Louisville‘s veteran rockers MY MORNING JACKET will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their fourth full-length, called Z on October 4th. The day before, they will release a deluxe anniversary.
Press Info: “Often referred to as My Morning Jacket’s OK Computer and considered one
of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time, ‘Z’ was the pinnacle of the band’s early career upon its release and sold more than half a million copies worldwide.
This 20th Anniversary Edition was remastered from the original tapes by Emily Lazar, includes 14 unreleased outtakes and demos, and reworked artwork with unpublished photos.”
Of course ANTICS comes now in different formats Vinyl/CD/Digital with all sort of specials, a 30-page booklet and some other collector items to celebrate the 20th anniversary. All details here.
Frontman PAUL BANKS toldNME about the making of Antics: “It was a fairly organic and not-contrived evolution of where we were with our songwriting. I’d like to say that we were pushing back on these labels of being super dour in the first round, but I’m not sure how much that would have actually had an impact on the material that we then wrote for ‘Antics’. We had a lot of ‘Antics’ written by the end of the ‘Bright Lights’ tour, so it was almost like a continuation.”
Band: GARBAGE Active: 1993–2005, 2007, 2010–present Albums: 7 studio LPs so far, including the
excellent new one No Gods No Masters
20 years ago – 1 October 2001 – ardent rockers Garbage, led by the charismatic
lady Shirley Manson, released their third triumphant LP BEAUTIFUL GARBAGE.
AllMusic wrote back then: “It’s unlikely to storm the charts like their first two records, especially since there aren’t standout singles like on the earlier albums, but overall the
record works better, perhaps their best album.”
Sorry, AllMusic, it was actually a huge commercial success. The LP topped the
UK’s independent charts, the US Dance/Electronic charts, and the Australian
charts. Rolling Stone Mag named it one of its top 10 albums of the year.
The splendid video for 2nd single ‘Cherry Lips’
On 1 October a 20th Anniversary Reissue is coming our way,
featuring B-sides, demos, and remixes. Order info here.
Shirley Manson:“We wanted to celebrate the release of our third album in the same manner as we have celebrated the 20th anniversaries of our previous two records, as we cherish this third child of ours just as much as its predecessors. Over time it has garnered more and more respect from our fans, with many of the songs remaining in rotation in our live sets to this day. We’ve always felt incredibly proud of this record and felt it was in many ways very much ahead of its time. Twenty years down the line, we are all exceedingly grateful to have such well-crafted songs in our discography and are very proud that against all the odds we are still standing and can give our beloved album the tribute it so very much deserves.”
First taster is a previously unreleased alternate
rough mix of the album’s lead single Androgyny…
Info: To celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Stripes’ 3rd LP White Blood Cells, released on 3 July 2001, the aforementioned
special edition ‘Vault Package #48‘ comes in June.
Content: Two LPS – one white, one red – with 13 previously unreleased
tracks and an unreleased live set from 2001. Also a DVD with behind the
scenes footage of the album’s recording process and a 12 X 12 booklet
with flyers and photos. More info and pre-order facilities here.
Here’s an alternate take of one of the longplayer’s highlights Fell In Love With A Girl …
Going back in sonic history looking for memorable albums…
7 July 2018
Band: KINGS OF LEON
Album: YOUTH & YOUNG MANHOOD – debut LP
Released: 7 July 2003 – 15 years ago
NME said: “There aren’t many guitar bands with such a clear cut line etched down the middle of their career as Kings Of Leon. Their first phase was all grotty garage and country shakedowns and the second – post 2004’s ‘Aha Shake Heartbreak’ – a raft of ambitious widdles, grandiose riffage and some seriously intense vibes. Some fans are loyal to the former and others to the latter, but whichever side of the fence you fall on, it’s hard to deny the sheer brilliance of their very first effort.” – Full review here
TURN UP THE VOLUME says: Red-hot rawk ‘n’ roll thunder from the bad-ass start to the shaking finish. An avalanche of nasty riffs, swirling hooks and filthy licks. Brawny shit!
THREE TOP TRACKS:Molly’s Chambers / Spiral Staircase / California Waiting /
Going back in sonic history looking for memorable albums…
3 July 2018
Artist: BJÖRK
Album: DEBUT – her first solo album
Released: 5 July 1993 – 25 years ago
ALL MUSIC wrote: “Freed from the Sugarcubes’ confines, Björk takes her voice and creativity to new heights on Debut, her first work after the group’s breakup. With producer Nellee Hooper’s help, she moves in an elegantly playful, dance-inspired direction, crafting highly individual, emotional electronic pop songs. Possibly her prettiest work, Björk’s horizons expanded on her other releases, but the album still sounds fresh, which is even more impressive considering electronic music’s whiplash-speed innovations. Debut not only announced Björk’s remarkable talent; it suggested she had even more to offer.”
Score: 5/5 – Full review here
TURN UP THE VOLUME says: One of the most inventive, creative and entertaining artists in pop history, blessed with an other-worldly vox and outstanding songwriting qualities. This first-class debut started a spectacular career in sound and vision.
TOP TRACKS:Human Behaviour / Venus As A Boy / Big Time Sensuality…
Going back in sonic history looking for memorable albums…
22 February 2018
ARTIST: EVAN DANDO
ALBUM: BABY I’M BORED – his solo debut Lp (with Dando’s ex-wife
Elizabeth Moseson the album’s cover)
RELEASED: 25 February 2003 – 15 years ago…
BBC Music wrote: “It’s hard to write any review of Evan Dando’s debut album without using phrases like ‘return from the wilderness’ or ‘long-awaited comeback’. However recent interviews with Dando reveal a man hardly contrite about his lost weekend that lasted 5 years! It has to be argued that being lazily labelled as grunge’s poster boy and hanging around with Courtney Love would send any man over the edge. Yet let’s not forget that Dando is the king of the dissolute lyric, and there’s definitely something awry if this album doesn’t make you feel like curling up with a bottle of Tequila. Don’t worry it does. The lo-fi production by Bryce Goggin and Jon Brion (who contributes several co-writing credits) focuses firmly on Dando’s voice. It’s lost none of its ability to deliver memorable hooks with the kind of insouciant charm that thankfully hasn’t been diminished by his legendary self-abuse. For all its low-key charms, this is a positive reaffirmation of the talent we all knew Dando had in him. Let’s just hope that he’s now on to more productive ground. Give us more Evan, now!”
TURN UP THE VOLUME! says: a poignant album for the midnight hours, a sonic companion for lonely moments, a string of unpolished, honest songs for melancholic reflections. Half-light reveriers and semi-darkness musings…
THREE HIGHLIGHTS: Hard Drive / It Looks Like You / All My Life
* HARD DRIVE – this is what quality songwriting is all about…
* IT LOOKS LIKE YOU – sweet, catchy humdinger…
* ALL MY LIFE – just b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l…
Here’s the deluxe edition of BABY I’M BORED
released in June, last year…
Going back in sonic history looking for memorable albums…
20 February 2018
Band: RADIOHEAD Album: PABLO HONEY – the band’s debut Released: 22 February 1993 – 25 years ago… Rolling Stone wrote: “Flashing a song called ‘Creep’ as a musical ID takes cheek, but then, everything about these Brits is unabashed. On their debut, the swagger affected by every
arch-Anglo since the Kinks is already in full effect. Three guitars (and bass) and a singer
whose narcissistic angst rivals Morrissey’s (‘I will not control myself!’) Thom Yorke screams on ‘Vegetable’ and on ‘Prove Yourself’ he mourns, ‘I’m better off dead’), these five Oxford lads come on extreme. What elevates them to fab charm is not only the feedback and strumming fury of their guitar work — and the dynamism of their whisper-to-a-scream song structures — which recall the Who by way of the early Jam, but the way their solid melodies and sing-along choruses resonate pop appeal. If they don’t implode from attitude overload, Radiohead warrant watching.” Turn Up The Volume! says: their very first step to awesomeness,
geniusness and massiveness… Three Top Tracks: How Do You? / Creep / Thinking About You
* HOW DO YOU? – Radiohead would never rock like this again – nasty and rowdy…
* CREEP – simply unavoidable, because it’s a 24 Karat Gold classic…
Going back in sonic history looking for memorable albums…
15 February 2018
Artist: KATE BUSH
Album: THE KICK INSIDE – debut LP
Released: 17 February 1978 – 40 years ago
BBC Music wrote (in 2008) : “The tale’s been oft-told, but bears repeating: Discovered by a mutual friend of the Bush family as well as Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, Bush was signed on Gilmour’s advice to EMI at 16. Given a large advance and three years, ‘The Kick Inside’ was
her extraordinary debut. To this day nothing sounds like it. Using mainly session musicians,
‘The Kick Inside’ was the result of a record company actually allowing a young talent to blossom. Some of these songs were written when she was 13! Helmed by Gilmour’s friend, Andrew Powell, it’s a lush blend of piano grandiosity, vaguely uncomfortable reggae and intricate, intelligent, wonderful songs. All delivered in a voice that had no precedents. Even so, EMI wanted the dullest, most conventional track, James And The Cold Gun as the lead single, but Kate was no push over. At 19 she knew that the startling whoops and Bronte-influenced narrative of Wuthering Heights would be her make or break moment. Luckily she was allowed her head.
TURN UP THE VOLUME says: “I still remember being completely struck dumb when I
first heard this album (some years after its release, actually). That otherworldly voice. Those peculiar song structures. Those daring, mature and outspoken stories. It took
some time to fully understand the genius of this young, experimental pop phenomenon. Special then, still special now. Oh yeah, after a couple of spins yesterday and today this magnum opus sounds as spectacular and compelling as back then. Well, this is what outstanding artists are all about…
Three highlights: Wuthering Heights / Strange Phenomena / The Man With The Child In Eyes…
* WUTHERING HEIGHTS – unavoidable and imperishable…
* STRANGE PHENOMENA – angelic and mysterious…
* THE MAN WITH THE CHILD IN HIS EYES – a beauty of a different kind…
Going back in sonic history looking for memorable albums…
8 February 2018
BAND: DINOSAUR JR
ALBUM: WHERE YOU BEEN
RELEASED: 9 February 1993 – 25 years ago
ROLLING STONE wrote: “On their second major-label album, these college-underground champs recall the shambling lope of ‘Crazy Horse-era Young’, as well as hints of minor Seventies icons from ‘Blue Oyster Cult’ to ‘Humble Pie’. But far from being derivative, leader J Mascis takes a familiar deck of cards and deals out a new game. While for Young guitar clamor signaled rage and desperation, for Mascis it’s retreat. Before a roiling torrent of distorted guitars and oceanic drum bash, Mascis sings in a laid-back croak, like a character talking calmly to the camera in the midst of a riotous crowd scene. The turmoil on Where You Been is a relationship crippled
by misunderstanding, detailed in a poignant second-person narrative that consumes virtually every song on the album. Like many of its peers, Dinosaur Jr is a musical cargo cult, turning the detritus of another culture into something that can be used — and maybe even worshiped. For one of the crowning glories of slacker culture, look no further.”
TURN UP THE VOLUME! says: to my ears one the best Dinosaur longplayers – with an arresting mix of sparkling electricity, poppy grunginess and amplified balladry
THREE HIGHLIGHTS: Get Me / Out There / Not The Same
* GET ME – galvanizing mixed emotions romanticism
* OUT THERE – crackling leccy…
* NOT THE SAME – melancholic splendour at its very best…
