SPIRITUALIZED - Sweet Heart Sweet Light

"Well, it sure sounds like Spiritualized."

This kind of shrugging admission, which accompanied the first few listens to the latest LP by Jason Pierce's long-running space rock outfit, hardly seems to be an enthusiastic one. After all, at first glance Pierce has done little to change the original MO he set for himself upon the release of 1992's Lazer Guided Melodies—namechecking Jesus; taking drugs; wrapping his perpetually bruised heart in yards of gauze; and swigging on a cocktail equal parts blues, krautrock, and psych, with a dash of punk, chamber music, and gospel.

But as much as that is fairly true, Spiritualized has never quite done the same thing twice. The adjustments may be subtle, but every album has carried with it a conscious twist on Pierce's favourite themes. From the orchestra-powered experiment of 2001's Let It Come Down and the way that 1997's immediately classic Ladies and Gentlemen flexed the muscles grown during 1995's Pure Phase to their fullest, to the broken-teeth punk gospel of 2003's Amazing Grace, every record has a distinct accent that tweaks Pierce's language just so. (For great proof of this, examine how 1992's "Take Your Time" had grown from a gorgeous barely-there seance into a full-blown rockout by 1999's Royal Albert Hall.)

From a distance though, there was a sameness in the material that, when combined with the nearly impossible-to-shake legacy of Ladies..., rendered each subsequent Spiritualized album as less and less of an event. After some twenty years (if one included his incredibly groundbreaking work with Spacemen 3) of singing about a seemingly interminable loop of getting fucked up and finding redemption, it appeared the guy had reached something of a creative endgame—one that both he and his audience were increasingly aware of.

That all changed in 2008, however. Following on the heels of a vicious bout with double pneumonia, Songs In A&E was a harrowing and relatively stripped-down effort that was Pierce's best record in a decade. The disease may have literally nearly killed him, but the resultant experience rejuvenated his brand. It was impossible to divorce the real life from the art, and suddenly all of the same themes about which Pierce had always sung—death, love, sin, God—meant that much more. Even when very much sounding near death, ("Death Take Your Fiddle" even went as far as to feature the sound of an artificial respirator similar to the one that kept Pierce alive), it had been a long time since Pierce sounded so vital...both to us and himself.
 

Sweet Heart Sweet Light builds off of that career-rekindling momentum with the closest thing to a classic Spiritualized record since 1997. Unlike so many of his recent albums, there is no discernible premise to differentiate it from others in his catalogue (i.e. no self-composed scores, or amps turned up to eleven). Instead, it pulls liberally from the template built by Pure Phase and perfected by L & G (minus the free jazz)—big gospel, widescreen love songs, scuzzy confessionals, and kraut blues, all with key contributions from horns, backing vocalists, and orchestras. But if it deviates the least from Spiritualized's set parameters, it also seems the least embarrassed about doing so. Just as Dylan has parlayed an obsession with mimicking old-time radio and 12-bar blues into a late-career winning streak, Sweet Heart Sweet Light is the sound of Pierce taking what's his in a way that makes no apologies. It simply enjoys the hard-won fruits of his hard-lived labours.

Whether our own distance from those aforementioned albums has created a nostalgia that also allows for this to occur is certainly debatable. But from the way that "Hey Jane" shifts from jumping rave-up to chugging modern-day devotional; how "Headin' For The Top Now" essentially doesn't change much for eight plus minutes, yet always sounds shimmeringly potent; or the manner in which he makes an atheist like me wanna hitch a ride with Jesus on "Life Is A Problem," it's clear that after so much searching and tweaking (in both senses of the word) his music still matters for all the right reasons. Over time, Pierce has managed to distill a full century's worth of American and British music into a concoction that sounds like Spiritualized. And if he's been burned or gotten lost along the way, it only makes an album like this all the sweeter, for him and us.

VA - LateNightTales by Belle and Sebastian (Volume 2)

B&S's first contribution has now sadly fallen out of print; what better time, then, for these Scots to submit a whole new set of cross-genre finds? Another solid entry in this mix series.

"Their scene-straggling 2006 LateNightTales included pure pop, '60s psych, '70s rock, West Coast harmonies, beat groups, folk balladeering, punk, indie, girl groups, and bossanova; this new selection only delves deeper into their shared influences and inspirations, along with a subtle nod to digging for rare sampled beats, not perhaps a trait usually associated with B&S. Worldwise psychedelic breaks thread the mix together, with two tracks from Broadcast bookending a first half that includes late-'60s dreamers The Wonder Who? and Joe Pass, father of Ethio-jazz Mulatu Astatke, harpist Dorothy Ashby and the 21st-century beats of Gold Panda." - LateNightTales

MOE TUCKER - I Feel So Far Away: Anthology 1974-1998

Lovingly packaged and compiled by Sundazed, I Feel So Far Away is a must-listen for Velvet Underground fans—this set's opening tracks, taken from Tucker's debut solo LP Playin' Possum, are particularly brilliantly ramshackle.

"While her bandmates would go down many different roads with widely variant results, Tucker's sounds retained the ragged beauty and youthful sense of possibility that were at the heart of the VU, and rock & roll in general." - Allmusic

"Following her tenure with VU, Moe emerged as a solo artist, building a body of work that stretched over three decades. Ranging from home recordings to collaborations with members of Sonic Youth, Violent Femmes, Half Japanese and her former band, the songs cover a gamut of styles but all bear the unmistakable thumbprint of their creator. Released by various independent labels on LPs, EPs, singles and compact discs, collecting her catalog has been a daunting task. This compilation finally gathers those far-flung tracks in one place." - Sundazed

TIA BLAKE AND HER FOLK GROUP - Folksongs & Ballads

After a spell of dormancy, Water is back with this gem of a reissue, one that's right up there with other such past finds from this label as Ruthann Friedman's Constant Companion, Anne Briggs' self-titled set, and the songs of Judee Sill.

"A very rare and sought-after record, released only in France in 1971 and never before available on CD. A stunning selection of songs performed in a stripped-down setting, with Tia's achingly beautiful vocals taking center stage. A truly wonderful album, reissued here on CD with new notes from Tia herself, along with vintage photos, and bonus tracks taken from rehearsals and a scrapped CBC session that features the only known recordings of Tia's original songs." - Runt

HEAVEN & EARTH - Refuge

Another fine female-fronted, harmony-rich '70s folk reissue to perhaps check out alongside that Roches record mentioned a few entries below...

"We’re happy to finally be able to announce the re-release of this psychedelic folk/funk beauty from 1973, featuring the gorgeous voices of Pat Gefell and Jo D. Andrews (and produced by Space Age percussionist/composer Dick Schory for his short-lived but influential Ovation Records imprint). At one time this was an album completely unknown outside of Chicago, where the label was based, but these days, word gets around, and tracks like 'Feel The Spirit; and 'Jenny' have been making the rounds on the DJ circuit." - Light In The Attic

"Heaven & Earth provide the most wonderful harmonizing since, I dunno, Wendy & Bonnie? There are light psychedelic swirls throughout, and the occasional folk-funk flourish (the legendary Phil Upchurch plays on here) makes the trip even more magical." - Other Music

TY SEGALL & WHITE FENCE - Hair

Not to be confused with the hippie musical of the same name, Californians White Fence (a.k.a. Tim Presley) and Ty Segall have cooked up a noisier and trippier psycho-delic experience.

"If it sounds a little underwhelming to say that Hair pretty much sounds like what you would expect a collaboration between broadly similar garage rockers Ty Segall and White Fence to sound like, let me assure you that it's also what you would probably want and hope it to sound like...These two artists spend half an hour playing to their pre-established strengths, staying in their comfort zones and riding their fun, sloppy, rockin' sound to its effortlessly entertaining destination." - Drowned In Sound

LOTUS PLAZA - Spooky Action at a Distance

It's no secret that not only are Deerhunter one of the more consistent bands of the last while, but that between said group and his own solo platform Atlas Sound, leader Bradford Cox is experiencing a songwriting period of such robust fertility that only the absurdly inexhaustible Robert Pollard is capable of siring more tunes than he. Add on to this Cox's confrontational brand of self-expression (ranging from blood-smeared performances in drag to hour-long impromptu renditions of "My Sharona") and you've got someone to whom it's difficult not to give one's attention. 

But ever so quietly, Deerhunter guitarist Lockett Pundt has been amassing a clutch of songs that are just as worthy of praise. Pundt's approach has always been unassuming and patient—no doubt a big reason why he so well fits alongside Cox in Deerhunter. The guy is quite content to throw a couple tunes into the mix on the group's records, and to deliver them in the kind of low-gear croon that suggests he might not be too phased if they didn't appear at all.

But on 2010's Halcyon Digest, something happened that tipped the scales a bit. Once again, Pundt had only a pair of tunes. But this time, they were probably the best two tracks on a very strong record: the warmly nostalgia chug of "Fountain Stairs" and, especially, the swirling, ebullient rush of "Desire Lines." It's not that he shamed Cox by any measure, but there was no doubt that many fans left the record wanting more, a lot more, from this guy.

At the time, his own solo turn, Lotus Plaza, had sadly but one record—2009's The Floodlight Collective—and it was hardly as assured as either tune on Halcyon Digest. Though pretty enough, that record never really projected the belief that it deserved to be anything more than a curiosity for the faithful.

The brand new Spooky Action at a Distance may have a title that suggests a similar reticence, but it is a very different record. This is the kind of record one would expect from the guy who authored "Desire Lines" and "Fountain Stairs." And in the process, Pundt has maybe for the first time overshadowed his prolific bandmate. For while Atlas Sound's last record, 2011's Parallax, is a really great record (and maybe the most cohesive solo record Cox has put together) there's something just that much more likeable and immediate in Spooky Action.

Part of it is that the album traffics happily in the same sort of "Yeah, I know this is a total ripoff, but it's still a great song" brand of idol worship that makes for many Deerhunter's best moments. You can see the DNA of dozens of great indie and shoegaze bands of the past two decades all over Spooky Distance, but Pundt never pretends that he's trying to do anything different (chances are, you'll be too caught up in the fun to notice yourself).

Just as important to this record's success, however, is the way that he completely avoids Cox's propensity for self-indulgence. Parallax is lovely, but it's hard to listen to it and not feel like the final third falls into a melancholic slump; or that for all of its groovy drum machine/loop moments, the best tunes are the ones where he plays it straight. Pundt, on the other hand, just plays indie rock without any of the detours, and he does it beautifully. 

As a personality and a long-term career, Cox may be the safer bet. But for all of his solid work thus far, he's still yet to make a record on his own that's as consistently pleasing as this one.

MAGGIE & TERRE ROCHE - Seductive Reasoning

It was sometime last year when Ernest turned me on to The Roches' self-titled debut album, a quirky collection of songs propelled by the kind of gorgeous three-part harmonies that only sisters can pull off. So when this reissue of Seductive Reasoning came into the shop last month, I knew it would be worth a listen. Though it does not feature younger sis Suzzy Roche, this earlier album (recorded four years before The Roches) still shines brightly. In fact, it's actually become my preferred album of the two that I've heard. Though it has its corny moments, they are far outweighed by the truly unique songwriting. There are so many moments on this album that make me stop dead in my tracks. Just get it already!

"Seductive Reasoning was released by Maggie and Terre Roche four years before younger sister Suzzy joined them on their 'debut' record. Now, with most of the classic records by the three Roches out of print, this least well-known item in their discography is given a new lease on life." - Blurt

"[Maggie] Roche has the perspective of a young woman thoughtfully, if confusedly, making her way through the romantic, sexual, and career thickets of early adulthood. Her gift for wordplay expresses her uncertainties well. 'There ought to be something to fall back on,' she writes in "Down the Dream," 'like a knife or a career.'" - Allmusic

HUMAN SWITCHBOARD - Who's Landing In My Hangar? Anthology 1977-1984

If you threw Patti Smith, Tom Verlaine, and Question Mark & The Mysterians into a sonic blender, the odds are good you'd get Ohio's Human Switchboard, a forgotten yet great garage-y punk band. This overdue reissue combines their sole studio album with a few of their rough 'n' tough early singles.

"The greatest thing about Who’s Landing In My Hangar? Anthology 1977-1984 is, as it should be, the music. The album itself offers the greatest gems. Opener "(Say No To) Saturday’s Girl" suggests the sultry-sarcastic vocal and keys-driven sound of Blondie’s prime. The title track is perhaps the most characteristic cut, evoking the nervy funk of Talking Heads before launching into an organ-buoyed chorus that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Reigning Sound platter...Like New Jersey’s Feelies, at roughly the same time, the Ohio-bred Human Switchboard took the Velvet Underground’s template and made it something new, interesting, and far removed from the gritty urban setting that defined the Velvets and Lou Reed." - Paste

THE CARAVELLES - You Don't Have To Be A Baby To Cry

This quite comprehensive RPM collection compiles everything you need to hear from eerily innocent vocal duo The Caravelles (who clearly took a page from their pre-teen predecessors Patience and Prudence), with the added bonus of their (slightly) more folk-rockin' late-'60s material.

"Lois Wilkinson (later professionally known as Lois Lane) and Andrea Simpson got together to record a few demos in 1963. A re-cut of 'You Don't Have To Be Baby To Cry' made by Ritz Productions impresario Bunny Lewis was leased to Decca—a No. 6 UK & No. 3 US smash hit resulted, and a pop career was born. Included here are their one LP, also released in 1963, plus their subsequent eight singles and one EP leased to different labels up to 1968, all properly reissued for the first time." - Cherry Red

VA - Ike Turner Studio Productions: New Orleans and Los Angeles 1963-1965

Besides recording with Tina Turner and The Ikettes, big bad Ike was constantly busy in the early to mid-Sixties, producing and writing scorching soul for an impressive cross-section of acts.

"During 1963 to 1965 (the timeframe of this collection), Ike's wheeling and dealing went into overdrive. He signed the Ike & Tina Revue to his old cohorts the Bihari Brothers at Modern, where he immediately hit paydirt with the Ikettes. But hit sides for the main act were unforthcoming, and Ike hedged his bets by recording sides with a gamut of raw R&B talent. Some sides were issued on Modern, some on a plethora of indie imprints started by Ike himself, and then leased out if not released...Altogether one of Ike Turner’s lesser-known but most prolific time periods." - Ace Records

VA - Something Good From The Goffin & King Songbook

The Brill Building hits (and more obscure gems) just keep comin' with Ace Records' third compilation of tunes by the legendary songwriting team of Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Pure pop for now—and then—people!

"No songwriters of the era articulated the emotions of adolescence and the pains of teen-dom with quite the same mix of innocence and sophistication of Goffin and King; they were, after all, still teenagers themselves when they were crafting much of this material, experiencing the same emotions as their audience. Even so, you might think that, this being Ace’s third collection of their compositions, the well of hits might have run dry. But then Something Good opens with The Drifters' joyous 'At The Club' (the superior and rarely heard single version), and you know that once again Mick Patrick and Tony Rounce have served up another peerless compilation of classics, near misses and lost obscurities." - Ace Records

MICHAEL KIWANUKA - Home Again

OK, so I've had a pretty crazy week. Lots to do. Plenty of things to get stressed about. So much on the plate. It's times like this that people tend to turn to some time-honoured ritual to provide some measure of sanity as their world goes bonkers all around them.

For me, this ritual is (wait for it...) listening to some favourite records. Dylan. The Walkmen. Stevie Wonder. Dirty Three. That sort of thing. But before I could reach for any one of my usual suspects, I found myself unexpectedly overwhelmed by someone of whom I'd never heard and had zero expectations—this man and his masterful debut album, Home Again.

Like its title suggests, it's an album that is humble and grounded. But while this comforting, genial exterior is a fair representation of the album's manner, it is deeply misleading in terms of its rarer qualities. This is an album that reaches for the same heights of spiritually resonant folk R&B that greats like Bill Withers and Van Morrison (and few others) have scaled—and it very nearly pulls it off.

I only really say "nearly" to avoid having this sound like too much empty critic hyperbole. I suppose I could see how someone could put on Home Again and say, "Meh...just another laidback, retro-y R&B platter..." But for me, this is definitely the first great record I've heard this year. I've spent several entire days listening to nothing else, and I'm not approaching being tired of it.

So thanks, Mr. Kiwanuka. You've definitely helped stave off another mental breakdown for this writer. The least I can do in return is spread the word.

VA - Memphis Boys: The Story Of American Studios

As usual, an ace compilation from Ace. This one accompanies the recently published book Memphis Boys (which we also stock) taking a look at the history of American Studios. An illuminating set that throws some curves by combining definitive versions of songs (Dusty Springfield's masterful Son Of A Preacher Man) alongside versions out of left field (the Glories interpreting Dark End Of The Street).

"There can be few with an interest in the music of the American South who didn’t welcome the recent publication of Memphis Boys, Roben Jones' essential history of American Studios. Although this collection doesn’t contain every major hit that came out of the funky little studio on Thomas Street, Memphis (we’re saving some for a possible second volume), as a listening experience it’s hard to beat—particularly when enjoyed in conjunction with Roben’s brilliant book." - Ace Records

"The first-ever tribute to the legendary American Studios—the late-'60s Memphis powerhouse that was as important to the sound of the south as Fame, Stax, and Hi Records! American did work for a number of different labels, and had their own brief imprint as well—and like their better-known contemporaries, they had a core house band who could provide killer backup to just about anyone." - Dusty Groove

CATE LE BON - Cyrk

Bringing to mind such great singers as Bridget St. John and the late Trish Keenan of Broadcast, Cate Le Bon's second disc has the vocals, the tunes, and the production smarts to have endeared itself to plenty of our staff. Very recommended!

"Cate Le Bon marries simple jangly guitar chords with heavy-hearted Nico-esque vocals, bursts of woozy, disorienting noises and a subtly off-kilter sensibility that never lets you get too comfortable, no matter how peacefully drifting the melodies might be." - NOW

"Cyrk is Le Bon's second LP, and it's rife with blurting guitar, tweaky percussion, interjecting organ, and rolling drums, not to mention the occasional mournful trumpet solo set to formless orchestra noise. It’s a lot of loose rhythms and knotted nostalgia, but while her peers would spend an album weaving in and out of proverbial rabbit holes, Le Bon’s kaleidoscope is firmly focused." - AV Club

ERIC CHENAUX - Guitar & Voice

Eric's first truly solo record for Constellation alternates between woozily interwoven nylon-string/fuzz/wah songbook balladeering and equally-affecting hardanger-style bowed instrumentals, making for maybe his best set yet.

"In between vocal lines, an acoustic guitar weaves a cussed path, snarling through a wah-wah pedal...An interesting example of a performer getting more experimental and simultaneously more studio-savvy, Chenaux has produced his best work yet." - The Wire

"After five LPs and a decade of working with acts like Sandro Perri, Ryan Driver, Drumheller and Michelle McAdorey, he has made Guitar & Voice, which is just that, just those perfect things, guitar and voice—coaxed & shattered & sublimated & splintered & mirrored & burned to ash...This is unquestionably one of the best albums of 2012." - Said The Gramophone

BO DIDDLEY - The Black Gladiator

With Get On Down having recently reissued both The Howlin' Wolf Album and Muddy Waters' After The Rain, now is the perfect time for Light In The Attic affiliate Future Days to bring The Black Gladiator back into the psych-tinged funky-blues arena. All comeback competition best beware, because Bo is ready to battle! 

"When he entered Chicago's Ter-Mar Studios in January 1970, the mighty Bo was faced with a daunting task—recording a follow-up to his last solo album, 1965's 500% More Man. Much as had been done with Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf in attempting to re-mold the old-school bluesmen as psychedelic-blues artists, The Black Gladiator saw Bo Diddley staking his claim as a funkateer in the new decade." - About.com

"This 1970 LP isn't easy to find, but it's the record where Bo lets it all hang out, leading a blazing distorto-soul band and indulging all his most eccentric qualities. Released on Chess Records subsidiary Checker, The Black Gladiator remakes Diddley as a funk artist, and to these ears, it works like crazy." - The Stranger

VA - Listen, Whitey! The Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975

Soundtracking the short-lived yet historically-important Black Power movement, Listen, Whitey! is a superb accompaniment to the recently-published book of the same name. An inspiring and moving testimony to a time when demands for social change rocked America.

"Pop's fading power to shock is thrown into stark relief by this compilation, conceived as the soundtrack to a new book of the same title that charts the black power struggles of the late '60s and early '70s...The premise of Pat Thomas's handsome book is that this was an era in which revolutionaries such as Bobby Seale and Angela Davis were treated as pop cultural icons, while musicians became revolutionaries." - The Guardian

"Compiler Pat Thomas breaks with convention, avoiding a predictably narrow focus of soul and funk cuts and opting instead for a more expansive purview that encompasses spoken word, folk, rock, and other genres in the mix...Thomas is careful to distinguish his selections from contemporaneous Blaxploitation staples, as detailed annotations on each track go deep into explaining historical and cultural context." - Dusted

PERFUME GENIUS - Put Your Back N 2 It

Seattle's Mike Hadreas (aka Perfume Genius) got a lot of attention when he released his fantastic debut album Learning in 2010. Now we have Put Your Back N 2 It, a follow-up that once again showcases the tremendous talent of this young new artist.

"Put Your Back N 2 It shows how much Hadreas learned from Learning: it's more confident but still subversive, like the work of someone who's come through troubles stronger and can comfort others. The unabashedly lush sound of songs such as "AWOL Marine," which, with its sweeping synth strings and piano, feels like a missing piece of Angelo Badalamenti's melodramatic and knowing score for Twin Peaks, only highlights how tremulous Hadreas' voice still is, but he finds strength in his fragility. There's a strong hymnal, inspirational quality to Put Your Back N 2 It suggesting that Perfume Genius could do a brilliant version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" if Hadreas wanted." - All Music

"He has a brilliant feel for poetic imagery ("The hands of God were bigger than grandpa's eyes/ But still he broke the elastic on your waist," from "Dark Parts", is particularly haunting), but he's mostly moved away from storytelling to explore emotional themes at their most fundamental. Put Your Back N 2 It is an album about love—what happens when we feel sheltered by it, how we fail to love ourselves and the people around us—but amidst the heartache and bruised tenderness, there's hope, too. Hadreas sums it all up in the hollowed-out torch song "No Tear": 'I will carry on with grace.'" - Pitchfork

BABY EAGLE & THE PROUD MOTHERS - Bone Soldiers

Baby Eagle (Steve Lambke) has made his best album yet in Bone Soldiers, his fourth full-length effort. Recorded with a band consisting of Will Kidman (Constantines), Nick Ferrio (The Burning Hell), Ian Kehoe (Marine Dreams) and Spencer Burton (Attack in Black), the extra muscle behind the songs really makes for a satisfying listen. Another fine release from You've Changed Records.

"Bone Soldiers was recorded live off the floor in a matter of days at Toronto’s 6 Nassau studio, capturing the magic that only happens when a group of friends gets together with a singular purpose: to make some god damned great noise." - Quick Before It Melts

"There's such astounding poetry to the punk rock of Steven Lambke that it's a pity he doesn't get his due alongside the great songwriters of our time. At issue, it seems, could be the palatability of a record like Bone Soldiers, which is bold and uncompromising in its beauty, but filled with dirt and the skeletons most of us would rather leave covered up. Yet it's all worth unraveling, as these are vivid tales steeped in rich metaphors whose charms are conveyed not with sly, self-satisfied winks, but as surreal points of fact." - Exclaim!