Album

Blues Explosion – Damage

Expansive seventh LP from NYC blues-punk trailblazers

Clayhill – Small Circle

Folk-rock that nods to both the present and the past

Various Artists – Warp Vision (The Videos

The adventurous Warp offer prize videos from the likes of Chris Cunningham ("Windowlicker", "Come To Daddy") alongside promos by, among others, fellow Sheffield alumni Jarvis Cocker. Lesser known but equally arresting, Jimi Tenor's "Total Devastation" and John Callaghan's "I'm Not Comfortable Inside My Mind" help make this an intriguing alternative history of one of the UK's most far-sighted labels.

The Isley Brothers – Taken To The Next Phase (Reconstructions)

Hip hop pays tribute to masters of the slow jam

The Doobie Brothers – Greatest Hits

Listening to the music Again

Esther Phillips – The Kudu Years 1971-1977

Doomed R&B singer's last great recordings

St Paul’s Gospel

It's an odd time to evaluate Paul Simon's solo career in light of his successful 2004 reunion tour with Art Garfunkel. But maybe all that boomer nostalgia needs a little levity, and the sweep of his solo work proves Simon has never dwelled on the past. The Studio Recordings 1972-2000 is that rare bird—an attempt to collect an artist's entire oeuvre.

The High Water Marks – Songs About The Ocean

Clock-stopping, pulse-raising mega-pop

BoDeans – Resolution

First new material in eight years from heartland rockers

Hayseed Dixie – Let There Be Rockgrass

"Downright disgusted and sick to the soul"of the music they were hearing out there, Hayseed Dixie cut 2001 debut A Hillbilly Tribute To AC/DC in two days, loaded on beer and bourbon. Now, from the (sadly) fictional valley of Deer Lick Holler, comes this: 12 Appalachian blasts through Kiss, Queen, Motörhead and more.
Advertisement

Editor's Picks

Advertisement