You’ll probably be plenty busy with titles such as Bob Dylan’s Love and Theft, DMX’s The Great Depression, Tori Amos’ Strange Little Girls, the Elvis Costello reissues, Richie Hawtin’s DE9: Closer to the Edit, Björk’s Vespertine and Macy Gray’s the id.
The Breeders plan on releasing their first CD in something like eight years this October. It’s tentatively being referred to as Title TK. The hype surrounding the Strokes’ RCA release, Is This It?, has pre-order sales stretching for best-seller status on a few retail sites. And I just can’t swat away the little bug that’s been buzzing all year about the new Spiritualized, Let it Come Down, with its orchestra and choir accompaniment and unique "box" packaging. I mean, yeah, I’m sure it sounds amazing, but since when has using an orchestra and choir been considered thinking "out of the box"? The Suicide Machines come back with Steal This Record and the guys in the Verve Pipe (remember them?) are releasing Underneath.
But while all this is happening, don’t let the quieter releases get swept under the buzz carpet, especially not these three lovely solo-debut follow-ups. This week, Tara Jane O’Neil surpasses last year’s luminous Peregrine with In the Sun Lines. Ryan Adams’ Gold is slated for Sept. 25. And Bevel (Via Nuon of Drunk and Manishevitz) will follow up 2000’s beautiful and virtually ignored Turn the Furnace On with Where Leaves Block the Sun, out Nov. 13. —MG
Khary Kimani Turner’s short list:
Jay Z — The Blueprint
His full-length projects are usually dope at best. But, man, the singles alone make a lukewarm album full of guests worthwhile. I can’t get that outta my head: "H to the izzo, V to the izzay."
Michael Jackson — Invincible
Stop frontin’. Just quit it. I’m rootin’ for this guy.
The Black Bottom Collective — Stay Low, Keep Movin’
Shameless plug, I know. But after all the jaw-jacking I do about other folks’ music, it’ll be interesting to see what people say about my own. Inhale.
Royce the 5’9" — King of Detroit
Bruh’s come a long way since Ric Swift’s basement in ’96. Columbia’s machine will send him platinum, but anticipation will make it a bumpy ride. Hang on, man.
W. Kim Heron’s short list:
The potential jazz blockbuster to look for is Diana Krall’s The Look of Love, which teams the singer-pianist with arranger-conductor Claus Ogerman and the London Symphony Orchestra.
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of John Coltrane’s birth, Pablo offers Live Trane: The European Tours, a seven-CD set with eight hours of music, half of it previously unreleased, all from Coltrane’s dynamic 1961-1963 period. Impulse! has Legacy, a four-CD compilation of material from several labels — and possibly previously unreleased material from the Coltrane estate. Also on Impulse!: McCoy Tyner Plays John Coltrane Live at the Village Vanguard.
Among other major reissues, listen for Columbia’s The Complete In A Silent Way Sessions, a three-CD set of Miles Davis’ seminal work.
Out on the cutting edge: Marc Ribot, who has played with everyone from Elvis Costello to James Carter, is on Atlantic with a solo guitar record, Saints, of composers from Albert Ayler to Lennon and McCartney. And David S. Ware has Corridors & Parallels on AUM Fidelity, a major departure for his sound as longtime pianist Matthew Shipp abandons the acoustic piano for synthesizer.
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