New Album Releases 04/29/08: Madonna, Steve Winwood, Portishead, The Roots, Def Leppard, Mudcrutch, Zappa Plays Zappa & More
Published April 29, 2008
The news item came on the radio and I switched off the treadmill, went over and sat on the weight bench, and stared a hole in the wall.
About 30 minutes later, I was on the road with Frank Zappa's You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore/Helsinki Concert album threatening to blow the windows out. Life seemed sort of empty and somehow, Frank's music added some substance.
In 2006, Dweezil took his father's music out on the road and really did it proud. As you would expect, he brought along a killer band, which featured special guests such as Napoleon Murphy Brock, Steve Vai (impossible guitar parts), and Terry Bozzio. I am all over this. (Pssst! Look for the accompanying DVD).
Not many bands can get away with a lengthy hiatus that isn't filled with snickers about the artists' abilities to create worthy new material. Few are given a blank check to just disappear to write new music and come back with their credibility in check. Peter Gabriel has successfully proven that his excessive in-between album phases proves beneficial - he's yet to release a dud - and now Portishead is back to prove that the 11 years since their self-titled second album was a fruitful "vacation."
All indications point to this being one of the year's highlights, not an easy feat for a group that was last seen at the height of a genre no longer in vogue (trip-hop). Which is why Third finds the group forging new paths into some sort of weird psychedelic freakiness. It's as oddly compelling as Dummy was back in 1994 - and my guess is Third is going to prove to be every bit an instant classic as their debut has become.
Expect to see this on damn near every best-of list this at the end of the year.
Here are all this week's new album releases courtesy of All Music Guide:
Robert Forster
The Evangelist
Yep Roc
Alternative Pop/Rock, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Indie Pop
Madonna
Hard Candy
Warner Bros.
Club/Dance
Portishead
Third
Mercury/Island
Electronica, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Trip-Hop
The Roots
Rising Down
Def Jam
Alternative Rap, Hip-Hop
Santogold
Santogold
Downtown
Alternative Dance, Club/Dance, Indie Electronic, Dancehall
Steve Winwood
Nine Lives
Columbia
Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Pop/Rock, Adult Contemporary
Augustana
Can't Love, Can't Hurt
Epic
American Trad Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Awesome Color
Electric Aborigines
Ecstatic Peace!
Garage Punk, Noise-Rock
Baby D
A-Town Secret Weapon
KR Urban
Southern Rap, Dirty South
Bobby & Blumm
Everybody Loves...
Morr Music/M.M.
Indie Pop, Ambient Pop, Post-Rock/Experimental
Boris
Smile
Southern Lord
Experimental Rock, Noise-Rock, Post-Rock/Experimental
The Cab
Whisper War
Decaydance/Fueled by Ramen
Alternative Pop/Rock, Emo
Chin Chin
Chin Chin
Definitive Jux
Electro, Jazz-Rock, Techno, House
Cloudland Canyon
Lie in Light
Kranky
Space Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Indie Rock, Prog-Rock/Art Rock
Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers
Turbo Ocho [CD/DVD]
Emma Java
Americana, Roots Rock, Heartland Rock
Constantines
Kensington Heights
Arts & Crafts
Indie Rock
David Karsten Daniels
Fear of Flying
FTC
Indie Pop, Alternative Singer/Songwriter
Def Leppard
Songs from the Sparkle Lounge
Bludgeon Riffola/Island
Pop-Metal, Album Rock, Hard Rock, Pop/Rock
Dizzee Rascal
Maths and English
XL
Garage Rap/Grime
Steve Earle
Copperhead Road [Deluxe Edition]
Geffen
Heartland Rock, Roots Rock, Country-Rock, Americana, Alternative Country
Ensemble Belladonna
Melodious Melancholye
Raumklang
Medieval Vocal and Choral Music
Estelle
Shine
Atlantic/Homeschool
Urban, Contemporary R&B, British Rap
Fate
Vultures
Metal Blade
Heavy Metal, Thrash
Forever the Sickest Kids
Underdog Alma Mater
Universal Motown
Punk-Pop, Emo
Ronnie Hawkins
Arkansas Rockpile/Mojo Man
Collectors' Choice Music
Rock & Roll
Hayden
In Field & Town
Hardwood/Universal
Lo-Fi, Alternative Pop/Rock, Sadcore, American Trad Rock, Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter
Heloise & The Savoir Faire
Trash, Rats and Microphones
Yep Roc
Indie Electronic, Indie Rock
Griffin House
Flying Upside Down
RCA
Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Country
Lyfe Jennings
Lyfe Change
Columbia
Contemporary R&B, Neo-Soul
Jimmy Eat World
Bleed American [2 CD Deluxe Edition]
Geffen
Punk-Pop, Emo
David Johansen
David Johansen
Razor & Tie
New York Punk, Hard Rock, Rock & Roll
David Johansen
Live It Up
Razor & Tie
New York Punk, Hard Rock, Rock & Roll
Joy Division
The Best of Joy Division [2 CD]
Rhino/London
Post-Punk
Andrew Kennedy
On Wenlock Edge
Signum
Post-Romantic, Modern and Contemporary Vocal Music
Langhorne Slim
Langhorne Slim
Kemado
Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Alternative Country-Rock, Alternative Folk, Americana, Indie Rock
Jamie Lidell
Jim
Warp
Neo-Soul, Experimental Techno
Liverpool Five
Best of the Liverpool Five
Sundazed
Pop/Rock, Garage Rock, British Invasion
Mindless Self Indulgence
If
The End
Industrial Dance, Industrial Metal
Mudcrutch
Mudcrutch
Reprise / Wea
Heartland Rock, Rock & Roll, Bar Band, Pop/Rock, Hard Rock
Music of Remembrance
Jake Heggie: For a Look or a Touch
Naxos
Contemporary Chamber and Vocal Music
Nerf Herder
IV
Oglio
Comedy Rock, Punk-Pop, Post-Grunge, Alternative Pop/Rock, Punk Revival, Indie Rock
New Found Glory/International Superheroes of Hardcore
Tip of the Iceberg/Takin' It Ova!
B9
Post-Hardcore, Punk-Pop
One Night Only
Started a Fire
Mercury
Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Indie Pop, Indie Rock
Susan Platts
Frauenliebe und Leben
Atma Classique
Romantic Vocal Music
David del Tredici
David del Tredici: Vintage Alice; Dracula
Innova
Contemporary Vocal Music
Puscifer
V Is for Viagra: The Remixes
Zomba/Puscifer
Electro-Industrial, Industrial
Eli "Paperboy" Reed & The True Loves
Roll with You
Q Division
Blue-Eyed Soul, Neo-Soul
Carly Simon
This Kind of Love
Hear Music
Pop, Adult Contemporary, Singer/Songwriter
South
You Are Here
Bluhammock
Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock, Dream Pop
Phil Stacey
Phil Stacey
Lyric Street
Pop Idol, Contemporary Country, Pop/Rock
Strategy
Music for Lamping
Audio Dregs
Indie Electronic, IDM, Electronica, Post-Rock/Experimental
Tickley Feather
Tickley Feather
Paw Tracks
Experimental Rock, Indie Rock
Mel Tillis
Me and Pepper
Collectors' Choice Music
Country-Pop, Traditional Country
Zappa Plays Zappa
Zappa Plays Zappa
Razor & Tie
Guitar Virtuoso, Hard Rock
- New Album Releases 04/29/08: Madonna, Steve Winwood, Portishead, The Roots, Def Leppard, Mudcrutch, Zappa Plays Zappa & More
- Published: April 29, 2008
- Type: News
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: Business, Music: Lists, Music: News, Music: Recording
- Part of a feature: New CDs
- Writer: Glen Boyd
- Glen Boyd's BC Writer page
- Glen Boyd's personal site
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Comments on this articleComments
Argh! I sacrificed myself for the page break last week and what does the page break do to me this week? It slices me in half! That'll teach me.
Mark, it's funny, I'm not the biggest Zappa fan in the world, but I also remember exactly where I was when I found out he died. I had a drawing class at ASU and we went to our teacher's house to see some of his work (since we don't have finals in art classes - it was something to take up the 3-hour class time.) He had an altar still up in his home for Dia de los Muertos, and on there was a picture of Frank, and he said he's just added that because he'd just died. I was shocked - not because I was a huge fan but because I had literally just bought my first Zappa-related anything about two days before (Zappa's Universe.) Strange timing - I knew next to nothing about the guy, and I'm not even sure I knew he was ill. I just bought it because I saw that Steve Vai was involved and it had funny song titles.
Sterfish, that new Gnarls Barkley is really great - it's a grower, but I think it might actually be a better album overall than St. Elsewhere.
I got both the Mudcrutch and Winwood yesterday. I haven't heard the Winwood yet, but I read that it sounds a lot like his prior release About Time, which was a great little overlooked record by him.
The Mudcrutch is Petty getting back in touch with his pre-Heartbreaker self with some nice band interplay. Very laid-back and touches on a lot different styles--all rootsy--while sounding very much like a record they could have recording back in their early 70's days. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Damn Tom, ya' just cant win for losing can ya'?
-Glen
Tom, I would blame Glen and Mark and their one-sentence paragraphs. Really, why should you suffer because they can't flesh out an idea any farther? Don't seem right.
Let me throw in a word for Mudcrutch here (review forthcoming) and concur with Tom on Portishead. What a record!
Did anybody else see that poor ass "Milli Vanilli" that Def Leppard pulled on Dancing with the Stars??
I mean, WTF was that?! Two words...Washed Up!
Mudcrutch album is good, but their version of Shady Grove made me dig out my Quicksilver Messenger Service version. A great band - whatever happened to them? Are any of them still alive and playing?
Let me get this straight, you watch "Dancing with the Stars"?! There goes your street cred.
I'm not sure what the guys in Quicksilver are doing these days JC, but that John Cipollona was sure one hell of a guitar player wasn't he? And for the uninitiated...I can't recommend the album "Happy Trails" highly enough.
Thanx for the quick reminder Skeeter (oh, and thanks for the CD too...which I got today).
-Glen
Is anyone surprised that Def Leppard would lipsync on a TV show? Joe Elliot has not been a particularly strong live singer in ages. I didn't see it, however - was it a complete mess, did they screw up?
I still haven't decided if I can part with $10 for this new album of theirs or not. What I've heard has not filled me with a need to own it. I'm pretty sure it would get about three spins from me and then get filed away permanently. I've probably got better places to spend my money.
Oh yeah, no doubt it was faked - Blabbermouth has video of "Pour Some Sugar on Me" from Dancing With The Stars. Straight off of Hysteria. Wow, that's brave. They could have at least re-recorded it with the Vivian Campbell version of the band if they're going to do this kind of thing. Contrast that with the Ellen performance earlier in the day of "Hysteria" which actually was live. Yikes - on both counts.
Let me get this straight, you watch "Dancing with the Stars"?!
Nope...But, when my wife screams from the other room that Def Leppard was performing then it's kinda like watching a car crash. And believe me, it was like a 12 car f*ck*ng pile up!
EVERYBODY NOW: "Blame it on the Rain.."
There goes your street cred.
I wouldn't be too concerned with me losing "cred". However, now I can laugh with utter confidence that my point has been proven... Def Leppard is just as much a joke as that SNL performance from Jessica Simpson's sister! HA!
Tom,
It is quite a shame, Vivian Campbell is a better guitarist than Steve Clark ever was. His work with DIO on the album "Holy Diver" is f*cking awesome. Def Leppard went from NWOBHM to Hard Rock to "Arena Rock"?.So.. WHAT F*CK*ING HAPPENED?!?
This country has really turned into a bunch of pansies when it comes to good 'ol blistering,NO Apology, talented Rock.... F*CK!
I don't know how many of you caught Leppard on Kimmel last night, but it was most definitely live and Elliot's voice was shot.
-Glen
You know, it's funny about DL on TV. I saw them on the VH-1 Honors show a few years back and they sounded awful. I was hesitant to go see them on the Yeah tour because of it. What a night and day difference actually seeing them live a few months later! They sounded much, much tighter and stronger. Joe doesn't have the same range he used to but he was quite excellent that night.
I think seeing the band in an arena where some natural filtering of his voice occurs is a better situation than watching them on TV or video. He's been a spotty singer for a long time, however - he has a very weak voice, it seems. The Classic Albums: Hysteria (absolutely fascinating, by the way) has him and Phil singing a few songs acoustic and he handles it quite well - but it's also low volume and low-key. He's just not well-suited to the demands of touring nor the microscope provided by televised performances. To me they're just more of a studio band.
As for Vivian, I don't think it has ever once crossed my mind while listening to a Campbell-era DL song "this is the dude who provided that great stuff for Holy Diver and Last In Line." It just does not equate. Such a shame that they've got that in their pocket and they don't use it.
It was an amphitheater, but then that couldn't really matter less, could it?
He's not a naturally great vocalist and age has robbed even some of that, but they were great live in the summer of '05. Their sound, not just Joe, has been more of a studio thing. I agree.
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This is the first week since September 11 of last year that I am likely going to pick up at least two albums. I'll probably get the new albums from The Roots and Portishead along with Estelle's debut. Once you add that I haven't picked Gnarls Barkley's new one yet, and it makes for an expensive week in music for me.