OUR FAVORITE NEW MUSIC & MOVIES! - Amoeba Music

are in the same key also) it is worth forgiving the
youthful self-produced missteps because of the
sheer musicality he owes a lot to johnny hartman
and joe williams, but he has a style ALL his
own, and it is magnificent.
Adele – 21 (COLUMBIA)
speaking of amazing voices. her voice sounds
even more worn in, even deeper and more
haunting — like a faded photograph of something
you can ALMOST remember. she nails
it. though her sophomore effort is a bit more
“hollywood”; more “produced” than her debut,
each song is well chosen and she is able to reach
that emotional depth that pulls you right in. this
record is moody, and it is less brassy than her
first one, but as strong as her voice is, she has
a fragility that surfaces and makes it impossible
not to listen.
Charles Bradley –
No Time For Dreaming (DApTONE)
daptone records brings in another gem. in the
james brown style, rough and sandpaper vocals
along with a great backing band with punchy
horns and a groovy rhythm section. this is hard
knock experience delivered through classic ’60s
style r&B. good stuff.
Bill Frissell &
Vinicius Cantuaria –
Lagrimas Mexicanas (ENT. 1 MUSIC)
an interesting collaboration with one of my
favorite guitarists and brazilian singer-songwriter.
Bei ’Ru –
Little Armenia
(MUSA-LEr MUSIC)
“sampling is archeology” it
says on Bei ’ru’s website.
and this record DOES really
sound like found relics
and bones from another era
fused with modern hip-hop. i
dug it. check it out. especially
if you like ’60s and ’70s funk
and psychedelic beats.
Mumford & Sons –
Sigh No More
(gLASSNOTE)
a lot has already been said
about this record. but it’s all
true. and this one is a keeper.
92 MUSIC WE LIKE H Spring/Summer 2011
Florence & The Machines –
Lungs (UNIVErSAL rEpUBLIC)
even more has been said about THIS record.
her voice is deep and gravelly and gritty. like
ground up glass in your bowl of cheerios. the
fairy harp and folky instrumentals make a nice
juxtaposition.
The Secret Sisters – The Secret
Sisters (UNIVErSAL rEpUBLIC)
pure country and vocal harmonies. pedal steel
lament all the way through. reminiscent of the
andrews sisters. produced by t-bone burnett.
Death – Spiritual, Mental,
Physical (DrAg CITY)
Black punk rockers from detroit in the early
seventies. what?? yup. this is a re-issue of early
demos. put it on. turn it Up.
Fred Frith – Eye to Earth (TzADIk)
typically quirky and hard to follow. but so worth
it if you do. the third installment of his film
soundtrack music with a stellar group of musicians.
Sofrito: Tropical Dischoteque –
Various Artists (STrUT)
a wonderful collection of “heavy tropical dancefloor
sounds from africa, the caribbean and
south america.” it grooves and jerks and makes
your feet move!
and some worthy mentions:
The Decemberists
– The King Is Dead
(CApITOL)
Cee-Lo Green –
The Lady Killer
(ELEkTrA/ASYLUM)
Yukmouth –
The Tonite Show:
Thuggin’ & Mobbin’
(FrESH IN THE FLESH)
East Oakland in the house! collaboration
with DJ Fresh and the hometown crew.
Ray LaMontagne –
God Willin’ & The Creek
Don’t Rise (rCA)
P.J. Harvey – Let England Shake
(VAgrANT)
Rumer – Seasons Of My Soul
(WArNEr BrOS. Uk)
CTI Jazz Label Re-issues
remastered and re-issued, the creed taylor series
was a staple of seventies jazz and early fusion
with deodato, george benson, ron carter,
milt jackson, and many others. one of my favorite
records of ALL TIME was just re-issued as part
of this series: jim hall’s concierto was a record i
listened to until the grooves wore out. for you
jazz heads, it featured jim hall on guitar, roland
hanna on piano, ron carter on bass, stave gadd
on drums, chet baker on trumpet, and paul desmond
on alto saxophone. it was arranged by the
great don sebesky, produced by creed taylor, and
recorded by the legendary blue note producer,
rudy van gelder. it doesn’t get any better than
that. jim’s silky, buttery smooth guitar is slinky
and sticky and everything in between. this record
slides from swingin’ to heartwrenching
with a rare glimpse of unparalleled musicians
trading licks and taking it to another level together.
the entire album is amazing, but the
standout track of rodrigo’s “concierto de aranjuez”
(which miles davis recorded as “sketches
of spain”) will melt your soul…
REbECCA
Music is the best anxiolytic of all…
try it for labor pains as an alternative
to Lamaze!
Haydn – String Quartets Op.64
– Featuring the Medici String
Quartet (EMI)
Also works as lullabies.
Michael Franti & Spearhead –
All Rebel Rockers (ANTI)
I’m slow to catch onto things. This is not new, but
I enjoyed the commercial with “Say Hey” during
football this past fall. It made me feel happy.
Toy Story 3/Despicable Me/
How To Train Your Dragon/
Megamind/Tangled
What a wonderful year for kids movies! It’s
rare that you can find so many that are actually
watchable (again, and again, and again).
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