American Gospel – Tall Tales vol.1 (2012)
As the first record from American Gospel, Tall Tales vol. 1 comes out of the gate in a strong way. Gregg DellaRocca (of The Republic of Wolves) created this project to channel his musical talent into a...
View ArticleFrank Zappa – The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life (1991, Reissue 2012)
Two-CD set The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life is the second of 3 albums of material Frank Zappa compiled from the 1988 tour. While Broadway the Hard Way (released in 1988) mostly presented the...
View ArticleFrank Zappa – Make a Jazz Noise Here (1991, Reissue 2012)
The third and final live album put together from recordings of Frank Zappa‘s 1988 concerts, the two-CD set Make a Jazz Noise Here focuses on the composer’s instrumental pieces — which are not...
View ArticleYabby You – Deeper Roots: Dub Plates and Rarities 1976-1978 (2012)
Vivian Jackson, aka Yabby You, was the living embodiment of the struggling, but highly spiritually attuned, rasta brethren of Kingston during the peak of roots reggae. Deeper Roots celebrates his...
View ArticleAriya Astrobeat Arkestra – Towards Other Worlds (2012)
The second LP from Leeds’ Ariya Astrobeat Arkestra continues where their self-titled 2010 debut left off; the nine-piece’s musical ancestry remains clearly in evidence, but the sheer diversity of those...
View ArticleOrchestre National De Jazz – Piazzolla! (2012)
France’s Orchestre National de Jazz, under composer/director Daniel Yvinec, subscribes to no state-orchestra orthodoxy of recycling the tried and trusted. In recent years the band have explored the...
View ArticleAnna Gourari – Canto Oscuro (2012)
Anna Gourari is a prize-winning musician steeped in the venerable Russian piano school, its technical verities and Old World glamour. She has “a very physical, even visceral quality to her music-making...
View ArticleThe Doughboys – Shakin’ Our Souls (2012)
Formed in 1963, the Doughboys enjoyed several years of regional acclaim before dismantling at the end of the decade. The members of the band remained in the music biz however, working separately on...
View ArticleWool on Wolves – Measures of Progress (2012)
Five songwriters can be too many cooks in the kitchen, but for Edmonton, AB’s Wool on Wolves, they’ve managed to turn this into an advantage. Their second album, Measures of Progress, strongly focuses...
View ArticleHeinz Sauer & Michael Wollny – Don’t Explain: Live in Concert (2012)
With If (Blue) Then (Blue) in 2010, German saxop- hone legend Heinz Sauer brought his remarkable relationship with pianist Michael Wollny – his junior by at least half a century – to a new high. All...
View ArticleStratis – Mokoyaro 1982-1985 (2012)
Vinyl-On-Demand reveal the magical world of Stratis, an electronic duo from Cologne initiated by Antonios Stratis and Albert Klein in 1981. Mokoyaro Years 1982-1985 collates their amazing output issued...
View ArticleJen Schande – 19: Songs for and Inspired by Valencia Chapter 19 (2012)
For those wondering what the hell happened to Liz Phair, keep wondering. For the next logical musical step following Phair’s Matador albums, Jen Schande is here to take up that mantle. 19 is a response...
View ArticleBeaten by Them – Kinder Machines (2012)
As you listen to Kinder Machines, you are drawn by a fine, silvery thread into the complex musical web of Beaten by Them. Being largely instrumental, this album is a textured mood piece, except for...
View ArticlePeter Bruntnell – Ringo woz ere (2012)
The latest album from Devon based singer/song- writer Peter Bruntnell, Ringo woz ere, following on from last years excellent Black Mountain UFO. The usual high standard expected of Mr Bruntnell is...
View ArticleCheval Sombre – Mad Love [Rough Trade Exclusive Edition] (2012)
Christopher Porpora is a troubled soul. Or at least that’s the way it seems. Pouring his heart out via his Cheval Sombre alias on Mad Love, the long- awaited follow-up to 2009′s self-titled debut,...
View ArticleJellyfish – Stack-A-Tracks (2012)
Arguably the most influential power pop band of the 90′s was Jellyfish. While recording their two studio albums, (1990’s Bellybutton and 1993’s Spilt Milk), “instrumental” mixes of each record were...
View ArticleMike Cooley – The Fool On Every Corner (2012)
Mike Cooley, known for his work with Southern rockers Drive-By Truckers, has announced the release of his debut solo album The Fool On Every Corner. The release was recorded by longtime Drive-By...
View ArticleElvis Costello – In Motion Pictures (2012)
Despite cameos in Spice World, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and 200 Cigarettes, very few would consider Elvis Costello a star of the silver screen, but the singer/songwriter has soundtracked...
View ArticleThe Unthanks – Diversions vol.3: Songs from the Shipyards (2012)
The Unthanks have shrunk. Less than half the size of previous incarnations (since 2009 they’ve hovered at around ten members at any one time), the band behind Diversions Vol. 3 is leaner, meaner. There...
View ArticleSara Serpa & Ran Blake – Aurora (2012)
At a time when so many singers and accompanists play it safe, it’s refreshing to hear vocalist Sara Serpa and pianist Ran Blake do something different—maybe even risky—with the standard jazz song...
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