From visits to a New York City cabaret in the late '20s, Mexican cumbia of the late '70s and early '80s, to folk, country and post-punk artists looking into an uncertain future, this week's Fresh Picks touches on the past, present and future of music today.
For albums, Sweet Megg's smoky jazz, Mexican Institute of Sound and Meridian Brothers' psychedelic cumbia, Telehealth's dance through modernity and Nathan Evans Fox's "comrade country."
For tracks, more Minnesota soul from Mina Moore and the Secret Stash label, Caroline Rose says "Yip Yip Yow" and a debut at 40 from Kara McKee.
And finally, our Pick from '76 from George Clinton and Parliament remains firmly in the future 50 years after its release.
Check out this week's suggestions from Music Director Kari Hedlund, Asst. Music Director Malachy Koons and Volunteer Coordinator Dan Gannon.
Albums
Album of the Week: Sweet Megg - Massive Negroni
Prepare to be transported directly into a dimly lit and smoky cabaret sometime in the '20s or '30s.
Vintage jazz, blues and swing vocalist Sweet Megg's seventh studio album, Massive Negroni, draws from the Great American Songbook and beyond, with songs from artists like the Harlem Hamfats, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller and The Ink Spots. Everything from French chanson to Tin Pan Alley is on the table, and there's a reason Sweet Megg is a close collaborator with popular jazz collective Postmodern Jukebox.
From sly and playful to spooky and sultry and everything in between, the vocalist brings the perfect mood for every moment on the eclectic track list. -MK
Mexican Institute Of Sound and Meridian Brothers - Ruido Tovar
While the album pays tribute to pioneering cumbia artist Rigo Tovar — using Ruido (noise) instead of Rigo — it takes the groovy cumbia rhythm and brings it to a psychedelic lounge. There is a lot of wiggling and squiggling noises on "Ritmo Babilonia," and the casual pace fits perfectly for a guest appearance by Beck, who grew up in East Los Angeles, where the Mexican Institute of Sound is also from. This song bridges the distance from cumbia's origins in Colombia to Mexico's popularization of the genre to Beck's kitchy-ness. "Ira (IA)" has some wonderfully wobbly keyboards, cool walking bass and surf guitar while Buddy Holly-like vocals en Español transport you to a hot day just chilling in the shade. "Concorde" sounds like a video game soundtrack bouncing along with a velvet jacketed frontman singing "ba ba da ba ba" while you're sipping on a fruity umbrella drink. Cumbia!! -DG
Telehealth - Green World Image
Music to match a world where betting markets run wild, value is exclusive to what can be bought and sold and the brain-rotting internet is not quite distracting enough for us to forget our lives are getting worse. Or is it? Think The B-52s shouting phrases like "Checking your stocks / Citizen Watch / Calling the cops / Artisanal hops," and you're on your way to Telehealth. -MK
Nathan Evans Fox - Heirlooms
With a deep-in-a-cave baritone voice, Evans creates a spacy, out-of-this-world sound rooted in banjo liberation and taking country tropes to the three-chords-and-the-truth racetrack. Opener “Lots of Beginnings” includes advice from his grandma to experiment and change things up in your life. “Hillbilly Hymn (Okra & Cigarettes)” shows us why he calls his music "comrade country," singing a utopian gospel-style mountain tune that lays out some of his dreams he's hoping to see in his lifetime. Thoughtful, creative and showing love for the working class he grew up with, Nathan Evans Fox delivers a record that reflects a new crop of artists like S.G. Goodman and Nick Shoulders who are as real as they come and aren't afraid to tell you what's on their mind. No red Solo cups to be found. -DG
Singles
Mina Moore - "Heavy Load"
Following up the terrific and moving gospel of "When The Spirit Says Sing," this second Secret Stash release from Minneapolis singer Mina Moore is another banger that lopes along in a laid-back funky groove. Judging by the summer breeze sweetness of the song, the "Heavy Load" on Moore's mind doesn't seem to be weighing her down in the slightest. -MK
Caroline Rose - "Yip Yip Yow"
Ever feel like you were born in the wrong decade? When Caroline Rose wrote this song over 10 years ago, they were “feeling like I was born in the wrong time, in the wrong place and probably in the wrong body.” Starting off like a ripping country rock tune, “Yip Yip Yow” quickly moves into a ROCKER. Well known to Caroline Rose fans, this song has been a frequent part of their live shows since the early days, but this marks the first time it has been officially recorded and released. This song is a banger and, upon listening, requires your body to get moving. -KH
Kara McKee - "Goodbye"
Kicking off the summer is this dreamy invite to stick around and stay awhile because summer will be over soon. While you don’t often start something by talking about its ending, this doesn't feel like a doomsday invite. It's warm and feels like a practical awareness that it'll go fast. From a DIY musician releasing her debut album at 40 years old, McKee has a style that makes me think of Siri Undlin of Humbird, and I’m looking forward to hearing more. -KH
Picks from '76
Parliament - Clones of Dr. Funkenstein
As we continue to celebrate our 50th Birthday, KAXE looks back on influential albums from 1976.
This week's album is The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein by Parliament. The decades-old collective started out in the late '50s as a doo-wop group called The Parliaments, then morphed into the acid-rock crew Funkadelic before becoming the intergalactic Afro-futuristic funk collective known as Parliament.
With mastermind George Clinton at the helm, this record is their second to feature James Brown’s horn section of Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley. Bernie Worrell, who later featured heavily on the Talking Heads' Remain in Light record, adds his keyboard wizardry to the cosmic slop sound. Bass player extraordinaire Bootsy Collins, also formerly of James Brown's band, holds down the funky rhythms while Clinton sings about clones, motherships and humans as robots.
The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein went gold, and the single “Do That Stuff” went to No. 22 on the charts, which is remarkable for a group that was constantly pushing the envelope musically, lyrically, visually and conceptually. They broke the mold in a most funky way!
Parliament brought the past into the present and then pushed their concepts and sound into the future. This is sci-fi music for your mind and your backside. When referring to the Afro-futuristic themes of Parliament's music, he said, “We had put Black people in situations nobody ever thought they would be in, like the White House. I figured another place you wouldn't think Black people would be was in outer space.”
Parliament was heavily influential in connecting the worlds of R&B, rock 'n' roll, psychedelia, soul, funk and hip-hop. We want the funk! -DG
