Baroness - “Yellow & Green”: With double album “Yellow & Green,” Baroness finally surface from the suffocating Georgian sludge-swamps to sit amongst the upper echelon of progressive rock royalty. Baroness has outgrown their previous post-metal categorization. This double album may not connect with those unwilling to grow with Baroness, but for those willing to support a progressive band in their selfish exploration of their musical capabilities - give “Yellow & Green” enough time to bear its soul to you. Sure, it comes with its imperfections, but it’s such humanity that makes music so life affirming. - Dean Brown
Nas - “Life Is Good”: Nas tries to power through uneven production with fiery raps, but the sad truth is that the self-conscious way “Life Is Good” is put together undermines his energy and intention. For all the energy here that was sorely lacking on its predecessor, this album is still wildly inconsistent, suffering from swaths of bland production and unfinished thoughts. This is unfortunate for basic reasons, namely that Nas is a rapper that’s easy to root for, the kind of artist that both genuinely loves what he does. It’s also sad because everything about “Life is Good” suggests starting over, from the artwork that finds Nas holding his ex-wife Kelis’ green dress to how much these songs take stock of the past, not to relive it but to move beyond it, on to the next thing. - Matthew Fiander
Jimmy Cliff - “Rebirth”: It would be easy to think this might be the final great outing from such an important reggae music figure, but part of “Rebirth”’s lore is that it sounds so fresh. For as unlikely as it once may have appeared, Jimmy Cliff couldn’t have asked for a better partner in crime than Rancid’s Tim Armstrong, and this album is proof of that. The rocker made the reggae superstar sound energized, and the reggae superstar gave the rocker a sense of his roots. To simply call this record a rebirth would be too obvious. It certainly isn’t the first time Cliff has made timeless music, and if these 13 songs are any indication, this won’t be the last time. These songs aren’t the sound of a man being reborn - they are the sound of a man finally getting back to living life to its fullest. - Colin McGuire
Billy Joe Shaver - “Live at Billy Bob’s Texas”: To say Shaver’s had a hard life is like calling the Pacific Ocean a large body of salt water. “Live at Billy Bob’s” does a wonderful job of showcasing Shaver’s charismatic stage presence and providing a run down of the man’s best songs. We go from the churning “Georgia on a Fast Train” to the hot country funk of “Ride Me Down Easy” to the spoken word poetry of “Star in My Heart” to the drunken pleasures of “Thunderbird” without ever missing a beat. The CD also comes packaged with a DVD of the show, but you don’t need to see Shaver to feel his power. The man who invented the term “honky tonk hero” clearly is one. You can hear it in its voice. He may believe Texas is the closest thing to heaven, and America is the best country in the world, but he’s not wrong about much. And as long as he’s in the Lone Star state of the USA, he may be right. - Steven Horowitz
Other notable releases this week:
- Alberta Cross - “Songs of Patience”
- Citizen Cope - “One Lovely Day”
- Fixx - “Beautiful Friction”
- Missy Higgins - “The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle”
- Hot Panda - “Go Outside”
- Icky Blossoms - “Icky Blossoms”
- JEFF the Brotherhood - “Hypnotic Nights”
- Kinky - “Sueqo de la Machina”
- Matisyahu - “Spark Seeker”
- Old Crow Medicine Show - “Carry Me Back”
- Smashing Pumpkins - “Pisces Iscariot (Deluxe Edition)”
- Soul Asylum - “Delayed Reaction”
NOW HEAR THIS
Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra - “Saturn Hoola Hoop” (stream) Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra is as much an anomaly as it is an enigma. The 18-piece ensemble, conducted by noted Berlin composer Daniel Glatzel, crept into the underground in May of 2009 with their Danny Elfmann-esque debut “Take Off!” While that album was a genre-hopping exploration of film music, jazz and classical, lush with the live-off-the-floor sounds of a complete, authentic orchestra, their new album defies even their own expectations. “Bum Bum” is practically a deconstruction of everything their previous album was based on, recording most of the instruments separately and reassembling them in the studio along with the odd vocal and referential pop culture sample into forms unrecognizable. The results are more manic yet familiar than ever thought imaginable. Case in point, what exactly is the opening track “Saturn Hoola Hoop?” Is it instrumental hip-hop? Is it plunderphonic bop jazz? Is it a schizophrenic cacophony? It’s up to the listener to delve in and find their place at the eye of the storm. - Alan Ranta
EAGERLY AWAITING
Tina Dico - “Moon to Let” (Zero 7 Remix)
Denmark’s Tina Dico possesses a deep, atmospheric voice suggesting the chilly outdoor landscapes of rural northern Europe mixed with the cozy interiors of rich colors and a fireplace. In other words, her voice is perfectly suited to music that is simultaneously cool, moody and warm. So, taking the spare approach of Dico’s new single, “Moon to Let,” and adding in layers of bubbling synths, Zero 7 adds further warmth to the song with an electronic sheen. The “Moon to Let” EP will release on 16 July (UK), 17 July (US) and features the original tune and remixes like this one and another by Fink. Dico’s new album, “Where Do You Go to Disappear?” produced in Iceland with her musical partner Helgi Jonsson, will be available on 10 September via her own label, Finest Gramophone. - Sarah Zupko
ON SCREEN
George Michael - “White Light” (video)
George Michael celebrates Wham’s 30th anniversary with a solo single, which Andrew Ridgeley doesn’t appear on, ironically. While the title filled me with immediate dread, suggesting this was going to be some cloying pop star confessional, “White Light” isn’t the worst Michael effort committed to binary. Part Giorgio Moroder, with a hint of Pet Shop Boys, “White Light” dances in similar territory to the more electro experiments on 2004’s “Patience” album. There’s also fair use of Michael’s recent penchant for the Vocoder. While I can’t shake the feeling that the former Wham man could knock these kind of tunes out in his sleep, in truth I’m not sure Michael is all that bothered - in a Prince kind of way - about whether his singles are global smashes anymore.
Sure, some PR agents will probably walk the plank if the singer gets to feeling we’re not talking about him enough. But then again, why shouldn’t acts put songs out merely because they want to, rather than only once they’ve been tweaked and remixed and market road-tested and rewritten (with added Will.I.Be.Boring rap) for years, so as to ensure they’re number one across the entire known universe? So, in short: Not bad, but not brilliant. It’ll be a hit, because he’s got fans - and it’ll no doubt turn up on Greatest Hits packages, simply because his ego will demand it. People will talk about it - not least Michael himself, as he relives (if you’ll excuse the choice of words) his illness for the next three months in various publicity articles. But, other than that, it’s merely all right. I think the best word to be used is: functional. - Steve Jansen
Opossom - “Fly” (video)
The next time you’re planning the maiden voyage of your town’s new monorail, you might consider Opossom as your entertainment. With their debut album “Electric Hawaii” set for release by Fire Records on August 7th of 2012, this New Zealand side exploration of Unknown Mortal Orchestra brothers Kody and Ruben Nielson knows how to keep things entertaining.
Their first video “Blue Meanies” exposed cult-ish weirdness in the woods, while this video for “Fly” shows the kind of mishegoss and mischief they can get up to in a semi-arid mountain range with robot women and a UFO. Their sugary drum and bass pop dynamic may seem deceptively simple at a glance, but as you watch, visible becomes the barely contained paisley explosion within, bursting at the seams. Before long, you may be uncontrollably screaming, “Awesome Opossom!” - Alan Ranta
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