Just Released - 2013 [Ep.21]

“I'm gonna climb up every mountain of the moon,

 And find the dish that ran away with the spoon..,

                                     “Supernaut” – Black Sabbath (1972)

Obviously, when it comes to Black Sabbath songs, it’s always gonna be about the riffs.

Ozzy may be the frontman (and sideshow) but the Black Sabbath ‘sound’ falls mostly to guitarist, Tony Iommi. His Sturm und Drang riffs can invest lyrics, even as benign as those above, with a sense of impending threat. Such a flagrant violation of the first rule of lyric rhyming is even excusable, when paired with a compelling riff. The original lineup (with the exception of drummer, Bill Ward) has famously reconvened for ‘13’, an album intended to echo the creative thrust of their first recordings. Using a few sonic signposts linking straight back to those early albums, Black Sabbath achieved their goal, remarkably without falling into self-parody. In this edition of JR, we find there’s still light, somewhere in the darkness.

At least the Comeback Trail wasn’t totally under Black Sabbath’s dark, foreboding cloud this week. Soul and Gospel veteran, Mavis Staples appeared with ‘One True Vine’, a second album made in collaboration with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, while Bernard Fanning’s long awaited ‘Departures’ also made its …arrival.

The JR Radar was quick to alert us to the just released album by Canadian band, Barenaked Ladies. Now in their 25^th year, the songs on ‘Grinning Streak’ are as sharp as ever and odds are that, “Odds Are” may be the most summery song you’ll hear all winter.

Longtime JR favourite, The Tedeschi-Trucks Band have released the first song from their forthcoming album, ‘Made Up Mind’ featuring a nice tip of the hat to Booker T. & The MG’s and Blues Brothers guitarist, Steve Cropper, resurrecting the famous riff he played on Sam & Dave’s 1967 hit, “Soul Man”.

Also signaling a new album on the way is Jack Johnson while Sigur Ros make a strong return with ‘Kveikur’, maintaining Iceland’s bona fides as a music hotspot. 

  

Barenaked Ladies: “Odds Are” (from the album ‘Grinning Streak’)

Bernard Fanning: “Departures (Blue Toowong Skies)”/”Inside Track” (from the album ‘Departures’)

Mavis Staples: “Far Celestial Shore"/”Can You Get To That” (from the album, ‘One True Vine’)

Tedeschi-Trucks Band: ”Part Of Me” (from the forthcoming album, ‘Made Up Mind’)

Black Sabbath: “Zeitgeist” (from the album, ‘13’)

Jack Johnson: “I Got You” (preview from the forthcoming album, ‘From Here, To Now, To You’)

Sigur Ros: “Hrafntinna” (from the album, ‘Kveikur’)

Just Released is heard Saturdays at 12pm and Sundays at 4pm (AEDT or AEST) on ABC Digital Radio in Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, and via the streams of our metropolitan stations on the Gold Coast, in Newcastle, Hobart and Darwin.  

You can also listen to JR during the week on ABC Dig Music Mondays @ 2pm, Wednesdays @ 8pm & Thursdays @ 11am (AEDT or AEST) and on Radio Australia throughout Asia & the Pacific.

To stream Just Released on demand, simply connect to our web pages via the hot links above. …(or even the shiny beast below): 

                                      Find 'Just Released' here.

              ♫

    ♫   {](-_-)[}   ♫         Thanks for listening.

Just Released - 2013 [Ep.20]

               

“They say the heart of Rock ‘n’ Roll is still beating, 

 And from what I’ve seen, I believe ‘em..,

                        “The Heart Of Rock ‘n’ Roll” – Huey Lewis & The News (1983)

That general prognosis was handed down by Huey Lewis in 1983. Thirty years on, we might venture a second opinion. But on the 30^th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of their globally popular album, ‘Sports’, Huey Lewis & The News (at their 'back-to-basics' best), still sound fresh. Betrayed only by songs bearing the obvious hallmarks of 80s production, Huey Lewis & The News sound like an honest, goodtime bar band. As a bonus, is a second disc of live recordings, including a reassuringly OTT version of “I Want A New Drug”, recorded in Sydney in 1989. In the JR office, it’s filed under ‘Guilty Pleasures’ but it’s one we wanted to share. 

    

Boy & Bear make a welcome return in this edition with the first new recording since their multi-award winning debut album, ’Moonfire’. The Sydney band is currently working on a follow-up album, ‘Harlequin Dreams’. Also from Sydney is Ngaiire (like “firey” with an N). The Papua New Guinean born singer/songwriter has her debut album, ‘Lamentations’ due out later this month.

Come to think of it, there’s music from all over the map this week, with new songs from English Electro-Pop band, Hot Chip, Chicago indie Rockers, Smith Westerns and Synth-Pop band from Versailles, France, Phoenix.

Ahead of a comprehensive national tour behind his just released 2^nd album, ‘Departures’, Brisbane’s Bernard Fanning also has a new single in the record's opening track, “Tell Me How It Ends”. Meanwhile, Melbourne band, The Stillsons have released a new song as a preview to their 3^rd album, Never Go Your Way', due later this year.

Almost over-represented in this edition is Aotearoa. Between the Roots groove of Fat Freddy’s Drop and the Drum ‘n’ Bass of Shapeshifter, we have two serious Kiwi Party bands, albeit from somewhat different parties. Both bands will be touring Australia in the near future.

  

Boy & Bear: “Southern Sun” (new single)

Hot Chip: “Dark & Stormy” (new single)

Ngaiire: “Around" (from the forthcoming album, ‘Lamentations’)

The Stillsons: “”Feel So Young” (preview from the album, ‘Never Go Your Way’)

Smith Westerns: “Idol” (from the album, ‘Soft Will’)

Fat Freddy’s Drop: “Clean The House” (from the forthcoming album, ‘Blackbird’)

Shapeshifter: “Gravity” (from the album, ‘Delta’)

Phoenix: “Trying To Be Cool” (from the album ‘Bankrupt!’)

Bernard Fanning: “Tell Me How It Ends” (from the album ‘Departures’)

Huey Lewis & The News: “I Want A New Drug [Live in Sydney 1989]” (from the album ‘Sports [30^th Anniversary Deluxe Edition]’)

Just Released is heard Saturdays at 12pm and Sundays at 4pm (AEDT or AEST) on ABC Digital Radio in Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, and via the streams of our metropolitan stations on the Gold Coast, in Newcastle, Hobart and Darwin.  

You can also listen to JR during the week on ABC Dig Music Mondays @ 2pm, Wednesdays @ 8pm & Thursdays @ 11am (AEDT or AEST) and on Radio Australia throughout Asia & the Pacific.

To stream Just Released on demand, simply connect to our web pages via the hot links above. …(or even the shiny beast below): 

                                      Find 'Just Released' here.

              ♫

    ♫   {](-_-)[}   ♫         Thanks for listening.

Just Released - 2013 [Ep.19]

 “Put a candle in the window, but I feel I’ve got to move, 

  Though I’m going, going, I’ll be coming home soon,

  Long as I can see the light…”

                        “Long As I Can See The Light” – Creedence Clearwater Revival (1970)

John Fogerty has finally come in from the cold.

Long-running legal issues that once plagued his career and robbed his legacy are now resolved and Americana’s unheralded Godfather has revisited some of his most enduring compositions (and a couple of new ones). With such an impressive array of special guests, ‘Wrote A Song For Everyone’ can seem more an event than an album. For the most part it works, but the singular rasp of Fogerty’s vocals, the bite still evident in his guitar and the purity of those compositions, render some of the guest contributions surplus to requirement. Welcome back, John.

Jazz/Pop chanteuse, Caro Emerald also features in this edition, with her second album, ‘The Shocking Miss Emerald’. As follow-ups go, this was a daunting one. Her 2010 debut, ‘Deleted Scenes From The Cutting Room Floor’ had spent most of that year at the top of the Dutch chart. Amsterdam’s favourite daughter must have drawn considerable relief then, when her new album hit the top, not just in her homeland but in England as well. This time, Caro visits the sound of vintage Jazz whilst bringing to it, a cheeky, contemporary twist.

Also raising dust on the Comeback Trail in this edition is Todd Rundgren. Last seen touring here in February as part of Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band, Todd is set to return next month, presenting his own music. Since remixing Aussie band, Tame Impala’s song “Elephant” last year, Todd has been working on his latest psychedelic opus with the album, ‘State’ and with song titles like “Angry Birds”, “Ping Me” and “Serious”, Todd’s creative flair and sense of humour remain firmly intact.

One of Australia’s most respected Indigenous singer/songwriters, Archie Roach sees the timely release of a song he composed 20 years ago, “The Colour Of Your Jumper”, to coincide with National Reconciliation Week (27^th May-3^rd June).

Also in this edition, we hear from former Alexisonfire frontman, Dallas Green, recording under the name ‘City & Colour’ along with a preview of the forthcoming album from Melbourne singer/songwriter, Lawrence Greenwood, known as Whitley. He’ll be releasing his new album in early July before embarking on a tour of eastern states capitals and appearances later that month at the 13^th annual ‘Splendour In The Grass’ music festival.

Meanwhile, just starting out as a recording artist is Cook Islands teenager, Jaik Berg.

Last year, a song that came to him in his sleep became the winner of Radio Australia’s annual ‘Pacific Break Competition’ beating out entries from Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa and other Pacific nations. A compilation of the best entries in last year’s competition is now released and in this edition, we share the newly-recorded version of Jaik’s winning song.      

  

  

John Fogerty: “Mystic Highway” (from the album ‘Wrote A Song For Everyone’)

Archie Roach: “The Colour Of Your Jumper” (digital single)

Whitley: “My Heart Is Not A Machine" (preview from the album, ‘Even The Stars Are A Mess’)

City & Colour: “The Hurry And The Harm” (from the album, ‘The Hurry And The Harm’)

Caro Emerald: “Pack Up The Louie”/”Liquid Lunch” (from the album, ‘The Shocking Miss Emerald’)

Todd Rundgren: “Serious” (from the album, ‘State’)

Jaik Berg: “My Oh My” (from the album, ‘The Best of Pacific Break 2012’)

John Fogerty: “Bad Moon Rising (with Zac Brown Band)”/”Who’ll Stop The Rain (with Bob Seger)” (from the album ‘Wrote A Song For Everyone’)

  

Just Released is heard Saturdays at 12pm and Sundays at 4pm (AEDT or AEST) on ABC Digital Radio in Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, and via the streams of our metropolitan stations on the Gold Coast, in Newcastle, Hobart and Darwin.  

You can also listen to JR during the week on ABC Dig Music Mondays @ 2pm, Wednesdays @ 8pm & Thursdays @ 11am (AEDT or AEST) and on Radio Australia throughout Asia & the Pacific.

To stream Just Released on demand, simply connect to our web pages via the hot links above. …(or even the shiny beast below): 

                                      Find 'Just Released' here.

              ♫

    ♫   {](-_-)[}   ♫         Thanks for listening.