JAMES YORKSTON

JAMES YORKSTON
& THE BIG EYES FAMILY PLAYERS
FOLK SONGS (2009)
320 KBPS

James Yorkston returns in the company of The Big Eyes Family Players with a new album of traditional songs from the length and breadth of the Great Britain and Ireland, and one tune from Galicia in Spain. After a decade which has seen folk music morph into nu-folk, mobile phone-ad folk, mortgage-folk, smoothie-folk and so on, Yorkston has reached back into the tradition of song and place and drawn a line in the sand making a delightfull and essential album for all folk lovers.

1. Hills Of Greenmoor
2. Just As The Tide Was Flowing
3. Martinmas Time
4. Mary Connaught & James O'Donnell
5. Thorneymoor Woods
6. I Went To Visit The Roses
7. Pandeirada de Entrimo
8. Little Musgrave
9. Rufford Park Poachers
10. Sovay
11. Low Down In The Broom

PET SHOP BOYS

PET SHOP BOYS
NIGHTLIFE (1999)
320 KBPS

Nightlife is a loose concept album -- more of a song cycle, really -- about nightlife (naturally), a collection of moods and themes, from love to loneliness. In that sense, it's not that different from most Pet Shop Boys albums, and, musically, the album is very much of a piece with Very and Bilingual, which is to say that it relies more on craft than on innovation. Depending on your point of view, this may not be such a bad thing, since Pet Shop Boys specialize in subtle craft and masterful understatement. Such skills serve them well when they're essentially following familiar musical territory, which they are on Nightlife. At its core, the record is very much like Very -- a clever, skillful updating of classic disco, highlighted by small contemporary dance flourishes, and infused with a true sense of wit, sophistication, and intelligence. Pet Shop Boys do this music better than anyone else ever has, and they're at the top of their form here, but it's hard to shake the initial impression that they've done this before. Each individual song works beautifully, from the wistfully dejected "I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More" to the exhilarating Village People homage "New York City Boy," but as a whole, Nightlife seems less than the sum of its parts. Repeated listens reveal the songs' charms, yet Nightlife coasts on its craft a bit too much, which makes it feel like one of their second-tier albums.

1. For Your Own Good
2. Closer To Heaven
3. I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More
4. Happiness Is An Option
5. You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk
6. Vampires
7. Radiophonic
8. The Only One
9. Boy Strange
10. In Denial
11. New York City Boy
12. Footsteps

PEARL JAM

PEARL JAM
LIVE ON TWO LEGS (1998)
320 KBPS

Not long after Ten unexpectedly topped the charts, Pearl Jam became notorious for their intense live performances. Even more notable than the group's unbridled energy was their willingness to stretch out their songs or throw in covers, reminding jaded audiences that rock concerts could be electric and energetic. Their Seattle peers were equally (sometimes more) compelling, but Pearl Jam skillfully made arena rock feel as intimate as a punk club show — something that no other band of their time could do. Instead of building this reputation throughout the course of the '90s, the quintet let it fade away as they became embroiled in a vicious battle with Ticketmaster that ultimately proved unfruitful. Not only did the court cases tie up several years of touring, they also refused to play any venue with contracts with Ticketmaster once it was finished — which meant they played off-market venues that were difficult to reach, thereby decreasing their potential audience substantially. Once 1998's Yield didn't move as much as anyone expected, the band released Live on Two Legs a few short months later. It was culled from Yield's supporting tour, and the difference is substantial — Pearl Jam still sounds good, but they lack the wild energy that distinguished their early years. Professionalism has its good points, however, and it's true that Live on Two Legs is eminently listenable, thanks in no small part to a fine track selection illustrating that the best moments of No Code and Yield rank with Ten, Vs., and Vitalogy. For all the good points — the tight interaction, the occasional nifty solo, Eddie Vedder's powerful performance — the album never quite catches fire. Instead, Live on Two Legs is a souvenir, a thank you to fans who have stood by throughout the years, and on those terms, it's successful.

1. Corduroy
2. Given to Fly
3. Hail Hail
4. Daughter
5. Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
6. Untitled
7. MFC
8. Go
9. Red Mosquito
10. Even Flow
11. Off He Goes
12. Nothingman
13. Do the Evolution
14. Betterman
15. Black
16. Fuckin' Up

ALICE COOPER

THE LIFE AND CRIMES OF
ALICE COOPER
(1999)
320 KBPS

What made Alice Cooper a star? Sure, he had a tight, exciting band and some great songs that were as good as hard rock got in the early '70s, but he distinguished himself as a showman. By bringing shameless theatricality to rock & roll, he separated himself from the pack and became a superstar — the kind of person who is known for being himself more than for his achievements. This trajectory and the melodrama that inspired it are evident on the generous four-disc box set The Life & Crimes of Alice Cooper. Most box sets play like a sober history lesson, but this one plays like a grand epic, filled with love, lust, blood, and guts. Witness the humble beginnings of Vincent Furnier, as he leads an Arizona garage-rock band called the Spiders through some credible, fuzzed-out Yardbirds-styled rock & roll! See how the Spiders transform into Nazz, then to the Alice Cooper band! Gasp as Furnier becomes shock-rocker Alice Cooper! Thrill to Alice's biggest hits — every cut from Alice Cooper's Greatest Hits is here, some in their original single incarnations, all impeccably remastered! Wonder what went wrong as disc three begins to unfurl, and Alice Cooper the star cannibalizes the band, making such bizarre choices as recording with the Bee Gees from the Sgt. Pepper movie! Then, as soon as you figure Alice is down for the count, see his glorious resurrection as a hair-metal godfather! It's no wonder that listening to all four discs in a row is exhausting — this is a rock & roll Horatio Alger story. And thank God for that, since that narrative drive makes The Life & Crimes of Alice Cooper one of the truly satisfying and definitive box sets of the late '90s. True, that doesn't mean that all of the featured music is terrific — even though the compilers have done an excellent job of selecting the best from all his albums, particularly from the flawed latter-day efforts, there's still a lot of marginal material here — but it does paint an accurate portrait of his career, while featuring everything a casual fan could want and an abundance of rarities for the hard-core collector. It's a difficult trick to pull off, but Life & Crimes does it, and as a result, it stands as the final word on a showbiz career that was truly like no other.

Disc 1
1. Don't Blow Your Mind
2. Hitch Hike
3. Why Don't You Love Me
4. Lay Down and Die, Goodbye [Original Version]
5. Nobody Likes Me [Demo Version]
6. Levity Ball [Studio Version]
7. Reflected
8. Mr. and Misdemeanor
9. Refrigerator Heaven
10. Caught in a Dream [Single Version]
11. I'm Eighteen
12. Is It My Body?
13. Ballad of Dwight Fry
14. Under My Wheels
15. Be My Lover
16. Desperado
17. Dead Babies
18. Killer
19. Call It Evil [Demo Version]
20. Gutter Cats Vs. The Jets
21. School's Out [Single Version]

Disc 2
1. Hello, Hooray
2. Elected [Single Version]
3. Billion Dollar Babies
4. No More Mr. Nice Guy
5. I Love the Dead
6. Slick Black Limousine
7. Respect for the Sleepers [Demo Version]
8. Muscle of Love
9. Teenage Lament '74
10. Working Up a Sweat
11. Man With the Golden Gun
12. I'm Flash
13. Space Pirates
14. Welcome to My Nightmare [Single Version]
15. Only Women Bleed [Single Version]
16. Cold Ethyl
17. Department of Youth
18. Escape
19. I Never Cry
20. Go to Hell

Disc 3
1. It's Hot Tonight
2. You and Me [Single Version]
3. I Miss You - Billion Dollar Babies
4. No Time for Tears
5. Because
6. From the Inside [Single Version]
7. How You Gonna See Me Now
8. Serious
9. No Tricks
10. Road Rats
11. Clones (We're All)
12. Pain
13. Who Do You Think We Are [Single Version]
14. Look at You over There, Ripping the Sawdust from My Teddybear [Demo]
15. For Britain Only
16. I Am the Future [Single Version]
17. Tag, You're It
18. Former Lee Warmer
19. I Love America
20. Identity Crisises
21. See Me in the Mirror
22. Hard Rock Summer

Disc 4
1. He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask) [Demo Version]
2. He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask) [Movie Mix]
3. Teenage Frankenstein
4. Freedom
5. Prince of Darkness
6. Under My Wheels [with Axl Rose, Slash & Izzy]
7. I Got a Line on You
8. Poison
9. Trash
10. Only My Heart Talkin'
11. Hey Stoopid [Single Version]
12. Feed My Frankenstein
13. Fire
14. Lost in America
15. It's Me
16. Hands of Death (Burn Baby Burn) [Spookshow 2000 Mix]
17. Is Anyone Home? [Live]
18. Stolen Prayer

RACHAEL YAMAGATA

RACHAEL YAMAGATA
ELEPHANTS...TEETH SINKING INTO MY HEART (2008)
320 KBPS

Rachael Yamagata's wistful voice has made numerous appearances since her solo debut in 2004: on albums by Ray LaMontagne and Rhett Miller, on soundtracks to TV sitcoms, on Ryan Adams & the Cardinals' acclaimed Cold Roses, and on a pair of Yamagata's own EPs. Despite such a flurry of activity, however, the songwriter found herself dropped from the RCA roster after Happenstance's release, a move that prolonged the finishing of her second studio LP. Arriving in 2008 on the Warner Bros. label, Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart literally splits Yamagata's musical personality into two parts — the first disc, Elephants, pitches its tent closer to the Happenstance camp with lushly textured ballads, while Teeth Sinking Into Heart plays up the singer's debt to rock artists like PJ Harvey. The latter CD is the biggest surprise here, as it displays a swaggering confidence that wasn't as evident on Yamagata's previous releases. She raises her voice in volume and pitch, affecting a measured snarl during songs like "Sidedish Friend" and "Faster." The potent set ends with "Don't," a weary ballad that recalls Neko Case's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood and flaunts an expletive-filled refrain. While the song's lyrics are aligned with the rest of Teeth Sinking Into Heart, its sound still emphasizes Yamagata's strength as a master of slow-moving, wounded love songs. Elephant furthers that bittersweet style with ten songs (one of them hidden), effectively doubling the size of Teeth. The disc features a gorgeous cameo by Ray LaMontagne, whose Southern croon does a slow dance with Yamagata on the aptly named "Duet." Like LaMontagne's most intimate material, Elephant moves in quiet circles, mining Yamagata's heartbroken past for melodic effect while dressing up her songs in subtle layers of strings, woodwinds, and acoustic instruments. This is where her voice truly shines — even when it seemingly hides from the spotlight, reducing itself to a cracked whisper while delivering Yamagata's lyrics. Fittingly, she matches such strong songcraft with equally strong content. "So for those of you falling in love," she advises during the first disc's title track, "keep it kind, keep it good, keep it right. Throw yourself in the midst of danger, but keep one eye open at night." Spoken like a true veteran of solitude and heartbreak, and performed like one of the strongest songwriters to emerge during the early 21st century.

Disc 1
1. Elephants
2. What If I Leave
3. Little Life
4. Sunday Afternoon
5. Elephants (instrumental)
6. Duet
7. Over And Over
8. Brown Eyes
9. Horizon

Disc 2
1. Sidedish Friend
2. Accident
3. Faster
4. Pause The Tragic Ending
5. Don't

ZILLATRON

ZILLATRON
LORD OF THE HARVEST (1993)
320 KBPS

Cyberfunk creations from Bootsy Collins and Bill Laswell, driving funk into the territories of ambient, hardcore, techno, and beyond with Buckethead and Bernie Worrell. Think of this as Funkadelic meets Praxis. Over the years, Bootsy and Bill Laswell have developed an intimate working relationship that has spanned projects for artists as diverse as Material, Herbie Hancock, Sly & Robbie, Praxis, Axiom Funk, Ryuichi Sakamoto, several solo releases for Bootsy, Bernie Worrell and George Clinton, and countless others. The original release of Lord of the Harvest was quickly heralded as the most adventurous Bootsy/Laswell collaboration to date, as it fearlessly burst into new areas of sound, aided and abetted by mutant fretmeister Buckethead, whose twisted guitar acrobatics are most recently well-known among Guns 'n' Roses fans. Hip-hop heads in the know will recognize the presence of some true originators-the Last Poets' Umar Bin Hassan and rap forefather Grandmaster Melle Mel. A listen to the newly remastered version will only confirm how far these innovators have been ahead of the pack.

1. C.B.I. Files (Central Bug Intelligence)/Bugg Lite
2. Fuzz Face
3. Exterminate
4. Smell The Secrets
5. Count Zero
6. Bootsy And The Beast
7. No Fly Zone (The Devils Playground)
8. The Passion Continues

THE MARRIED MONK

THE MARRIED MONK
R/O/C/K/Y (2001)
320 KBPS

The third album of French band the Married Monk, R/O/C/K/Y, was recorded in Tucson, AZ, by John Waters, giving shape to what they (producer and band) had started in the former disc, The Jim Side. And it seems like eclecticism had been the main thread for this album: Italian-sung songs, funny disco, a Robert Wyatt cover, instrumental pop/rock, symphonic-like instrumental music, ballads, and pop pieces. Also, even when going from one genre to another, the listener never feels lost, for there is the disturbing, thrilling undertone. As the sleeve (deliberately flirting with bad taste) and the title of the album (undoubtedly referring to The Rocky Horror Picture Show) already suggest, the music and the lyrics make one feels uneasy. Because of this lightly unwholesome atmosphere and the choice not to give priority to the guitars and to include piano parts, the pop songs of the Married Monk turn out to be original, pleasant, and well-shaped tunes.

1. Greyhound
2. Stuk
3. Roma amor (with Yann Tiersen)
4. Holiday (with Yann Tiersen)
5. Death In savannah
6. A life of ease (with Paula Nedder & Sir Clifton Taylor)
7. Painful summer (with Zoe Inch)
8. Sea song
9. A spasso
10. Ola mujeres
11. All I have
12. Ancora tu
13. Cyro's request

JACK'S MANNEQUIN

JACK'S MANNEQUIN
THE GLASS PASSENGER (2008)
320 KBPS

Andrew McMahon made his exit from Something Corporate in 2004 and launched Jack's Mannequin the following year, funneling his taste for sun-kissed power pop and piano-fueled ballads into Everything in Transit. The album was a strong, cohesive effort from a songwriter who previously sailed beneath many critics' radars, but McMahon's success provided little relief from his plummeting health. He was diagnosed with leukemia two months before the album's release, and a series of chemotherapy treatments prevented him from supporting Everything in Transit with a proper tour.
Three years later, McMahon (now cancer-free) returns with his much-anticipated second album. Like Something Corporate's own sophomore effort, The Glass Passenger captures McMahon during a darker period — understandably so, given his recent history — and the introspective tone sometimes pales in comparison to the summery songs that graced Everything in Transit and Something Corporate's debut, Leaving Through the Back Window. There's pain here — morphine drips, decreased sex drives, and the like — and McMahon tackles those difficult subjects bluntly and tactfully. "What Gets You Off" deals with the recovery of his libido, even if the song sounds somewhat flaccid until the chorus' arrival, while "Hammers and Strings (A Lullaby)" is a vintage, waltzing ballad that serves as a pledge to McMahon's returning fans. "To the sleepless, this is my reply," he sings, "I will write you a lullaby." From the woozy, theatrical elegance of "Caves" to the orchestrated "Annie Use Your Telescope," ballads account for a big portion of The Glass Passenger, yet some of the album's best moments still occur during the faster songs. "Spinning" is a surging pop/rock gem, simple enough to become the most instantly recognizable song on the disc, while "American Love" and "Bloodshot" are flecked with buzzing synths and other New Wave flourishes. The Glass Passenger might not bare the same pop hooks as Everything in Transit, but it does stay afloat under the weight of McMahon's past, which bodes well for the songwriter's future work.

1. Crashin'
2. Spinning
3. Swim
4. American Love
5. What Gets You Off
6. Suicide Blonde
7. Annie Use Your Telescope
8. Bloodshot
9. Drop Out-The So Unknown
10. Hammers and Strings (A Lullaby)
11. The Resolution
12. Orphans
13. Caves

JUSTINE [REPOST]

JUSTINE
JUSTINE (1970)
256 KBPS

Though this obscure 1970 LP falls into the general folk-psych-rock category, its focus is so all-over-the-place that it's hard to get a read on it. The group are British, but at times the record seems very influenced by the poppiest side of American folk-rock, particularly in the blends of male and female vocal harmonies, which are extremely reminiscent of the Mamas & the Papas' approach in places. Yet there are also songs that have a more specifically British, gentle reserved acoustic quality; a character portrait of "Mr. Jones" with a whimsical British feel; and occasional off-the-wall burning fuzzy psychedelic guitar. At its most mature, it's slightly similar to, if an obscure reference point is allowed, the folk-prog-rock recordings that Giles, Giles & Fripp made as they were morphing into King Crimson (though not nearly as inspired). At its sappiest and most cooing, it could almost pass for a Californian sunshine pop recording. What the songs lack, however, are memorable choruses, or much cohesion between the parts, although the individual parts (especially the female vocalists' contributions) are often pretty. File under the section with the many stylistically confused rock bands of the period who had some talent and tried hard to say something important, but didn't quite have the goods.

1. Flying/Love You More Than Is Good for Me To/Nostrils
2. She Brings the Morning with Her
3. Back to Boulder
4. Traveller
5. See Saw
6. Mini Splurge/Mr. Jones/Is That Good. That's Nice
7. Clocks/Hey I Used to Know You
8. Unknown Journey
9. Leave Me Be
10. Clown

GONG

GONG
2032 (2009)
320 KBPS

Of all the bands who have come and gone over the past 40 years, it is mind-boggling that Gong are still around. Their music was strange, their live appearances were infamous, and their psychedelic appetites were legendary.
Gong have remained so far past their sell-date that their upcoming UK tour is shaping up to be an event of epic proportions (for ticket information, go here). It is in support of their improbable, and impeccable new recording 2032, scheduled for release September 21st.
The Radio Gnome Trilogy is Gong’s best known work. The three albums comprising the set are Flying Teapot, Angel’s Egg, and You. They were all released between 1973-’74, and remain the high point of the group's career. At the time, Guitarist extraordinaire Steve Hillage had just joined, and brought with him a high level of musicianship which improved their sound immensely.
In 1975, the inevitable dissolution began, with the departure of founding guitarist Daevid Allen. Hillage followed suit in 1976. Like so many psychedelic/progressive bands of the era, Gong blithely soldiered on, shifting line-ups and styles for an ever diminishing audience.
There have been a few reunions recently, but 2032 is the first recording by the archetypal grouping since 1974, and is billed as a continuation of the Radio Gnome story. 2032 is quite remarkable in a number of ways. For one thing, these old hippies sound is state-of the art. It also seems as if Planet Gong has been visited by Dr. Funkenstein.
The opening track, “City Of Self Fascination” is total white-boy funk, and establishes a groove to be maintained for most of the record. While 2032 is certainly no funk record, elements of the genre persist in the ever present beat of drummer Chris Taylor.
Gong‘s trademark psychedelia makes it‘s first appearance on the eight minute tour de force "How To Stay Alive".
Then comes “Escape Control Delete” which really cranks up the psych, while paraphrasing Robert Heinlein: “If you feel like a stranger in a strange land, it’s probably who you are.”
Another 2032 highlight is “Wacky Baccy Banker” (wonder what they are talking about here?) The bombastic, trademark early Seventies progressive rock opening sets the listener up for a blistering Hillage guitar solo. Theo Travis, who has played with Porcupine Tree and Brian Eno, follows with a saxophone solo every bit as powerful.
There are so many great moments on 2032, it becomes difficult to catalog them all. Taylor’s drums on “Pinkle Pockle” are outstanding, and the token straight-ahead rocker “Guitar Zero” is also something to hear. The electro-funk of "Robo-Warriors" is the most surprising sound to appear on 2032. It could have been a track left off of Funkadelic’s 1982 LP The Electric Spanking Of War Babies.
Fittingly, it is the final song that commands the most attention. The instrumental “Portal” is Steve Hillage at his finest, and Didier Malherbe’s sax solo serves to contrast and complement the song as well.
The whole Gnome mythology is far too complex to go into here. Call it an outer-space Tolkien fantasy if you like. A visit to the Planet Gong is an essential element of the tale. So when the final words, spoken by The Good Witch Yoni (Miquette Giraudy) are uttered: “The portal is open,” you may be excused for assuming that the story has finally ended.
Just remember though, 2032 is only 23 years away. For all we know, Gong may have a record and tour already scheduled for then too.

1. City Of Self Fascination
2. Digital Girl
3. How To Stay Alive
4. Escape Control Delete
5. Yoni Poem
6. Dance With The Pixies
7. Wacky Baccy Banker
8. The Year 2032
9. Robo-Warriors
10. Guitar Zero
11. The Gris Gris Girl
12. Wave & A Particle
13. Pinkle Ponkle
14. Portal