Ten Albums, an EP, a Live Album, and a Reissue
By Henry Lipput
Last year was a good year for music, and I found a lot of new stuff to listen to (which is always a bonus). In fact, five of the ten albums (and the EP) listed below are from musicians I had never heard of until last year. I reviewed all but one of the albums (plus the EP) on this list (and my views haven't changed), so I decided to include excerpts from these reviews below (although I've added a brief statement to give a context to the review). The one album from a band that was on my best-of list last year and the reissue get new words for this post.
Once again, I would like to thank CoodDad for giving me an opportunity to share my views and the music I love. And I also want to thank him for his patience in my sometimes getting reviews to him after I've promised it last week.
By the way, at the end of this list is a Spotify playlist with my favorite songs from each of the releases. I hope you enjoy listening to it.
ALBUMS
The Magic Es, It Goes On
The Magic Es are the best British rock and roll band since the heyday of the Gallagher brothers. There. I've said it. And It Goes On is my favorite album of 2017.
In my review I wrote: "The Magic Es take this rock-and-roll stuff seriously. On their debut album, this [band] from Norwich, England, plays with a commitment -- and a sense of dynamics -- that I really like a lot. My favorite track, "One Shot," has all of this and more. Starting with a hushed, solo piano, the song slowly adds a guitar lick and cymbal tapping and then the full band comes crashing in. The lead and backing vocals really mean it when they sing: "You've got one shot / To make it what you want / Give it all you have."
Fallon Cush, Morning
This is the band's second album in two years with an expanded lineup and the continuing strong backing vocals of Suzy Goodwin.
In my review I wrote: "I started listening to Fallon Cush just before Bee In Your Bonnet came out, and Morning has all of the elements that I like so much about the band. First, there's the songwriting of Steve Smith. Morning shows his range and contains both rockers ('Long Shot') and ballads ('My Achilles Heel'). Then there's his singing, a bit like Dylan but with a warmth and a sense of taking the listener into his confidence ('In Your Backyard')."
The Hangabouts, Kits & Cats and Saxon Wives
With this album The Hangabouts took care of my power pop fix for 2017.
In my review I wrote: "John Lowry, Gregory Addington, and Chip Saam are The Hangabouts from Detroit (with a little help from their friends including a guest vocalist, three drummers, and mastering by The Legal Matters' Andy Reed). The acoustic guitar (not unlike George Harrison's work on 'And I Love Her') and quiet vocals on 'Sensation Overnight' are lovely. And the final track, 'Follow The Sunshine,' is a gentle number with some swell slide work by guest guitarist Ken Greene."
The Nature Strip, Beetle Bones
The third full-length album from this Australian band and the first in which the songwriters John Encarnacao and Pete Marley each contribute an equal number of songs.
In my review I wrote: "The styles and arrangements [of the songs] are as different as the subjects and include 1960s guitar jangle, psychedelica, new wave, and post-punk.
Encarnacao's 'Eyes Are Blinded' is a slow burner and another example of how The Nature Strip uses musical elements from the past to create their own sounds. Marley's 'Supermoon,' which closes the album, is a fine example of gorgeous pop craftsmanship and contains jangely guitars and a marvelous melody."
Cotton Mather, Wild Kingdom
Robert Harrison and company continue their mission to write a song based on each of the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching. At the end of 2016, the band recorded an EP with the marvelous Nicole Atkins; and 2017 saw the release of both the Wild Kingdom album and Young Life, a 6-song EP. And there is word of a new album being released in early 2018. Harrison may be the best musical magpie since Ray Davies as Cotton Mather picks and chooses from the history of rock music as evidenced in the terrific Byrds-sian riff of "Girl With A Blue Guitar" and the Elvis Costello-Get Happy! vibe of "I Volunteer."
The Jigsaw Seen, The Jigsaw Seen For The Discriminating Completest(Rarities And Singles 1989-2015)
Previously released singles, EPs, flexidiscs, and compilation album tracks originally put out on various labels. Plus they've been remastered!
In my review I wrote: "On one of the covers, 'Luci Baines' by Arthur Lee and his pre-Love band The American Four, the Jigsaws take a soulful 60s single and make it woozy and spacey. My favorite track on the album is their version of The Bee Gees' 'Melody Fair.' The original was string-laden, harmony-rich, and pslightly psychedelic. But The Jigsaw Seen has turned it into a Revolver-era mashup with 'She Said, She Said' guitars and a McCartney bass line from 'Rain.' It's terrific and wouldn't have been out of place on Cotton Mather's Kontiki. It's that good."
Deal Casino, Deal Casino
The songs and performances on their full-length debut album, as the press materials like to say, range from Nick Drake to Led Zeppelin.
In my review I wrote: "Deal Casino is the sound of a band at the peak of their powers. It's as if they knew this was the right time to make the album instead of two or three years ago. With Joe P on vocals and guitar, Jozii on guitar and keys, Jon Rodney on bass, and Chris Donofrio on drums they're a world-class rock outfit."
Ron Sexsmith, The Last Rider
The singer-songwriter's singer-songwriter released his 13th album.
In my review I wrote: "It's no surprise that Sexsmith's songwriting reflects the influences of both past and current greats. He's said his songs are a combination of the folk singers and British Invasion artists he's always admired. And anyone who follows him on Twitter or has taken a look at his YouTube videos of solo acoustic covers of classics like 'Windows On The World' by Bacharach and David, 'Wedding Bell Blues' by Laura Nyro (um, dressed up as Nyro), and a great, upbeat 'But Not For Me' by the Gershwins recognizes where he's coming from and what he brings to the table (much like the Last Supper homage on the album cover)."
Son of the Velvet Rat, Dorado
Austrians now living in Joshua Tree and singing about the West with the help of the great Victoria Williams.
In my review I wrote: "Son of the Velvet Rat's new album, the fine, moody, Americana-tinged Dorado, opens with a high, lonesome harmonica. Then, frontman, songwriter, and guitarist Georg Altziebler begins to sing about seasons and endings in a voice (a blend of a very weary Tom Petty by way of Dylan and a bit of Tom Waits for good measure) of a man who's seen a lot of life."
Nick Garrie, The Moon and The Village
A mature singer-songwriter and storyteller releases his third album since 1969.
In my review I wrote: "Garrie plays a gentle, acoustic guitar on the reassuring 'I'm On Your Side:' 'Those tears you've cried / I've cried them too.' But things will get better: 'I can tell you, honey / In the morning time / You're gonna feel as right as rain / 'Cause me and Doctor Jangle's gonna fix you up/ And get you on your feet again.' I'm not sure what Doctor Jangle is supposed to be, but to me it sounds like an endorsement for the healing power of music."
EP
Adam and the Plants, Born With the Gift Of Magic
I not only got to review the EP, but I also interviewed Adam.
In my review I wrote: "The first track is 'Side Man.' The song rocks, but there's a lot of things going on as well. There's an early 60s guitar playing at one point (think of the opening to Del Shannon's 'Runaway').'Madeline' is a really cool pop song about a woman who dresses down: 'Corduroy was your finery' (What a great line!). There's some jangle-ly guitar and an excellent solo. The whole thing reminds me of the songs on Pernice Brothers' Yours, Mine & Ours album. Take it from me, that's high praise indeed."
Live Album
Various Artists, Thank You, Friends: Big Star’s Third Live … And More
In April 2016, the biggest names in indie rock performed a tribute to one of the most influential albums of the last forty years.
In my review I wrote: "To me, one of the most amazing things [Chris] Stamey and his musicians and vocalists have accomplished in the Third performance -- in addition to the great guitar playing and sympathetic vocals on 'Dream Lover' and 'Holocaust'-- is recreating the album's sense of things barely being kept together. A lot of this, astonishingly, is reproduced in the concert. A crucial element is the use of the original wind and string arrangements by Carl Marsh who conducts the orchestra. And it didn't hurt to have The Kronos Quartet as the concert's string section."
Reissue
The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
What can I say?
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the release of this album, Giles Martin (son of the legendary Beatles' producer, George Martin) and his engineers remixed Sgt. Pepper. Using the Beatles-approved mono mix and notes made during the initial work, they've used the original non-"bounced-down" tracks to remix the disc. I can't explain this nearly as well as Martin does in this NPR interview made just before the remix was released late last Spring. What's so special? Well, the Beatles really rock and the backing vocals are a joy to hear. Lennon's on "She's Leaving Home" especially, as well as his sitting-right-next-to-him lead vocal on "A Day In The Life." The CD versions are great; but if, like me, you grew up with the record, the vinyl is amazing.
Playlist
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