Artist: Moreland & ArbuckleTitle: Just A Dream
You will be interested if you are a fan of: Joe Bonamassa, the Derek Trucks Band, Otis Taylor, Moreland & Arbuckle's 2010 album "Flood"
Tell Me More: Anyone who has seen Moreland & Arbuckle tear it up in concert knows that the duo is not your typical blues outfit.
Although guitarist Aaron Moreland and vocalist/harpist Dustin Arbuckle play music steeped in both early Robert Johnson-styled 20th century Delta blues and Muddy Waters-linked Chicago blues, the Kansas-based Moreland & Arbuckle fuse their traditional influences with a garage band sensibility like few others.
On the Moreland & Arbuckle's second album released by Telarc International (a division of Concord Music Group) on Aug. 23, 2011, the 12-song Just A Dream, there is again plenty of infectious and energetic material that captures the spirit of the genre-busting duo. On the disc, drummer Brad Horner completes the non-stop action with a propulsive style that fits right in with his band mates' firepower.
The fiery "The Brown Bomber" and "Purgatory," heavy hypnotic psychedelia-tinged "Gypsy Violin" and the melodic"Shadow Never Changes" are among the standouts on this epic album.
Artist: The ZombiesTitle: Breathe Out, Breathe In
You will be interested if you are a fan of: The Zombies' "Odessey and Oracle," The Monkees' "Headquarters"
Tell Me More: The Zombies' 1968 masterpiece Odessey and Oracle has long been recognized as one of the truly great rock albums of the 1960s. In fact, according to an article about the band posted on Wikipedia, the album is ranked 80 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Fast forward to 2011, just in time for the legendary English rock outfit's 50th anniversary, the group led by original members Rod Argent (keyboards, piano) and Colin Blunstone (on lead vocals) has issued a new studio album, the wonderful Breathe Out, Breathe In. This is not just a casual comeback, but a brilliant return-to-form that is fantastic. There are infectious jazz-pop tunes ("Breathe Out, Breathe In"), flamenco-tinged grooves reminiscent of the 1960s ("Any Other Way"), Beatles-styled rockers ("Play It For Real"), and decidedly-Zombies rockers ("Another Day") and ballads ("I Do Believe") with those distinctive harmonies positioned against Blunstone's high-reaching tenor and Argent's dazzling keyboards painting the songs in ways forever linked with the British outfit ("Another Day").
Capping off the album is the beautiful "Let It Go," where the band blends Bach's F minor keyboard concerto with its own song craft to create something all it's own.
Artist: Fountains of WayneTitle: Sky Full Of Holes
You will be interested if you are a fan of: The Beatles, Crowded House, Matthew Sweet
Tell Me More: Although the modern-day leaders of the power pop movement are sadly not enjoying the commercial success they should, I write this hoping that music fans of all genres will give the latest full-length album from Fountains of Wayne a good listen. Few bands in recent memory have released an album as artful and lyrically-rich as Fountains of Wayne's Sky Full of Holes (Yep Roc Records).
With a collection of 13 songs that blend detailed storytelling ("Richie and Ruben," "Action Hero") and lush melodies across all the tracks, songwriters Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger have done it again on "Sky Full of Holes." This is a collection of songs that deal with individual tales, the stories often tragic even while the songs soar with melodies that catch the ear with a single lesson. The physical CD is highly recommended; it comes with a nice booklet with all of the duo's brilliant songs whose lyrics are printed in easy-to-read font and color photos of the band (that also features guitarist Jody Porter and drummer Brian Young).
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