SINGLES
SUNNY AND THE SUNLINERS - I Can Remember (Big Crown Records)
by Ancient Champion
From the forthcoming LP (July) 'Mr. Brown Eyed Soul Vol. 2' comes the stellar single 'I Can Remember.' Totally amazing how Big Crown Records, outta Brooklyn, how they do it time after time. Sunny Ozuna is a living legend and a man worthy of praise on many levels. In the Texas and Latin Music pantheon, few have been at it longer and are more revered by their fans and peers than Sunny is. He became a star right out of high school in the late ‘50s and hasn’t looked back in the seven decades since. Among countless other honors and notable achievements, Sunny was the first Latino artist to appear on Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand” (in 1963). He penned "Smile Now, Cry Later," a hit for him and The Sunliners, which along with the theater masks that grace the album's cover, became staples in the Chicano Soul and Lowrider Soul cultures. Hear more and read the entire story of how this great record came together right here.
MURA MASA, PA SALIEU AND SKILLIBENG - Blessing (Polydor)
by Tim London
This is a very rude song. from what I can make out. But, truth is, I don’t know why he’s asking baby why she(?)’s blessing. Maybe she’s a nun. Or a priest. Or, more likely, there’s a use of the term that eludes me and is specific to Jamaica. Without this crucial knowledge I am left with some amused sounding chat over a fat beat and there are worse things than that.
ATTAWALPA - Too Much (Attawalpa Records)
by Tim London
Honestly, I could’ve forgiven this fixed gear bike of a London noodle if it hadn’t been for the guitar solo. Just no excuse, not even ironically, for that kind of thing. What kind of thing? The squealing, over saturated with classy fuzz 1980s get a metal player in for an r&b pop song type of thing. The kind of solo rappers slap on a tune when they’ve been told they’re playing Glastonbury.
HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR AND ANOHNI - One (BMG)
by Tim London
The artist previously known as Anthony reprises his work with HLA which produced the incredible track Blind, all them years ago. I am listening with a biased ear, though, because the people behind Hercules & Love Affair ripped me off a few years back. So the fact that I’m enjoying the listen is tearing me apart. OK, it’s just giving me a bit of gip. Let’s not get hysterical here. Bastards.
LPs
MAZ O'CONNOR - What I Wanted (Restless Head)
by Jay Lewis
Jay Lewis says Maz O'Connor's LP is "Something very exciting indeed!" Right over here...
WALKER BRIGADE - If Only (Big Stir)
by John Robinson
John Robinson reviews the self-described postpunk Walker Brigade in full, right here
PORRIDGE RADIO - Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder to the Sky (Secretly Canadian)
by Ancient Champion
It's almost a relief as much as a joy to hear a British act that is brilliant... Just doesn't happen anymore. Especially armed with guitars. And Porridge Radio are armed with way more than Porridge. There's something unpretentiously direct. Good outfits, good French new wave hair and good guitar. Repeating a hundred times "I don't wanna be loved." Doesn't mean you can't be. Some love lost however upon checking their tour itinerary, brilliant British guitar band skips Birmingham all together on their world tour. Does get in Hebden Bridge, that hotbed of rocknroll. Pretty great LP. (Nice credit: Thanks to Father Nick for making this video happen)
SEX PISTOLS - Sex Pistols: The Original Recordings (Virgin / Warner Bros.)
by Spanish Pantalones
This isn't so much of a review as it is a warning. If you already own Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols and The Great Rock & Roll Swindle, there's absolutely no reason to buy this cash-in double LP that's feeding off the ridiculous new television mini-series based on the Pistol's origins and death. There's no point in dropping $50 for this double LP unless you're a completist. There's also not much of a point in watching FX's Pistol, Alex Cox's Sid & Nancy already did a good job telling the story. (Don't believe me? Watch the trailer below.)
ABBA - The Albums (Polydor/UMC)
by Alarcon
You already know how I feel about the recent ABBA revival/cash-in, but this super deluxe box set really chaps my hide. Up to $250 for all 10 of their albums? The hubris!
LIAM GALLAGHER - C’MON YOU KNOW (Warner Records)
by Spanish Pantalones
All things considered, I’m really surprised how much I like this one – the lead-off single (“Diamond in the Dark”) is a certified toe-tapper. Liam Gallagher’s third solo album isn’t all that bad, there’s flow to it, a smooth outer layer surrounding a warm gooey center. (Fantastic cover art, too.) Much more listenable than Noel’s Flying Birds output. C’MON YOU KNOW (all caps, copy editors!) should do well this summer, especially since its release is foreshadowing Liam’s jumbo-sized concert next week at Knebworth (June 4th), commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Oasis’s now-legendary, record-setting concerts at the park.
THE FAMILY GRAVE - Happy Songs (The Family Grave Records)
by Ancient Champion
Obtuse yet warmly warm folky goodness, straight outta Brighton in the UK. Track by track first among the Family Grave, Jon right over here
VARIOUS ARTISTS - TRON: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Walt Disney Records)
by Spanish Pantalones
This is a reissue, and I rarely review reissues unless the new record has 1) new material, 2) fancy, new packaging, or in this case, 3) the musician is one of those rare birds that transcends their genre. Wendy Carlos is one of those rare birds and her pedigree is top shelf – she tickled the keys on platters for A Clockwork Orange and The Shining and she released Switched-On Bach all the way back in 1968 when no one was doing electronic baroque stuff. All that said, you don’t have to like TRON to slip into this one – hell, I’ve never even seen a TRON movie, but I still adore this score. (Warning: There are a couple of Journey songs here, but they’re not that bad, and you can always just poke the fast-forward button like I do – it saves the integrity of Carlos’s haunting soundscape.)
DEF LEPPARD - Diamond Star Halos (Mercury Records) ZERO s
by Spanish Pantalones
The fact that these metal hacks are in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame proves how little relevance the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame possesses. Diamond Star Halos sounds exactly like everything Def Leppard has ever recorded before, only now it’s being processed through Pro Tools. You’ll get the chanted choruses, squealing guitar solos, juvenile lyrics –- it’s just a lazy effort, man. Def Leppard embark on a massive tour with Motley Crue in a few days, but I doubt very many songs on this record will be performed, and why would anyone want to hear them anyway?
Essential Info
Main image, Sunny and the Sunliners from Big Crown Records website
