Tag: 2020s
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Sara Watkins, Under the Pepper Tree, 2021 on New West
I’ve been a big fan of Sara Watkins going back to Nickel Creek, I’m With Her, and her solo work. Great versions of “Pure Imagination” and “Tumbling Tumbleweeds.” Produced by Tyler Chester and with guests from I’m With Her and Nickel Creek My copy direct from New West
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Erika Lewis, A Walk Around The Sun, 2022 self-released
I knew Erika Lewis from Tuba Skinny, of which I’m a huge fan, so I picked up this solo album when I heard it had been released. It was produced by John James Tourville of The Deslondes. It’s a different register than the Tuba Skinny repertoire – more in a roots / americana / even…
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Stella Donnelly, Flood, 2022 on Secretly Canadian
Nothing to do, so far as I can tell, with the They Might Be Giants album of the same name. Donnelly is Australian in the vein of Courtney Barnett and cites Barnett and Billy Bragg as influences. This was her second solo album and was written at least partly during the pandemic. Co-produced by Donnelly…
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Various Artists, Magnolia Record Club Presents NPR Tiny Desk Concerts, 2022 on Dualtone
Sadly, heard last week Bob Boilen is retiring from NPR Music. This record collects some strong performances from the Tiny Desk concert series – but really there are so many gems in the series it is just a bit of a taste: Selections make sense for Magnolia Record Club and fit generally their curation (it…
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Rachel Kiel, Dream Logic, 2020, Self-Released
Kiel is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from North Carolina. This is her fourth full-length album, and features a bunch of guests, including Mitch Easter and Robert Sledge (Ben Folds Five). It was recorded and co-produced by Jeff Crawford. My copy via VNYL curation, on translucent blue vinyl. Not likely something I’d have picked up myself…
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Jenny Don’t and The Spurs, Fire on the Ridge, 2021 on Fluff and Gravy Records
One of the great finds curated for me by VNYL, to which I used to subscribe. Something of a cowpunk / outlaw country outfit from Portland OR (not normally thought of as the home of country music). Jenny Connors (aka Jenny Don’t) previously fronted a punk outfit called DON’T along with Kelly Halliburton who also…
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Billy F Gibbons, Hardware, 2021 on Concord Records
Billy Gibbons is best known as one third of ZZ Top, but has released a lot of music under other side brands as well. This LP, his third “solo” recording, came out in 2021 and is Gibbons working with Mike Fiorentino, Matt Sorum, and Chad Shlosser. I also saw Gibbons at the Cabot Theater in…
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Laura Veirs, My Echo, 2020 on Raven Marching Band Records
Portland Oregon singer-songwriter who’s been putting out consistently strong records since 1999’s self-titled debut. Produced by Tucker Martine, with a set of musicians including Karl Blau, Justin Chase, Steve Moore, and Tim Young and guest spots from Bill Frisell, M. Ward and Jim James. My copy (on pink translucent vinyl) via Newbury Comics in Boston.
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Various Artists, AngelHeaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan & T. Rex, 2020 on BMG.
Hal Wilner produced tribute to Marc Bolan & T. Rex, featuring a wide variety of artists and styles. Wilner was also said to be working on a documentary but died in 2020 after assembling the album. The film was made by Ethan Silverman as one that “Celebrates the life and work of glam rock pioneer…
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Chrissie Hynde, Standing in the Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan, 2021 on BMG
I’m a sucker for a cover album, especially one dedicated to a specific artist. I’m also a huge fan of both Bob Dylan and Chrissie Hynde, so it should not be surprising I was excited to find this record. Hynde is joined by The Pretenders‘ James Walbourne and engineer/producer Tchad Blake, but the instrumentation and…
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Angel Olsen, Big Time, 2022 on Jagjaguwar.
I’ve long been a fan of Angel Olsen, going back to Burn Your Fire For No Witness in 2014. This release was a Secretly Society selection in June of 2022. Jonathan Wilson (who has also produced albums by Dawes, Mia Doi Todd , Bonnie Prince Billy, Billy Strings, and Father John Misty) produced, alongside Olsen.
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Various Artists, Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine vol. 2, 2021 on Oh Boy Records (OBR-063).
Second volume of tributes to John Prince via Oh Boy. Great collection of songs and versions, but standouts for me include Brandi Carlile’s “I Remember Everything,” Valerie June’s “Summer’s End,” and Jason Isbell’s “Souvenirs.” Volume 1 I have digitally, but also is on my wantlist for a vinyl version if I can locate one. Volume…
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Thelonious Monk, Paris 1969, 2023 on Blue Note.
This was first released as In Paris on Laserdisc in 1991 (Japan) / 1992 (US), then as Paris 1969 on Blue Note in 2013 (with a CD/DVD as well as vinyl release). My copy is the Vinyl Me, Please reissue from 2023, which sounds pretty decent – it’s a somewhat lofi recording to begin with…
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Tears for Fears, The Tipping Point, 2022 on Concord
I was such a huge fan of The Hurting, Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith’s 1983 debut album – I think it was the first CD I ever had (and it was recorded at such low volume I had to crank the CD player to hear it). After Seeds of Love, Orzabal and Smith split, and…
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Courtney Marie Andrews, Loose Future, 2022 on Fat Possum.
Andrews’ latest, produced by and recorded with Sam Griffin Owens, joined by Chris Bear, Jared Samuels and others. My copy is a Vinyl Me Please edition on orange vinyl. I love her unique voice and her songwriting – been a fan since Honest Life, though I know there are many earlier LPs to pick up.
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Neil Young, Live at Massey Hall 1971, 2020 on Reprise
Dating this one is a bit tricky – recorded in 1971, released on CD unofficially in 2005 and officially in 2007, but on vinyl for the first time in 2020. Massey Hall on Victoria Street in Toronto was home to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and seats under 3000. This release is the Volume 3 in…
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Toro y Moi, Mahal, 2022 on Dead Oceans
Via Secretly Society, a red and white marble smoke edition of Toro y Moi’s first release on Dead Oceans. The Mattson 2 get co-billing on “Millenium.” Mahal is a Tagalog word meaning “expensive.”
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M. Ward, Think of Spring, 2020 on Anti-
One of my favorite recent buys. M. Ward redoes Billie Holiday’s 1958 Lady in Satin. I loved his cover of Bowie’s Let’s Dance, and these standards take well to his vocal style, perhaps especially “I’m a Fool to Want You” and “You Don’t Know What Love is.” These are all more of less voice and…