Well, here I am again, ready to sum up my picks for the best music of the previous month. April 2013 will always be defined by its middle, involving the horrific bombing of the Boston Marathon and subsequent paralyzing manhunt. But if you were trying to find a distraction from this senseless act, the new records of April were more than capable. Five April Tuesdays meant that the good albums were even more numerous. Highly anticipated included Phoenix, James Blake, The Flaming Lips, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Iron & Wine and The Knife and they largely delivered. Enjoy what's likely the best month of 2013 music so far.
Honorable mentions: Phoenix - Bankrupt! (Glassnote), Junip - Junip (Mute), Letherette - Letherette (Ninja Tune), !!! - Thr!!!er (Warp), Kurt Vile - Wakin On A Pretty Daze (Matador)
10. Iron & Wine - Ghost on Ghost (Nonesuch)
South Carolina-born Sam Beam (a.k.a. Iron & Wine) said he wanted to stay away from the "nervous tension" of his previous two albums for his latest release. His last album "Kiss Each Other Clean" was probably the worst offender, jumping between 70's AM radio styles at a moment's notice. Not to say that "Ghost on Ghost" never sounds anxious. On the contrary, "Low Light Buddy of Mine" practically boils over with tension between Beam and a friend jealous of his love affair. "Ghost" carries the same eclecticism as "Clean", but it's more subtle, streamlined and jazz-oriented. Yet you still get Beam's strong melodies and terrific falsetto background harmonies. He may be more relaxed, but he's still in top form.
Key Track: Lovers' Revolution
9. Thee Oh Sees - Floating Coffin (Castle Face)
In its 15+ year existence, this quintet from San Francisco has had nearly as many name changes as albums. They've released a staggering seven albums in five years as Thee Oh Sees and even have a semi-steady tambourine player. Their latest, the rocking, psychedelic "Floating Coffin", only gives the sense that the band is hitting its stride after their return to self-releasing albums. It carries on the great tradition of San Francisco rock, right down to vocalists John Dwyer and Brigid Dawson recalling the Grace Slick/Marty Balin combination in Jefferson Airplane. And they have great range too, going from the filthy chug of "Toe Cutter - Thumb Buster" to the near-whimsy of "Minotaur". Perhaps the finest release to date from a very consistent band.
Key Track: I Come From The Mountain
8. Charles Bradley - Victim of Love (Daptone)
Daptone Records is famous for their soul revival sound, lovingly recreating the aesthetics of 60's and 70's R&B. In terms of authenticity and quality, the label has released few better than "Victim of Love", the second album from 65 year old Gainesville, Florida native Charles Bradley. The strange and compelling story of Bradley (past lives as a Maine chef, hitchhiker and James Brown impersonator) might have overshadowed his music career, but an album such as "Victim" that distills its influences so well makes it a footnote. With a gruff, soulful voice that is equal parts James Brown and Otis Redding and the steady backing of the Menahan Street Band, Bradley brings his best right out of the gate on "Strictly Reserved for You". Good thing they still make records like they used to.
Key Track: Strictly Reserved for You
7. Colin Stetson - New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light (Constellation)
Bass Saxophonist Colin Stetson has carved out quite a niche for himself as sideman and tour member, working with luminaries such as Tom Waits, Arcade Fire and Bon Iver. But it is Stetson's now completed "New History Warfare" trilogy that has made him so prominent and unique. "Vol. 3" rounds out the series nicely with more of the same: a startling, loop-based sound where Stetson uses his sax to create some kind of jazz-drone hybrid in a single live take. That, and Stetson frequently turns his instrument into an abrasive, howling monster ("Brute", "Hunted") all while showcasing his virtuosity ("Among the Sef"). Justin Vernon himself then returns the favor, adding his trademark falsetto here and there, including the gorgeous "And In Truth". If you thought jazz and electronics could never go together, Stetson has proved you wrong...again.
Key Track: Who the Waves Are Roaring For
6. Bombino - Nomad (Nonesuch)
Omara Moctar (a.k.a. Bombino) has a lot on his mind. As a member of the Tuareg people, nomads (get it?) better known as Berbers who mainly inhibit the Sahara desert, Moctar is singing and playing for their concerns in the face of a very real rebellion in which he was exiled from Niger. "Nomad" is Moctar's second album of properly recorded material, and this time he has the capable The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach as producer. The results are explosive; Moctar's vocals are sinewy and filled with protest, even to those who don't speak the Tuareg language Tamashek. But it's his twangy blues riffs that drive "Nomad", showing an adept ear for melody and an effective use of overdubs. This album cements Bombino's place as a top notch African musician, whose subject matter and sound may be the most dynamic since Fela Kuti.
Key Track: Amidinine
5. Ghostface Killah & Adrian Younge - Twelve Reasons To Die (Soul Temple)
Just as it seemed Dennis Coles (a.k.a. Ghostface Killah of rap group Wu-Tang clan) was starting to stagnate artistically, he pulls another rabbit out of the hat. This surprise is his 10th album "Twelve Reasons to Die", in which he tapped producer/composer Adrian Younge for collaboration, who is best known for his dead-on 60's/70's nostalgia in the "Black Dynamite" soundtrack and a solid album with The Delfonics earlier this year. "Twelve" showcases the best of both parties, with Younge's punchy drums and cinematic organ as a great backing for Coles's top-notch storytelling. And it is the coherent story of the album (narrated by RZA), seemingly an origin story of the Ghostface Killah, that thrills by sounding like "The Godfather" meets "Nightmare on Elm Street" right down to the Freddy Kreuger-esque nails on the proverbial "Ghostface" of the album cover.
Key Track: The Sure Shot (Parts One & Two)
4. The Haxan Cloak - Excavation (Tri Angle)
It could be said that part of the human condition is wondering what happens after you die. Will it be a peaceful transition, or will your soul wander aimlessly? Electronic/metal producer Bobby Krlic (a.k.a. The Haxan Cloak) has attempted to answer this question with his second proper album "Excavation", and his findings are not exactly comforting. The album is more electronic than Krlic's earlier work, but it still keeps the droning and distorted waves zooming past. At the same time, it invokes a fascination and dread of the unknown, its sub-sub bass giving the sense that this is just the tip of the dark and gloomy iceberg. But before you dismiss Krlic as a more experimental Burial, consider his more unsettling touches such as the nauseating string section on "Mara" or the manipulated yelp of surprise in "Miste". If anything, "Excavation" signals a big arrival in electronic music with a unique sound.
Key Track: Excavation (Part 1)
3. The Flaming Lips - The Terror (Warner Bros.)
Eleven years ago, vocalist Wayne Coyne sang "everyone you know someday will die" on "Do You Realize!?!". Sure, the line was somewhat bleak, but at least is was surrounded by lush, uplifting music. "The Terror", the thirteenth album of the Oklahoma City quintet's illustrious career, is anything but uplifting. Devastated by recent lost love, Coyne and co. carry over the dirty psychedelia of "Embryonic" into something more insular, tortured and hopeless. "Look...The Sun Is Rising" takes an everyday occurrence and makes it sound borderline apocalyptic. "You Lust" and "Butterfly (How Long It Takes To Die)" also stand out, with a mournful synth line in the former and angry guitar scratches in the latter. But perhaps the most compelling thing about is not the bleakness, but the indifference when songs such as "Lust" eventually trail off into a dreamy trance. In all, a remarkable album by a band who can still find daring new ground.
Key Track: You Lust
2. The Knife - Shaking The Habitual (Rabid)
The Swedish electronic sibling duo of Karen Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer, a.k.a. The Knife, have been on their own plane of existence for nearly ten years, making music and speaking out however they please. After 2006's excellent "Silent Shout" comes another major transition in the triple LP "Shaking The Habitual", perhaps their most challenging album yet. From the get go, the album takes no prisoners, musically and lyrically, taking inspiration from feminism and queer theory as well as railing against the royal family, the nuclear family and the blatant commercialism of the music industry. "A Tooth for an Eye" is skipping yet forceful, driven by Andersson's Bjork-esque wails. "Full of Fire" is even more off-the-wall, a nine-minute tour de force of furious, morphing drum machines and visceral DJ scratching. On the other end, you get the ambient, 19-minute "Old Dreams Waiting To Be Realized". As an album that is so ambitious and breathtaking in its scope that it threatens to spread itself too thin, "Habitual" still manages to sound groundbreaking; another big feather in The Knife's cap.
Key Track: Full of Fire
1. James Blake - Overgrown (Polydor)
Enough Thunder EP. Love What Happened Here EP. Fall Creek Boys Choir (with Bon Iver). These are the releases since his excellent self-titled debut album that show the prolific producer/singer has kept busy. Now that the Joni Mitchell covers have come and gone, he's standing before us because he knows we've gotten a good look at him. To be honest, I was a little disappointed that Blake's song structures on "Overgrown" were, shall we say, more conventional. A big part of the beauty of his debut for me was the sketches-not-songs feel that added a lot of mystique. But of course, Blake is three steps ahead of his listeners, as always. All of his strengths--sophisticated chord progressions, impeccable production and velvety voice--are all on full display on "Overgrown", except that they are being used together more effectively than ever before. The title track starts with Blake's hushed vocals, piano and bubbling electronics, but soon adds a whole string section to great effect. "Retrograde", "Digital Lion" (with Brian Eno) and "Voyeur" also stand out, creating dark, insular landscapes where Blake shows his ability to build tension, morph song structure and captivate with melody simultaneously. If "Overgrown" doesn't cement his status has one of the best artists around today, then nothing will.
Key Track: Retrograde
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