Harakiri by Serj Tankian

Released:  July 10, 2012
Rating:  69.09
Genre:  Hard Rock

This is the new solo album by System of a Down singer/founder.  The music here is something of a hybrid, between his previous, prog-rock, solo work and SOAD's heavy metal.  Tankian's voice is very distinctive, and either you like it or you don't (I do, obviously).  The lyrics pretty angry (the language is not for the kids) and the music is pretty heavy.

I liked it more than the average critic, but opinions were all over the place.  From Alternative Press ("a worthwhile and intriguing listen.") to PopMatters ("The most confusing, drab, inexplicable pop-punk album I've heard in years.")

Check out a couple of my favorite songs from the album and make up your mind for yourself:

• The pseudo ballad Occupied.
• The skittish Ching Chime.

Deep Time by Deep Time

Released:  July 10, 2012
Rating:  73.33
Genre:  Indie

Lot's of bass and percussion.  Electronics tastefully layered in.  The vocal is an elegant, deep toned female voice.  This duo (Jennifer Moore and Adam Jones, from Austin, Texas) just sounds cool; perhaps a little outside of the world most of us live in.  Whether it's above or below is not always clear.

The eponymous album is the duo's debut (sort of.  They performed as Yellow Fever the previous four years, until they got sued because someone else already had rights to the name.)  In any event they never got much notice beyond the local scene in Austin; which is no feint praise.

My favorite song on the album is Clouds.  Bermuda Triangle is a great example of the minimalist vibe they can use.  (Click the song titles to hear the songs via youtube.)

The album didn't make it into the top 10, but it made it to the top 15. And even making on the list is an endorsement. So far this year I've read over a thousand reviews, listened to nearly 200 albums and bought about 50. I definitely recommend giving these guys a listen.

The House That Jack Built by Jesca Hoop

Released:  June 26, 2012
Rating:  70.00
Genre:  Singer/Songwriter

I've read comparisons of her songwriting  to Simon and Garfunkel; of the related artists on Spotify, the only one I recognize is My Brightest Diamond (sort of an operatic chamber-pop); and she's considered a contemporary of the likes of Devandra Banhart (the king of Freak-Folk).  When first contemplating her sound I was having a hard time characterizing it and, frankly, I didn't see the comparisons being made by the professionals.  However, the more I listen to it, I realize that if you could actually put those elements into a blender, you really would get Jesca Hoop.

She was actually discovered by a musical hero of mine: Tom Waits.  She was the nanny to his family for five years.

This is her third album (my first).  I really like a lot about this and would suggest you listen to: 

• The opener Born To.  A great folk pop song.  This is the hyperlink to the official video.
• The beautiful, melancholy Deeper Devastation.  This is a live recording, but it's very clean.

This wraps up the June releases for me. I picked up 6 new CDSs and, although they included Metric and Bobby Womack, both excellent records, the rest of the June releases were really good, but not great.  I picked up 7 albums in June and they are somewhat more varied: from Serj Tankian's hard-rock to Frank Ocean's R&B, inspired by Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye.

Happy listening and, please, let me know what you're listening to these days.

The Plot Against Common Sense by The Future Of The Left

Released:  June 12, 2012
Rating:  68.00
Genre:  Punk!

This is some really angry stuff. That said, the 4-piece, Welsh, noise-rock band's fifth album (in just 6 years) has some great moments.  They remind me of early clash. In fact, the opener, Sheena Is A T-Shirt Salesman ( click to hear the full song), seems to be a sequel to the Clash's 1977 Sheena Is A Punk Rocker.  I cannot recommend that you rush out and buy this album.  Look it up and listen to it first.  If you're in the right space for some angry, pounding punk rock, then this is the perfect answer.

Note as one who considers himself pretty liberal, I, for one, hope this is not the "future of the left."  I'm looking forward to some peace and serenity.

The Bravest Man In The Universe by Bobby Womack

Released:  June 12, 2012
Rating:  70.91
Genre:  Alternative R&B

I recommend finding this album on Spotify (or somewhere else) and listening to the entire thing.  If you find as much of it interesting as I do, add it to your collection.  Until then, I'd suggest you give a listen to a couple of great examples of what's here:

• The soulful Please Forgive My Heart
• The supercool Dayglo Reflection, featuring Lana Del Ray

There are two story tracks to follow for this album. 

The first is Bobby Womack, who probably isn't well known (except maybe by name) to most of my contemporaries; or me, for that matter.  He will be 70 years old next March and he's been performing since 1953.  (He met Sam Cooke at that first performance with his brothers; and was later recruited by Cooke, when he formed his own label in 1960/61.)  He's toured behind James Brown and was an early inspiration to Jimi Hendrix.  He wrote the song It's All Over Now, which the Rolling Stones made into their first Number 1 single in England.  He Sang back up for Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin and a featured write for Wilson Pickett.  In the late '60s he had his own R&B Chart hits with covers of California Dreamin' and I Left My Heart In San Francisco.  He wrote Breezin' which became a huge hit for George Benson (and the title track for his best selling album.)  In total, he's released more than 25 albums and contributed to countless more.

Damon Albarn convinced Bobby Womack to contribute to the Gorillaz 3rd album, plastic beach.  They became friends and this album, Womack's first in 13 years, grew out of that friendship.  Damon Albarn produced, composed and played on the album.

Damon Albarn is the second story track.  He's somewhat younger (he'll be 43 within a few days of Womack's 70th B-day) and I've already written some about him, since I'm a huge Gorillaz fan, so I won't devote as much space to him here.  He fronted the Blur, created the Gorillaz and was part of the The Good, The Bad and The Queen.  Earlier this year he released Rocket Juice and the Moon with Tony Allen (from Fela Kuti's band) and Flea (from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  He also released a traditional Opera this year.