Taylor Dayne's video of "Tell It To My Heart" interspersed with scenes of Willy Wonka's boatride through the tunnel to signify the moment when I completely lost touch with all reality, had a total mental breakdown, and decided to write about music for a living! Then I'd flash forward to 2008 and show me opening up a package containing Ms. Dayne's latest album--her first in 10 years, no less--and reading the passage in the bio saying she's sold "over 75 million albums and singles worldwide." Then, as my head began to visibly swell and, finally, explode, I'd flash back to the earlier clip and superimpose the word "FINE" over the whole mess! It would be a great movie!

Lenny Kravitz: It Is Time For A Love Revolution (Virgin) I think we can all agree that it is time for a Love Revolution, and I'd like to thank Mr. Lenny Kravitz for bringing that fact to our attention! It was wise of him, too. When I first heard about this record, I found myself cynically thinking, "Oh no--don't tell me this guy who's based an entire career around recycling the music of other, better artists and declaring it's his is still making records instead of laying out in the sun in the Bahamas or something!" But I'm willing to put aside all those nasty preconceptions and take the man at his word: It is time for a Love Revolution, and therefore is is time to love this record along with everything else! Make no mistake: Kravitz is a shrewdie!

Hot Chip: Made In The Dark (Astralwerks) I've always liked Hot Chip and suspect you have too! They're new album is so groovy it hurts, but let's not go there. Instead, let's go to how all these wacky future-facing Brit combos are, just like Radiohead, single-handedly figuring out ways to save the music industry! In this instance, I noticed on the band's website that consumers can now buy this great new album in "all 3 physical formats in a lovely box set with a download at a nice price." Like, is that just sloppily written, or are they getting the same customer to buy the same album three times at once? And are people doing that? Dudes: If the record industry ever went to Latin class, they'd be bowing and chanting "Morituri te salutant" in unison!

Roxy Music: The Thrill Of It All: A Visual History 1972-1982 DVD (Virgin) What a package! Boatloads of historic and live clips by one of the UK's best-ever bands, who in 10 years time very possibly went through more of a stylistic evolution than the wondrous Taylor Dayne! Some people think Roxy Music got boring when Brian Eno left the band, others think the band hit a new artistic zenith when they recorded their classic set Avalon, and still others rarely think about Roxy Music at all! Sit them on a couch, strap them down, force them to watch this on a big-screen TV, give them food and water, and eventually they all will thank you! That's what makes this band great!

Jack Johnson: Sleep Through The Static (Brushfire/Universal) There's a certain charm and comfort to the music of Jack Johnson that either one completely falls in love with or, curiously, instantly falls asleep to. I know where I stand!

k.d. lang: Watershed (Nonesuch) In my distinguished travels around the world, I have encountered Canadian singer k.d. lang many times, and I must say she rarely fails to impress: Very long ago I saw her sing "Crying" at some Roy Orbison tribute and it made me tingle all over! Back with her first album of brand new material since 2000's Invincible Summer, let us all wish her well and hope that this album's title is not in reference to certain types of structures bearing half-moons found in the backyards of certain rural areas!

Lightspeed Champion: Falling Off The Lavender Bridge (Domino) In a stunning switcheroo, I will now write about a record that you should buy! The work of one Devonte Hynes--former member of the superbly named UK band the Test Icicles--Falling Off The Lavender Bridge sounds nothing like the abrasive thud made by Hynes' former band, and is melodic, passionate, filled with depth, and other sappy adjectives! Boasting tracks with James Tayloresque titles such as "Everyone I Know Is Listening To Crunk" and the moving paean "Let The Bitches Die," this is the record James Blunt would have made if he'd ditched the British Army for the U.S. Coast Guard! Highly recommended!

The Wrong Object: Stories From The Shed (Moonjune)  A Belgian quintet who play jazzy art-rock, for lack of a better description, these humans were last heard from via this label with a great set with late saxophonist Elton Dean. This new collection is sonically interesting, very well-played, and the sort of music I recommend listening to while you're writing your New This Week blog for Yahoo Music! I'm sure you can relate!

Bob Mould: District Line (Anti) I'm glad to see a home for artists such as Mould, the former Husker Duduhead, on a label like Anti Records--which, along with YepRoc Records, seem to be the place where artists once deemed majorly cool can now reside without shame and do what they do best. Sad to say, I was never really emotionally involved with Mould's prior work, and in fact tend to think his later band Sugar's canny cover of the Who's "Armenia City In The Sky" as representing his very best work. Additionally, I'm bitter and think the world owes me a living!