na: most serene sadies and more

Sharon Jones, Thom Yorke, John Fogerty, Dashboard Confessional, blah, blah, blah. All great records in their own little way. But let’s talk about some sure-to-be underappreciated stuff that came in yesterday.

The Sadies – New Seasons

eMusic colleague and musical polyglot Amelia Raitt says:

How do you come off the live album event of your life? Well, for the Sadies, whose In Concert, Volume One featured Jon Spencer, Neko Case, Gary Louris and Jon Langford among a whole host of others, they do the exact same thing that got them there: go back to the studio and work with the ones you trust. This time, Louris produces and the brothers Good get back to basics. That means you’ll hear the scintillating surf guitar lines intertwining with tremulous harmonies, as well as garage rock of the highest order. Per usual, the Sadies take it as their charge to transform alt-country, one strum of the acoustic at a time.

The Most Serene Republic - Population

Noel Murray from The Onion:

The Most Serene Republic’s Underwater Cinematographer followed the Broken Social Scene mass-collectivist playbook, tempered by a restless spirit that had bandleader Adrian Jewett cramming a half-dozen ideas into every song, rather than working any one out fully. The band’s second album Population continues to overstuff, beefing up complicated, prog-oriented melodies with an explosion of sound even denser than the debut. The approach is undeniably exciting, especially on songs like “Compliance” and “Present Of Future End,” where the individual pieces are strong enough to withstand being crammed together willy-nilly. But too many tracks have been tinkered with unnecessarily, forced into muddled structures that are too busy to properly introduce themselves.

Thom Yorke - Harrowdown Hill (Extended Mix) / The Drunkk Machine / Jetstream

OK, so we will talk briefly about Thom Yorke, but only because the Harrowdown Hill single came in, as well. As you might expect, the extended mix is heavier on atmosphere and simply stretches out the amount of time you have to wait before you get to that electrifying climax. “The Drunk Machine” is a noisy collection of abstract guitar loops and broken beats that probably was too hard-hitting (think “Idioteque”) for the record and “Jetstream” is even more abstract to these ears, featuring Yorke’s looped moaning over a frenetic, skittering drum pattern. I love it, but I’m not you. Try before you buy, most definitely.

James Blackshaw - Sunshrine / Lost Prayers and Motionless Dances / Celeste

Previously rarer than rare re-releases of amazing guitar works from this six-string virtuoso. If you like John Fahey, this is right up your alley. (He’s responsible for the stunning Cloud of Unknowing, released earlier this year.)

White Rainbow - Prism of Eternal Now

Yume Bitsu and Surface of Eceyon vet Adam Forkner takes it solo on this new release from Kranky. It seems silly to say, but I feel like the fact that this is only one CD is kind of a disappointment. Given the chance to stretch out over 5 CDs last year on his release for Marriage (some of which is collected here). Either way, though, you can’t really go wrong if you’re into this sort of ambient music.

Various Artists - Fania Live 02 Miami DJ Le Spam

Another really nice mix of classic and rare Fania tunes, mixed by DJ Le Spam. Haven’t listened yet, but if it’s anywhere near as good as the last one, I’ll be bumping this for a while.

Michael Rother – Assorted

A huge collection of his solo work, mostly from the late ’70s to 2004. Something scares me about this, but I thought I’d point it out anyway. Try out Radio, as that’s the “greatest” hits.

Various Artists – 2020 Recordings eMusic Compilation

Nice compilation apparently composed of previously released material, featuring a favorite of mine, Spirit Catcher, as well as remixes by Maurice Fulton and Ewan Pearson.

Various Artists – Monza Club Ibiza Compilation Vol. 2

New on Get Physical, featuring a rather awesome 2003 remix of Max Berlin’s Elle & Moi from Joakim.

Woolfy – Odyssey

Deep, live-sounding, bleepy disco that sounds as if it has been beamed straight from 1976. Definitely check this one out.