// Category Archive for: Current Faves

Black Sabbath: The Secret History Of Black-Jewish Relations

By Hanna

The goal of Black Sabbath: The Secret History of Black-Jewish Relations, a compilation released by the Idelsohn Society For Musical Preservation, was to “gather the US history of Black-Jewish relations into a selective pop musical guide.” While a lot has been published about black and Jewish musical influences, there hasn’t been an actual musical guide to Jewish music by black artists, and this is what the Society set out to accomplish.

Of course, it’s slightly less universalist in its approach than that; Black Sabbath focuses on the ’30s through the ’60s, a time of enormous racial oppression for both groups, and also a time when the cultural exchange between the two was especially great. This really shines through in this compilation; for all that it’s only one CD. It is an amazing effort and even more amazing in that it succeeds.
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Buke And Gass, Riposte

By Jimmy Ether

In the few short weeks that I’ve been aware of Buke and Gass, I have become their biggest fan. Seriously. I’ll fight you for that bragging right! Let’s go!

Aron Sanchez and Arone Dyer create a sound—simultaneously backwoods and urbane—which fans some deep, primordial fire in my chest. They are positively . . . explosive. And they make me feel explosive.
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The Prids, Chronosynclastic

By Jemiah Jefferson

Fully recovered from an intensely bad 2009, the black-clad Portland-based quartet emerges as if from a chrysalis, their sound now fully formed. These days, the Prids have a sound all their own, no longer reminiscent of New Wave pastiche and riffs cribbed from old goth favorites. The Prids are their own group now, with a sound as distinctive and unique as any of their inspirations while allowing enough room to shout out as the mood strikes.
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Sparks: No. 1 Songs In Heaven

By Matt Keeley

Sparks are awesome.

This is a given.

And, finally, Sparks have joined the rank of awesome things that have books about them. Two books, actually: Talent Is An Asset has already been reviewed in Popshifter, so now we bring you the other unauthorized Sparks bio, Dave Thompson’s Sparks: No. 1 Songs In Heaven.
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Candy Claws, Hidden Lands

By John Lane

I happily stumbled upon the duo named Candy Claws (now a sort of band) not too long ago. Their 2009 album, In the Dream of the Sea Life gives off a Wes-Anderson/Steve-Zissou vibe, from the quirk,y mostly-instrumental cinematic sounds right down to the design and packaging.

Sound architects Ryan Hover and Kay Bertholf return this year with Hidden Lands, an album that represents somewhat of a sideways progression. For hipsters clamoring for another boy/girl duo-combo (i.e., Beach House, She & Him), this will satisfy that need. What separates Hover and Bertholf from the pack, however, is the fact that there is a certain joyous naiveté that seems to guide them and makes their existence all the more curious and appealing.
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Los Lobos, Tin Can Trust

By J Howell

It speaks volumes about a band when, after 30 years and 19 albums, they remain vital. Los Lobos is just that, as Tin Can Trust demonstrates. For listeners who’ve slept on this institution of American music, or only know the cover of “La Bamba” from the 1987 movie of the same title, you’re missing out on one of the most consistently great bands, well, ever.

Don’t think you like Latin music? The cumbia “Yo Canto,” with its Marc Ribot-esque guitars, is brilliant. The norteno-flavored “Mujer Ingrata” bounces with such a joyous spirit that’s impossible to dislike. While the band does good by its Mexican-American roots, Los Lobos have always been masterful at incorporating all manner of American roots music into their work; Tin Can Trust is no exception.
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JG Thirlwell/Manorexia, The Mesopelagic Waters

By Ann Clarke

JG Thirlwell’s The Mesopelagic Waters was released on John Zorn’s Tzadik record label during the spring of 2010. This is the third installment of Thirlwell’s Manorexia project, but it’s not a block of new songs. It is, in essence, an acoustic re-arrangement scored for tactual instruments, performed by virtuosos. However, that’s easier said than done!

So if you were hoping to hear new songs on this album that weren’t on Volvox Turbo or The Radiolarian Ooze . . . that’s not going to happen, so nix that thought! So now, if you are thinking, “Why bother?” read on, and I’ll explain why you should!
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Balancing Act: An Interview With Shad

By Matt Demers

In the last issue of Popshifter, I had a chance to review London, Ontario rapper Shad’s third album, TSOL. Being a big fan of his, I jumped at the chance to talk to him at St. Catharine’s S.C.E.N.Efest, a primarily indie-and-metal music festival that takes over the town once a year in June. Though the rain loomed over our heads, Shad and I had a great conversation.
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Jesca Hoop, Hunting My Dress

By Less Lee Moore

The title song of singer/songwriter Jesca Hoop’s second album, Hunting My Dress, might sound odd, until you listen to the song and consider the lyrics. Rather than describing a woman’s article of clothing, she seems to mean instead the search for a guise, or perhaps a disguise. With all the various personas that she inhabits on this album, it is quite a fitting term.
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The Rolling Stones 1969-1974: The Mick Taylor Years DVD

By Danny R. Phillips

It would’ve been easy to make a documentary about The Rolling Stones’ golden age (Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, and Exile on Main Street) completely flattering and slanted. That is not what the makers of this DVD did.

They recognize glaring mistakes (the two or three albums past Exile) as well as acknowledge The Stones’ experimentation and expansion into country, due in no small part to the presence of guitarist Mick Taylor (who had just left The Bluesbreakers) and Gram Parsons (The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers) and his own fast friendship with Keith Richards as both drug buddy and musical touchstone.
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