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Overcome
By Happiness |
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Pernice Brothers
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Best of 1998
Joe Pernice is to the Eastern Seaboard what Elliott Smith
is to the Pacific Northwest: anything but happy, the
ex-Scud Mountain Boy forgoes the cowboy Bread covers and
surrounds himself with Van Dyke Parks/Brian Wilson-like
orchestral arrangements, singing sad, sad songs about
suicide and dead love in his fragile warble. Strangely,
this makes for a bright gem of a disc filled with
1973-AM-pop-radio-worthy jewels. --Paige La Grone Read
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This
Is Hardcore |
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Pulp
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Pulp frontman-lyricist Jarvis Cocker is still obsessed
with making his concerns those of his audience and the
even wider world. Drawing again on classic British pop
like the '70s Roxy
Music, Pulp attempt to make sense of--and draw
together--everything from the aging process ("One
time they were just like you / Drinking, smoking cigs and
sniffing glue") to doing the dishes. This is
Hardcore is slightly less charged than its predecessor
Different
Class, but only slightly; Cocker is one rock star...Read
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Live
In Greenwich Village: The Complete Impulse Recordings [BOX
SET] |
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Albert Ayler
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These stirring Albert Ayler performances were only
sporadically available on LP two decades ago, making them
highly sought-after items indeed. This two-CD set presents
Ayler's Village Vanguard sets in all their rattling fervor
(with remastering improvements), making 1998 a year when
crucial pieces of this avant-garde jazzist's puzzle fell
brilliantly into place. If anyone is recording music as
fearless and commanding as this in jazz today, they
deserve the spotlight. --Andrew Bartlett Read
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No
Idea [IMPORT] |
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Misha Mengelberg Trio
Special Order
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Best of 1998
No small feat, but jazz pianist Misha Mengelberg is the
godfather of the entire Dutch improvisation scene (check
out Kevin Whitehead's New
Dutch Swing for the details). And on No Idea,
he proves why. Mixing the familiar (a little George
Gershwin, Thelonious Monk) with great improv skills and a
rock-solid rhythm section (courtesy Greg Cohen and Joey
Baron), the Misha Mengelberg Trio rollick through these
tunes with a deft, adventurous touch. There's nothing
standard here. --Jason Verlinde Read
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Painted
From Memory |
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Elvis Costello, Burt Bacharach
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As promised, Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach's
long-awaited full-length collaboration Painted from
Memory bears the hallmarks of Bacharach's classic '60s
work with the likes of Dionne
Warwick--full-force melodies, traditional pop
instrumentation, clever and occasionally pained lyrics. It
finds the pair reveling in their gifts on a dozen tracks
that range from concise under-three-minute gems to
sprawling art songs. The result is a set of instant
classics that stand head and shoulders above much...Read
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Springtime |
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Freakwater
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Best of 1998
There's much to lament in Freakwater's lonesome world, and
you're simply riveted while they tell you all about it.
Covering such light subjects as heaven, death, God, and
demons, the aching harmonies of Catherine Ann Irwin and
Janet Beveridge Bean call to mind icons like the Carter
Family while exploring the darkest of themes. Their
marriage of traditional melodies with modern caustic
lyrics works to perfection. On Springtime, there
seems to be the slightest trace of hope mixed in with
the...Read
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Temporal |
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Radio Tarifa
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One of the most fascinating world music albums of 1998 is
by a group that, until success struck, did not really
exist. Radio Tarifa are named after a fictitious radio
station and play music that sounds indigenous to Iberia
but is actually a remarkably organic hybrid of modern
styles and ancient traditions. Temporal is a
delightful, provocative surprise. Think border music for a
borderless world. --Fernando Gonzalez Read
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Come
Clean |
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Curve
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Best of 1998
The female presence in 1998's releases has been a near
tour de force. PJ Harvey, Hole's Courtney Love, and
Garbage's Shirley Manson all stormed the music scene with
dynamic performances. But none can match the effortless
vamp and allure of Curve vocalist Toni Halliday. Her voice
has always been dark, seductive, and utterly commanding,
and with Come Clean, she and partner Dean Garcia
have created a danceable, riveting album that burns the
feet and strikes a nerve. If you think their sound is...Read
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Coming
Home |
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Yungchen Lhamo
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Best of 1998
Make no mistake: Yungchen Lhamo's second RealWorld album, Coming
Home--dedicated to His Holiness the Dalai Lama--is
deeply personal, political, and powerful. With Hector
Zazou producing and, for the first time, orchestral
accompaniment, the Tibetan exile's music takes on the
intangible spaciness of world-groove trance dance tracks.
The lyrics, however, are firmly rooted in messages of the
heart and the importance of home, to which Lhamo hopes to
return. --Cristina Del Sesto Read
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The
Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill |
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Lauryn Hill
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Best of 1998
The first solo album by the Fugees'
most distinctive voice quickly wipes away the pretensions
of so many current hip-hoppers' discs. It does so by both
engaging their widescreen ethos--"To Zion," with
its martial drums and gospel choir, is as epic a
production as has been heard in 1998's pop music--and
speaking the plain truth. Miseducation focuses
equally on Lauryn Hill's life (especially the birth of her
child) and social concerns about the present and future.
Its often quiet surface, if...Read
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Mutations |
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Beck
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Best of 1998
It's unfortunate how much attention has been paid to how
this album was recorded--quickly, without the same level
of studio fuss that marked Beck's breakthrough album, Odelay.
That's a shame because our favorite chameleon has pulled
the neatest trick of all: he's dropped the lyrical schtick
that sometimes marred his sonic wizardy, leaving listeners
to wonder if he even believed in the music he was playing.
That's not an issue here. At times, he sounds like Ray
Davies updated for the '90s,...Read
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In
Carterian Fashion |
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James Carter
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Best of 1998
Early in 1998, saxophonist James Carter signed a modeling
contract, perhaps explaining the title of this LP. His
jazz chops, we are happy to report, have not suffered. On Fashion,
Carter and his sax are all business. He is able to cool
burn on slower numbers, recalling Ben Webster's smoldering
ballads, then turn on a dime to deliver blistering runs of
honk and skronk that seem intent on peeling the paint from
the walls. Carter's horn playing is all about power and
forceful delivery, but he is...Read
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The
McGarrigle Hour |
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Kate & Anna McGarrigle
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It's a family affair. The harmonizing sisters gather round
the old piano with kids (Rufus
and Martha Wainwright), friends (Emmylou
Harris and Linda
Ronstadt), and even Kate's ex-hubby, Loudon
Wainwright III. Kate and Anna have been performing
together for decades, somehow managing to avoid pitfalls
along the way. The McGarrigle Hour shows they're
not in a race to overtake anyone, but they're not
coasting, either. --Steven Stolder Read
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Get
With It: Essential Recordings (1954-1969) [2-CD SET] |
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Charlie Feathers
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Charlie Feathers was a key engineer of the bridge between
country music and rock & roll. This enlightening
collection shows his progression from piercing hillbilly
to energetic rocker, as fiddle and steel guitar get left
behind in favor of the pulsing backbeat and guitar churn.
No one really knows if he taught the Sun masters all they
know, as he often claimed, but these recordings make that
case irrelevant, since they stand very tall on their own
merits. --Marc Greilsamer Read
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American
Water |
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Silver Jews
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Best of 1998
In the past the Silver Jews were commonly known--and often
dismissed--as a Pavement side project. Not anymore. On American
Water, D.C. Berman comes into his own as both a poet
and a songwriter, effortlessly tossing off lines like the
album-opening "In 1984 I was hospitalized for
approaching perfection" while the band plays on,
unimpressed. --Randy Silver Read
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Shades
Of Bey |
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Andy Bey
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Best of 1998
Jazz vocalist Andy Bey didn't hold back in 1998, but he
certainly knew the power of restraint. On Shades of Bey,
he covers Thelonious Monk, Billy Strayhorn, even Nick
Drake's "River Man" with his trademark baritone
voice and a strikingly smooth delivery. No melismas here,
Bey's tunes gradually unfold with a subtlety you never
find in modern vocalists anymore. A great recording, and
gorgeous tunes. --Jason Verlinde Read
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Monteverdi:
Vespro della Beata Virgine / Christie, et al |
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Claudio Monteverdi(Composer), et al
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Best of 1998
Monteverdi's Vespers is a monumental collection of
musical settings of liturgical texts for a service in
honor of the Virgin. It presents a cornucopia of styles,
stretching from traditional plainchant to a
forward-looking, innovative aesthetic, and bridges the gap
between the Renaissance and the beginnings of Baroque
musical language. William Christie leads a beautifully
sculpted, majestic performance that is responsive to this
stylistic profusion but also makes a case for underlying
structural...Read
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The
Northeast Kingdom |
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Cheri Knight
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Best of 1998
Former Blood Orange Cheri Knight has hit her highest marks
with Northeast Kingdom. The mix of rootsy rock and
folky textures gives Knight's tunes an upfront urgency and
a surrounding sponginess that quickly draws listeners into
these pithy dramas. Roomy production from the TwangTrust
(Steve Earle and Ray Kennedy) allows Knight's heavyhearted
lyrics to unfurl with a full range of colors, putting Northeast
Kingdom leaps ahead of many 1998 releases. --Andrew
Bartlett Read
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Is
This Desire? |
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P.J. Harvey
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Best of 1998
Each of Harvey's previous albums has been a distinct
affair as she took steps forward in not only forging her
sound but also exploring the wealthy veins of rock &
roll. So on first listen, Is This Desire? almost
disappoints; it's very close to same dark, woozy, and
bluesy musical territory she staked out on To
Bring You My Love. But it's been said that though
good stories can be read once, great stories must be read
twice, and, like great literature, this album deserves
repeated listenings to...Read
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In
Search Of The Lost Riddim |
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Ernest Ranglin
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Best of 1998
From the time he toured Senegal with Jimmy Cliff in the
late '70s, Jamaican guitarist Ernest Ranglin wanted to
return and record with local musicians. He finally got his
wish in 1997, and the fruit produced by the journey was
this collaboration with Senegalese star Baaba Maal.
They're joined here by Maal's band, Dande Lenol, which
translates as "nomad soul"--a fitting
description for an album that is a restless blend of jazz
sophistication and African syncopation. Restless is
a dirty word when...Read
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I
Become Small And Go |
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Creeper Lagoon
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Best of 1998
Creeper Lagoon are just a few guys in a band. Their story
is basically the same as those of most indie-rock bands.
They dress the same, play the same types of instruments,
have no physically striking members. So why is this album
one of the best of 1998? It's not because their sound is
radically different, and it's not because it's avant-garde
or experimental. It's simply because their songs are just
that much more. The tracks are eerie but not weird,
lovely and sad but not sappy, highly...Read
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The
Best Of Paolo Conte |
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Paolo Conte
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Best of 1998
This poet, painter, and former lawyer from Asti, Italy,
has been dazzling Italian audiences since the early 1970s
but has just blazed into U.S. consciousness like a meteor
with his Best Of debut album on Nonsesuch. After
listening to his European style of cabaret music, you too
will be hooked on the crooner who is widely appreciated
for rhyming Napoli with Minneapoli. The
selection of 20 songs ranges in style from a mixture of
French chansonette to tango. All feature his raspy
voice (American...Read
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Stadium
Blitzer |
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Gourds
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Best of 1998
As lively and wild as a mint-julep-inspired front-porch
hootenanny, Stadium Blitzer rollicks and rolls, the
best record of the year for summer barbecues and
mosquito-infested evenings. A junkyard orchestra of found
and secondhand instruments--including accordian, mandolin,
loose-stringed guitars, oft-tuned pianos, whistles,
grinder wheels, and even crickets--staggers through loose
arrangements that fall somewhere on the map between Texas
hoedowns, Mexican fiestas, New Orleans stomps, and Los...Read
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Shleep |
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Robert Wyatt
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Best of 1998
Robert Wyatt described the recording of Shleep, his
first album in six years, as a "beavering away"
process; you'd be hard pressed to find a more accurate
term. It is a painstakingly assembled, lovingly executed
album of warm, delicate beauty. Like the deep sleep that
inspires this work, and eludes its creator (Wyatt suffers
from "fevered insomnia"), Shleep soothes
like few records can. --Matt Hanks Read
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Marc
Ribot Y Los Cubanos Postizos |
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Marc Ribot
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You'd hardly expect New York guitarist Marc Ribot--who's
played with lots of ironists and cynics--to do such a
spectacular, hearty job of paying homage to Cuban
bandleader Arsenio Rodriguez. This CD, though, reaches far
and wide, to both straightahead Cuban jazz fans and lovers
of more visceral, gritty music. Ribot plays scouring
guitar, getting great organ cushions from John Medeski and
Roy Coleman. But it's E.J. Rodriguez's deep, traditional
Cuban percussion that fattens this CD for its Best...Read
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