"THE NAKED DUTCH PAINTER...AND OTHER SONGS"
STEW
STEW
Released April 2, 2002
PINK FLOYD
Released January 21, 1977
Released January 21, 1977
ROGER WATERS
Released June 2, 2017
MOBY
Released May 13, 2002
JONATHAN WILSON
Released March 6, 2020
NEW 2020 MUSIC: Return of the Cosmic Cowboy.
NEW 2020 MUSIC: Return of the Cosmic Cowboy.
Just two years ago, singer/songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Wilson delivered the sprawling, extraordinary "Rare Birds" (released March 2, 2018), my favorite album of that year. Wilson now returns with a work devoted to his Nashville roots, but without sacrificing the expansive genre hopping that makes his work such a glorious, immersive delight to experience.
It is simply uncanny to me to listen to an artist like Wilson as he wears his influences so clearly upon his musical sleeves while always only really sounding like no one else but himself. Of course, we are receiving Gram Parsons here, early 1970's Neil Young there, just to name two. Yet, the songwriting, musicianship and performances are as superlative as always for a Wilson album. While I did kind of miss the more diversified canvas of his previous album, the slightly more narrow musical focus suggests a work designed to be heard in the open air, under the skies, seasonal breezes kissing your faces as the melodies dance through the atmosphere.
PAUL McCARTNEY
Released May 5, 1997
SLOAN
Released September 9, 2014
"HATE FOR SALE"
Released September 9, 2014
PRETENDERS
Released July 17, 2020
NEW 2020 MUSIC: There is no reason what soever for this album to be this good!!!
Released July 17, 2020
NEW 2020 MUSIC: There is no reason what soever for this album to be this good!!!
Not too terribly long ago, I had seen an interview with Chrissie Hynde, during which she expressed that her band, the legendary Pretenders, these days were, in all honesty, no more than a cover band performing songs from their still much deservedly celebrated past. In some respects, it was troubling to hear the band leader declare her own irrelevance in the current music landscape or rather her own now iconic status as a first rate artist. But, truth be told, she has always been rather prickly and making provocative, provoking statements like that one is not that unusual.
"MADE OF RAIN"
That being said, imagine my surprise when I heard the Pretenders' brand new release "Hate For Sale," which kicks off with a body slammer of a title track and then continues for the next 9 songs with top flight material that showcases Hynde at the very top of her game with longtime/original drummer Martin Chambers and newer members guitarist/co-songwriter James Walbourne and bassist Nick Wilkinson matching her commitment and energy song for song for song.
It feels fitting that this album is arriving precisely 40 years since their landmark debut release as "Hate For Sale" firmly encapsulates everything we have ever loved about the band in a work that feels completely rejuvenated and revitalized. The hard rock of the title track, "I Didn't Know When To Stop," "Junkie Walk" and "Tuff Accountant Daddy" sit more than comfortably beside the reggae tinged "Lightning Man," the shimmering guitars of "The Buzz" and "Maybe Love Is In NYC," the stunning soul of "You Can't Hurt A Fool," the Bo Diddley strut of "Didn't Want To Be This Lonely" and the stunning ballad finale of "Crying In Public," all of which adds up to a work where not one moment is wasted, making for an album filled with immediacy, urgency and is a terrific addition to the Pretenders discography.
THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS
Released July 31, 2020
NEW 2020 MUSIC: Speaking of albums that did not have any reason to be this god, even better is the return of The Psychedelic Furs, with "Made Of Rain," their first album of new material in 29 years.
Released July 31, 2020
NEW 2020 MUSIC: Speaking of albums that did not have any reason to be this god, even better is the return of The Psychedelic Furs, with "Made Of Rain," their first album of new material in 29 years.
Maybe it is because the band no longer has anything remaining to prove as their legacy is firmly intact. Or maybe it is precisely because the spotlight is not shining too brightly in their direction, leaving Richard Butler and his co-horts the room and space to write and create without distraction or expectations beyond the ones they place upon themselves. Whatever the reason, it is as if time has not passed at all for the band as their album, like the Pretenders', is filled with urgency and vitality with ace songwriting and performances from top to bottom and Butler's trademark raspy bellow not aging even a moment since their 1980's heyday.
Aggression, angst, ambiance and overflowing with that unquestionable dark romance that fueled their finest work, "Made Of Rain" is further confirmation that the English bands of the 1980's were more innovative than I ever truly realized or gave credit for, and that includes The Psychedelic Furs, whose sound overall remains singular, and unlike anyone else. With this new album, the band extends their signature sound into the 21st century with the same idiosyncratic spark and creativity of their past while also creating a work that feels essential to being heard and experienced in this awful, awful year yet one that has given music an increased sense of purpose.
The Psychedelic Furs' "Made Of Rain" exudes its purposefulness grandly.
"FUTURE GAMES"
FLEETWOOD MAC
Released September 3, 1971
"THE REALITY OF MY SURROUNDINGS"
FISHBONE
Released April 23, 1991
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