Alternative

Artist: Various Artists Label: !K7

Label: Wienerworld

Actor: Parker; Actor: Maceo & Wdr Big Band Cologne; * Label: BHM Records

Artist: Various Label: Msi Music/Super D

Composer: Erik Satie; Composer: Edvard Grieg; Composer: Gabriel Fauré; Composer: Christoph Willibald Gluck; Conductor: Louis Frémaux; Conductor: Sir Thomas Beecham; Conductor: Sir David Willcocks; Conductor: Sir Neville Marriner; Orchestra: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra; Orchestra: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Performer: Robert Chilcott; Performer: Christian Ferras; Performer: Sir Yehudi Menuhin; Performer: Dame Moura Lympany; Label: Unforgettable Classics

Third volume of our "R&B Hipshakers" series, featuring rockin' R&B and early soul from the King/Federal catalogue. A compilation of tracks from 1955 to 1964 by essential artists such as Hank Ballard, Little Willie John, Joe Tex, Freddy King, Eugene Church. 20 terrific dance cuts selected by genre expert Mr Fine Wine, from WFMU's Downtown Soulville. Several titles reissued for the first time. The limited edition 7" box set contains ten singles with replica King/Federal bags and labels. DESCRIPTION For our latest dip into the King/Federal vaults, the goal was to find 20 underexposed R&B songs that, assembled into a package, would entice you to have a party. Here is what we dug: + Drummer Cozy Cole's cymbals on COZY'S MAMBO. The same track would come out again three years later on King's Bethlehem subsidiary as 'Cozy And Bossa' to capitalize on the burgeoning bossa nova craze and perhaps take advantage of audiences' confusion over exotic dance rhythms. Mambo? Bossa? Whatever. Play, Cozy, play! + New Orleans native Linda Hopkins' wail on MAMA NEEDS YOUR LOVIN' BABY. She'd go on to play Bessie Smith on Broadway in the 70s. (Not that Broadway is our bag, either.) + The clippety-cloppety rhythm of Earl King's OLD FAITHFUL AND TRUE LOVE, one of the earliest recordings on here, from 1955. It makes us long for the saddle! NB: This is Earl Connelly King, not the better-known New Orleans singer-songwriter-guitarist Earl King. + Speaking of saddles: the galloping tempo of SHE'S MINE, by the Rock & Roll Cowboy, Joe Tex - just his third solo single out of several zillion. + The whistled response to Mel Williams's lead vocals on SEND ME A PICTURE BABY, and practically everything else about this song, one of our favorites. + The brilliant arrangement of Eugene Church's version of SIXTEEN TONS: that bass voice, those sloppy finger snaps, the chorus of whomp-whomps. + The lip-smacking cry of "Rib tips!" amid The Drivers' enumeration of skeletal components in DRY BONES TWIST. + The irresistible swing of superprolific keyboard man Bill Doggett's HOLD IT. + Lowman Pauling's electric (in every sense) guitar on SOLID ROCK. He's the fellow Steve Cropper points to as his biggest influence, and he's in typical riveting form here. + All of the voices, especially Hank Ballard's, on NOTHING BUT GOOD. Rest assured that as long as we keep making Hipshakers collections, Hank Ballard will always have a spot with his name on it. + Billy Gayles's caveman attitude in TAKE YOUR FINE FRAME HOME. They say possession is nine-tenths of the law, and I've never had any idea what they mean by that, but what with this and Joe Tex's jealous act, unapologetic male possession of women is one-tenth of our collection! + Jackie Brenston's hoarse, pissed-off kiss-off: MUCH LATER for you, baby. And the great Ike Turner's perhaps intemperate use of the whammy bar. + Dancing to the slinky beat of THANKS MR POSTMAN. Mid-tempo minor-key love songs one can't help dancing to: we can't get enough of them! + All that percussion on DON'T PLAY WITH LOVE, and the way it stops to make room for Little Willie John's voice at the chorus. And as if it even needed saying: what a voice. + The tightly wound tension of guitar superstar Freddy King's IN THE OPEN. + The exuberant silliness tempering the tragedy of ONE BUFFALO. Note to non- Americans: the US five-cent piece until 1938 was called a Buffalo nickel, and it was still in circulation when Jimmy Peterson's 45 came out in 1962. + The interplay between King Pins lead TC Lee and the backing voices in I WON'T HAVE IT. + The contrast between Tiny Topsy's throaty toughness in JUST A LITTLE BIT and the weird tweeting chorus and flute. + The fact that a wannabe dance-craze song with the worrisome title THE JUMPIN' BEAN is actually really good - especially The Mystics' harmonies and that percussion. + Saxman Red Prysock's greasy lead, and the way it evokes an honest-to-goodness HAREM GIRL. Mr Fine Wine WFMU's "Downtown Soulville Style: R&B

Artist: Foxygen Label: Jagjaguwar

Artist: Steve Freund Label: Delmark

James Jackson Toth - AKA Wooden Wand - retreated back to Alabama to record this spooky, heady album that demands close attention. This is music for quiet reflection and shares a worldview more in line with noise and doom metal artists than it does summer of love casualties and beach burnouts. Every Wooden Wand album trounces expectations, and Blood Oaths Of The New Blues, thankfully, doesn't break that trend. It doesn't contain a single guitar solo, snare hit, or country affectation. Harmonium, organ and disembodied vocals are the order of the day here, with back-masking and subliminal messages added to enhance the trip. Like spiritual cousins Nico's Desertshore, Peter Hammil's A Black Box, or Dino Valente's s/t solo album, Blood Oaths Of The New Blues represents a break with the past with an eye on an uncertain future, and is the boldest, most adventurous and most intensely personal album of Toth's long career. The new focus on texture and sonic space does not, however, come at the expense of Toth's inimitable lyrical style. For proof, see the "alt couple" travelogue of "Outsider Blues," the menacing firsthand account of the real-life Doherty Gang's crime spree in "Southern Colorado Song," or the suicidal yearnings of the protagonist seeking to drown himself in "Supermoon (The Sounding Line)." Elsewhere, Toth evokes the weary spirits of state-executed men and women in "Dungeon Of Irons," pays tribute to one of his musical heroes in "Jhonn Balance," and even glimpses, for a moment, a sort of hope, via the sweet love song "No Debts." Warring factions on each side of Wooden Wand's generally eclectic fanbase can finally call a cease fire - this is the first Wooden Wand album that should equally satisfy both the fans of Toth's acerbic rambler narratives as well as older fans who miss losing themselves in the fried, psychedelic atmospheres of albums like Buck Dharma and Harem Of the Sundrum & The Witness Figg. The album also features the best vocal performances of Toth's career. Style: Indie Rock

Awayland is the title of Villagers’ new album, released on 14th January 2013. The follow up to the Mercury-nominated and Ivor Novello Award winning debut, Becoming a Jackal, was written by Villagers’ Conor O’Brien and was produced and mixed in Ireland by Conor with bandmate Tommy McLaughlin. Conor had the following to say about the album: ‘Awayland is a diverse album... It takes you on a trip through a musical landscape, as a tribute to your sense of wonder. It travels through space and time and leaves you back for dinner. It might take a few gobbles. Maybe try it on headphones first, without interruption. I hope you enjoy.' Style: Alternative

It might seem unlikely that Spencer Seim of HELLA, known for aggressive, instrument-bending, experimental rock would be collaborating with folk singer-songwriter Aaron Ross... The duo's unlikely alliance (first taking place on HELLA's 2007 album "There's No 666 in Outer Space"), has grown into the fully formed power psych project known as Solos. The band's debut album "Beast Of Both Worlds" showcases the duo's vivid "classic" sound melding with modern songwriting sensibilities. Think LED ZEPPELIN meets MGMT. As ridiculous as that might sound. Recorded and produced by the legendary Guy Massey (The Beatles, Radiohead, Spiritualized, Depeche Mode, etc.), the album showcases the duo's diverse talents and unique hybrid vigor. Traditional roles are flipped on their head here with Seim, normally guitarist of Hella, taking a seat behind the drums. The tension between Aaron's angelically expressive, Jeff Buckley-meets-Captain Beefheart vocals and Spencer's heavy, intensely precise drumming makes their collaboration something quite compelling. Spencer's driving rhythms underpin Aaron's complex vocal melodies and lyrics, which themselves delve into a cycle of optimism and despair, innocence and cynicism. "a prog-pop blast" - PITCHFORK // "First track "Carpe Diem" is like the folk-metal-gone-Stravinsky twurk of the new Dirty Projectors combined with the laser-fueled tech-pop of post-Hella popsters like Yeasayer, Tame Impala or Mae Shi." - SPIN Record Label: Joyful Noise Style: Independent

The stripped down experimental psych of HELVETIA plays out like a series of snapshots: subtle, hazy and gritty as hell. Since their 2006 debut, HELVETIA (pronounced "hel-vee-shuh") have created a myriad of recordings, each dripping with various levels of experimentalism. Now on their 7th album, the band has signed with Joyful Noise, and has produced their most focused and inspired tracks in their 6-year history. Originating in Seattle WA, and currently residing in Portland OR, HELVETIA began in the aftermath of the group DUSTER (Up Records). Principle songwriter Jason Albertini and bandmate Canaan Dove Amber formed the group with a revolving cast of contributors, which at times has included members of BUILT TO SPILL and DINOSAUR JR. Albertini's laissez faire approach to personnel has resulted in a diverse catalog of material, ranging from 4-track lo-fi indie to bat-shit crazy soundscapes. With their new album, "Nothing in Rambling" HeLVETIA's sound has culminated into a cohesive balance of familiar and experimental. Self-produced by Albertini, and recorded on a Teac 1/2 inch reel to reel 8-track. // "It's no secret that scintillating guitar parts provide the fuel for Helvetia's space odyssey" - PITCHFORK // "Sorta hippy, totally locked-in cool" STEREOGUM Record Label: Joyful Noise Style: Independent

PSYCHIC BABBLE is the recording project of Colin Frangicetto (CIRCA SURVIVE). My Brother's Ears/My Sister's Eyes is the debut album of the multi-instrumentalist and is the culmination of a five-year search for a sonic signature as well as the confidence to step out on his own. Influences span across eras, from the classic songwriting of THE BEACH BOYS and Peter Gabriel to Phil Spector's Wall Of Sound producing, to the experimenting of 90s shoegaze bands like SLOWDIVE and MY BLOODY VALENTINE. FOR FANS OF: CIRCA SURVIVE, THE BEACH BOYS, SLOWDIV Style: Alternative Rock

Record Label: Stickman Records Style: Rock

Record Label: Carpark Style: Indie-Pop

Record Label: Beggars Banquet/Beggars Group Style: Alternative Rock

Red Hot Chili Peppers Label: Leftfield Media

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter; Ramblin' Jack Elliott; Scarlet Rivera; Jerry Wexler; Regina McCrary Label: Mvd Visual

Cinematographer: Jonathan Furmanski; Producer: Jonathan Furmanski; Producer: Matthew Galkin; Producer: Steven Cantor; Producer: Caroline Stevens; Producer: Daniel Laikind; Producer: Janet Billig Rich; Producer: John Krasno; Producer: Julie Goldman; Producer: Kelley Deal; Producer: Krysanne Katsoolis; Producer: Owen Levin; Producer: Pax Wassermann; Producer: Terry Clark Label: Mvd Visual