SUPERDRAG

SUPERDRAG
REGRETFULLY YOURS (1996)
320 KBPS

Best known for their hit "Sucked Out", this album isn't influential in any way, but it does contain very fun and mostly interesting post-grunge songs which you'll be hardpressed not to like (unless you aren't a fan of the genre). Like the Goo Goo Doll's "A Boy Named Goo", this is a great nostalgia piece which you will have lots of fun listening to. The key here is that there are SO MANY great songs (with great hooks), not that it contains great poetry or musicianship (it doesn't really). Frontman John Davis is also very likable. Another key is that the songs are catchy in a good way, not in a Backstreet Boys or Yellowcard kind of way, for example. Not necessarily essential to own, but you WILL be very pleased that you tried it. Definitely recommended!

1. Slot Machine
2. Phaser
3. Carried
4. Sucked Out
5. Cynicality
6. Destination Ursa Major
7. Whitey's Theme
8. Truest Love
9. What If You Don't Fly
10. Garmonbozia
11. N.A. Kicker
12. Nothing Good Is Real
13. Rocket

ARNO

ARNO
RATATA (1990)
320 KBPS

With this 1990 release (his third), Arno continues his little trip through rock blues and chanson. Those familiar with the artist (and this blog where many of his recordings have been posted in the past few weeks) know there's always good things to get on an Arno album, this one, of course, is no different. His unique voice and tasteful lyrics are, once again displayed as well as his Tom Waits' influence though not as marked as it would be in the future. All in all, this is yet another fine album from Arnaud Charles Ernest Hintjens (his real name), something people of taste know not to miss.

1. Lonesome Zorro
2. Dance Till You Drop
3. Mon Sissoyen
4. Ratata
5. I've Done My Best
6. Whoop That Thing
7. Marie Tu M'as (Marie Thumas)
8. I'm Not There
9. I Can't Stand It
10. Music Is The Dope

ANGELO BRANDUARDI

ANGELO BRANDUARDI
BEST OF (1998)
320 KBPS

And now, here's for something rare. The italian singer/songwriter Angelo Branduardi has a style unlike any other, a mix of baroque pop and medieval chanson. Precious and fragile, his songs are little jewels that display his unique voice and songwriting skills. This compilation, aimed to the French market, has none of his Italian sung works but, fear not, Angelo is as good in French as he is in Italian. Get a taste of this one of a kind artist, this may leave you to want more.

1. Petite Chanson Des Contraires
2. La Lune
3. La Serie Des Nombres
4. Le Don Du Cerf
5. Confessions D'Un Malandrin
6. A La Foire De L'Est
7. La Demoiselle
8. Bal En Fa Diese Mineur
9. Le Seigneur Des Baux
10. Va Ou Le Vent Te Mene
11. Ca Se Fait
12. Ce Que Sait Le Sherpa
13. Caminando, Caminando
14. Fou De Love
15. La Pulce D'Acqua
16. Vanita 'Di Vanita'
17. L'Apprenti Sorcier

TOM MCRAE

TOM MCRAE
JUST LIKE BLOOD (2002)
320 KBPS

Produced by Ben Hillier who has worked with Blur & Elbow. Tom's self-titled debut album, released in 2000, announced the arrival of a rare & singular new talent. It's subsequent Q Magazine, Mercury Prize & Brit nominations merely confirmed a major talent had arrived. The album, of course, went on to figure in the end-of-year Top 10 lists of Q, The Observer, Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Times, Independent & Time Out, 'Just Like Blood' marks a huge step forward. In terms of sound, scope & style, it is a bigger, braver & possibly even darker work than its acclaimed predecessor. It feels contemporary, yet stands alone. The themes of the album are again dislocation & dissatisfaction & desire for escape.

1. A Day Like Today
2. You Only Disappear
3. Ghost of a Shark
4. Stronger Than Dirt
5. Overthrown
6. Walking 2 Hawaii
7. Mermaid Blues
8. Karaoke Soul
9. Line of Fire
10. Human Remains

SAMMY DAVIS JR. & BUDDY RICH

SAMMY DAVIS JR.
BUDDY RICH
THE SOUND OF '66 (1966)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

Sammy Davis Jr. opens these after-hours Las Vegas recording sessions, remarking that even at this hour the town is still swinging. He tells listeners that any noises from the audiences are real, not canned. From this simple setup, this release captures live the excitement these two musical dynamos generated in an era, and in a town, when music was made at all hours, night and day.
In fine form, Davis, as talented a performer as he was enigmatic a personality, projects the opening uptempo “Come Back to Me” with brass and bravado, the Buddy Rich Orchestra accompanying him in full cry. This is not a band (or a drummer for that matter) for a timid singer, and Davis clearly relishes the megawatt setting.
The repertoire mixes contemporary pop songs, show tunes, and popular standards. Even though “I Know A Place” (a hit at the time for Petula Clark) suffers from a dated arrangement, it still merits a listen today through the sheer musical will of the performers. Much better is Bacharach and David’s “What the World Needs Now,” where the sound level drops a notch to let the story come through. Show tunes include a marvelously sung “What Did I Have That I Don’t Have Now” as well as the singer’s appealing swagger through Frank Loesser’s lovely “Once in Love with Amy,” abetted by bracing orchestral fills. Although all hands threaten to go over the top on the Latinate “What Now My Love,” the singer pulls back before succumbing to excess.
Davis, of course, owns the patent on “What Kind of Fool Am I?” and turns in a knowing, swinging, sure-footed performance; a song he must have sung countless times emerges fresh. Perhaps it was the encroachment of dawn that mellowed things a bit. “Fool,” “If It’s the Last Thing I Do,” and the warhorse “Please Don’t Talk about Me When I’m Gone” showcase the singer and the orchestra at their most restrained, yet still in the groove. The air of excitement does not not wane, but a drop in decibels enhances the level of simple expression. Davis, Rich, and company are captured in a fine mood on these 1966 desert mornings.

1. Come Back To Me
2. I Know A Place
3. What Did I Have That I Don't Have?
4. What The World Needs Now Is Love
5. Once In Love With Amy
6. Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead
7. What Now My Love
8. What Kind Of Fool Am I?
9. If It's The Last Thing I Do
10. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone

ATHLETE

ATHLETE
VEHICLES & ANIMALS (2003)
320 KBPS

Apparently damned in its home country for being just a little too much out of time — the band is not really Brit-pop per se but has a certain amiableness about it that suggests a certain love of things from the heyday — Athlete is perfectly, almost aggressively pleasant. "You Got the Style" might have been specifically about race riots in early 21st century Britain, but Athlete is not out to surprise, to disrupt, or to otherwise cause problems, while the band is also not "twee" as such, or emo or the like. If anything, they're doing something enjoyably relaxed enough that won't make you hate yourself, as the likes of Toploader did all too easily. Vehicles & Animals contains early singles plus more recent efforts and generally makes for a great listen on a lazy and warm afternoon — not party music, but quietly hooky good times. Every so often something will spark up that makes a bit more sense of the Super Furry Animals and Pavement comparisons that the group has received — the shift to electronic percussion and deep bass at the end of "One Million," the flecks of lazy semi-slacker singing from lead figure Joel Pott throughout. There's enough keyboard bubbling and arrangements throughout that suggest the group might actually benefit from going to that full-time, and while hardly reinventing them, the beat songs like "Out of Nowhere" are given a pleasant post-Beck tinge. The band's at its best when it just concentrates on doing what it likes — "Shake Those Windows" is a winning example, where a low-key enough song suddenly shifts into a really summery chorus thanks to a grand semi-country guitar line and builds into a sweetly triumphant full-band conclusion. Even the sudden burst of a feedback-laden blast part way through "New Project" doesn't seem like a disruption of the general flow of Vehicles & Animals, and that's to its good.

1. El Salvador
2. Westside
3. One Million
4. Shake Those Windows
5. Beautiful
6. New Project
7. You Got the Style
8. Vehicles & Animals
9. Out of Nowhere
10. Dungeness
11. You Know
12. Le Casio

QUIREBOYS

QUIREBOYS
BITTER SWEET & TWISTED (1992)
320 KBPS

The Quireboys are one of those bands that just sort of stick with you throughout your life. There is nothing fancy or special about their sound. They just happen to be one of the best British imports to cross the pond in decades...no kidding. Their debut album "A Bit Of What You Fancy" is great. It is almost great to a fault. It was very polished sounding and lacked the spontanaety that this band displays when they play live. "Bitter Sweet & Twisted" shows the Quireboys strength as a loose Stonesey influenced rock band. And it shows their muscle as they shine on some of the prettiest ballads you'll hear anywhere. This album kicks off with Tramps And Thieves, a song that shows what I described above. They really are a strong act in songs like this. Other songs that kick with similar force are My Saint Jude, Don't Bite The Hand, and Ain't Love Blind. They really do show their Stones influence in each of these songs. The guitar fills, basic rock and roll beat, and swagger of lead singer Spike really take you back a few years. Other great upbeat cuts on this one include Can't Park Here, White Trash Blues, Debbie, and their flawless cover of Brother Louie. Louie in particular stands out. They don't try to show off or try to make the song better than the original. Rather they make the song their own and it truly sounds like it could have been theirs. On the other hand, you have some wonderful ballads here. Last Time is a beautiful ballad with a nice string arrangement. The words and music go well together. Another strong ballad is Hates To Please. If you only heard the music here, you'd swear you were hearing some early Eagles music complete with some good ol' pedal steel in the background. And last but not least, you've got King Of New York. It is such a crime that this song has never made it into a mafia movie at some point. It is romantic and has that cinematic flair. It is of course during these ballads that obvious comparisons are made between lead vocalist Spike and Rod Stewart. Stewart's musical influence is less prevalant on this album than their first, but is never more present than in Hates To Please. Other cuts included here that are enjoyable are the bluesy Ode To You (Baby Just Walk), and the excellent stand out song Take No Revenge. Revenge showcases some very exceptional piano playing by the band's keyboardist Chris Johnstone. The only complaint I have of this album is the song Wild,Wild,Wild. I thought this song was decent musically, but the lyrics seem pointless to me. But thirteen out of fourteen is one hell of a lot better than most bands could do. If you enjoy 70's style rock and roll, you'll love this album. It reminds you of the days when bands wrote and recorded albums to showcase as a whole rather than a song here and there for radio as seems to be the trend and has been for far too long. The Quireboys are not the Stones. Nor are they Rod Stewart or the Faces. They are however one hell of a rock and roll band that doesn't leave you disappointed. Give this one a spin and turn your friends on to it.

1. Tramps And Thieves
2. White Trash Blues
3. Can't Park Here
4. King Of New York
5. Don't Bite The Hand
6. Last Time
7. Debbie
8. Brother Louie
9. Ode To You (Baby Just Walk)
10. Hates To Please
11. My Saint Jude
12. Take No Revenge
13. Wild, Wild, Wild
14. Ain't Love Blind

TOWER OF POWER

TOWER OF POWER
TOWER OF POWER (1973)
320 KBPS

The Tower of Power finally found their ideal lead singer on this album. Lenny Williams came aboard and gave them both the up-tempo belter and convincing balladeer they had previously lacked. They landed their biggest single hit, "So Very Hard to Go," and also had two other top tunes in "What Is Hip" and "This Time It's Real." The arrangements and production were also excellent, and the horn section was at its explosive best.

1. What Is Hip?
2. Clever Girl
3. This Time It's Real
4. Will I Ever Find a Love?
5. Get Yo' Feet Back on the Ground
6. So Very Hard to Go
7. Soul Vaccination
8. Both Sorry over Nothin'
9. Clean State
10. Just Another Day

ROADRUNNERS

ROADRUNNERS
INSTANT TROUBLE (1993)
320 KBPS

Seldom French rock has sounded so right and powerful than it of the Roadrunners. Coming from Normandy and formed in the 80s around singer/guitarist Frandol (a childhood friend of Noir Désir's singer Bertrand Cantat), the Roadrunners played a nervous blend of 60s and 70s rock bearing the influence of bands such as the Kinks, Humble Pie or the Small Faces. Throughout their career, the band produced 6 albums (released between 1987 and 1995) of which Instant Trouble is the finest. Short, focused and melodicly powerful, Instant Trouble is a winner through and through. It even has a Beatles cover (Hey Bulldog) which easily competes with the original.
Get a taste of France's rock history, you will not regret it.

1. I'm Watchin' You
2. Saturation Point
3. Contortions
4. Bags Under Our Eyes
5. Hey Bulldog
6. Eye Of The Cyclone
7. Beat Around The Bush
8. Count Me Out
9. Don't Wake Me Up
10. Lucky Find
11. Don't Look Down

LORDS OF ACID

LORDS OF ACID
VOODOO-U (1994)
320 KBPS

What does this sound like? I think the cover says it best. Musically it's mostly aggressive techno. Lyrically it's pretty hardcore, which is good. The song titles say alot. The only band comparison I can think of, might be some "My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult" on speed, hold the Satan, pass the sex and drugs. With songs like "The Crablouse", "Do What You Want To Do", and "Out Comes The Evil", this is easily their best album, and probably better than "Greatest T*Ts".

1. Voodoo-U
2. The Crablouse
3. Marijunana in Your Brain
4. Blowing up Your Mind
5. Out Comes the Evil
6. Drink My Honey
7. The Wet Dream
8. Special Moments
9. Dirty Willy
10. She and Mr. Jones
11. Young Boys
12. Paris France