October Program Titles Released This Week:
Aphex Twin – Collapse CDEP/12”+MP3 (Warp)
Mythical electronic producer Richard D James aka Aphex Twin returns with the new 4-track EP Collapse which follows-up his 2016 Cheetah EP and 2014 full-length Syro. The cryptic release is introduced by the pummeling lead cut, “T69 Collapse” whose mind-bending video premiere was pulled from Adult Swim at the last minute for failing the Harding epilepsy test.
Asleep At The Wheel – New Routes CD/LP (Bismeaux)
New Routes serves as Asleep At The Wheel’s first new material in over a decade, a new chapter in the group’s forty-eight-year history with a fresh group of musicians and nimble musical palette. The eleven-track collection of both new and familiar country, jazz, jump blues, rockabilly, Western swing and folk, offers a blend of originals, vibrant covers, superior musicianship, and a guest vocal appearance by Seth and Scott Avett of The Avett Brothers. New Routes travels down myriad musical byways from the sly “viper” jazz groove of opener, “Jack, I’m Mellow” to the languid original ballad, “Call It A Day Tonight”; the Cajun romp of “Pass The Bottle Around” to the Americana-tinged acoustic cover of Guy Clark’s “Dublin Blues”; and the pedal-to-the-metal covers of Paolo Nutini’s “Pencil Full Of Lead” and Moon Mullican’s “Seven Nights To Rock”.
Tony Bennett & Diana Krall – Love Is Here To Stay CD/LP (Verve)
Tony Bennett and Diana Krall celebrate their shared love of the music of George and Ira Gershwin on their new collaborative album, Love Is Here To Stay. Bennett, who just turned 92, has been friends with Krall for over 20 years. The two toured together in 2000 and recorded duets for two of Bennett’s albums (Duets and Playin’ With My Friends), but this marks their first full album project together. Love Is Here To Stay also marks the 120th Anniversary of George Gershwin’s birthday which takes place on September 26, 2018. The album was recorded with the Grammy award winning Bill Charlap Trio and the stunning result is a subtle, sophisticated and beautifully rendered love letter to The Gershwins’ music and their status as one of the premiere songwriters of the American popular standard. It is a masterclass in vocal delivery and phrasing and the command that Bennett and Krall display of the material in both their duets and solo tracks makes it appear effortless, belying the honed skill of the vocalists.
Black Belt Eagle Scout – Mother Of My Children CD/LP (Saddle Creek)
Katherine Paul is Black Belt Eagle Scout, and Mother Of My Children is her debut album. Recorded in the middle of winter near her hometown in Northwest Washington, Paul’s connection to the landscape’s eerie beauty are palpable throughout as the album traces the full spectrum of confronting buried feelings and the loss of what life was supposed to look like. Heavy and heartbroken from the loss of her mentor and the breakdown of a relationship, Paul found respite in the creation of these songs that “are about grief and love for people, but also about being a native person in what is the United States today.” On Mother Of My Children, the songs weave together to capture both the enduring and fleeting experiences of loss, frustration, and dreaming. The structures are traditional, but the lyrics don’t adhere to any format other than what feels right in the moment. It begins with lead single “Soft Stud”’ which Paul describes as her “queer anthem” and is followed by “Indians Never Die”, a call out to colonizers and those who don’t respect the Earth.