There are only four albums that I can full on recommend this week, and it is getting into that time of the year where the releases slow down some. Here is the playlist with some other songs I liked from this week PLAYLIST

  Cat Power – Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert-normally I do not write about covers album, tributes or live albums. They don’t count towards my album of the year list and while I enjoy them, I just don’t document them typically. This is a live song by song tribute at the Royal Albert Hall to Bob Dylan’s 1966 performance that is labeled at being at The Royal Albert Hall, but it was really at the Manchester Free Trade Hall. Anyway, it was where Dylan went electric and got heckled and all of that. So, here we have Chan Marshall doing the concert in front of an audience with a band and what not. When I first heard about this, I was like well that is just pretentious AF. Write a new album of something. I have listened to this album more than anything in the past few weeks. Over and over and over again. Chan just captures the vibe of that era, is true to the songs-but puts just enough spin on them to make it interesting and genuine. Plus they are amazing songs, and hearing her sing them is just pleasant-and I find Dylan’s voice to be a warm security blanket. She just nails this thing, every song, every moment. It’s honestly one of the best albums of the year….if it counted. 

Lila Blue – Sweet Pea-Fourth album from the songwriter who is also a playwright and theatrical composer. Most of the songs here are pretty straight singer-songwriter fair with trips to folk, Americana and blues and mostly on guitar with some piano and other instruments coming in here and there. There are a lot of very good songs here including the title track and the folky “Stranger”. Some of the rhythms and vocal acrobatics might remind one of Fiona Apple’s work. Not overtly, but one could be reminded of such. This is worth a list. 

Meagre Martin – Gut Punch-Debut album from the German trio (though they are from America, they just met and live in Germany). It’s dream pop with very subtle Americana tinges and just straight indie pop. The songs are very good, lots of good shimmering guitars and lots of hooks. Pretty straight forward stuff, but good. There is something missing that really pushes it up with other releases of this nature, but songs like “Mountain”, “The Big Death” and “Undercover” stand out and show where this band can go and end up. Honestly the rest could grow on me, as her voice has this Harriet Wheeler quality to it and not matter the song it is a very pleasant listen. 

  Aesop Rock – Integrated Tech Solutions-so with every Aesop Rock album I have to make this statement. The Malibu Ken album Aesop did with Tobacco ruined Aesop for me (not really-but kind of)-I love Aesop’s vocals and always have, but mixed with Tobacco’s music-was just as perfect as it could get-and when I listen to his stuff I crave that music. Anyway-Aesop is my age (well a few years younger) and hasn’t slowed down and still puts out albums worth listening to. This is a little long at 18 songs and over an hour, but it kept my attention with clever rhymes and the music definitely has a techy feel to it that I like. He does a song with LeLani that reminds me of the Sneaker Pimps of all things. Cool Song. Worth a listen if you are a fan. He keeps doing it. 

Here Are Some Other Albums I Enjoyed  

Beirut – Handsel

Kristen Ludwig – Sunbeam

Quantic – Dancing While Falling

Searows – End of the World

Art Feynman (Luke Temple) – Be Good the Crazy Boys

Sydney Rose – One Sided

Daniel Donato – Reflector

Pure Bathing Culture – Chalice

Rosie Darling – Lanterns

99LETTERS – Zigoku / 地獄

Sophie Lloyd – Imposter Syndrome

Patrick Shiroishi – I Was Too Young to Hear Silence

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson – Les Jardins Mystiques Vol. 1

The Clockworks – Exit Strategy

David Holmes – Blind on a Galloping Horse

Hit Bargain – A Dog A Deer A Seal

Jean Ryden – Parallel Universe

Kabeaushé – HOLD ON TO DEER LIFE, THERE’S A BLCAK BOY BEHIND YOU!

Layperson – Massive Leaning

Lola Brooke – Dennis Daughter

François J. Bonnet & Stephen O’Malley – Cylene II

 Bruce Brubaker – Eno Piano

 Aïsha Devi – Death Is Home

 Anthony Pirog – Nepenthe Series Vol. 1

 Bre Kennedy – Scream Over Everything

Delia Meshlir – Bring Back the Light

John Francis Lynn – Look Over the Wall, See the Sky

Paulina Anna Strom – Echoes, Spaces, Line

  Broadside – Hotel Bleu

 Brandy – Christmas with Brandy

Calling Hours – Say Less

 Chris Stapleton – Higher

 Daneshevskaya – Long Is The Tunnel

 Foghat – Sonic Mojo

 Hinayana – Shatter and Fall

 jess joy – SOURCEHEIRESS

  Jesse Kivel – Life and Death at Party Rock

  John Dee – Only Dead For A Little While

The Kid LAROI – The First Time

  King Louie Bankston (of The Exploding Hearts) – Harahan Fats

  Left Cross – Upon Desecrated Altars

PinkPantheress – Heaven Knows

YoungBoy Never Broke Again – Decide 2

 The Lives of Famous Men – Greener Pasture Blues

 Locket – Superluminal

 Mon Laferte – Autopoiética

 Nick D’Virgilio, Neal Morse & Ross Jennings – Sophomore

 Rick Ross and Meek Mill – Too Good To Be True

SHYLMAGOGHNAR – Convergence

The Sleeping Souls – Just Before the World Starts Burning

 Tarja – Dark Christmas

Trey Magnifique (Brian Wecht) – Mature Situation

— s

— — Wayside – What Does Your Soul Look Like

— Wiki and Tony Seltzer – 14K Figaro