What's Spinning Now (June Edition - Part 2)

This Month (in alphabetical order)

Ani DiFranco - Saratoga, CA 9.18.06 (2-CD)

This is the 11th in Ani's Official Bootleg Series - a number of live albums currently covering shows from 2002 to 2007, only sold at live shows and her web site (www.righteousbabe.com). I've been listening to Ani since college and consider her to one of the pre-eminent songwriters of our time. I was able to see her live twice last year and she puts on a great show.

Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle

He's been releasing albums for almost 20 years (most of them under the moniker Smog) but I just discovered singer-songwriter Bill Callahan through a recent Pitchfork review. The vocals are subtle and live in the land somewhere between talking and singing. I like it a lot, but have a difficult time describing why.

Elvis Costello - Secret, Profane and Sugarcane

What are you doing to me, Elvis? I'm a huge fan of your work; I have 15 of your albums and after listening to this one for about a week I think it may be the low point. I hope I'm wrong and I'm not giving up yet. The album is all acoustic which is fine, but this album frequently falls awfully close to country. And, we can't have that, Elvis.

Georgia Anne Muldrow - Olesi Fragments Of An Earth

The New York Times compared her upcoming album favorably with Amy Winehouse. The new album isn't release yet so I got her previous effort. I don't think I understand the comparison fully - at least this album seems to be more rooted in jazz and hip hop.

Isis - Wavering Radiant

I should have known better. No matter how good the reviews are, any band described as "sludge-metal" and "deeply rooted in metal and hard-core" is not for me.

Leonard Cohen - Live In London (2-CD)

First, I have to say, I had no idea Leonard Cohen is turning 75 this year. In my mind he's a contemporary of The Beatles or Simon & Garfunkel, but apparently he was well into his 30s when he broke through as a singer in the late 60s. Anyway, this is a great album: a mix of his classic songs and a number of spoken word poems. I really wish I'd gone to his show on this tour - his first American tour in 15 years - who knows if I'll get another chance.

Passion Pit - Manners

This full-length album follow-up to the previous EP Chunk Of Change seems to have a few good tracks, but generally doesn't seem to be my cup of tea. Although, Sleepyhead, which can also be found on this album, remains a great, fun, move-your-entire-body song.

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

This French band is touring the US this summer, but they are not coming to Phoenix. What's that all about? No matter, I don't think I'd go anyway. I like the single Lisztomania, but the rest of the album hasn't grabbed me yet.

Sonya Kitchell - This Storm

The season finale of the TV show The Unit ended with a montage and a song that really caught my attention. Thanks to Shazam and my trusty iPhone I learned it was Sonya Kitchell's great song Soldier's Lament. The rest of the album seems promising.

Tori Amos - Abnormally Attracted To Sin

I like most albums by Tori - my favorite is Boys For Pele - and this one seems good so far.

The Vaselines - Enter The Vaselines (2-CD)

This is essentially a re-release of the 1992 compilation album The Way of the Vaselines: A Complete History with an additional second CD with demos and live tracks. Apparently Kurt Cobain described Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee as his "most favorite songwriters in the whole world" and named his daughter Frances Bean Cobain after McKee.

Well, they were only active for a few years in the late 80s, and only released a couple of EPs and one album, so this is pretty much their collected works. They have recently reformed for a tour which spawned the release of this album. I was not familiar with them during their original stint, and I've only listened to the first disc so far, but it seems promising.

Wavves - Wavvves

Holy crap - with the emphasis on crap - what a noise-fest. This album has received great reviews across the board but I don't get it. Maybe I'm too old for this. One sign would be that I recently read a short article about one of their shows and I couldn't tell whether the writer thought it was great or absolutely terrible.

White Rabbits - It's Frightening

More indie post-punk. I think I like several of their songs - a bit too early to tell...

What's spinning now (June Edition - Part 1)

Last Month Revisited

Ane Brun - Changing Of The Seasons
This is a more even album than her debut Spending Time With Morgan. Several great tracks and no real weak spots. I need to check out her interim albums - particularly A Temporary Dive. And, one more shoutout for the standalone slowed down cover of Big In Japan. Great interpretation. (8/10)

Anni Rossi - Rockwell
I didn't like it as much as I wanted to. She plays the viola and her singing reminds me of Regina Spektor. A good recipe, but something's missing. (5/10)

Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
A bit too produced/polished for my taste, but still a strong effort. The brilliant track Away With Murder alone makes this worth getting. (7/10)

Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains
Standard lo-fi indie rock. A couple of good songs, but that's about it. (4/10)

Doves - Kingdom Of Rust
Solid album overall. I can't improve on this description of the album, made by The Observer: "There's a dreamy, addictive sadness to proceedings, their customary gruff melancholy now inflated to match the panoramic setting." Impressive stuff. (7/10)

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
Ok, so I've learned now that Veckatimest is an uninhabited island near Martha's Vineyard. Like their previous albums, it's a subtle and precise effort that will not immediately grab you, but rewards repeated listening. In fact, I've heard most of the songs over a dozen times (I mostly listen to my music on shuffle) over the past seven weeks and I feel like I'm still just beginning to know the album. (8/10)

Hanne Hukkelberg - Blood From A Stone
Hmm...I can't decide whether this album is bland or subtle. I really like her previous two albums (Little Things and Rykestrasse) but this one doesn't do it for me. If you're not familar with her work, pick up either of the first two. (5/10)

Ida Maria - Fortress Round My Heart
I really like this album. Ida Maria is a veritable package of energy, belting her heart out, and she's got the tunes to back it up. She's currently on a US tour, and unfortunately she's coming to Scottsdale on June 24 when I'm out of town. She will be performing at Martini Ranch which is only a block form my apartment. Bummer. Although, later this summer she will be touring with Glasvegas, so I may try to catch them both at the House of Blues in Vegas on July 31. (8/10)

Röyksopp - Junior
I've must say that electronica is normally not in my wheelhouse, but this album is so good it wins me over. Lots of catchy tunes. Lots of fun. (7/10)

St. Vincent - Actor
I feel like I should withhold judgment on this one - I like it so far, but haven't really gotten to know it yet. Here's a tentative rating - I will revisit it next month. (6-7/10)

Telepathe - Dance Mother
Several very good tracks but a bit too uneven overall. (6/10)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
I like a number of tracks here: Zero, Heads Will Roll, Runaway and a few others, but there are too many weak spots to make this a great album. (6/10)

What's your Mental Ground Zero?

Here's another Generation X definition that got me thinking. Mental Ground Zero: The location where one visualizes oneself during the dropping of the atomic bomb; frequently, a shopping mall.

I can't remember ever thinking about where I would be "during the dropping of the atomic bomb." Why is that? Generational? I'm twelve years younger than Douglas Coupland. Does that mean I'm not part of Generation X? I remember the cold war - I was a teenager when it ended - and that WWIII was a real possibility, but I don't remember visualizing the dropping of atomic bombs. (At least not the atomic bomb - like it's an inevitability and only a matter of time.)

Maybe growing up in Sweden was different. Maybe I don't worry much? Maybe I was a child with poor imagination?Maybe my memory is bad? I can't say I have a great deal of memories from my childhood. Is that normal? Has my move abroad - being so far away from all the people and places I grew up with - disconnected me from all that?