New Release Tuesday: TJO, Alasdair Roberts
Don't forget: St Vincent's Actor is out today, and we'll be listening to it tonight at the Mohawk, along with Camera Obscura's My Maudlin Career for a special Cinco De Mayo Happy Hour.
Tara Jane ONeil A Ways Away (K Records)
TJO has been one of Portland's (well, the world's) darling creatives for years, beginning as part of the legendary post-hardcore Rodan, as well as Retsin, the Sonora Pine, and King Cobra. She's worked with Come, Mirah and Ida and is a modern day renaissance woman. She plays guitar and bass, sings, paints, travels, works in the darkness of folk and the open-endedness of ambient sound play and her latest offering, A Ways Away is a brilliant amalgamation of all her previous experience and ongoing talent.
A superb headphone listen, O'Neil's work dabbles in Karen Dalton or Judee Sill flavored golden-folk, and her guitar work moves around between O'Connor or Fripp-like minimalism, painting a dark but hopeful sound portrait compatible with her northeastern habitat. Gentle, soothing, adventurous and pristine, A Ways Away should not be overlooked.
Tara Jane ONeil [Official] [MySpace]
The Scottish bard returns with another collection of mystic, true folk with Spoils; jaunting through more upbeat versions of his storied tales. Roberts' reedy traditional (and heavily accented) vocals find strength with a varied cast of instruments and performers looming in the shadows of this record. This is perhaps one of the most appealing things about such an album: despite references to some kind of mid-19th century world that still finds itself subject to fate's power plays, Roberts' sly wit and and the very sound of the music is undeniably modern. Layers of humming acoustic guitars, hurdy gurdy, flutes, organ, and strikingly modern feedback accent the traditional aspects of the music flawlessly; weaving hollered background vocals sung at a high warble together with an expertly mixed ensemble. Epic "Under No Enchantment (But My Own)" and "You Muses Assist" are highlights.
39 Clocks: Zoned
A-Trak: Fabriclive.45
Akron/Family: Set Em Wild, Set Em Free (vinyl)
Alasdair Roberts: Spoils (vinyl)
American Werewolves: The Lonely Ones
Arctic Monkeys: At the Apollo (CD & DVD)
Ben Harper: White Lies For Dark Times (CD & DVD)
Billy Pilgrim: Twice Born Men
Blood, Sweat & Tears: Blood, Sweat & Tears 4 (remastered)
Bob Mould: Life and Times (vinyl)
British Sea Power: Man of Aran (CD & DVD)
Buckwheat Zydeco: Lay Your Burden Down
Chrisette Michele: Epiphany
Combichrist: Heat EP: All Pain Is Beat
Comet Gain: Broken Record Prayers
Company Flow: Funcrusher Plus (remastered) {vinyl)
Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band: Outer South (vinyl)
Cracker: Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey
Depeche Mode: The Lowdown
Devon Sproule: Don't Hurry for Heaven
Double Dagger: More
Dustin O'Halloran: An American Affair
El Nuevo Grupo de Omar Rodriguez Lopez: Cryptomnesia (vinyl)
Electric Owls: Ain't Too Bright
Fischerspooner: Entertainment
Fleet Foxes: Mykonos (vinyl)
The Gallows: Grey Britain
Gibson Brothers: Ring the Bell
Harlan T. Bobo: I'm Your Man (reissue)
Harlan T. Bobo: Too Much Love (reissue)
Harry Gregson-Williams: X-Men Origins: Wolverine (soundtrack)
The High Strung: Ode To The Inverse Of The Dude (vinyl)
Hopewell: Good Good Desperation
Horrors: Primary Colours
Isis: Wavering Radiant
Jon Hopkins: Insides
Jon Mueller: Physical Changes (vinyl)
Julie Doiron, Calm Down, It's Monday: Heavy Snow & Nice To Come Home (vinyl)
Junior Boys: Begone Dull Care (vinyl)
K-Os: Yes!
Katie Melua: Pictures
Kevin Devine: Brother's Blood
The Kills: Keep On Your Mean Side (reissue with bonus tracks)
King Crimson: The Collectable King Crimson: Vol. 4
Love: The Forever Changes Concert
Magik Markers: Balf Quarry (vinyl)
Mark Olson: The Salvation Blues (vinyl)
Mastodon: Crack the Skye (vinyl) (2-LP vinyl with CD)
Michael Giacchino: Star Trek (soundtrack)
Mika Miko: We Be Xuxa (vinyl)
Monks: The Transatlantic Feedback (dvd)
Morrissey: Maladjusted (remastered with bonus tracks)
Morrissey: Southpaw Grammar (remastered with bonus tracks)
Muddy Waters: The Johnny Winter Sessions 1976-1981
Nanci Griffith: Blue Roses from the Moons (remastered)
New York Dolls: 'Cause I Sez So
NOMO: Invisible Cities (vinyl)
Our Brother the Native: Sacred Psalms
Ozric Tentacles: The Yum Yum Tree
Patrick Watson: Wooden Arms (vinyl)
Peaches: I Feel Cream (vinyl)
Pink Mountaintops: Outside Love (vinyl)
Popup: A Time And A Place
Rachel Portman: Grey Gardens (soundtrack)
Ray Charles: A Message from the People (remastered)
Riverboat Gamblers: Underneath The Owl (vinyl)
Rodriguez: Coming from Reality (remastered with bonus tracks)
The Rolling Stones: Black and Blue (remastered)
The Rolling Stones: Goats Head Soup (remastered)
The Rolling Stones: It's Only Rock 'N Roll (remastered)
The Rolling Stones: Rolled Gold+: The Very Best of the Rolling Stones (remastered)
The Rolling Stones: Rolling Stones Box Set (remastered 4-CD box set)
The Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers (remastered)
Sara Watkins: Sara Watkins (vinyl)
Shout Out Out Out Out: Reintegration Time (vinyl)
Sigur Ros: Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust Deluxe (2-CD & DVD & book)
Smithereens: Tommy
St. Vincent: Actor (vinyl)
Starf**ker: Jupiter (vinyl)
Steve Roach: Dynamic Stillness
Tara Jane O'Neil: A Ways Away
Various Artists: 2131 South Michigan Avenue: 60's Garage And Psychedelia From USA And Destination Records (vinyl)
Various Artists: How to Be (Original Soundtrack)
Various Artists: The Roots of Bob Dylan (3-CD & DVD box set)
Various Artists: The Toxic Avenger Musical (soundtrack)
The Vaselines: Enter The Vaselines (vinyl)
Warp 11: I Don't Want to Go to Heaven, as Long as They Have Vulcans in Hell
Waylon Jennings: Waylon Sings Hank Williams (reissue)
The Wedding Present: Dick York's Wardrobe: The Hit Parade Videos (dvd)
Years: Years
Yusuf/Cat Stevens: Roadsinger (To Warm You Through The Night)
Ziggy Marley: Family Time
