Jose James - No Beginning No End - released Jan 2013 (Bluenote)

Genres: Soul-Jazz, Vocal Jazz, Rhythm & Blues

Jose James sounds a lot like D'Angelo but with more jazz influence, I picked this one out cause it looked interesting and was released by Bluenote who have been behind some of my favorites. There is wide appeal in this album but nothing that could be called selling-out to an R&B radio crowd, this is high quality soul-jazz with a slightly funky R&B feel. James doesn't do anything too crazy on the record, there are no long spoken word tracks or needless soloing by the band behind him, this is tightly composed music for James vocals to shine. With that said, there is a varied approach taken on the album which is quietly adventurous.

Every track on this album is great. The opening track 'It's All Over Your Body' is sexy and smooth without being explicit. 'Sword + Gun' has a slight latin-feel to the horns and is more tense, the vocals wordlessly drone to great affect. 'Trouble' seems like adventurous pop music in that it is almost an R&B song from the 1970's but there is definite jazz leans and modern production. 'Vangaurd' sounds like something A Tribe Called Quest would sample as it is smooth as butter, James's voice drives the thing and he shines brightly. 'Come to My Door' seems like another R&B style single with a big chorus and pop-arrangement. There is a second arrangement of this song at the end that is quieter and is more striking. 'Make it Right' is a funk workout.'Tomorrow' builds it's intensity with spoken word and Jame's singing carries the whole thing gracefully.

I really enjoyed this and I'm glad I picked it up.

RATING: 4.5/5

Here is the song 'Trouble' sung at the Allsaints Basement

David Bowie - Where Are We Now?

Here is another fine video and song by David Bowie's new album I reviewed a few posts back. He quotes German words that make the whole thing seem like a walking dream.

Alice in Chains ' The Devil put Dinosaurs Here' released May 28th 2013 (Capital/Virgin)

Genres: Alternative Metal, Post-grunge

Doom-mongers Alice in Chains return to follow-up their 2009 reunion album with a no-surprises minor-key stare into the darkness. Nothing on this album is truly bad it's just that there is nothing on it that is startling either. The last album these guys made was exactly what was needed from a band that agreed to carry on after their initial vocalist died of an overdose, it was pointing the way to new and fresher music without losing the feel of their best albums from when grunge was the hot-topic. I always felt that the mostly acoustic 1994 EP Jar of Flies was the best thing that this band ever produced and sadly the quieter approach of that album only appears on a few songs here in 'Voices', 'Scalpel' and 'Choke'. These songs have the strongest melodies on the record. Elsewhere the album churns with oppressive guitars that plod along in a morose way. The best doom and gloom songs come from tracks 'Hollow', 'Stone' and 'The Devil put Dinosaurs Here' which you can head-bang really slowly to if you are so inclined. 

There really isn't anything else to be said about this album. Either you're a fan and you'll like it or you're not and will tire pretty quickly of it.  

RATING: 3/5

Here is the video for 'Hollow'

Depeche Mode - Delta Machine - released March 2013 (Columbia Records)

Genre: Alternative Rock, Synth-pop

Filled with emotional extremism, Depeche Mode have crafted a very tense and sexy record. First up, this isn't the most manly record as the lyrical themes are all about self-destruction, trust and obsession but all the songs are filled with tension that suggests various bondage related activities. I really enjoyed it as a guilty pleasure. Thankfully, you don't have to be into leather to enjoy it but it might help, I don't know.

The songs are all slow and tightly wound. There is a lot of silence used and the noise is sparse. The mood suggests harshness but never journeys far into it, which is to say the production value is very high. David Gahan's singing is in line with the synth-pop music from the 1980's which Depeche Mode have mutated from (they have been making music since early 80's) and he sings in the smooth and cold tone that typified that type of music. The single 'Slow' is a real standout that has a kind of smirking sadism and swagger that is enjoyable. Other good moments are up front on the album 'Welcome to My World', 'Angel' and 'Heaven'. All the other tracks are worthy of a listen or two. Only once do the lyrics cross the line into plainly creepy territory which is on the song 'Child Inside' which isn't catchy and seems to be detailing someones abused psyche or something like it. This song seems less 'on a troubled path but down for it' mood that the rest of the album has.

RATING: 4/5 

Here is one of the singles 'Soothe My Soul'. Remember, always practice safe sex. 

Billy Bragg - Tooth and Nail - released March 2013 (Cooking Vinyl)

Genre: Folk

Billy Bragg delivers a uneven bunch of songs that occasionally sound like a bored version of country music but at other times find the sweet middle ground where folk, country, and blues connect. The joke I remember about Billy Bragg is that he had nothing to write about in his political songs after Margaret Thatcher left office because his demon and muse was finally gone. The songs here don't try to mess with politics too much, the political messages that get mentioned are used to colour the character's world but not to rabble-rouse all too much. Bragg has taken a specific approach here, he uses country music as a background to his folk songs and it works for the most part but it is a very laid back version of country music to go with the soul-searching and contemplative mood of the album.

The albums highlights do outnumber the wrong or less engaging moments. 'January Song' is a great lead track. 'No one Knows Nothing Anymore' continues the good work. Then 'Handyman Blues' comes on with its jokey lyrics and really boring arrangement and the flow stops immediately. 'I Ain't Got No Home' picks back up the quality with the world weary and mature approach allowing the slow song to unfold with appropriate gravitas. 'Swallow my Pride' is another good spot much in the same mold. Then there are four songs that aren't especially memorable, 'There Will Be a Reckoning' tries to have the drama of a brash political song but sounds too laid back to work. The reaming three songs are intimate and lovely.

Overall, I think Bragg had a good idea but didn't execute fully. The best moments on this disc were worth the price of admission but this album is for a specific mood and may not appeal to everyone.

RATING: 3/5

Here is the video for Billy Bragg's 'Nobody Knows Nothing Anymore' 

The Flaming Lips - Look The Sun Is Rising (Live)

The Flaming Lips - The Terror - Released April 2013 (Lovely Sorts of Death/Warner Bros.)

Genres: Alternative Rock, Psychedelic-rock, Dream Pop

This is not a 'fun' record but it is a good one. The themes of the album are loneliness, desolation and futility.The band finds ways to push what are essentially pop-songs outward into a kind of lonely hypnotic ambiance. There is a lot of silence used with sudden punctuated melodies. The music only gets noisy in a few places with some scratchy guitar work. Dark and off-kilter, I treasured the little trip this album took me on. It  was not fun but it was thrilling. 

I have never heard the Flaming Lips be anything but weird and exuberantly happy on a record which makes this album a bit of a shock. The music takes a while to get under your skin but it rewards repeated listens. The opener 'Look...the Sun is Rising' sets the stage, sounding free but very lost and alone. 'Be Free, A Way' sound further down the spiral or further out in the desert. The sighing vocals push this song along as a tape pulse wavers too far in the background to give any rhythm, it more sounds like a constant wobble. The wobbling is present in the next song 'Try to Explain' and serves much of the same purpose but the chorus is bigger and twinkles a bit. This song too ends in sighing loneliness. 'You Lust' sounds kind of late-night and is quite creepy. 'Butterfly, How Long it Takes to Die' has a lingering weirdness that makes it another stand-out.

Overall, the album is cohesive in its mood. The vocals sore out of the hypnotic music but always seem to sigh back into them just as quickly. This was a very rewarding listen. 

RATING: 4/5 STARS