This is the Rolling Stones’ “Plundered My Soul,” which was released as a 45 single on Record Store Day; it will appear on the upcoming reissue of Exile on Main Street.
Archive for April, 2010
Jimi Hendrix
Valleys of Neptune
Experience Hendrix/Legacy
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Axis: Bold as Love
Experience Hendrix/Legacy
by David Chiu
2010 marks the 40th anniversary of Jimi Hendrix’s death, but thanks to the constant repackaging of his music, interest in the guitar legend will never flag. The demand for new music, or to be more accurate, previously unreleased leftover recordings, remains undiminished. In that case, Valleys of Neptune, a new collection of never-before released recordings delivers. According to the co-producer John McDermott’s liner notes, the music on Valleys cover the period between the Experience’s final hurrah and Hendrix’s later collaborations with drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Billy Cox. With the amount of care put into the set and the choice of the cuts themselves, it feels like a brand new experience (pun intended). Other than alternate versions of “Fire,” “Red House” and “Stone Free,” the “new” songs are revelatory for longtime fans: the very spirtual title track; “Lover Man,” with Hendrix’s lyrical guitar playing; a somewhat funky instrumental rendition of Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love”; and the slow blues of “Hear My Train A Coming.” Not suprisingly, what McDermott described a tumultous period on Hendrix, doesn’t reflect in the dazzling playing whether it’s on Bleeding Heart, or the somewhat trippy jazz of “Crying Blue Rain.” The sound quality on Valleys (featuring the involvement oflongtime engineer Eddie Kramer) is remarkable for its clarity. All in all, Valleys does loving justice to Hendrix’s legacy rather than easily slapping something on without a care or respect to the original recordings.
Coinciding with this new release are the reissues of the Hendrix catalog under the aegis of Sony Legacy, which also includes the three main studio albums: Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold As Love and Electric Ladyland. Nothing can more said about the importance and influence of those albums, including Axis: Bold As Love. The music on that particular album is timeless: the fiery attack of “Spanish Castle Blues,” the gentle ballad “Little Wing” and the gutsy “If 6 Was 9″; “Bold As Love” ends album with that awe-inspiring coda. You may have that record already as well as the others, but each of these new Legacy editions comes with a DVD documentary that enhances the historical importance of the albums.
Jakob Dylan
Women and Country
Columbia
by David Chiu
Women and Country is another contender as one of the year’s best albums so far. Working again with producer T-Bone Burnett (who previously helmed the Wallflowers’ massively popular Bringing Down the Horse), and accompanied by singers Neko Case and Kelly Hogan, Jakob Dylan produces a fine roots-oriented work of wistful ruminations. They range from the world-weariness of “Down On Our Shield” and “We Don’t Live Here Anymore,” to some standout tracks such as the Springsteen-like “Yonder Comes The Blues” and the very TomWaits-ish jugband stomp of “Lend A Hand.” Women and Country also showcase some lovely moments like “Smile When You Call Me That” and “Holy Rollers of Love.” Dylan is at his most soulful with his vocals on this terrific album, which is without no argument his excellent solo set to date.
Broken Bells
Broken Bells
Columbia
by David Chiu
One can’t say that that the music Broken Bells’ debut album is one-dimensional. On the contrary, it’s very eclectic with its fusion of folk, hip-hop, funk, electronic and avant garde influences. A partnership between Danger Mouse’s Brian Burton and the Shins’ James Mercer, Broken Bells harkens some of the sounds of other artists on a few particular tracks: the folk-hip-hop amalgam “The High Road” is reminiscent of Everlast; “Sailing to Nowhere,” with its lush orchestration, borders on the art rock that Radiohead has been known for; and even the funkly standout “The Ghost Inside” is a far-removed cousin to “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley (Burton’s other famous project). The Zen-like lyrics and Mercer’s distant vocals add to the music’s hazy and trippy quality, especially on the stately and ethereal “Citizen”; and there are even flourishes of New Wave on the last two tracks. Yet despite some obvious influences, Broken Bells the album is unique for the way all those divergent sounds are put together as a whole.
(photo by David Chiu)
Record Store Day has now come and passed. This year’s event on Apr. 17 seemed more memorable compared to last year’s as far as special items and rarities were concerned, from a numbered 45 single of the Rolling Stones’ “Plundered My Soul” to the Flaming Lips’ tribute to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.
So taking a page from my Microphone Memory Emotion coverage of the event from last year, I returned back to the two places participating on Record Store Day. First I waited on line at City Hall’s J&R Music World a half-hour before the store’s open behind 10 other people who were already there. I was glad to arrive early since the Village’s Other Music wasn’t going to open until 11 a.m. View full article »
(photo by Debora Francis)
Download Jennifer O’Connor’s new song “How I Will Get By.”
(photo by Jason Nocito)
Download “Zebra” (UK Radio Edit) by Beach House.
(photo from www.stevewynn.net)
NewBeats turns 11 this month. So from our archives, here is an interview with former Dream Syndicate singer circa 2003:
Steve Wynn: Music for Troubled Souls
By David Chiu
“I wanted to have written a novel more than I want to write a novel,” said veteran singer/songwriter Steve Wynn. “I think I will someday. It’s a whole different discipline.” Given his knack for writing introspective moody songs in a journalistic fashion, it would only make sense that he would write a book. If he ever decides to do that, Wynn certainly would have enough material given his 20-plus years of experiences in music career.
In fact, any survey of alternative music in the last two decades would be incomplete without mentioning Steve Wynn. He had established his name in modern rock as the founder of the Dream Syndicate, the Los Angeles band that was synonymous with the Paisley Underground movement of the early ’80s. The band that was heavily influenced by the Velvet Underground in time would inspire another generation of garage rockers in the ’90s. While the Dream Syndicate has been somewhat of a distant memory since its break up in 1990, Wynn continued to plug away, first with the super group Gutterball, and later as a solo artist. View full article »
She & Him
Vol. 2
Merge
By David Chiu
‘60s pop, folk and traditional country are some of the dominant styles pronounced on M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel’s excellent follow-up to their previous collaboration. Vol. 2 purely shimmers with lush production, gorgeous melodies and lovelorn lyrics. The duo is unabashed when it comes to paying tribute to their influences: the grand opener “Thieves” is an amalgam of ‘50s country music and ’60s girl group pop; “Lingering Still” evokes Tex-Mex country; “Over It Again” and “Don’t Look Back” capture the Brill Building sound; and the last song “If You Can’t Sleep” is like listening to an old Connie Francis ballad. The album is not short on buoyant tunes such as “In The Sun” and “Home,” a song that harkens the soul-pop of Laura Nyro. The album is so well-crafted and Deschanel’s singing is a throwback to the great pop singers of yesteryear. Vol. 2 doesn’t skip a beat in relation to the first installment—it’s a wonderful pop music album.
(photo courtesy of Big Hassle)
Download Rooney’s new song “I Don’t Wanna Lose You,” from their upcoming album Eureka, due out June 8.
