Gossip — “A Joyful Noise”: Gossip could make excellent music in a number of genres, but they haven’t done so here. Right now Gossip seems to have lost focus. It’s not due to the shift in sound. The group could probably cut a strong electro album, and Ditto could make a memorable statement in a house or classic disco setting. They just haven’t done so here. It may be that they just haven’t pinned down the exact sound they want to get, and there’s reason to be optimistic about their next album. — Justin Cober-Lake
The Cult — “Weapon of Choice:” The veteran English rockers hope the third comeback album will be the charm. What is missing, and what has been missing since “Electric,” is the groove to match the swagger. These are self-serious songs with self-serious arrangements that take all the fun out of playing up native American imagery and cultural commentary, as Ian Astbury is wont to do. The kind of rocking the Cult are up to on “Choice of Weapon” is made clear from opener “Honey From a Knife,” which chug-a-lugs like a million other hard rock and metal songs, rather than stomping or charging ahead. — John Bergstrom
Garbage — “Not Your Kind of People”: Garbage’s first new record in seven years is precisely what you would expect from a band that peaked in the late ’90s. It’s baffling to think that a group that started off sounding so varied and intricate, piecing together so many various aspects of sound and synth technology, now has predictable tropes that characterize them to such an insipid level. Even the jump from their 1995 debut “Garbage” to 1998’s “Version 2.0” offered an interesting sonic progression. But since then they have stalled, adding in guitar “wah’s” and tinny drum beats whereever they can. You could easily jumble up the tracks from their last three efforts and there would be no discernible difference among them. — Enio Chiola
Other notable releases this week:
- Joe Bonamassa — “Driving Towards The Daylight”
- El-P — “Cancer for Cure”
- Father Yod & the Source Family: The Thought Adjusters
- Robert Francis — “Strangers in the First Place”
- Hilary Hahn and Hauschka — “Silfra”
- Sonny Landreth — “Elemental Journey”
- John Mayer — “Born and Raised”
- Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney — “RAM (Special Edition)”
- Joey Ramone — “...Ya Know?”
- Slash — “Apocalyptic Love”
- Shannon Stephens — “Pull It Together”
- Tedeschi Trucks Band — “Everybody’s Talkin’”
NOW HEAR THIS
Leftover Cuties — “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”
Last year, PopMatters said of L.A.’s Leftover Cuties, “If you’re bored with Adele’s retro soul and Mumford and Sons’ take on Americana, Leftover Cuties may have the next throwback sound you’re looking for: 1930s vocal jazz. And like those acts, they do their thing quite well.” Well, I’m a sucker for ’20s and ’30s music and vocal jazz and, in fact, it might be just about my favorite era for popular music, so this band hits all my sweet spots. Lead singer Shirli McAllen captures that coy but sexy, sophisticated but a rather saucy style of the ’20s/ ’30s chanteuses, while contemporizing the approach enough to make her a possible indie poster girl. Following last year’s “Places to Go,” Leftover Cuties have just released a covers EP, “Departures,” featuring takes on tunes by Etta James, Coldplay, Lady Gaga and more. On this video, the band performs Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right,” which is also available on the EP. — Sarah Zupko
(http://youtu.be/72pZh—URKqg)
Poppy & The Jezebels’ new single remix is the sound of life arrived with extra smiles
Either the news that Daniel Miller is playing synths on this just made my laptop crash in excitement, or Richard X was midi’ing via the espresso machine when he remixed this one. In any event, mid-paced is not a word to be bandied around this skew on Poppy & the Jezebels’ new single. Out this week, the “Richard X Meets Larry Least Remix” of the first new music from Poppy & the Jezebels in too long, is a belter. Somewhere between Suicide on happy pills and some ADHT kid dunking ringtones in Red Bull, “Sign In, Dream On, Drop Out” is just the kind of pop joy thing we need early in the work week. “Sign In, Dream On, Drop Out” is a pop gem. Short, sweet like a sugar-rush, and complete with message, this — complete with its oh-so-timely, just-a-little-sarky sample of Margaret Thatcher at the 2:15 mark — is the kind of sonics we need more of right now. — Steve Jansen
EAGERLY AWAITING
Neil Young and Crazy Horse revive American folk classics
Neil Young has reunited with his old band Crazy Horse for a new album that offers covers of classic American folk tunes. “She’ll Be Coming Round The Mountain” and “Oh Susannah” are two such tunes, ones that everyone on this side of the pond knows almost instinctively. Reprise has already released videos for both songs done in early film style. — Sarah Zupko
ON SCREEN
Spiritualized’s May D.C. concert captured on film by NPR
NPR Music has posted a recent concert (http://tinyurl.com/7mwg4nu) of Spiritualized as an entire listening session along with a six “featured videos.” The concert was recorded May 10 at the Washington, D.C., venue 9:30 club — a nice mid-sized space with a standing-only capacity of 1,200. Sure, it’s not the same as being there, but these fly-on-the-wall opportunities allow fans to check out a band’s performance style. Looking at the footage, you not only witness the nuances in the songs presented and how they vary from the produced tracks, but also the interactions of various band members, even if it’s just on a screen. The audio stream provides the entire show, over two hours of live music to indulge in right at home or work if such things are allowed.
Here the theatrics of a psychedelic light show cut across the blackened stage with frontman Jason Pierce (aka J. Spaceman) and his backup singers all dressed in white. Pierce’s voice is raw and gravely, as he plays guitar while standing behind a mike stand in black sunglasses. While there may not be much movement by those on stage, waves of emotion pour out in the music. Most of the set list is from Pierce’s latest release, “Sweet Heart Sweet Light,” a personal collection of alt-rock anthems full of triumph as well as serious songs revealing doubts about our limited time on earth. — Jane Jansen Seymour
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