Eminem -- The Slim Shady LP

(I think, looking back, Lynne Cheney wasn't all that put off by the fact he said what he said, but rather, that she & her fellow GOOPERS didn't say it first. I mean, "Hillary Clinton tried to slap me & call me a pervert. I ripped her fuckin' tonsils out & fed her Sherbet. Bitch!" What GOP politico didn't say much, much worse of the First Lady? Clinton Kill List (those murdered/ordered murdered by Bill & Hillary), anyone?)

(& considering the transvaginal ultrasound foofarah & other attacks on women's health, I can only think "'97 Bonnie & Clyde" is a seminal influence on the Paul Ryan Path to Prosperity, et. al.)

Barn Owl: Shadowland

The Conjurer is still my favorite Barn Owl, but this one is most likely second even if it is only an EP. More floating, spacey and closer to ambient territory but with a disconcerting sense of menace nonetheless with an occasional piercing note coming through the drone. Only three tracks but each one is more than solid.

new Justin Townes Earle

so how's that Gentleman Jesse?

I love it and it's probably one of my favorite albums of the year. Just a fun album. It sounds a lot better than his debut as well. I'd say there's a 50/50 chance you'd like it.

This weekend's roadtrip music:

The Byrds - Younger than Yesterday
Belle & Sebastian - Tigermilk
Al Kooper - Black Coffee
Archer Prewitt - In the Sun
NRBQ - Grooves in Orbit
Chris Gaffney - Loser's Paradise
The New Year - Newness Ends
Bob Neuwirth - S/T
Eno/Cale - Wrong Way Up
Pogues - Red Roses For Me
Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street
XTC - The Compact XTC Singles 1978-85
David Bowie - Diamond Dogs
Badfinger - The Very Best of Badfinger
Randy Weeks - Sold Out at the Cinema
Ry Cooder - Boomer's Story
Songs: Ohia - Didn't It Rain
V/A - Country & West Coast: The Birth of Country Rock
The Who - Live at Leeds
The Dandy Warhols - S/T

Panabrite: Sub​-​Aquatic Meditation

One of two excellent releases from Panabrite this year. Panabrite is the recording name for Norm Chambers and he's been putting out some of my favorite synth music in the last few years. This album on Aguirre Records, along with Soft Terminal on Digitalis, make for quite a good release year for this guy. And I wouldn't be shocked if he put out more music before it's all over. I go back and forth as to which of these I prefer. Sub-Aquatic Meditation has that whole aquatic theme and you can hear it, a bit deeper than the much more airy Soft Terminal. Both are really good though and are also nicely pressed records for you vinyl fans.

Bambara Mystic Soul: The Raw Sound of Burkina Faso 1974-1979

Another of the dozens of excellent Afrobeat compilations out there. This one from Analog Africa hones in on Burkino Faso, a small-ish landlocked West African country. The influences from neighbors abound and you can clearly hear the echo of American funk on many tracks. I'm purely amateur when it comes to analyzing this kinda music so I'll give you a quote from the label's blog: "The raw sound of Burkina Faso combined Afro-Funk, traditional Islamic rhythms and subtle Afro-Latin sounds brought over by visiting Cuban ensembles. Mandingue melodies and guitar techniques from Mali and Guinea, however, were by far the most defining traits of a potent African mix that distinguished the Voltaic style between 1974 and 1979." Good stuff.

Bad Veins - Tour EP
The Lotus Plaza - Spooky Action At A Distance

White Fence - Family Perfume Vol 1

+ shitloads of Dead Moon.