Chainz, Gallants, Slash and Red Baraat
This Week's Soundtrack features new music by Animal Collective, The Fresh and Onlys, Bob Mould and more, and previews shows by 2 Chainz, Slash, Red Baraat, I Totally Destroyed It among others.
The music you need to know in New Orleans this week.
This Week's Soundtrack:
1. "Another Place I Can't Go" - Charlie Rich: Charlie Rich is probably best known as a smooth country balladeer for the songs from later in his career, but as the new Rock & Roll Side of Charlie Rich demonstrates, he was ass-deep in great songs. My starting place for Rich would be The Complete Smash Sessions and his Sun sides on That's Rich, but this comp is solid too.
2. "Chocolate Cake" - Honey Island Swamp Band: They play a great double bill on Friday at Tipitina's with Red Baraat, the Brooklyn-based Indian-influenced brass band.
3. "Come Out, Come Out" - We Totally Killed It: The band's name is appropriate on this killer pop song, and they'll play Monday night at the Circle Bar with Faun Fables and Kara Mann.
4. "We Were Wild" - Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun: Another great Circle Bar booking. The Atlanta-based band plays there Saturday night.
5. "Star Machine" - Bob Mould: The guitar behind Husker Du and Sugar returns with a new album, Silver Age. (Note: The linked article uses the term "power pop" in the subhede, and I've seen the term associated with We Totally Killed It. I assume this means the songs have power and are pop, which isn't exactly what the phrase connotes for me. It brings to mind a very specific Beatles and Stones-derrived pop, so I can't bring myself to echo the terminology.)
6. "The Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill" - Husker Du: The guitar sound that caused many of us to love Mould.
7. "Chaal Baby" - Red Baraat: Red Baraat blew away everybody around me when they played The Voodoo Experience last year, and a year or so before, Ron Rona from The New Orleans Bingo! Show told me how great they are. He was right.
8. "Earthforms" - Matthew Dear: Dear merges elements of singer/songwriterness with EDM to particularly good effect on his new Beams. He'll play the Howlin' Wolf October 18.
9. "Sun" - Cat Power: The title track from her new album.
10. "Yuck!" - 2 Chainz feat. Lil Wayne: 2 Chainz is the It Rapper of the moment, and he plays the House of Blues Wednesday. Here's the collaboration with Lil Wayne that he performed this week on MTV's Video Music Awards.
11. "Express Yourself" - Diplo feat. Nicky da B: Diplo's track is one of the few by DJs and producers outside New Orleans that effectively captures where bounce is right now. Nicky da B's the featured rapper, who also selected the talent for Bounce XVII at The Republic Thursday.
12. "Today's Supernatural" - Animal Collective: The new Centipede Hz isn't the crowd-pleaser that Merriweather Post Pavilion is, but connects to the sense of adventure present in their pre-MPP music. They'll play the House of Blues September 29.
13. "20 Days & 20 Nights" - The Fresh & Onlys: Very British (though they're not British) jangle-pop/rock from the new Long Slow Dance.
14. "Dirty Paws" - Of Monsters and Men: Icelandic indie rock that develops along similar lines to Arcade Fire on My Head is an Animal.
15. "99 Miles from L.A." - Art Garfunkel: It's easy to think of Garfunkel as the other half of Simon and ... or as the guy who struggled painfully with the high notes when he last performed in New Orleans at Jazz Fest, but his solo material is more idiosyncratic than you'd expect. He has selected the songs for The Singer, a compilation that spans his career.
16. "Halcyon Days" - Two Gallants: The San Francisco-based folk rock duo play One Eyed Jacks Monday night. See Cherie LeJeune's interview with Adam Stephens here.
17. "Been There Lately" - Slash feat. Myles Kennedy: Slash plays the House of Blues Tuesday with Myles Kennedy at the Conspirators with Foxy Shazam and The Campaign 1984.
18. "Mr. Montauk" - Snarky Puppy: The Texas-based funk-jazz band plays The Maison Wednesday with Funky Knuckles and Robin Clabby.
19. "Shake Ya Ass" - Mystikal: Friday night, the Howlin' Wolf presents the Monsters of Local Hip-Hop with its "Legends of the Game" show, featuring Mystikal, Juvenile, Big Mike of the Geto Boys and UNLV.
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