What can I tell you? I’d hoped things (i. e., our American life) would be much better by now, since I last posted a lazy list–for the time being, I cannot write, a kind of impotence I am sure is related to political distraction. However, “fury and fire” are the order of the day, so I guess I’ll be leaning even harder on music to get me from rising from my pillow in the morning to lowering my head back upon it at night. These records keep me believing in a decent future, and in a humanity that continues to evolve. Big ups to St. Louis’ Black Artists Group contingent, my research into which has been exciting; to the Golden Pelicans, who are the Black Oak Arkansas of hard-ass punk rock; to the ebullient Eno Williams, who powers the exultant Ibibio Sound Machine; to Tyshawn Sorey, who is always looking for a way forward; and to the indefatigable musical exploration of John Corbett, who’s damn-near supplanted every other music writer in my esteem. I’ve taken the time to link all the new releases to clips for you to enjoy (that is, except for Jay Z, because, as nice as his old-dude album is technically and artistically, I’m done for now with caring about the lives of the very rich), and I did my best to do the same for the older rekkids I am digging, but…shit, you know how to get to YouTube, correct?
Important Addendum: The Lost Bayou Ramblers crashed the Top 10 out of nowhere with the hardest-rocking, most eccentrically textured Cajun record in years, Kalenda–which is my favorite record right now, but it just dropped today (9/29/17). Also, against all my strongest, well-honed instincts, I’ve been broken by Lana Del Rey. A six-hour immersion in her catalogue justified the hype and more, though I would still opine that a little goes a long (but deep) way.
TOP 85 New Releases of the First 3/4ths of 2017:
- Zeal and Ardor: Devil is Fine
- Ibibio Sound Machine: Eyai
- Orchestra Baobab: Tribute to Ndiouga Dieng
- Lost Bayou Ramblers: Kalenda
- Lana Del Rey: Lust for Life
- Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit: The Nashville Sound
- Harriet Tubman: Araminta
- Various Artists: Miracle Steps (Music from The Fourth World 1983-2017)
- Golden Pelicans: Disciples of Blood
- William Parker: Meditation – Resurrection
- Preservation Hall Jazz Band: So It Is
- Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever: Talk Tight
- Peter Perrett: How the West Was Won
- Rhiannon Giddens: Freedom Highway
- The Perceptionists: Resolution
- Steve Earle and The Dukes: So You Wannabe an Outlaw?
- Roscoe Mitchell: Bells for The South Side
- Mostly Other People Do The Killing: Loafer’s Hollow
- Sarah Shook and the Disarmers: Sidelong
- Angaleena Presley: Wrangled
- Various Artists: Battle Hymns
- Obnox: Niggative Approach
- Aram Bajakian: Dalava–The Book of Transfigurations
- Syd: Fin
- Steve Lacy: Steve Lacy’s Demo (EP) (Not the late jazz soprano master Steve Lacy, BTW!)
- Kendrick Lamar: Damn
- Sampha: Process
- Waxahatchee: Out in the Storm
- Jens Lekman: Life Will See You Now
- Burnt Sugar: All You Zombies Dig The Luminosity
- Thurst: Cut to the Chafe
- Filthy Friends: Invitation
- Cloud Nothings: Life Without Sound
- Arto Lindsay: Cuidado Madame
- Body Count: Blood Lust
- Les Amazones D’Afrique: Republique Amazone
- Maximum Ernst: Maximum Ernst
- Oddisee: The Iceberg
- Tamikrest: Kidal
- Tyshawn Sorey: Verismilitude
- John Escreet: The Unknown
- James Luther Dickinson: I’m Just Dead I’m Not Gone (Lazarus Edition) READ THE BOOK!
- (The Late) Mariem Hassan: La Voz Indominata
- Trio 3: Visiting Texture
- Gogol Bordello: Seekers and Finders
- Jay-Z: 4:44
- Randy Newman: Dark Matter
- Alice Coltrane: The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda
- Shabazz Palaces: Quazarz: Born on a Gangster Star
- New Pornographers: Whiteout Conditions
- Garland Jeffreys: 14 Steps to Harlem
- Ty Segall: Fried Shallots
- Tony Allen: A Tribute to Art Blakey
- Trio de Kali w/ The Kronos Quartet: Ladilikan
- Hard Working Americans: We’re All in This Together
- Randy Weston: African Nubian Suite
- Gato Preto: Tempo
- Tinariwen: Elwan
- Shina Williams: Agb’oju L’Ogun
- Let’s Eat Grandma: I, Gemini
- Ross Johnson and Lesa Aldridge: Lesa and Ross
- The Goon Sax: Up to Anything
- Hurray for the Riff Raff: The Navigator
- Various Artists: Mono No Aware
- Karreim Riggins: Headnod Suite
- Various Artists: Outro Tempo–Electronic And Contemporary Music From Brazil 1978-1992
- Omou Sangare: Mogoya
- Daddy Issues: Can We Still Hang?
- Nots: “Cruel Friend” / “Violence”
- Bob Dylan: Triplicate
- Pierre Kwenders: MAKANDA at the End of Space, the Beginning of Time
- Damaged Bug: Bunker Funk
- Tomasz Stanko: December Avenue
- Black Lips: Satan’s Graffiti or God’s Art
- Chuck Berry: Chuck
- Joe King Cologbo & High Grace: Sugar Daddy
- Don Bryant: Don’t Give Up On Love
- Public Enemy: Nothing is Quick in the Desert
- Shabazz Palaces: Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machines
- David S. Ware: Live in New York City 2010
- Thundercat: Drunk
- Elliott Sharp, Mary Halvorson, and Marc Ribot: Err Guitar
- Erica Falls: Home Grown
- Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah: Ruler Rebel
- Open Mike Eagle: Brick Body Kids Still Daydream
65 Great Older Releases That I’ve Bought in ’17 That I Still Can’t Get Enough Of
(If it’s bolded, I’ve been hooked on the thing quite seriously)
- Allison, Mose: I’m Not Talkin’—The Song Stylings of Mose Allison 1957-1972
- Avengers: Died for Your Sins
- Les Amazones de Guinée: Au coeur de Paris & M’mah Sylla (Bolibana Collection)
- Anderson, Fred, and Hamid Drake: …together again
- Astatke, Mulatu: Mulatu of Ethiopia
- Black Artists Group: In Paris 1973
- Blythe, Arthur: Illusions
- Bowie, David: Cracked Actor (Live Los Angeles ’74)
- Carmichael, Hoagy: Music Master
- Case, Neko: The Tigers Have Spoken
- Cochran, Wayne: Wayne Cochran!
- Cohran, Philip: Armageddon
- Coursil, Jacques: Trails of Tears
- The Creation: Action Painting
- Curtis, King: Instant Soul–The Legendary King Curtis
- Davis, Anthony: Episteme
- Dion: Kickin’ Child–The Lost Album 1965
- Dion and The Belmonts: Together Again
- d/j Rupture: Minesweeper Suite
- E: E
- Eggleston, Cozy: Grand Slam
- Evans, Bill: Some Other Time–The Lost Session from the Black Forest
- Fela: The Best of Black President, Volume 2
- Fela: Live in Detroit
- Gibbs, Melvin: Ancients Speak(all hail Pete Cosey!)
- Gonzalez, Dennis: Idle Wild
- Gonzalez, Dennis: Nile River Suite
- Hemphill, Julius: Coon Bidness
- Human Arts Ensemble: Whisper of Dharma
- Ink Spots: These Cats Are High
- Instant Composers Pool: Aan & Uit
- Jamal, Ahmad: The Awakening
- JJ DOOM: Bookhead
- King: We Are King (would have been in my 2016 Top Ten had I been on the ball)
- Kyle, K. Curtis: The Collected Poem for Blind Lemon Jefferson
- London Jazz Composers Orchestra: Theoria
- McGann, Bernie: Playground
- McPhee, Joe: “The Loneliest Woman”
- Monk, Thelonious: Soundtrack to Les Liaisons Dangereuses
- Orchestra Regionale De Mopti
- Various Artists: Spiritual Jazz #7—Islam
- Patrick, Pat, and Baritone Retinue: Sound Advice
- Perry, Lee Scratch: Dub Triptych
- Perry, Lee Scratch: Presents African Roots
- Perry, Lee Scratch: Voodooism
- Prince: Purple Rain – 2017 Deluxe Remaster
- Prince Jazzbo: Ital Corner
- Pullen, Don, and Beaver Harris: A Well-Kept Secret
- Revelators: …we told you not to cross us (20th Anniversary Edition)
- Spontaneous Music Ensemble: Face to Face
- Stanko, Tomasz: Leosia
- Sun Ra: The Space Age Is Here to Stay
- This Heat: Out of Cold Storage
- Thomas, Luther, and Human Arts Ensemble: Funky Donkey Vols. 1 & 2
- Thornton, Clifford: The Panther and The Lash
- Morgan, Lee: Live at The Lighthouse
- Various Artists: After-School Special—The 123s of Kid Soul
- Various Artists: Hanoi Masters–War is A Wound, Peace is a Scar
- Various Artists: Killed by Death #5
- Various Artists: The Original Sounds of Mali
- Various Artists: The Poppyseeds–The Sound of Crenshaw
- Various Artists: Songs from Saharan Cell Phones, 1 & 2
- Washington, Dinah: Live at Newport 1958
- White, Ruth: Flowers of Evil
- Wray, Link: Three-Track Shack
Living To Listen 