Tune-Yards - Bird Brains

This girl with an amazing range, and unique sound opened for funnyman Dave Longstreth and his Dirty Projector's on their most recent tour. Their name was Tune-Yards (though everywhere you see it spelled it has random capitol letters throughout the name).

This album has bursts of genius, and bursts of reggae. Burn. The real standout is "Hatari" which makes a download worth it by itself. When the songs come together as they do infrequently on "Bird Brains" they are real good. Reeeaaal goood.
So even though the album overstays it's welcome, it is worth it for the good parts. A rarity.

DL

Dirtbombs - Ultraglide in Black

Miraculously Detroit's war horse has the wisdom of age and none of the back/hip problems that come with it. The 5 members of the Dirtbombs play as tight, and no-bullshit a show as can be played. 8 songs into their last set at Detroit's Majestic Cafe the only stage banter was "could someone please pass me a towel." No pause for tuning, no set-list double checks, scarcely even a pause between songs. Once the set ended the drummers played on, while the band took their equipment and set up for another entire set playing on a wood plank stage above the alleys in the adjoining bowling complex.

They have immediacy, and professionalism, but they also wear a large amount of hats. The chameleon cliche is pretty appropriate (as is the amount of hats cliche above). "Ultraglide in Black," is most clearly a soul record, hammered in by the inclusion of hits from Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, yet, it sounds like pure garage. Since it is inconsequential and music classification is annoying, let's leave it at "a good album." If you like the Detroit sound (done better) or that Gories album I posted a little while ago, most definitely check this out.

DL

Joanna Newsom - And The Ys Street Band

Newsom took a break from pruning her booty to record a teeny, boss-joke EP. Listen to the round, booty pound of "Colleen" and the old-ass, new-shape posterity of the other two. Nowhere has Newsom sounded like she has a bigger butt. All that harp playing must have taken it's toll.

DL