ELVIS
COSTELLO & THE IMPOSTERS
Momofuku
 You
really are here because you want to know how good 'Momofuku' is. It's excellent!
One of his best! I don't say that lightly, either. It's obvious on first listen
that the reason why he decided to set the record off with an initial vinyl-only
strategy was because this is a classic-level Elvis Costello record. He surely
wanted to remind his listeners of the first time they listened to 'My Aim Is True'
or 'This Year's Model.' This is not Elvis Costello experimenting with his classical
side. It is an old-school Elvis Costello record with occasionally loud guitars,
plenty of bile and a bit of punctuating organ here and there. Don't get me wrong,
this isn't a full-tilt rock album, because it does have its softer, more reflective
moments, but so do the two classics listed above. Costello is a songwriter and
he tends to like to write lyrically dense material. Sometimes you need a softer
backdrop to tell a story. Like his 2002 masterpiece, 'When I Was Cruel' and his
1994 rocker 'Brutal Youth,' this album finds Costello in a very familiar comfortable
place. All the albums I have just listed each have their own distinct sound, and
'Momofuku' continues that line, but the truth is, each one has showcased Costello
the rock star. (Albeit, a rock star who can write more literate rock songs than
your average seething curmudgeon-y social critic.) ...[T]here isn't a weak track
on 'Momofuku.' It's Elvis Costello completely in his element. It's a clear five
star example of a legend adding to his stack of classics. Here's someone who has
worked for the past 31 years with no large, significant breaks, honing his craft,
creating a diverse catalogue for the ages. 'Momofuku' is a worthy addition to
any Elvis Costello fan's collection. -- Allan Raible, abcnews.com
Read
the story
behind the strange album name.
And more
about the album. Don't miss the user comments at the end of the piece.
Elvis
Costello primer
from the avclub.com
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NEIL
DIAMOND
Home Before Dark (Deluxe)
 Deluxe
CD/DVD edition of Diamond's 2008 album features two bonus audio tracks plus a
DVD containing four videos.
2008 album from the iconic singer/songwriter,
his second collaboration with producer Rick Rubin. Once again, Rubin strips away
the gloss and makes this Diamond shine brighter than he has since his '70s heyday.
Perhaps even more successful than the 12 Songs album, Home Before Dark spotlights
Neil's skill as a songwriter and singer and not just a showman and performer.
Diamond
said: "This record represents a giant step in my evolution as a writer and
a recording artist. . . . You will see I've gone deeper. It was more painful to
write this -- maybe the most difficult album I've ever written, and maybe my best."
(more info...)
Neil Diamond Tribute
Bands
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FIREWATER
The Golden
Hour
 In
2005, Firewater's Tod A embarked on what would become a 3-year sabbatical through
the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent and South East Asia. Recording with a
single microphone and a laptop in his pack, he captured performances with a vast
array of musicians across India and Pakistan - and eventually Turkey and Israel.
Writing songs about the world he left behind in the US ("This Is My Life")
and politics ("Borneo", "Hey Clown"), his acerbic wit Shines
on The Golden Hour, elucidating both the beauty and the absurdity of his world.
(Bloodshot)
The story
(video) behind The Golden Hour
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T-BONE BURNETT
Tooth Of Crime
 The
album, completed fresh off Burnett's stunning work as producer and arranger of
the Robert Plant/Allison Krauss collaboration Raising Sand featuring some of the
same musicians, is a vibrant outgrowth of a long-running collaboration with playwright
Sam Shepard that began with the 1996 musical staging in New York of his noted
play of the same name. The songs are arresting distillations of modern conflicts
and personal drama in a modern hyper-reality. The arrangements are imaginative
and inventive. The performances are stunning, masterful, and unpredictable. Tooth
of Crime is a prophetic play that Sam first wrote in 1972, and it takes place
in a time very much like now, Burnett explains. It's a time when there are zones
of fame that flare up and people can become incredibly famous in their own zone
and nobody else can know it. And then the zone completely disappears, but the
famous person doesn't realize it because you can t even find the zone anymore.
You have to hook up a toaster to a television to a microwave to a piano very post-apocalyptic.
That was the initial inspiration for the album. These songs came together like
a broken mirror, and you get a bunch of shards and start putting them together
and create a lot of different angles, he says. That's this group of songs, this
process. Working with Marc Ribot and drummer Jim Keltner, Burnett crafted the
sound of Tooth of Crime into a unique aesthetic. (Nonesuch)
Rolling Stone
review
Uncut Magazine review
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JEB
LOY NICHOLS
Days Are Mighty
 Limited
Edition 2-Disc Version featuring 10 previously unavailable demos (while supplies
last)
Born in Wyoming but now based in North Wales via New York, Austin
and London among other places, Jeb Loy Nichols has taken quite a journey and seems
to have a great outlook on life and his place in the world.
Days Are Mighty
reflects his philosophy with laid-back, feel-good soul, soaked in Stevie Wonder-like
harmonica, gentle guitars and keys.
There's a light summer breeze that
blows through the album and you could draw comparisons with Jack Johnson, but
Nichols has a more soulful and sincere disposition. -- Christopher Rees, Western
Mail
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16 HORSEPOWER
Live March 2001
 16
Horsepower casts a long shadow that colors the gothic Americana genre. Thir intoxicating
material becomes even more potent on stage, making 16 Horsepower Live a must-have
release. Their instrumentation transforms the usually lighthearted banjo and squeezebox
into the loneliest choir that accompanies the smoldering voice of David Eugene
Edwards. Often likened to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, 16 Horsepower definitely
has that laudanum-soaked aura, but is firmly rooted in Americana. Unlike their
contemporaries, however, they aim beyond popular music in the key of sad and delve
right into the human condition for something weighty and substantial. Live March
2001 is the third installation of their live material. Tracks include: American
Wheeze / I Seen What I Saw / Wayfaring Stranger / Cinder Alley / Strawfoot / Clogger
/ Harm's Way / Haw / Poormouth / Praying Arm Lane / Burning Bush / Splinters /
Silver Saddle / Phyllis Ruth / 24 Hours / Partisan / Coal Black Horse / Dead Run
(Alternative Tentacles)
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MIDNIGHT
OIL
Diesel & Dust (W/DVD)
 Celebrating
the 20th anniversary of the U.S. chart debut of Diesel And Dust in 1988, an expanded
edition of the album will now contain the long-lost 11th track "Gunbarrel
Highway" (banned from North American editions of the album because of the
lyric "shit falls like rain on a land that is brown"), coupled with
a bonus DVD of the one-hour 1987 Blackfella/Whitefella Tour documentary - its
first appearance on commercial home video (with bonus clips of "The
Dead Heart" and "Beds Are Burning"). Newly remastered for the first
time in two decades, and complete with band member Rob Hirst's original liner
notes. (track
listing)
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CD/DVD $21.98
ELEVEN HUNDRED
SPRINGS
Country Jam
 Tracks:
Texas Afternoon / Every Time I Get Close To You / Nobody Told You About the Love
/ Whose Heart Are You Breaking Tonight / I Never Crossed Your Mind / Don’t
Stop The Music / V-8 Ford Boogie / I’ll Be Here For You / Fallin’ Off
The Wagon / Ten To Life / You Can’t Hide From Your Heart / Rocket 88 (Palo
Duro)
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PETER WALKER
Echo
My Soul
 Peter
Walker came up in the Cambridge MA and Greenwich Village folk scenes of the Sixties.
He recorded two albums for the Vanguard label in the late Sixties in a style best
described as American folk-raga. He studied with Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan,
and was Dr. Timothy Leary's musical director, organizing music for the LSD advocate's
"celebrations." A Raga for Peter Walker was released by Tompkins Square
in 2006, featuring four new tracks from Peter along with original, previously
unreleased compositions by revered contemporary guitarists Steffen Basho-Junghans,
James Blackshaw, Greg Davis, Shawn David McMillen, Thurston Moore, and Jack Rose.
In recent years, Walker has developed an intense interest in flamenco guitar and,
through regular trips to Spain, has been accepted into flamenco's exclusive musical
elite. Peter states, "The music on this CD was reviewed and acclaimed in
Andalucia by some of the old guard who have encouraged its release. With its roots
in ancient East Indian music, Flamenco has influenced much of the world's music.
These Spanish-inspired pieces reflect my passion for this musical rubric."
(Tompkins Square)
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LARRY SPARKS
Bound
To Ride: Best Of
 Larry
Sparks says that he is "the youngest old-timer around," and there's
more than a bit of truth to that. Throughout his long career, he's never flirted
with newgrass or jazz-grass or any other new-fangled bluegrass style. He's followed
his vision and kept it real. The Best Of Larry Sparks: Bound To Ride presents
14 of his most requested songs. (Rebel)
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DAVE EVANS
Best of the Vetco Years
 Dave
Evans was known as an ace banjo player in southern Ohio but the first recordings
on his own, for the small Cincinnati-based Vetco Records, introduced a unique,
powerful, and soulful voice to the Bluegrass world. This compilation combines
the best of those albums. (Rebel)
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RAYMOND
FAIRCHILD & THE MAGGIE VALLEY BOYS
31 Banjo Favorites: Best of
the 70s
 Continuing
with the successful 31 Banjo Favorites Series. 31 Banjo Favorites (The New Collection)
performed by the Legendary Raymond Fairchild King of the Smoky Mountain Banjo
Players).. The Banjo Man Raymond Fairchild has been entertaining audiences for
over 3 decades on the Grand Old Opry, TV's Hee Haw and more.. Much has been written
about his exciting banjo pickin'. Innovative, fast, tasteful, one-of-a-kind and
creative are just a few of the adjectives people have used over the years to describe
the unique style of Raymond's banjo music! (Rural Rhythm)
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MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD
& VARIOUS
Power To The Peaceful Festival 2005 CD/DVD
 The
Power To The Peaceful Festival 2005 with Michael Franti & Spearhead, Anti
Flag, Saul Williams, Zap Mama and tons of their friends, fans, and peace. Recorded
live in concert at the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, CA. Track Listing: Rock
The Nation - Michael Franti & Spearhead / 911 For Peace - Anti-Flag / Is Love
Enough - Michael Franti & Spearhead / List Of Demands - Saul Williams / Yell
Fire - Michael Franti & Spearhead / Yens and Euros - Michael Franti &
Spearhead with Zap Mama / Everyone Deserves Music - Michael Franti & Spearhead
/ Bomb The World - Michael Franti & Spearhead. DVD contains the full length
movie. (Friday Music)
Power To The Peaceful Homepage
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NIK FREITAS
Sun Down
 "Though
a disciple of a path well beaten -- organic singer/songwriter wielding riffing
guitars and tapping ivories -- Nik Frietas carves a niche all his own with lyrically
meditative, wistful, and Americana-tinged tunes paying tribute to yet never aping
touchstones likes Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, and even Ben Kweller. And with Sun Down,
Freitas' third record to date out May 6 via Team Love, the troubadour dives into
the frequented genre's fabric and offers an album that simultaneously evokes sentiments
of nostalgia and innovation." -- William Goodman, Spin.com
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PRISONERS
Rare & Unissued
(Import)
 In
1988 after they had fallen apart, the Prisoners released "Rare And Unissued"
on the Hangman label but it has never been on CD before. Our version of "Rare
And Unissued" leaves off a handful of tracks that were included on Big Beat's
reissues of the original albums, but otherwise sees the Hangman album with great
live tracks and early B-sides added. We have added two wonderful studio out-take
tracks; an instrumental called "Unbeliever (Fast)" from the "Wizer"
sessions and a take of "Love Me Lies" recorded live in a studio some
time before the its appearance at those sessions. Plus two cuts recorded at a
live demo session in 1984 - "Joe 90" and an amazing version of "Hush".
22 total tracks. (Big Beat UK)
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ROCK
ON
Various (Import)
 2008
compilation that focuses on the eclectic and inspiring music sold at the UK's
finest small retail chain: Rock On. The three Rock On retail outlets in London
each had a distinctive clientele and sold a wider selection of records than any
other record stores between them. Hundreds of thousands of people came through
the doors of the stalls and the shop and left with fond memories and great records.
This CD covers most all of the styles of music sold at the Rock Ons and provides
a trip down memory lane for the many regular customers. Through the doors of the
various Rock Ons came Bob Dylan, Robert Plant, Elvis Costello, Joe Strummer, Paul
Weller and a host of people who had barely even heard of themselves. 28 tracks
including cuts from Huey Piano Smith, Link Wray, Koko Taylor, Peter Holsapple,
Joe Tex, Fats Domino and many others. (Ace)
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SOUL MESSAGES FROM DIMONA
Various
 Following
a path blazed in Belize and the Bahamas, The Numero Group finds yet another stop
on the soul diaspora tour: Dimona, Israel. Between 1975-1981, a group of American
ex-pats took their native sounds of Detroit and Chicago and intermingled them
with the messages of the Black Hebrew culture. The results are a heavenly mix
of spiritual soul and jazz with an undercurrent of gospel psychedelia. Featuring
the Soul Messengers, the Spirit Of Israel, Sons Of The Kingdom, and the Tonistics,
Soul Messages From Dimona is the only living document of a thriving community
at both the center and fringe of the world. Deluxe CD comes stuffed with rare
photographs, sleeves, and expansive liner notes about the African Hebrew Israelites
journey from the sounds of slavery to the intonations of liberty. (Numero)
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VAN
DUREN
Are You Serious (Import)
 Van
Duren is pure power pop. He spent time in the Memphis trenches with the big boys
(Big Star, Chris Bell, The Scruffs), and knows his way around a hook and a melody
as well as any of his heroes from Todd Rundgren, McCartney, Emitt Rhodes and on
to Badfinger. He went to high school with Jody Stephens, auditioned for Big Star
after Bell's departure, and was in the short-lived but legendary Baker Street
Regulars with both those cats. If you think Big Star never got the props they
deserved, well they're the Beatles compared to Mr. Duren. This is his debut album,
originally released in 1977 on the Big Sound label, and he is no also ran, he
is the real deal, power pop at its finest.
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CAPERCAILLIE
Roses & Tears
 Two
decades on and nearly six years after their last release, the band quietly slip
out Roses And Tears, their 14th studio album. It's rumoured to be their last,
and as such it's as good a place as any for the uninitiated to sample their still
unique juxtaposed blend of sedately paced traditional Gaelic folk and electronic
elements. . . Their distinctive perspective on the world is underlined by Roses
And Tears including just two English language tracks, one of which is a cover
version. As a result, for listeners unfamiliar with Scottish Gaelic this is inevitably
an album best enjoyed for the cheerily rhythmic reels. . . It's not all kilt-and-sporran
whirl-y-gigs. A cover of John Martyn's anti-war song Don't You Go, replete with
uilleann pipes, takes a mother's perspective as she urges her son not to head
into war. . . Their early-'90s days of reaching out to the Anglophonic world seem
to have been set to one side with Roses And Tears, as Capercaillie fix on their
interpretive guise as translators of ancient stories, words and wisdom into a
modern but still resolutely Scottish identity. . . Yet this is no Scottish Nationalist
album of political anthemeering; there's nothing revolutionary or even mildly
irked here. Instead, Capercaillie sound like a band know who they are and are
content with their lot, come what may. To some, that's their charm, and their
unmistakable sound should still see their fans warmly welcome them back one last
time. - Michael Hubbard, musicomh.com
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CHEAP TIME
Cheap Time
 Henderson,
Tennessee's Jeffrey Novak is a name familiar to those who pay attention to the
whole lo-fi-garage-punk underbelly of today's indie scene. He's released a handful
of singles and at least one album on labels in the US and Europe as a one-man-band
and with his former group, The Rat Traps. He's been at it for nearly five years
and he's barely in his twenties. Cheap Time is his newest and most serious endeavor
to date. Founded with Jemina Pearl and Nathan Vasquez of Be Your Own Pet, Cheap
Time set out to recapture the essence of teenage schlock rock scuzz of such heroes
as Redd Kross and The Runaways. Along the way, members shifted, as did the band's
direction. An obsession with '70s glam power pop a la Sparks, The Quick, and Milk
'n' Cookies grew, and the music took on a twisted new slant never hinted in any
of his previous projects. The results are the current line-up of Cheap Time and
this full-length album. Cheap Time's self-titled debut is 28 minutes of snotty
punk pop perfection. From the New-York-Dolls-via-Germs screech of "Tight
Fit" to the anglophile power pop of "Ginger Snap" to the bubblegum
bounce of "Trip To The Zoo," this debut has instant classic stamped
all over its bratty face. (In The Red)
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JOHN FAHEY
Visits Washington
DC (Import)
 2008
release, the first time ever release on CD for this 1979 album from the guitar
great. All tracks are solo performances apart from 'Medley: Silver Bells/Cheyenne',
where Fahey is accompanies by fellow-Takoma artist Richard Ruskin. This was Fahey's
first album in five years, during which time he had sold Takoma to Chrysalis.
Fahey's lengthy and rambling original notes are included, along with a more concise
and understandable note from Kris Needs. (Ace UK)
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FABULOUS
COUNTS
Jan Jan
 Formed
in 1968 The Fabulous Counts were a scorching Detroit funk and R&B outfit that
recorded singles on local labels Moira and Westbound before releasing this, their
debut, on Cotillion in 1969. The title track is a funk classic that spent 5 weeks
on the R&B charts in early '69 and the rest of the album is equally strong,
matching instrumental covers of contemporary hits from James Brown, Sly &
The Family Stone, The Beatles, and others with original material. The band later
dropped the "Fabulous" and recorded several albums for Westbound. A
funk classic back in print on CD.
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MIKE BLOOMFIELD
Between The Hard Place & The Ground / Crusin For A Bruisin
 2008
digitally remastered two-fer featuring a pair of guitarist Michael Bloomfield's
albums originally released on Takoma Records. Between The Hard Place & The
Ground was originally released in 1979, followed two years later by Cruisin' For
A Bruisin'. 17 tracks. (Ace UK)
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ARCHIE BELL
& THE DRELLS
Tighten Up (Import)
 The
Quarrymen of Gainesville? In a nutshell, that's Mudcrutch, the band Tom Petty
played in before forming the Heartbreakers. And while John Lennon and Paul McCartney
never got around to resurrecting the Quarrymen, their first band, after the Beatles
exploded, Petty and his long-ago mates -- guitarist Tom Leadon and drummer Randall
Marsh along with future Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench and guitarist
Mike Campbell -- have reunited to put out the debut album they never got to make
originally. (more
info). . .
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