Rufus Wainwright
TROUBLE iN PARADiSE alter:MiX # 33 alter tracks in PRSNT_PRFCT_MiX [from recent past] # Rufus Wainwright, Benjamin Biolay, Beck, Spice Boys, Khruangbin, Algiers,Steve Gunn,Dream Wife,Jon Spencer, Cat Clyde,The Sufis,Arbor Labor Union,CocoRosie
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Juno-winning singer/songwriter from a famed musical family but with a style all his own drawn from influences spanning Tin Pan Alley and opera.
Rufus Wainwright
Trouble In Paradise
Unfollow The Rules
from Unfollow the Rules 2020
His tenth album overall, Unfollow the Rules signifies an emphatic return to pop for Rufus Wainwright following a recording of his first opera (2015's Prima Donna) and a set of Shakespeare sonnets set to music (2016's Take All My Loves). It also represents a career marker of sorts; returning to Los Angeles and specifically Sound City Studios, where Wainwright recorded his 1998 eponymous debut, the songwriter has described it as a bookend to the first part of his career. A lush, theatrical, nearly hourlong 12-track set recorded with legendary producer Mitchell Froom (Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, Crowded House), it opens with the sleek pairing of Wainwright's vocals and a drum beat by Matt Chamberlain before "Trouble in Paradise" breaks open with dense, pointed vocal harmonies...
French pop singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer who is the only loigical successor in chanson to Serge Gainshbourg.
Benjamin Biolay
Comment est ta peine ?
Idéogrammes
from Grand Prix 2020
France's Benjamin Biolay left behind his provocative Buenos Aires cycle after two acclaimed albums, Palermo Hollywood in 2016 and the platinum-certified Volver in 2017). Grand Prix is nostalgic and unquestionably autobiographical. Its title references Formula 1 racing's excitement, drama, heroes, and tragedies. "Grand Prize" artfully contrasts racing with his own life experiences and the sacrifices he's made in pursuit of art... with a small band, analog synths, complete guitar and drum takes, and live vocals in songs that caress elements of Krautrock, post-punk, Brit-and electro-pop, Euro-disco, chanson, and MPB.
One of the most inventive, eclectic figures of the alternative era, the epitome of post-modern chic in an era obsessed with junk culture.
Beck
Hyperspace
Dark Places
from Hyperspace 2019
Hyperspace is one of those Beck projects that came together quickly. At the conclusion of the supporting tour for 2017's Colors, Beck headed into the studio with Pharrell Williams with the intention of contributing to a new N.E.R.D album, but they wound up hitting it off... With its layers of analog synths and drum machines, it's hard to escape the new wave trappings of Hyperspace, yet the album is devoid of nostalgia or irony... Beck never lingers upon either his melancholy or his celestial flights of fantasy: they exist simultaneously, resulting in a tremulous and pretty soundtrack for moments of fleeting introspection.
Raucous Swedish garage punks Spice Boys formed in Umeå in late 2015, establishing themselves quickly in the local scene... The quartet of Adam Forsberg, Jesper Lindkivst, Emil Uppenberg, and Sebastian Holmlund returned in January 2018 with their first full-length release, Glade.
Spice Boys
Spice City Boys
Mirages
from Glade 2018
A raucous garage punk quartet hailing from Umeå, Sweden, Spice Boys follow up their 2017 Spice City EP with Glade, their first full-length outing. Formed in 2015, the group is a natural fit for Stockholm label PNKSLM, whose roster of similarly irreverent lo-fi acts includes London duo Shit Girlfriend and fellow Swede ShitKid. With the help of producer/collaborator Simon Skeleton, Glade's 13 cuts were banged out in one presumably deafening weekend followed by a handful of overdub sessions to complete the Boys' cultivated vibe of ramshackle, surf-inspired, urban disillusionment. Despite their Nordic climes, their loose and clamorous guitar attack shares plenty of similarities with the D.I.Y. sounds of California's Burger Records empire. The songwriting and vocals are shared by guitarists Sebastian Holmlund and Adam Forsberg, who take turns exchanging abrasive leads and sprightly strumming as rhythm battery Jesper Lindkvist and Emil Uppenberg hasten to keep the train on the tracks...
Khruangbin (Thai for airplane, or literally "engine fly") are a jet-setting trio from Texas whose smooth, groove-heavy music is heavily inspired by Thai rock and funk from the '60s and '70s, as well as a multitude of other influences ranging from surf rock to dub to Iranian pop.
Khruangbin
Cómo Me Quieres
Shades of Man
Rules
from Con Todo el Mundo 2018
Texan trio Khruangbin named themselves after the Thai word for airplane, which couldn't be more appropriate for a band whose influences imply heavy passport usage. Of course, the band are inspired by Thai rock and funk from the '60s and '70s -- sounds most easily available to Western ears via releases like the Thai Beat a Go-Go compilations or anything issued by ZudRangMa Records. The group also draw from the bass pressure of vintage dub reggae, the free-spirited haziness of California psychedelia, and the gritty passion of '70s soul, with hints of Iranian pop, Afrobeat, Spaghetti Western film scores, and countless other styles. While this sounds like it could be an impossibly tall order, or something that requires an encyclopedic knowledge of music just to listen to, the band achieve a remarkably, almost effortlessly cohesive sound, and it goes down much more smoothly than one might expect...
This transcontinental trio formed in Georgia, playing an urgent hybrid of gospel, blues, and noisy post-punk. Algiers are a politically conscious indie trio who combine elements of post-punk and no wave with raw blues, gospel, and even early industrial music.Algiers There Is No Year
Losing Is Ours
There Is No Year, the third album by Atlanta-based Algiers, was co-produced by Randall Dunn and Ben Greenberg. It further extends the reach of their previous outings while offering a more strategically articulated, disciplined musicality without sacrificing their core sound or blunting their emotional impact. In a scalding gumbo of post-punk mania, mutant gospel, shambolic blues, and ravaged funk and soul, they add more grimy electronic and industrial elements to their attack. Pulsing synths and electronic, clattering, mechanized beats (recalling the manic approach of Suicide's first album) introduce the opening title track. Vocalist/lyricist Franklin James Fisher begins testifying with an activist's conviction and a soul man's heart. His urgency offers keen, righteous, social and cultural critique rather than indictment and judgment. A sax breakdown by guest Skerik pushes the margin... On "Losing Is Ours," Lee Tesche's squalling, acid-drenched blues guitar meets dissonant synth, harsh noise, and Ryan Mahan's processional piano as Fisher's vocal soars above it all; Skerik's horn once more adds an out-jazz dimension...
Virtuoso guitarist, songwriter, and producer best-known as a go-to musician, a member of the trio GHQ, and frequent solo recordings. new moon
new familiar
Annabel Mehran's black-and-white cover photo for Steve Gunn's The Unseen In Between is a portrait of the guitarist and songwriter seemingly on the move. It evokes those found on early- to mid-'60s recordings by Bob Dylan, Koerner, Ray & Glover, Jackson C. Frank, Bert Jansch, and others... Gunn's also a more confident, capable singer than he was on 2016's Eyes on the Lines and it shows. He places his voice at the center of producer/guitarist James Elkington's beautifully layered, multi-textured mix. Gunn enlisted Tony Garnier, Dylan's bassist of 30 years as his musical director, along with Elkington (who also contributes guitars, harmonica, and keyboards), drummer T.J Mainani, keyboardist Daniel Schlett, string players Macie Stewart and Lia Kohl, and clarinetist Jacob Daneman. Opener "New Moon" commences with an acoustic guitar and bassline delivering a syncopated psych-folk vamp before a heavily reverbed electric guitar paints over them both. His delivery walks the line between folk, blues, and psychedelia as the tune unfolds its suggestive, fleeting landscapes and emotional states... "New Familiar" utilizes a hypnotic drone and repetitive single-string guitar lines done raga style to introduce a sprawling, labyrinthine rock number...
Arty, all-female British trio influenced by '90s indie rock, punk, and ambient pop. With their brashly catchy mix of punk and pop and proudly feminist viewpoint, Dream Wife continue the empowering lineage of the Slits, Debbie Harry, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Le Tigre. Thanks to their clever songwriting and abundant hooks -- and Rakel Mjöll's ability to shift from a coo to a howl in an instant -- Dream Wife's manifestos about gender roles, body image, and identity feel thrilling rather than pedantic. Let's Make Out
Fire
Hey Heartbreaker
Infusing the angular sounds of the early aughts with a healthy dose of riot grrrl power, indie rock outfit Dream Wife delivered a fierce debut packed with jagged guitar riffs, sneering kiss-offs, and irresistible charm. On Dream Wife, the trio of Rakel Mjoll, Alice Go, and Bella Podpadec channel their predecessors with precision and ease, distilling the grit and groove of early Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sahara Hotnights, and the Sounds, while paying their respects to forebears like Sleater-Kinney and Kathleen Hanna's Bikini Kill, and Le Tigre... Dream Wife have seized a certain energy that is undeniable and -- despite the myriad inspirations and easy comparisons -- feels so fresh and alive, enough to make their trailblazing influences proud.
Scuzz-rocking guitarist who fused ernest traditionalism and destructive tendencies fronting Pussy Galore, the Blues Explosion, and Heavy Trash. Best known as the leader of punk-blues firebrands the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Jon Spencer became a major figure in noise rock and alternative rock circles for his gritty, combustible songs, fiercely minimalistic guitar work, and over-the-top performing style. Trash Can
Love Handle
I Got the Hits
...More than anything, Spencer Sings the Hits suggests the Blues Explosion without the same degree of fire and gravity, and with a little bit of noisy clatter and keyboard blurt added for seasoning. The high-attitude strut of Spencer's vocals is as loud and proud as ever, and the minimalist snarl of his guitar work is similarly confident. But where Judah Bauer and Russell Simins pushed Spencer forward, giving as good as he gave out, percussionist M. Sord and keyboardist Sam Coomes follow the star rather than walking in formation with him, and it makes a difference...
Cat Clyde is a new artist out of Stratford, Ontario. A fresh take on the classic sounds of yesteryear. She breathes new life into the velvety vocal, tack-piano, slide-guitar-style that can instantly walk you through the swinging doors of a packed saloon. With influences ranging from Etta James to Kevin Morby to Lead Belly; hers is a mix that goes down smoother than a neat glass of mellow Kentucky bourbon. No longer do you need to reach for your trusty sifting pan and river boots to find gold. You just need to know one name Bird Bone
Not Like You
Reach It
The melodies of Hunters Trance will inspire you to pour a glass of whiskey and sulk at a bar; it epitomizes the grudge and allure that is notorious of blues-truly authentic and particularly chilling. Cat's voice encapsulates the essence of inspirations such as Amy Winehouse and Janis Joplin to remind us that music that comes from the soul is never outdated and forever transformative. Whether you’re a die hard bluesy-folk fan or not, Cat Clyde’s velvety voice will bury into your heart, stick in your mind, and leave you with that familiar bittersweet taste in your mouth.
Nashville duo dedicated to reviving mid-'60s garage rock and psychedelic pop. The Sufis began their career dedicated to excavating garage rock nuggets and re-creating them in lo-fi, bedroom psych style. After releasing two albums that sounded like a cross between the Byrds, (the original) Nirvana, and the house band on Shindig, the duo added synthesizers, dubby post-chillwave psych, and smooth soft rock textures to their sound on a pair of albums that brought them up to date. Find Your Friends
Cleveland
Too Far
The Sufis' fourth album, Double Exposure, follows in the same lo-fi, weird, and woolly bedroom psych footsteps as their previous album did. Only this time the duo have a much more focused and animated approach to the writing and recording process and punch their performances up just a touch. The sound might be oddly smooth and bathed in cheapo synths, warbly vocals, and drums that sound like they have an inch of water sloshing around inside them, but the songs are shiny and sharp as diamonds. Each track connects like a sucker punch, whether it's the bubbling post-Ariel Pink pop of "Find Your Friends," the compressed jangle pop of "Cleveland," the moody new wave of "Too Far"... they vault to the forefront of the style with an album that shows off their skills as writers, performers, producers, and arrangers like none of their other records has, and few other bands of their ilk have either.
Georgia-based rock band combines philosophical trippiness with stoner rock firepower; formerly known as Pinecones. Riddle Snake Blues
How Long Was I Gone
Highway Loop
After changing their name from Pinecones to the even-greener Arbor Labor Union, this Georgia four-piece debuted on Sub Pop with I Hear You, a peculiar mix of stoner rock, post-punk, and psychedelia with a just a touch of twang. The album introduced the group's core guitar duo of singer Bo Orr and fellow axeman Brian Adams who, when not chugging mightily at a middling pace, were prone to writing spry and intriguing circular riffs that spun neatly throughout the songs. It's the latter of those two tendencies that comes to the foreground on New Petal Instants, the band's eccentric 2020 follow-up...
Duo formed by sisters Sierra and Bianca Casady, whose distinctive and beautiful sound draws on indie, electronic, and lo-fi. The project of multi-disciplinary artists and sisters Bianca and Sierra Casady, CocoRosie combines a wealth of influences -- hip-hop, folk, opera, electronic, found sounds, and more -- into an unmistakable and often poignant sound. High Road
Hell's Gate
Slow Down Sun Down
Since La Maison de Mon Rêve's "By Your Side," CocoRosie have juxtaposed old and new sounds and attitudes towards relationships in intriguing ways. They continue to mine this territory on Put the Shine On, but this time, Sierra and Bianca Casady's tales of girls and women dealing with men -- especially fathers -- who are absent and abusive are more bemusing than thought-provoking. This is due in large part to the album's sound, which polarizes CocoRosie's collages of unexpected elements into extremes...
2019
