New Music Releases: 6/17/08

Here's some quality, week old information you can use. These are the new music releases from Tuesday, June 17th. Of course the big release was the new Coldplay (over 700k sold in the first week). A lot of you probably picked up the new Wolf Parade too....

Records Released on 6/17/08:

Records I’ve Heard:

Noa Babayof: From a Window to a Wall (Language of Stone) – She’s a folky, Israeli singer-songwriter inspired by Joni Mitchell and Vashti Bunyan. Greg Weeks of the Espers recorded this album. Download “Indian Queen”

Children of the Sixth Root Race: Songs from the Source (Drag City) – A lost 1973 rehearsal from the Source family. It doesn’t get more hippie than this. The sound quality is decent for a rehearsal from the early 1970s. There’s a bit of an R’n’B vibe with some organs and a female choir.
Download “Godmen”

King Khan & the Shrines: The Supreme Genius of King Khan & the Shrines (Vice) - An Indian from Canada leading a multinational group playing Nuggets meets Stax tunes with punk attitude. This is a compilation of previously released tracks, but it’s the first time they’re getting wide distribution in the US. It’s on Vice Records and includes liner notes written by one of the guys from the Black Lips. It’s a fun record (probably even better live) and a sound that never goes out of style. See them at the Echo on 7/10/08. Download “Torture”

Dennis Wilson: Pacific Ocean Blue (Sony Legacy) – Very well put together reissue of Wilson’s lost classic. I’ve written about this record a couple of times before. There’s so much sadness in some of these songs, it can be incredibly tough to listen to. The reissued package includes the previously unreleased Bambu sessions. Highly recommended for Beach Boys junkies.

On the shopping list:

Silver Jews: Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea (Drag City) – That voice isn’t for everybody, but he writes great lyrics. Download “Strange Victory, Strange Defeat” See them live at the Echoplex on 9/26/08.

Other Noteworthy New Releases:
Adem covers album
Eef Barzelay
Bowerbirds remastered
Chromeo deluxe edition [Fonda 7/30/08]
Clouds
Coldplay [Forum 7/14/08 – 7/15/08]
Computer vs. Banjo (mp3)
Jason Falkner – Beatles covers
Gridlink
Head Like a Kite
IAMX [El Rey 9/15/08]
The Impossible Shapes (mp3)
Judas Priest
Liquid Liquid reissue
Jon Mueller & Jason Kahn
My Brightest Diamond
NOMO
The Notwist
Ponytail (mp3)
Reggie and the Full Effect [Avalon 8/26/08]
Melissa St. Pierre
Tilly and the Wall [Echoplex 7/10] (mp3 and mp3)
Valient Thorr [Troubadour 8/15/08]
The War on Drugs
Wolf Parade (mp3 and mp3) [The Fonda on 7/18/08 – 7/19/08]

Dennis Wilson: "Rainbows"

Here’s my weekly reminder to tune into Little Radio today from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM PST for Sinking with Sylvia (and Sometimes Todd).

As you may know, Todd and Sylvia indulge me and give me one request each week. On October 18th my request was Dennis Wilson’s “Rainbows.” Wilson is often referred to as The Real Beach Boy (which is the title of a DW bio). He was the extroverted, athletic brother who loved the beach and ocean. Dennis has a fascinating story that only starts with being Carl and Brian’s brother and the drummer in the Beach Boys. He also befriended the Manson family, starred in the film Two-Lane Blacktop with James Taylor, dated Christine McVie from Fleetwood Mac and fathered a child with Shawn Love who is (allegedly) his cousin Mike’s daughter. Tragically, Dennis succumbed to his vices and drowned in late 1983. He would have turned 63 next week.

Fortunately for us music nerds, Dennis left behind a body of work. Perhaps his best (and best known) song is “Forever” from the Beach Boys’ fantastic Sunflower album. However, “Rainbows” comes from Dennis Wilson’s only officially released solo record, Pacific Ocean Blue. I’d been on the hunt for an original copy of the album for a very long time. Last Christmas, much to my delight, I unwrapped a copy on Christmas. The production and some of the arrangements make the record a product of the late 1970s. I picked “Rainbows” because it’s got such a euphoric feeling. It’s a love song with upbeat lyrics about loving and living life. There’s a lot of great piano work on the record and some heartfelt lyrics. You probably a pretty nasty bastard if you can listen to “Farewell My Friend” without getting a little choked up. The record is definitely worth owning and in desperate need of being reissued. Whether or not you should fork over an obscene wad of cash (as I’m sure my girlfriend did) for an original copy of the LP is a personal decision.

See a list of all Beach Boys songs featuring Dennis on lead vocals at Wikipedia.

Visit this very informative Dennis Wilson site (they’ve got a lot of info on getting a bootleg of the best version of his unreleased second solo album, Bamboo)

Watch the trailer for Two-Lane Blacktop HERE

Watch Dennis in the studio during “River Song” HERE