Being absent from the music community as of late is a bit depressing for me, I know I’ve been slacking. I’ve been caught up in a ton of other things, and I don’t wish to abandon, but you will start seeing fewer individual reviews. Instead, every Friday, I will be bringing you a post with my Top 4 albums of the week. Of course these will be new to me, but may not all be new that week. It allows me to catch up a bit on albums I missed while still including the newest stuff.

4. Home Again by Michael Kiwanuka

Michael won the the BBC Sound of 2012 poll, and while I didn’t really know what that was, the great Joe Bewick (@JoeBewick) filled me in. With Kiwanuka, the future sounds greatly like the past, so much so that he can get lost in it. Influenced by musicians like Otis Redding, Van Morrison, and Marvin Gaye, Kiwanuka teams up with producer Paul Butler (of the Bees) to deliver an album straight out of the 70’s. The opening track, “Tell Me a Tale” is a broken promise, as the instrumentation and sound drop off a bit and get repetitive, but there are a few stand outs on the album. The record’s blend of folk, pop, and soul is refreshing, but not very original. However, there is promise for the future that the album delivers, promise to look out for.

Album Rating: Stream It or Digitally Download It (Legally of Course)

Listening Co-efficient: Passive Listen

Essential Tracks: “Tell Me a Tale”/”Home Again”/”Always Waiting”

3. Americana by Neil Young & Crazy Horse

Neil Young reunites with Crazy Horse for their first album since Greendale (Nine years, and I still love that album.).  Americana is Neil & Co’s take on traditional and classic pop tunes, brilliant in their imaginings, while giving them a new edge and wider appeal. Most of these songs are the kind you’d remember from music class in elementary school, only, the band present them in their true form, dealing with murder, misgivings, and retribution. These songs are tailor made for Young’s “less is more” approach to songwriting, though he does take them to new levels, giving them that reverb soaked rewriting that they desperately needed. When it comes to material that could be considered sensitive – “This Land Is Your Land” – he pulls back  to be respectful of the material, including a children’s choir for backup, and a country outlet for the song to thrive in. The album’s clear standout is “God Save the Queen,” which may be the most brilliant exposition of melodic similarities you’ve ever heard. Best of all, this is just a warm up, rumor is their is new, original material from this duo coming soon.

Album Rating: Buy It on CD or Vinyl

Listening Co-efficient: Active Listen

 

Essential Tracks: “Oh Susannah”/”Get a Job”/”God Save the Queen”

2. What We Saw from the Cheap Seats by Regina Spektor

I had let Regina Spektor fall by the wayside for a long time, and it wasn’t until the lovely Lindsey Guile (Sonic BOOM!, @linseedoildrip) request that I review it that I revisited. Spektor’s knack for not really having one has made her one of the most innovative female artists since Fiona Apple, only with a larger catalog. This album reminds more of her 2006 effort Begin to Hope, coincidentally the last album of hers I had listened to. The experimentation is what really makes it a thrill to listen to; tracks like “Oh Marcello” use of fake Italian accents and cinematic over production make for an aural thrill, even working in the line “don’t let me be misunderstood.” “Small Town Moon” is all about abandoning that innocence while not exploiting others complete with hand claps. And “All the Rowboats” industrial kind of feel is a great change up toward the latter part of the album. Through the experimentation are finely crafted pop songs, aided by her study in classical music. I’m back, I missed you.

Album Rating: Buy It on CD or Vinyl

Listening C0-efficient: Passive Listen

Essential Tracks: “Small Town Moon”/”All the Rowboats”/”Ballad of a Politician”

1. R.A.P. Music by Killer Mike

When political music is pursued from a rap perspective, it feels more personal; the people rapping about the problem generally experienced it first hand. Granted, we’re long removed from a time when we were learning to “Fight the Power,” but Killer Mike takes it to the next level, his beats reminiscent of being in battle. KM teams up with EL-P on this outing – dubbed his first technical studio outing – despite having been in the game for over a decade. The team up presents rap’s total package, easily the most groundbreaking rap album of the year. He calls out presidents on “Reagan” and police brutality on “Don’t Die,” to the rich on “Big Beast.” Wading through the murder and corruption, there are saving graces; “Go” is a tribute to the West Coast legacy and it’s roots, while the title/closing track “R.A.P. Music” is the grace that Killer Mike believes might “save the streets.” It’s in the collaboration alone, North and South, where tolerance and hope is seen best.

Album Rating: Buy It on CD or Vinyl

Listening Co-efficient: Active Listen

Essential Tracks: “Big Beast”/”Reagan”/”Don’t Die”/”R.A.P. Music”

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