Eye On New Releases: April 10th, 2012

A Grammy-nominated artist, punk legends, and indie rock band that pushes the boundaries? Yes, please!

Label: Palmetto
Album: Girl Talk
Artist: Kate McGarry
Genre: Jazz, Vocal

More concerned with the essence of a song than idiomatic limitations, Palmetto Records' vocalist and Grammy nominated Kate McGarry has managed to attract the attention of tomorrow's jazz fans.  Beyond her obvious affinity for swing, an eclectic repertoire ranging from Irving Berlin to The Cars and her signature contralto convey a message with a a crystal clarity that precludes the need for gimmick or effect.  All that's left is undeniably honest music that transcends the boundaries of age or genre.  With five recordings including Grammy-nominated If Less Is More...Nothing Is Everything, she's established herself as one of contemporary jazz's most moving and enigmatic voices.

Label: Jackpot Records
Album: Idle Threat
Artist: The Skabbs
Genre: Punk, Rock

Jackpot Records is proud to present Idle Threat, a collection of never before issued recordings from 1977-78 Lawndale, California punks, The Skabbs. In tandem with the birth of punk, these music obsessed nerds, became disenchanted with the increasingly plastic tendencies of modern music. The Skabbs concocted some truly outsider sounds, melding jagged Devo-esque rhythms with lightning-fast technical touches that predicted the Minutemen by a few years. Sadly, the band was cut short in 1979 when songwriter and frontman, Steven Joseph Salazar died at just 26 years old from a life-long heart condition. In their grief, The Skabbs choose to disband burying Salazar’s legacy of songs with their sorrow.  In retrospect, The Skabbs steadily became a scene unto themselves, making a proto-punk sound guided by a mission to simply make music that sounded less gross than Foreigner. With the exception of being recorded by SST producing genius Spot, The Skabbs were considered too weird for the art crowd and just terrified the hippies.

Label: sonaBLAST! Records
Album: Salt
Artist: Hoots & Hellmouth
Genre: Indie Rock, Americana

Hoots & Hellmouth are a busy bunch. Road warriors to the bitter end, they’ve somehow found time to enter the studio twice in the last year to produce two records showcasing their forward-thinking roots/soul music. Their latest offering, the full-length Salt, was recorded in their hometown of Philadelphia with friend/engineer Jon Low (Dr. Dog, Sharon Van Etten, Twin Sister). The result speaks volumes to the evolution of a band committed to pushing their boundaries and exploring new sonic horizons.  Salt builds on the fresh ground broken on their previously released EP, Face First In The Dirt, continuing down a path of explosive creativity. “Why Would You Not Want To Go There?” kicks things off with a building intensity reflective of their passionate live performances, but tempered with well-placed flourishes of piano and electric guitar. H&H’s trademark soul vibe is thick on “Lay Low,” incorporating the stomp groove and call-and-response vocals familiar to established fans of the band. By the time the listener reaches the middle of the record, the dynamic and deep “Apple Like A Wrecking Ball” and “The Ache” drive home the point that these guys are not content to rest on their laurels. To round it all out, album closer “Being Borned Again” continues their tradition of massive group sing-alongs so vibrant the listener already feels the chills of the anticipated live rendition.  Lyrically, Sean Hoots has always endeavored to keep a keen eye on the craft of songwriting, and Salt showcases the artist on top of his game. These new songs reveal a greater depth of vulnerability and personalization unheard on previous H&H offerings. This is the sound of a writer digging deep, planting seeds and harvesting a bumper crop of thought-provoking, soul-scraping tunes.

Eye On New Releases: February 14th, 2012

Valentine's Day is here, and today's new release pickings are perfect for sharing with your special someone.

Label: Reckless Records
Album: Resurrection Moon
Artist: Audrey Auld
Genre: Adult Contemporary, Country

Hot on the heels of her 2011 album, Come Find Me, Audrey Auld and Reckless Records are proud to announce the release of Resurrection Moon, a 20-track overview of the veteran singer-songwriter’s best-loved songs of the last decade.  It’s been 15 years since Auld issued her debut EP — and 14 since the launch of her own Reckless label. In that time, the native Tasmanian has released 5 internationally acclaimed solo albums of original songs, a live record, an acoustic collection of traditional Australian folk songs, and a duets album with Bill Chambers (1999’s Looking Back to See). But she’s never stopped to catch her breath long enough to assemble a proper compilation of her own best work — until now.  As a collection of the best of Auld’s best (so far, at least!), Resurrection Moon plays like the perfect live set and showcase for the award-winning artist’s eclectic range of moods and styles: from the devastating frankness of “Losing Faith” (winner of the 2006 MerleFest Song Contest) and gorgeous sorrow of “Song for Clax” to the playful swing of “Jellyroll,” the giddy rush of “Love You Like the Earth,” and the tender familial affection of “My Father.”

Label: Kayo Stereophonic
Album: My Funny Valentine Live 1955-59
Artist: Anita O'Day
Genre: Vocal Jazz

This profound collection of rare never-before-heard live recordings of Anita O’Day in small clubs to larger venues captures the essence of the incredible voice of this legend of jazz vocals. Most of us were not old enough to be sitting in the Village Vanguard or some small club in Miami or any one the club dates back in the 1950’s. But...pull up a chair, open a bottle of wine and dim the lights for this warm, incredibly intimate collection that will make you feel like you are front row in New York City, 1955.  The song list is all A+, the best of the standards and Anita’s improvising mixed with the top sidemen make this great collection A MUST for your music collection, and for Valentine's Day.

Label: FSS
Album: Pareidolia
Artist: Tetras
Genre: Experimental

In early 2010 Tetras (Jason Kahn, Jeroen Visser, and Christian Weber) began meeting in studio to develop their sound. Pareidolia documents those sessions.  Tetras take a long-form approach to their music, with live sets approaching one hour or more. The gradual structural development of their pieces blurs the sense of time passing, moving through various fields of improvisation which owe as much to rock (This Heat, Can), as they do to jazz (Sun Ra, electric-era Miles Davis), minimal music (Steve Reich) or drone (Phil Niblock). Aside from their collaborative approach to the music, Tetras also work collectively in all aspects of the production involving a recording. On Pareidolia each member of the group had a hand in either mixing the initial tracks or mastering them for the final vinyl cut before pressing. The title Pareidolia refers to the idea of hearing through the music, to find the many shifting layers of form and interplay slowly manifesting themselves over the duration of the pieces.

Label: Temple Music Group
Album: We Bring The Party EP
Artist: HeatSeekers
Genre: Electro House

Heatseekers is the creative collaboration between Josh Quest and AJ Sorbello, two of Seattle's premiere DJʼs and producers. Both have been involved in the Pacific Northwestʼs EDM scene for over 15 years, playing festivals and clubs while producing consistently throughout that time. Their single “We Bring the Party” features vocals from Seattle native Melakai and includes remixes from the world famous Ron Carroll of Chicago and Seattleʼs The Fender Fable. These tracks are meant to turn up the heat and make the party go off in Heatseekerʼs fashion.