Get Well Soon "Vexations" deluxe

"Where do you here of these people?!"

OK, I am a sick pup when it comes to new music. I recently hit a soft spot for new tunes from names I'm familiar with. So what does the Ol' Mad Rocker do? He heads to see what's charting in other countries, and in this case, Germany. Found a couple of great rock albums there, but all in German, though that didn't stop me decades ago with BAP, Falco, etc.. This album, though, was in English and kinda intriguing on a sample listen. So I invest in the deluxe version and whew, it's 95 minutes. And admittedly, after the first couple of tracks, I wondered what the hell I heard on the sample listen that made me get this aural Valium. As it turns out, the album is a little back-heavy, with the latter tracks hitting the mark a lot more, and the extra material even better. So I've edited down my version to about 60 minutes and I love it. Some vocals remind me of Mark Gane from Martha & the Muffins. I hear Eno-era David Bowie and David Sylvian. There are some dissonant horns aka early Hunters & Collectors. One of the extra tracks could be a Dredg song. And most of the categorization I see for this is "folk." Really? Nah...

Sondre Lerche "Heartbeat Radio"

I discovered this young fellow while doing the critically acclaimed morning drive show "PM in the AM" on WPRK a few years back. Besides delving into my vast catalog of crap to play, I had to spin three new releases an hour, never a problem since I love new music. His album "Two Way Monologue" became a weekly staple, full of sophisticated pop music. Next thing you know, he's put out a jazz combo album which actually went to #5 on the Contemporary Jazz charts here in the US. The next time I hear him is on the stinker of a movie "Dan in Real Life." Gave that Carrell fart some redeeming value. And "Heartbeat ..." dropped Sept. '09, though it took me a few months to get, and it's well worth it. The guy's from Norway so he has a bit of an accent, but songwriting and style is his genius. If you like strings and horns on your sunny, pop music, this is for you. I wish I could give you a comparable artist... Closest thing I can think of is Norah Jones, 'cept a guy and his guitar instead of piano.

Editors "In This Light..."

My good friend Jeff alerted me to this band after their 2007 release. The boy has good taste, so I gave it a listen. What I heard was pretty good, and I could understand why they opened for REM on the European circuit. So when I saw a new release, I gave it a quick ear...and wha wha wha whatttt?! Gone were the jangly guitars and in were the synths and keyboards. If these guys say they've never heard the Stranglers early eighties albums, they are liars! They've made the same transition to a parade of programming, and it works tremendously. First thought was the aforementioned Stranglers' releases of "Feline" and "Aural Sculptures", which were easily accessible from my "public" rack, the 500 or so CD's which can be viewed by visitors to the home, sort of a cross-section of my tastes (eclectic selections, for sure). Anyway, I've jotted down all the different influences I heard on this record and this will give you an idea of what to expect:
The The, Eurythmics, Blancmange, early Berlin, OMD, the Killers with a better singer, New Order/Joy Division, Fields of the Nephilim, Nine Inch Nails, Heaven 17... There is a bonafide hit single if it had a different title, track 8 "Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool". Beats me but it's a great song!
Guys, please do a US tour and come to Florida. I won't miss it. This is easily one of my favorite albums of the year so far.

Imogen Heap "Ellipse"

I have her first album from 1998, "I, Megaphone", and I really have to go dig it up from the vault, especially now. Then she became part of Frou Frou, which I liked, but not enough to keep a copy. Never knew of another solo until this one. Intrigued enough to tag it for future referral but never quite found the time to do so...until she wins the Grammy for best non-classical engineering. That did it. And it is pure genius. I have always been a fan of "construction production", Trevor Horn one of my favorites, and "Ellipse" at times reminds me of Art of Noise and Propaganda. Toss in some Eurythmics, too. Heap doesn't have the power of Annie Lennox or the histrionics of Bjork, but this is voice as an instrument. Knowing she was trained in classical piano makes the comparisons to Tori reasonable. There, you should have enough reference. And since this blog is for my musical family of friends of the last thirty-plus years, the old stoners among you who loved to retreat under a big ol' pair of headphones, this one's for you.

The Heavy "The House That Dirt Built"

I've had this record for three months now, intending to write a blurb on it in February. But I have a routine about these things, and the final step is the disc makes it upstairs to the office where I catalog it and file it away, editing the file on the computer and then writing the post. But see, I've already given two copies of this away and the last step hasn't happened yet. So before I forget it, here it is...

Don't know where I heard about this one either, but I'm glad I did. Sort of a dirty, funky, grungy record that is sort of stylistically all over the place. I went to the website and watched the video and I'm drawn to comparisons of a harder Fine Young Cannibals. But the band they most resemble is the Zutons. So now, many of you old farts are going "Who?!" Trust me, the Zutons are one of the best bands to come out of Britain since the Commitments, so the comparison is definitely a compliment. And thanks to the power of automobile commercials, you've now heard one of the songs from this album. The Kia Sedona ad with the grownup kid toys in the car...yep, How You Like Me Now?

Ace Frehley "Anomaly"

Never a big KISS fan, I did like the guitar work of Mr. Frehley,

and his solo record was certainly the best of the four individual

albums released by the bands members back in (gasp!) 1978. Frehley's Comet never worked for me, either...too contrived. So when the new KISS album came out last year, for Gene Simmons' sake, I gave it a chance. Lame, lame, lame. Recorded as if it was the 70's, but played like the old farts they are. So imagine my surprise when I learned of a new record from Ace. Isn't he dead? Nope, and this is a fine album if you were ever a fan of the first one.

Eerily similar in several spots, yet fresh sounding, this is far superior to 2009 KISS. He sings of his life in that same NY voice, the voice of a guitarist, not a singer. Crunchy guitars, hooks, it's all there, just 30 years later. Only weak spot is the cover of the mighty Sweet "Fox On the Run". Could have done without that. But hey, it sold enough to crack Billboard's Top 30. Mad Rocker approved!

Them Crooked Vultures

This all started when I called my sister to wish her a "Happy
Birthday" last October, and I asked her what was she going to
do that night. She said she had no real plans, but that everyone at TPAC was telling her to go see this band they were hosting at War Memorial. I had no idea who she was talking about, Them Crooked Vultures, but then she threw out the name John Paul Jones. I told her to go, no matter what. It's not often to see Rock history play. After getting off the phone, a quick Internet search produces one of those "Ohmygawd" moments. Not only is it true that JPJ is in a group and back on stage (what was that other band...Lead Dirigible?), but Josh Homme of Kyuss and QOTSA, one of, if not the greatest, stoner rock guitarists ever. And then there's the other guy, a star to and connection for a younger generation, played in bands called Nirvana and Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl. Not a fan of his bands but the man can smack some skins! I've now seen statements calling him this generations' John Bonham. That maybe true. He toured and played with Homme and QOTSA for a couple of years, and was the instigator of this supergroup, so I have to place credit where due. To be able to pull JPJ out of the producer's booth and on to the stage...gotta love him. And this album is just exactly what you'd think it would be, Zeppelin-ish time changes and shifts, much QOTSA influence via vocals and guitar, and those slammin' drums. And my sister got to see them a solid six weeks before the album was released. I'm soooooo jealous. The thing about supergroups, they are usually a one-time-only gig. TCV will probably be one, too, like the last great supergroup trio in 2001, Oysterhead (go ahead, look it up, you'll get it).

Prefab Sprout "Let's Change the World With Music"

Damn, I've done it again. I really thought this record was available in
America. I've read about it in domestic publications, but I guess the closest it is available is from Canada. Some of you may remember this band from the mid 80's, especially if you shopped in the Sound Shop in Tullahoma. I
played and pushed the hell out of their "Two Wheels Good" record, featuring the brilliant song "Faron Young" ("...the sunset makes a fence out of the forest"). Paddy McAloon has been compared to Paul McCartney as a songwriter, and that's not too far off. Four outstanding albums spanning 1984-1990....and then nothing. Gone. Nada. Seven years pass before a new release in Europe, and then four more before the next one, neither surpassing any of the previous releases, yet still faithful to the Prefab sound. Paddy was always shy and reclusive, and now we know he nearly went blind and deaf, unable to hear bass sounds. Can't blame him. So when I read of "Let's Change..." last fall, I felt the pull of those old songs from my late twenties, pure pop emotion. I had to give it a chance. And when I did, it all came flooding back. However, this was somewhat different. Turns out, this is a 1992 demo that was refused by the record label (arrogant idiots, obviously), performed completely by Paddy, all keyboards, no band, and it is gorgeous. If you ever liked Howard Jones, this is for you. A hair too much religious imagery for me, but otherwise emotional and spiritual, tailor-made for all those "Positive" radio stations out there. This, and all Prefab Sprout records, grow better over time and are utterly addicting.