Hey, I like newfangled things as much as the next guy. But you gotta admit: Sometimes the old ways — not to mention the old musicians — are best. Based on this list of upcoming albums that have caught my eye, it looks like this is one of those times. And I’m not even including that John Lennon box that I wrote about last week, just before it got bumped to this Friday. Fingers crossed that all these titles actually show up:
Dinosaur Jr.
Sweep It Into Space
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Here is Sweep It Into Space, the fifth new studio album cut by Dinosaur Jr. during the 13th year of their rebirth. Originally scheduled for issue in mid-2020, this record’s temporal trajectory was thwarted by the coming of the Plague. But it would take more than a mere Plague to tamp down the exquisite fury of this trio when they are fully dialed-in. And Sweep It Into Space is a masterpiece of zoned dialing. Indeed, Sweep It Into Space is a very cool album. As is typical, Lou Barlow writes and sings two of the album’s dozen tunes and Murph’s pure-Flinstonian drumming drives the record like a go cart from Hell. Lou’s songs here are as elegant as always. But there are very few moments where you wouldn’t know you were hearing Dinosaur Jr. in blindfolded needle drop. They have a signature sound as sure as the Stooges or Sonic Youth or Discharge ever did. They continue to expand their personal universe with Sweep It Into Space, without ever losing their central core.”
Peter Frampton
Frampton Forgets The Words
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Frampton Forgets the Words, the new studio album by The Peter Frampton Band, features instrumental tributes to some of Frampton’s favorite songs and is the follow up to his 2007 Grammy-winning instrumental album Fingerprints. With his infamous 1954 Les Paul Phenix — which was lost in a plane crash in 1980 and recovered more than 30 years later — Frampton brings virtuosic guitar playing to songs by David Bowie, George Harrison, Stevie Wonder, Lenny Kravitz and more. Frampton notes, “This album is a collection of ten of my favorite pieces of music. My guitar is also a voice and I have always enjoyed playing my favorite vocal lines that we all know and love. These tracks are my great band and me paying tribute to the original creators of this wonderful music. So much fun to do and I really hope you enjoy it too.”
Tom Jones
Surrounded by Time
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Legendary singer Tom Jones’ new album is Surrounded By Time. The album’s first single was a cover of Todd Snider‘s Talking Reality Television Blues, accompanied by an official music video that traces the impact and changing role of television throughout history. “I was there when TV started — didn’t know I’d become a part of it — but it could be that its power is to remind us how wonderful, crazy and inventive we are, but also how scary the reality it reflects can be,” Jones explains. Surrounded By Time marks out new territory with a sonic landscape of outstanding musicianship and a vocal delivery that re-imagines a diverse set of songs of personal importance that have impacted the artist throughout a long, unpredictable but undeniably impressive career. A decade ago in 2010, Jones emerged with Praise & Blame — a soul-baring collection that at long last unveiled his musical roots and lifelong affection for gospel and the blues. Garnering the best reviews of his career, he moved forward with Spirit In The Room and Long Lost Suitcase, a trilogy that reaffirmed his unique gifts, his standing in popular music and brought him to an hitherto untapped audience.”
The Mars Volta
La Realidad De Los Sueños / Landscape Tantrums
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “La Realidad De Los Sueños is literally “the reality of dreams” for the numerous The Mars Volta fans all around the world. The band’s comprehensive new anthology not only contains their entire studio discography but also some true treasures like Landscape Tantrums, unreleased material from the De-Loused In The Comatorium Sessions and a photo-book with exclusive behind-the-scenes shots. The 18-LP set is limited to 5.000 copies, pressed on 180 gram black vinyl and comes with a characteristic, Mars Volta-esque designed box. Presentation rack included.”
Todd Snider
First Agnostic Church Of Hope And Wonder
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Todd Snider has described the First Agnostic Church of Hope And Wonder — the namesake for his remarkable 19th studio album— as a house of worship presided over by “a preacher who’s full of shit, and when everyone starts to realize it, he asks God to help and God does, proving once and for all that God is hilarious.” With this premise, the groundwork is laid for Todd’s one-of-a-kind writing style to thrive — irreverent humor, somehow seamlessly woven with intricate and poignant storytelling. In the case of the First Agnostic Church of Hope and Wonder (a concept derived from Todd’s Sunday livestreams throughout the pandemic), much of that profundity comes in the form of remembering friends and mentors lost too soon.”
Various Artists
Brown Acid: The Twelfth Trip
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “That’s right, we’ve reached a toker’s dozen editions of brilliant long-lost, rare, and unreleased hard rock, heavy psych, and proto-metal tracks from the ’60s-’70s. Clearly this has become a bona fide archaeological movement as each new installment leads us to more exciting new discoveries. Like we’ve done throughout this series, all of these tracks were painstakingly licensed legitimately and the artists were paid. Make yourself comfortable and prepare for yet another deep, deep dive into the treasure trove of dank, subterranean, wild-eyed and hairy rock ’n’ roll.”
Alan Vega
Mutator
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Alan Vega’s name is synonymous with unfettered, tireless creativity. Beginning in the late 1950s, when he was a fine art student at Brooklyn College, through his years playing in Suicide, and all the way up until his death in 2016, Vega was constantly creating. That process naturally led to a wealth of material that didn’t see the light of day immediately when it was recorded, which came to be known as the Vega Vault. Mutator is the first in a series of archival releases from the Vault. At the time of the Mutator sessions, Vega was massively inspired by what was happening in the streets of New York — not only the hip-hop scenes that were exploding throughout the outer boroughs, but also the literal sounds of the streets, the traffic noise and industrial ambience of city living. That influence trickled into the sounds captured in those sessions. That sensibility, paired with Vega’s unmistakable voice and force of personality, is what made it the great album it is now.”
The Who
The Who Sell Out Super Deluxe Edition
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Initially released in December 1967, The Who Sell Out reflected a remarkable year in popular culture. As well as being forever immortalised as the moment when the counterculture and the Love Generation became a global phenomenon and pop began metamorphosing into rock. The Who Sell Out was originally planned by Pete Townshend and the band’s managers, Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, as a loose concept album including jingles and commercials linking the songs, stylised as a pirate radio broadcast. This concept was born out of necessity as their label and management wanted a new album and Townshend felt he didn’t have enough songs. The ground-breaking original plan was to sell advertising space on the album but instead the band opted for writing their own jingles to parody an increasingly consumerist society. The new Super Deluxe Edition of The Who Sell Out features 112 tracks, 47 of which are unreleased, and an 80-page, hard-back full-colour book, including period photos, memorabilia, track by track annotation and new sleeve notes by Pete Townshend.”
