NPR: Exclusive First Listen

[noddin0ff]

There's a bunch of albums up. I'm not quite keeping pace with them all.

Betty LaVette: Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook
This sizzles. Definitely worth a listen. It's all covers but they all are so excellently re-envisioned that they sound new. I mean, who has the authority to make an R&B/soul take on Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here? Answer: LaVette. Not sure how it will stand up to repeated long-term listening; could become gimmicky or might become a favorite, could go either way.

Harvey Milk: A Small Turn on Human Kindness
What a bunch of dirk metal wanking. Pass

Claudia Quinten: Royal Toast.
Couldn't take it. Pass

Still up for listening

Sleigh Bells: Treats
10 seconds in and I thought. "God, make it stop". A couple of minutes in and I'm thinking it might be fun. I'll have to listen to the whole thing first, but my initial impression is that if you took all the hyper candy pop from the 80s and amped it up and added heavy bass and compression you'd get this.
The Black Keys: Brothers
This ones also pretty good. Bluesy R&B. Fuzzy and both forward and backward looking. I like.
Tracey Thorn: Love and it's Opposite
I caught a bit of this on a radio interview (NPR) and figured I'd pass. Probably has merits for some, just not me. Still have to give the album a fair listen though