Just Released

Friday, 26 April 2013

Just Released - 2013 [Ep.14]

“Will you recognise me,

Call my name, or walk on by,

Rain keeps falling, rain keeps falling,

Down, down, down…”,

“Don’t You (Forget About Me)” – Simple Minds (1985)

Admit it. Some of you did forget. …Didn’t you?

Then, it may come as a surprise to learn that not only are Simple Minds back, they never actually went away. They’ve just released a double album (or triple, for the committed fans) of their greatest hits. There’s also a couple of new songs included, one of which is featured in this edition of JR.

As for the real action on the Comeback Trail, we were quick to spot the arrival of previews from French masters of Electro-House music, Daft Punk and Australian Rock singer, Bernard Fanning. Daft Punk have been pretty much M.I.A. since 2005 (if you discount a Live album and a movie soundtrack) and have a new album arriving next month. The catchy first single “Get Lucky” sees them reaching back to ‘70s Disco, enlisting the trademark sound of Chic guitarist, Nile Rodgers along with N.E.R.D. frontman, Pharrell Williams for the vocal. Bernard Fanning, on the other hand appears to have sidestepped the acoustic flavour of his multi-award winning solo debut for something harder.. The first song from his forthcoming album, ‘Departures’ leans more in the direction of his former band, Powderfinger.

Americana Troubadour, actor and novelist Steve Earle has a new album of story songs called, ‘The Low Highway’ which we dip into for this edition along with the latest Live release by Blues/Rock guitar master, Joe Bonamassa. Joe gets to show off his skills this time with his acoustic guitar and in a venue as prestigious as the Vienna Opera House, he thoughtfully recorded the occasion for the rest of us.

The trusty JR Radar picked up on a couple of great new versions of iconic songs for this edition. One is by Gotye joining actor & singer Eddie Perfect and comedic group, Tripod. The other, is by the American vocalist Kristina Train. Both do justice to the originals. Also attracting attention on the Radar this week was the debut album by Ballarat band, Gold Fields (‘Black Sun’). The group is about to return to Australia in June for a national tour, as soon as they wind up their current tour of North America. Another name seemingly poised for bigger things in the future is Irish band, Kodaline. Their debut album (‘In A Perfect World’) won’t be out until early June but we do have a hint of what’s on it in this edition.

Bernard Fanning: “Battleships” (preview from the album ‘Departures’)

Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers: “Get Lucky” (preview from the album, ‘Random Access Memories’)

Simple Minds: “Broken Glass Park" (from the album, ‘Celebrate: The Greatest Hits +’)

Steve Earle & The Dukes (& Duchesses): “21^st Century Blues”/”Pocket Full Of Rain” (from the album, ‘The Low Highway’)

Kodaline: “All I Want” (preview from the album, ‘In A Perfect World’)

Gold Fields: “Treehouse” (from the album, ‘Black Sun’)

Gotye & Perfect Tripod: “Quasimodo’s Dream" (digital single)

Kristina Train: “Who Knows Where The Time Goes" (digital single)

Joe Bonamassa: “Jelly Roll”/”Woke Up Dreaming" (from the album, ‘An Acoustic Evening At The Vienna Opera House’)

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):

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Thursday, 18 April 2013

Just Released - 2013 [Ep.13]

“Catch a ride to the end of the highway,

And we’ll meet by the big red tree,

There’s a place up ahead and I’m goin’,

Come along, come along with me…”,

“Up Around The Bend” – John Fogerty (1970)

You never have to look too hard for the highway in John Fogerty’s music. They’re everywhere, always leading to someplace better than where you are now. Before his band, Creedence Clearwater Revival dissolved in bitter acrimony, John Fogerty was a formidable force in music. It’s well documented but worth noting, that while his manager took the goldmine, Fogerty got the shaft. Good news is that all those troubles are behind John Fogerty and now, he’s released the album, ‘Wrote A Song For Everyone’ on which he (legally) revisits some of his old songs with the help of a small galaxy of special guests. The album also features a couple of new songs, including the minor epic, “Mystic Highway”, which we feature in this edition of JR.

Vying for position with Fogerty on the Comeback Trail this week are Alison Moyet with her first album since 2007 and Empire Of The Sun, the Australian band which so comprehensively dominated the 2009 ARIA Awards before taking a self-imposed sabbatical.

American R&B singer, Robin Thicke is back with a preview of his forthcoming album. Featuring Rappers, T.I. and Pharrell Williams (of N.E.R.D.) Robin Thicke opts to channel his inner Marvin Gaye, evoking the classic Dance anthem, “Got To Give It Up”. (Okay, so we’re invoking our ‘Guilty Pleasure’ license. So what?)

Also previewed in this edition are new albums from English contemporary Folk stylist, Laura Marling (‘One I Was An Eagle’) and Australian experimental surrealists, Steve Kilbey & Martin Kennedy (‘You Are Everything’). Both albums are due next month.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, the indefatigable, Willie Nelson celebrates his 80^th birthday this month with a new album of old standards on which he shows off his guitar playing skills and shares (some of) the limelight with his piano-playing sister, Bobbie. As well, we revisit the just released Iron & Wine album, ‘Ghost On Ghost’.

As light from a distant star, some things take an inordinate time to reach us. Such was the case with the music of Maggie and Tyler Heath, an American Indie duo known as, The Oh Hellos. Their self-titled and independently released digital EP was actually released a while back but in case you missed it (just as we had), we thought we’d share it in this edition.

Robin Thicke featuring T.I. + Pharrell: “Blurred Lines” (new single)

Iron & Wine: “The Desert Babbler” (from the album, ‘Ghost On Ghost’)

Empire Of The Sun: “Alive" (preview from the album, ‘Ice On The Dune’)

Laura Marling: “Where Can I Go” (preview from the album, ‘Once I Was An Eagle’)

The Oh Hello’s: “Hello, My Old Heart” (from the digital EP, ‘The Oh Hello’s’)

Steve Kilbey & Martin Kennedy: “I Find” (preview from the album, ‘You Are Everything’)

Alison Moyet: “Horizon Flame" (preview from the album, ‘The Minutes’)

Willie Nelson And Family: “Matchbox”/”Nuages" (from the album, ‘Let’s Face The Music And Dance’)

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

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.

Friday, 12 April 2013

Just Released 2013 [Ep.12]

“The future that you anticipated has been cancelled,

Please, remain seated - and wait for further instructions…”

“Please Remain Seated” – Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (2013)

Hovering slightly above the Comeback Trail this week, was Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (or OMD if you’re low on ink) with a new album called ‘English Electric’.

More than just hairstyles have changed since OMD was at its peak in the ‘80s yet their sound remains as familiar as ever. It’s not as though they’re blissfully unaware of it, however. As the computerized voice in the album’s opening track serves to remind: “The future you anticipated has been cancelled.” (How’s that for Dystopian?)

If you care to look to simpler times, we also visit them in this edition, with the debut album by Los Angeles duo, The Milk Carton Kids. Their sound is warmly reminiscent of Simon & Garfunkel, when they were still chums and singing in the dingy Folk clubs of Greenwich Village back in ’61. The 'Kids' are set to tour Australia for the first time in June. (Turtleneck sweaters are optional.)

Not all highly regarded musicians are comprehensively honoured with the career-spanning anthology they might deserve. With ‘Carry On’, Stephen Stills stands among the more fortunate. ‘Carry On’ is a thoughtfully prepared box set spanning 50 years of a (sometimes) remarkable career. High points have included stints with Buffalo Springfield, Crosby Stills & Nash and as a solo artist. In this edition of JR we dip into the ‘Carry On’ box for a few historic milestones.

The JR Radar was also active this week, with an alert to one of the year’s more curious collaborations, by Aussie Electronic Dance duo, Yolanda Be Cool (of “We No Speak Americano” fame) and Indigenous superstar, Geoffrey “Gurrumul” Yunupingu. Their song, “A Baru In New York” is hands-down, the funkiest song Gurrumul has recorded since he was a member of Yothu Yindi.

Also in this edition, we preview a song from the forthcoming 6^th album by American Rock quintet, The National (due out in May) along with the latest single from Iceland’s Of Monsters And Men.

Yolanda Be Cool featuring Gurrumul: “A Baru In New York” (new single)

Of Monsters And Men: “King And Lionheart” (new single from the album, ‘My Head Is An Animal’)

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark: “Metroland”/”Helen Of Troy" (from the album, ‘English Electric’)

The Milk Carton Kids: “Honey, Honey”/”The Ash & The Clay” (from the album, ‘The Ash & The Clay’)

The National: “Demons” (preview from the album, ‘Trouble Will Find Me’)

Buffalo Springfield: “For What It’s Worth” (from the 4xCD anthology, ‘Stephen Stills: Carry On’)

Stephen Stills & Jimi Hendrix: “No-Name Jam" (from the 4xCD anthology, ‘Stephen Stills: Carry On’)

Crosby Stills & Nash: “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" (from the 4xCD anthology, ‘Stephen Stills: Carry On’)

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.

Friday, 5 April 2013

Just Released -2013 [Ep.11]

This week on Just Released with Bill Riner & Brandon Stewart:

“Betty said she prayed today,

For the sky to blow away,

Or maybe stay…”,

“River Man” – Nick Drake (1969)

As history has shown, tribute albums can be fraught with problems. Too often, the artists have used their ‘tribute’ as a platform for their own talent with little regard for the original work. Sometimes, those artists are stylistically mismatched, resulting in worthless novelty. Such pitfalls were never about to beset the latest tribute to the works of the fragile English Folk music legend, Nick Drake. Drawn from live performances in Melbourne and London, intimately recorded by Drake’s original producer Joe Boyd (a record man in the truest sense), ‘Way To Blue’ is a fitting tribute to a young artist who departed the world in 1974 (aged 26) with mere clutch of albums as his enduring legacy.

It wasn’t exactly planned this way but the theme of intercontinental activity is prominent in this edition of JR. As well as the Nick Drake tribute, we have the new album from Tuareg guitarist, Omara ‘Bombino’ Moctar who took his music from Niger to Nashville to record his album, ‘Nomad’ with Black Keys’ frontman, Dan Auerbach.

Then there’s one of Australia’s finest guitarists, Bruce Mathiske, playing an instrumental homage to Morocco, to where he’d ventured on his first overseas trip. ‘My Life’ is his 17^th (independently released) album and to simply suggest that Bruce is ‘good’ at what he does really is the stuff of understatement.

And there’s even more guitars: America’s Kaki King, a regular visitor to our shores and set to return for another national tour next month, has an impressive new album of instrumental music called ‘Glow’ which we preview this week.

We’ve seen some big names touring Australia just recently, mostly thanks to the festival season over Easter but one of the lesser-known bands which also made a great impression was Grace Potter & The Nocturnals. This week we revisit their latest album, ‘The Lion The Beast The Beat’.

While things were unusually quiet on the Comeback Trail this week, Australian diva, Renee Geyer boldly arrived through the front door. Later this month, Renee will release her new album ‘Swing’ and we have a preview of it for you in this edition.

Renee Geyer: “Baby Please Don’t Go” (preview from the album, ‘Swing’)

Kaki King: “Great Round Burn” (from the album, ‘Glow’)

Bombino: “Amidinine" (from the album, ‘Nomad’)

Luluc: “Things Behind The Sun” (from the album, ‘Way To Blue: The Songs Of Nick Drake’)

Shane Nicholson: “Rider On The Wheel” (from the album, ‘Way To Blue: The Songs Of Nick Drake’)

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals: “The Lion The Beast The Beat”/”Stars” (from the album, ‘The Lion The Beast The Beat’)

Bombino: “Her Tenere" (from the album, ‘Nomad’)

Bruce Mathiske: “Destination Morocco” (from the album, ‘My Life)

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 the show 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, connect to our web pages via the links above. .

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

Find 'Just Released' here.

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Thursday, 28 March 2013

Just Released - 2013 [Ep.10]

This week on Just Released with Bill Riner & Brandon Stewart:

“The four kings of EMI are sitting stately on the floor,

There are birds out on the sidewalk and a valet at the door…”

“Randy Scouse Git” – The Monkees (1967)

When Monkees’ vocalist and drummer Micky Dolenz composed “Randy Scouse Git” for his band’s album, ‘Headquarters’ back in 1967, he was not aware the title might be slightly offensive to folk from Liverpool. Doubtful too, he ever thought he might re-record that song in a radically deconstructed form, some 45 years into the future. On his latest solo album, ‘Remember’, Micky revisits a few old Monkees tunes in similar fashion. (The four kings of EMI in the above lyric were, incidentally, The Beatles: the group in whose image The Monkees had been ‘constructed’ in the first place.)

In this edition of JR it’s not just Micky Dolenz who’s been stirring up dust on the Comeback Trail. Deep Purple are set to return at the end of April with their umpteenth album, ‘NOW What?!’ The title may be a valid question, in light of last year’s passing of founding member and keyboardist, Jon Lord. Another English band known for its stark resilience is Depeche Mode, back with a new album and a new label.

Our diligent monitoring of the world online also turned up a few surprises this week by way of an indie singer/songwriter from Los Angeles known simply as Banks (yeah, try Googling that with any confidence). The darkness of her single, “Before I Ever Knew You” was also evident in a new song from Perth’s Georgi Kay. Compelling and unsettling at the same time, Georgi’s song, “Ipswich” is not the kind of tune you’d normally expect from a singer who is barely in her 20s.

On the cheerier side, we preview the forthcoming Iron & Wine album (‘Ghost On Ghost’) on which singer/songwriter, Sam Beam (playing with a full band), sounds positively upbeat for a change. And then there’s the very 21^st century group known as The Grooveatech Orchestra. Members of this collective are spread all around the globe but still manage to work together (and keep the groove alive) with the help of a little modern technology.

We also go back to our Roots in this edition with some urbane Country from Texan singer/songwriter Kacey Musgraves, some authentic Bluegrass from Edie Brickell & Steve Martin and find clear evidence (as if it were needed) that Joe Bonamassa is every bit as gifted as an acoustic guitarist as he is whenever he plugs in.

Depeche Mode: “Soothe My Soul” (from the album, ‘Delta Machine’)

Iron & Wine: “Grace For Saints And Ramblers” (preview from the album, ‘Ghost On Ghost’)

Billy Bragg: “No One Knows Nothing Anymore” (from the album, ‘Tooth & Nail’)

Banks: “Before I Ever Knew You” (independent single)

Georgi Kay: “Ipswich” (new single)

Grooveatech Orchestra: “One More Time” (digital single)

Kacey Musgraves: “Merry Go ‘Round” (from the album, ‘Same Trailer, Different Park’)

Edie Brickell & Steve Martin: “Love Has Come For You” (preview from the album, ‘Love Has Come For You’)

Micky Dolenz: “Randy Scouse Git (Alternate Title)” (from the album, ‘Remember’)

Joe Bonamassa: “Athens To Athens” (from the album, ‘An Acoustic Evening At The Vienna Opera House’)

Deep Purple: “Hell To Pay” (preview from the album, ‘NOW What?!’)

To stream Just Released on demand, connect to our web pages via the links above. …

(or the shiny beast below):

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Friday, 22 March 2013

Just Released - 2013 [Ep.9]

“Sift the noise,

Cause I can see it all in you…”

[“Sift The Noise” – Skipping Girl Vinegar (2009)]

Setting off the JR Radar this week was news of the Adelaide-born, Sydney-educated, Melbourne-based and internationally-connected singer/songwriter, Krista Polvere. Her second album of raw Alt-Country will be out early next month. Produced by former Black Crowes guitarist Marc Ford and with contributions from Ryan Adams (one of her biggest supporters), ‘Reservoir Drive’ brings the sound of Krista’s songs much closer to a live setting.

At the other end of the spectrum is the neo-Soul debut by English singer/songwriter, Laura Mvula. Her voice may occasionally conjure thoughts of Nina Simone but the music surrounding it challenges conventional description. One critic from the UK’s Guardian suggested ‘Gospeldelia’. That would be Gospel + Psychedelia. (No, really.)

Back in Australia for an appearance at Bluesfest is England’s Ben Howard, with “Only Love” from his current album now (re)issued as a single, while another new single from the UK this week comes from the Villagers album, ‘{Awayland}’.

Melbourne’s vibrant music scene is well represented in this edition with both the new single from Skipping Girl Vinegar (ahead of their appearance at Bluesfest) as well as the first collection of new songs in more than a decade from Underground Lovers.

With her album, ‘The Blue Room’ Madeleine Peyroux and producer, Larry Klein revisit the pattern (and to some extent, the songs) that shaped the landmark Ray Charles project ‘Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music’ half a century ago. With ‘The Blue Room’, Madeleine Peyroux has arrived at a lush and moody return to form.

Also making a convincing return with his album ‘Tooth & Nail’ is Billy Bragg. Dealing more with relationship politics than the politics of international affairs this time – but with Billy Bragg it’s going to be politics, all the same. However, the most astonishing and for that matter, challenging return in this edition comes from avant-garde art Rock veterans, Pere Ubu. The band’s music has both impressed and confounded listeners since the late ‘70s and with ‘Lady From Shanghai’ nothing seems to have changed.

Krista Polvere: “Jack And Me” (preview from the album, ‘Reservoir Drive’)

Laura Mvula: “Green Garden”/”Like The Morning Dew” (from the album, ‘Sing To The Moon’)

Ben Howard: “Only Love" (new single from the album, ‘Every Kingdom’)

Villagers: “Judgement Call” (new single from the album, ‘{Awayland}’)

Madeleine Peyroux: “Take These Chains”/”Born To Lose” (from the album, ‘The Blue Room’)

Billy Bragg: “Handy Man Blues” (from the album, ‘Tooth & Nail’)

Underground Lovers: “Au Pair” (from the album, ‘Weekend’)

Skipping Girl Vinegar: “Making Our Way” (new single)

Pere Ubu: “Feuksley Ma’am, The Hearing” (from the album, ‘Lady From Shanghai’)

To stream Just Released on demand, connect to our web pages via the links above. .

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

Find 'Just Released' here.

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♫ {](-_-)[} ♫ Thanks for listening.