IAN SWEET - Show Me How You Disappear After a strong showing with her 2016 debut, Shapeshifter, Jillian Medford and her band are still going strong on number three.
Jane Weaver - Flock With a interesting mix of influences (Lebanese torch songs! Russian aerobic records! Australian punk!), Jane Weaver continues her unique brand of pop.
The Grammys were this past weekend, and it actually included some improvements over previous years! Childish Gambino won for Song of the Year, the first time the award has been given to a hip hop song. It was also a better year for female artists with a 82% improvement in wins over last year's ceremony. This included exciting wins for Brandi Carlile, Cardi B, Kacey Musgraves, Ariana Grande, and St. Vincent.
As always, you can view a fuller list of the albums I'm excited about over at my Upcoming Releases page!
Recently, Andrew Bird announced his fate-tempting 11th album, My Finest Work Yet.
I've been a fan of Bird for a number of years, being particularly impressed by his multi-instrumentalism and whistling. His previous album, 2016's Are You Serious, was a particular favorite of mine, perhaps bolstered by an amazing duet with Fiona Apple.
It's hard to imagine that something could top that record, but that's what he's promised here. My Finest Work Yet is not just what he's titled the record, he has stated that he truly considers it to be his finest work.
The album was announced a couple of weeks ago along with its lead single, "Sisyphus," and is scheduled for release on March 22.
Also announced recently:
Aretha Franklin - Songs of Faith: Aretha Gospel (March 22)
Avey Tare - Cows on Hourglass Pond (March 22)
BAILEN - Thrilled to Be Here (April 26)
Beach Slang - MPLS (March 15)
Beth Gibbons & the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra - Henryk Górecki’s Symphony No. 3 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs) (March 29)
Billie Eilish - When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (March 29)
Brutus - Nest (March 29)
Cage the Elephant - Social Cues (April 19)
Chai - PUNK (March 15)
Charlotte Cornfield - The Shape of Your Name (April 5)
Charly Bliss - Young Enough (May 10)
The Chemical Brothers - No Geography (April 12)
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah - Ancestral Recall (March 22)
Craig Finn - I Need a New War (April 26)
Flying Fish Cove - At Moonset (May 3)
Fontaines D.C. - Dogrel (April 12)
Foxygen - Seeing Other People (April 26)
Gold Connections - Like a Shadow (March 1)
Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days Reissue (March 22)
Heather Woods Broderick - Invitation (April 19)
Jamila Woods - Legacy! Legacy! (May 10)
Jim James - Uniform Distortion/Clarity (March 22) Joni 75: A Birthday Celebration (March 8)
Lizzo - Cuz I Love You (April 19)
Marvin Gaye - You’re the Man (March 29)
Mary Lattimore & Mac McCaughan - New Rain Duets (March 22)
The Mountain Goats - In League with Dragons (April 26)
Partner - Saturday the 14th (April 5)
Peter Doherty & The Puta Madres - Peter Doherty & The Puta Madres (April 12)
Ratso - Stubborn Heart (April 5)
Rosie Tucker - Never Not Never Not Never Not (March 8)
Show Me the Body - Dog Whistle (March 29)
Sunn O))) - Life Metal (April)
These New Puritans - Inside the Rose (March 22)
Van Morrison - The Healing Game (Deluxe Edition) (March 22)
Wand - Laughing Matter (April 19)
When: September 14, 2016 Where: Madison Theatre in Covington, KY
This year, Andrew Bird released what may well be one of my favorite albums of this year, Are You Serious?. It's become a favorite of my boyfriend's as well, and I'll often find him mindlessly humming the opening notes of "Capsized." When it was announced that his tour would be stopping in the Cincinnati area, a trip across the river was a no-brainer.
As has become a tradition whenever we attend shows at the Madison, we swung by Riverside, a spectacular Korean restaurant right down the street, for dinner. We got back to the Madison just in time to catch the end of the somewhat odd opening act's, Gabriel Kahane, set. We also ran into some good friends who, it turned out, had made a last minute decision to catch the show.
These friends provided some good entertainment between the sets. My friend Katie had stashed the day's crossword puzzle in her bag and I always have a pen with me, so we spent some time challenging our brains.
Andrew Bird came on stage and, without too much warning, launched into the very song that Adrian loves so much. He played songs spanning his 20-year career, though the highlight of the show was when he performed "Left-Handed Kisses" from his newest record. The song is originally a duet with Fiona Apple, but she was not in attendance, so he performed both parts, but kept the sneering back and forth of the recorded version.
It was a spectacular show and a great night with great friends!
Ash Koosha is an Iranian composer, producer and graduate of the Tehran Conservatory of Music. He is also a software designer for whom visuals and sound often overlap. He released his debut album, GUUD, in 2015 to critical acclaim. He has followed that up in short order with I AKA I, another collection of intricately-constructed tracks.
Welcome the Worms is the second album from this three-piece punk outfit out of California. Since the release of their 2013 debut album, Ride Your Heart, they've experienced the less-pleasant side of life with loss of homes and relationships; experiences which influenced the writing of this album. With producer Joe Chicarelli, their sound also matures greatly on this record.
Omara Moctar is a Nigerian Tuareg guitarist whose music often addresses issues impacting his people. He risked his life in pursuit of art. The Nigerian government banned guitars for the Tuareg following the Tuareg Rebellion in 2007, and he saw fellow musicians executed. During a three-year exile, he met filmmaker Ron Wyman, who urged him to formally record his music. He released Agadez in 2011 and the Dan Auerbach-produced Nomad in 2013. His latest record was produced by David Longstreth of Dirty Projectors.
Charles Bradley became a new recording artist around the same age that other musicians are thinking retirement. Though he had performed for over 40 years, he released his first album, No Time for Dreaming, in 2011 at the age of 62. Positive response to the record kicked off a wave of success for Bradley, who followed it up with 2013's Victim of Love and this latest record, which (of all things) includes a Black Sabbath cover!
Frankie Cosmos is the stage name of Greta Kline, daughter of actors Phoebe Cates and Kevin Kline. Despite famous parents, she has been making a name for herself since 2011. She has performed with the band Porches and released her debut album, Zentropy, in 2014.
:format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(96)/discogs-images/R-8333809-1459563222-7826.jpeg.jpg)
