What to listen to in January
It won't be until Feb. 10, 2008, that the Grammy Awards will allow us to officially say goodbye to the music of 2007, at least albums released during the eligibility period. Sorry Radiohead and Alicia Keys -- records issued in November and December of 2007 will have to wait until 2009 for their Grammy.
But for music fans, the last two months of any year are usually not the most exciting of times as releases slim down and each week is graced solely with one or two blockbuster artists. That will soon change with the coming of January, when independent and smaller artists who would get lost in the holiday shuffle will release their albums.
So as everyone overdoses on year-end lists, here's a brief look into the immediate future. The following are some January albums worth keeping an eye on. And there's plenty more where this came from, so stay tuned.
1. Magnetic Fields "Distortion" (Nonesuch). Jan. 15. By all accounts, this album comes as advertised, with all of its instrumentation wrapped in a winter-time buzz just short of feedback. From the few songs sampled, "Distortion" sees the Stephin Merritt-led group creating a sort of icy Wall of Sound, lacing what would have been lovely, '60s-inspired pop songs with darker intentions.
2. Black Mountain "In the Future" (Jagjaguwar). Jan. 22. Taking the hazy tip to more Black Sabbath proportions, the stoner, psychedelic hard rock of Black Mountain has been elevated to something a bit more epic on its second album. Check "Tyrants," with its confidently relaxed build, spooked guitar tones and standing-from-the-mountaintop vocals.
3.Times New Viking "Rip It Off" (Matador). Jan. 22. Look for plenty of hype to accompany the Matador debut from these scratchy, loud and sometimes abrasive Midwestern punky power-pop trio. Recklessness is the name of the game here, but like the Replacements, there's plenty of melody that comes to light as scrappy keyboard and guitar parts go at one another. Matador has made a song available for streaming here.
4. Cat Power "Jukebox" (Matador). Jan. 22. With her last album, "The Greatest," Cat Power went from being a celebrated underground vocalist to one who can control a room. Her sly use of Memphis soul gave her newfound swing and conviction. So while "Jukebox" isn't an album of new originals, this collection of covers, from Creedence Clearwater Revival to Bob Dylan songs, is worth a listen to see how the artist continues to develop as a singer.
5. Sons & Daughters "This Gift" (Domino) Jan. 29. A personal favorite, Sons & Daughters (pictured) has largely been overlooked in the States by more hyped labelmates Franz Ferdinand and the Arctic Monkeys. Hopefully "This Gift" will change that, as the Scottish foursome takes sleek U.K. rock and dashingly dresses it up with American Western influences. Preview plenty of songs from "This Gift" on the band's MySpace page.
(Photo courtesy MySpace.com)
Sons and Daughters have a winner on their hands.
Posted by: Rick Friedman | December 26, 2007 at 04:38 PM