Incoming:
This week’s highlights include the handsome new Emitt Rhodes DCD retrospective collection (more on that below), the new psych-stomper from Blues Control (Kurt Vile guest stars), the Slumberland label’s latest score Summer Cats (Stereolab meets Go-Betweens), plus full-lengths by Bleu, Dandy Warhols, Dead Weather, Donny Hue & The Colors and Most Serene Republic. Last week’s gems included new albums from Bowerbirds, UUVVWWZ, We Were Promised Jetpacks and a “new” EP from MGMT. Those Loop re-issues have finally surfaced, along with a long-awaited re-release of The Screaming Blue Messiahs’ first two albums (or is Jim the only one excited about this?). We’re also recovering from last week’s Scott McCaughey overdose: He fronts supergroup Minus 5 (with Peter Buck, etc) and his Young Fresh Fellows, both released new albums July 7th, both are real good.
Wax On:
An Aussie split 7″ from The Bats & Songs, Farmer Dave Scher (Beachwood Sparks guy) 45, O’Death 45, three 45s from Saviours (each with bonus item), Beastie Boys Ill Communication DLP re-issue; plus LPs from Ty Segal, Bowerbirds, Metric, Jackie O MF, Donnas, Black Keys, Pine Hill Haints and that mega Oneida 3LP; singles from Girl Wonder, Dr.Dog/Floating Action, Night Horse/Dirty Sweet, Hunx & His Punx, Sneaky Pinks…
Rocking Our World:
A pretty pair of multi-disc magic from different ends of the rock-n-roll spectrum: The aforementioned Emitt Rhodes retrospective and the new 3CD behemoth from Oneida. Check out our front page to hear tracks from both…
The music of Emitt Rhodes is once again available in a handsome repackaging of four albums (plus “Tame the Lion”, a non-LP single) by overlooked and under-appreciated guitar-pop genius/recluse (imagine if Adam Schmitt was making music in 1970, while battling a McCartney addiction). Fans of Rhodes will rejoice and newcomers will quickly come to grips with how incredible this mysterious dude’s music was, and thanks to this essential release, still is.
Meanwhile, Oneida’s latest seemed overmuch at first, but further listens have taught us what Oneida’s turning worm hath wrought. This otherworldly three-CD juggernaut has morphed into our brain-melter of choice in recent weeks: tribal and primal. A nearly unclassifiable triple-decker slab of sultry avant-rock, teeming with prog and psychedelic spectrums, epic in size and scope (100 minutes, and counting).