NA in the UK: Sir Paul!

Hold still, dammit

Today’s New Arrivals herald the arrivals of Paul McCartney’s solo and Wings catalog in the UK and the EU. Joe already ran down these records when they hit the site in the US, but I would feel personally remiss if I didn’t pitch in my own enthusiastic/under-informed two cents. From the still-underrated, pastoral proto-indie-pop masterpiece Ram to the Grammy-nominated, Nigel Godrich-produced song cycle Chaos and Creation in the Backyard of 2007, the legendary Macca’s run of post-Beatles records is deeper, richer, and more consistently intriguing than he’s ever given proper credit for. Start with Ram if you haven’t yet heard it. It is a revelation.

Here is a rundown of ALL the McCartney records we received this weekend:

Paul McCartney:
Ram
Red Rose Speedway
Tug of War
Flaming Pie
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard
Unplugged

Wings:
Wings Greatest
London Town
Back to the Egg
Wings At the Speed of Sound

Elsewhere, it’s a bit of a light day, but that doesn’t mean (it NEVER means!) that nothing intriguing or worth your while sneaked in. On the contrary:

Pastor T.L.Barrett and the Youth For Christ Choir, Like A Ship (Without A Sail) – There will be a review of this up tomorrow from someone far more knowledgeable than I. But basically: It’s from reissue kings Light in the Attic, it’s a gospel soul classic with more than a hint of funk, it has some of the most hauntingly pure-voiced singing I’ve heard in a minute. Like a cool glass of iced tea.

Various, Ghosts from the Basement: Lost Songs, Dreams and Folkadelia from the Vaults of Village Thing, 1970-74 – A fantastic collection of the forgotten experimental folk scene centered around Village Thing Records. Anti- and freak-folkers, meet your granddads: hazy, opium-smoke-tinted folk music warped by psychedelics, with gnarled Celtic and Appalachian roots poking through. Fascinating.

Miyagi, Electrosaurus – Laid-back, harmony-rich, California folk-pop. Fans of the Byrds or fans of bands that are fans of the Byrds will surely enjoy. Track 1 is straight-up Notorious Byrd Bros..

On (Reworked By Fennesz), Something That Has Form And Something That Does Not – Shimmering, freeform ambient. To make an easy crack, I’m not sure, on first listen, I can actually hear the thing that DOES have form; but I hear plenty of the thing that doesn’t. Still, formless doesn’t mean it doesn’t make an impression — this somehow manages to soothe and unsettle at once.

What do you got?