Love This Giant by David Byrne and St. Vincent

Released:  September 11, 2012
Rating:  70
Genre:  Experimental Rock

Remember the Talking Heads?  I do.  David Byrne lead the band, from their formation in 1975 in New York  until they broke up in 1988.  I loved David Byrne's quirky lyrics, outrageous costumes, unique voice and highly experimental music.  This is his 9th solo album since 1981 and, perhaps regrettably, my first.  Here he teams with St. Vincent (the stage name of Annie Erin Clark, it's also the name of the band she fronts), which makes calling it a solo album a little confusing.

The music is primarily written for a brass band, which sounds more like David Byrne, but was actually the suggestion of Annie Clark. On the opener Who Byrne is out front.  Immediately followed by  Weekend In The Dust where St. Vincent takes the lead.  Optimist is another great tune worth a listen.

This is not an album for background noise.  It deserves takes some concentration to truly appreciate it, and it's worth the effort.

Sun by Cat Power

Released:  September 4, 2012
Rating:  72.73
Genre: 

Cat Power is the stage name of Chan (pronounced "Shawn") Marshall, born Charlyn Marie Marshall in Atlanta, Georgia on January 21, 1972.  This is her first album since 2008's Jukebox (a terrific album of covers, from New York, New York to Hank Williams' Ramblin' Man, to Joni Mitchell's Blue) which was my introduction to her.  This is her 7th album of original material and the first in 6 years.

The clearest thing I can hear is Cheryl Crow (circa Tuesday Night Music Club, my personal  favorite) style song-writing here, though not necessarily every song.  In fact, ironically, my favorite songs are not those that sound most like Crow.  Spotify draws comparisons to PJ Harvey, Feist, Devandra Banhart and Iron and Wine.  I don't really see any of them individually, but if you smashed them together in a super-collider, you might end up with Cat Power.

(By the way, the name comes from a trucker's ball cap with the Caterpillar Tractor logo.)  The opener, Cherokee, is my favorite song on the album.  3,6,9 is one of the more Sheryl-Crow-like numbers.  Human Being is a bluesy piece from the swamps of Mississippi.

A Thing Called Divine Fits by Divine Fits

Released:  August 28, 2012
Rating:  81.62
Genre:  Alt Rock

Screaming into front-runner status, late in 2012 is the Super-Group, Divine Fits.  And while I've never heard of of the drummer (Sam Brown, or his band, New Bomb Turks), I'm a big fan of Dan Boeckner (of the Handsome Furs and Wolf Parade) and Britt Daniels (the lead vocalist and guitarist for Spoon, who's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga was my favorite album of 2007.)

AMG pretty much nailed the sound describing it as "throbbing, understated synths, insistent beats that jab listeners like a finger in the chest, and echoing vocals that sound like they were recorded in an alley in the middle of the night."  While I hear Daniels' influence loud and clear, I can also hear Boeckner's song writing, though somewhat less frenetic than his work with the Handsome Furs.  My favorite songs include:

• The first single and opener My Love Is Real
• Flaggin a Ride's simple, driving beat and intense vocal track.
• The heavy base of Would That Not Be Nice.
• The slightly folky Civilian Stripes.
• Although not in my top 5 songs on the album, Shivers is still a very cool cover of a 1979 release by Nick Cave's band Birthday Party (before he formed the Bad Seeds in 1983.)

Standing At The Sky's Edge by Richard Hawley

Released:  August 28, 2012
Rating:  72.00
Genre:  Neo Psychedelia.

The son of a steel worker, from Sheffield, England, Hawley began his solo career with a self-titled debut in 2001.  This is his 7th proper studio release and the influences of lat '60s psychedelia are everywhere.  He refers to the lush mix as "rocket sounds." 

The music is a fascinating arrangement of guitar, bass and drums, punctuated with organs, violins, tom-toms, even a tamboura. Hawley as a beautiful baritone that adds a richness to every song.  Spotify compares him to Morrisey, Roy Orbison, Nick Drake and Lee Hazelwood.  At least on this album, I'd have to include the doors.

• The title track, Standing At the Sky's Edge, reminds me of  Jim Morrison at his trippiest.
• Down in the Woods is a raw rocker.
• Seek It is a strange love song - "I had a dream and you were in it/we got naked/ Can't remember what happened next/ it was weird" - with a gorgeous melody, supported by Hawley's rich voice.
• Leave Your Body Behind You leaves you spent.

Ascent by Six Organs Of Admittance

Released:  August 21, 2012
Rating:  74.00
Genre:  Psychedelic Guitar Rock

Former Plague Lounge guitarist Ben Chasny formed Six Organs of Admittance in 1998 in Northern California.  Heavily instrumentals, with diving guitar solos, and large dash of psychedelia, this album is almost universally adored by the critics.  On a song-by-song basis, I can't get to the same place, but taken as a whole, it's a trippy, blast of an album, mostly deserving of the acclaim.

(The album is not currently available on Spotify, so I've resorted to Youtube versions.)

The opener, Waswasa is pretty much a kick-ass, five-and-a-half minute guitar solo.  It's followed by the drugged out Close To The Sky, which could have been done by the Doors, if they'd existed in 2012.  Visions (From IO) is a spacey, slow burner that reminds me a little of Space Oddity-era David Bowie.