Alasdair Roberts, Amble Skuse, & David McGuinness "What News (Drag City)"
Alasdair Roberts is back with another heaping helping of traditional folk songs. Sung with his unique voice, which sounds timeless, coupled with his sparse arrangements consisting mostly of piano, Dulcitone (an instrument that plays tuning forks instead of strings) and modern hints of electronics via his collaborators Amble Skuse and David McGuinness, this is a collection that could come from literally anyones music collection. It wouldn’t be surprising if your grandparents had What News (Drag City) on their shelf, nor would it be out of place in a collection from someone with an immaculately curated selection of records. Check out “Johnny O’The Brine” and remember what Llewyn Davis said: “If it was never new, and it never gets old, then it’s a folk song.”
Brother JT "Tornado Juice (Thrill Jockey)"
Brother JT, he of The Original Sins, he of the internet show Tripping Balls (and yes, it’s exactly what you think it is) is back with a new BroJT album. Tornado Juice (Thrill Jockey), is the latest collection of tunes, but not made in his normal way. Generally, John Terlesky likes to record by himself in the band’s practice space, but this time he actually recorded in a studio. Ray Ketchem, who recorded The Original Sins’ classic album Bethlehem in 1996 just opened a studio on Jersey, so he knew it was time to step out of his comfort zone and into another comfort zone, the studio of a friend. After those sessions, he took the tracks home and took a bunch of LSD and overdubbed to his hearts content. The results are a strange mix of garage rock, ‘60s psych, modern references, talk of food, talk of drugs, and more distortion than a Guitar Center on a Saturday afternoon. None of it taken too seriously, but all of it great. Tune in and check out “Baked Alaska.”
Field Report "Summertime Songs (Universal)"
Things are going well for Field Report. Their latest LP, Summertime Songs, is out on Verve (which you probably know is a division of Universal). So how did Chris Porterfield get from the meager beginnings of DeYarmond Edison, the Wisconsin based folk-rock group that also included members Justin Vernon and Phil Cook among others, to here? By writing amazing songs, that’s how! After all, when reviews of an album compare it to Dylan’s Blood On The Tracks, Springsteen’s Nebraska, and Paul Simon’s Hearts and Bones, you must be onto something great, right? Yes. We couldn’t be more excited about this LP. Get yourself excited by checking out the wistful “If I Knew.”
Sidi Touré "Toubalbero (Thrill Jockey)"
Mali musician extraordinaire Sidi Touré is back with another joyous, optimistic collection of songs on Toubalbero (Thrill Jockey). Generally, I don’t think I’m smart enough to describe world music. Thankfully someone at Thrill Jockey is. “Touré has created a danceable, dynamic, and joyous album played with some of the most exciting new faces on the Mailian music scene. A revered leader who has his feet deep in the Northern Mali music tradition has created an album, despite the region’s significant political challenges, that brims with optimism.” Thanks TJ! Seriously though, this is as much fun as you can have listening to music. Just try and not let a smile take over your face as you check out the blissful “Heyyyeya.”