This Week’s Best Albums

Tipsy: Buzzz

Built around the lounge-heavy mixture of cut-and-paste artist Dave Gardner, Tipsy has a new live lineup that recreates the quirky film noir / spy thriller / Hawaiian electronica of its albums. The group’s new album, Buzzz, is another engaging stylistic union that doubles as perfect background music.

Tipsy: “Reverse Cowgirl” (sample)

Zak Riles: s/t (Important)

As a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter in Grails, Zak Riles is responsible for much of the band’s worldly acoustic sound. With his self-titled solo album, Riles releases similar acoustic instrumentals of beauty and melancholy - some of which were worked into Grails songs — but without the group’s heavy psychedelic bent. Riles’ album also includes pretty numbers that might not fit into Grails’ repertoire.

Zak Riles: “Sand/Silk Road Origin”

Black Moth Super Rainbow: Drippers EP (Graveface)

In what is likely its last release for a while, Black Moth Super Rainbow presents the Drippers EP before taking an indefinite hiatus. The group’s synth-heavy, effect-laden psych hop is detailed here with a few new tracks, rarities, and a remix.

Black Moth Super Rainbow: “Happy Melted City”

Peter Brötzmann & Fred Lonberg-Holm: The Brain of the Dog in Section (Atavistic)

German free-jazz reed player Peter Brötzmann has a tight relationship with Chicago’s experimental scene — so much that he leads a group aptly named the Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet. On The Brain of the Dog in Section, Brötzmann makes squealing, noisy improvisation with Windy City cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm of the Vandermark 5.

Past Lives: Strange Symmetry EP (Suicide Squeeze)

When the Blood Brothers ended its ten-year reign of mathy post-hardcore, high-pitched vocalist/keyboardist Johnny Whitney and frenetic guitarist Cody Votolato joined with Jay Clark of Pretty Girls Make Graves to form Jaguar Love.

Past Lives is the other prominent Brothers — vocalist Jordan Blilie, drummer Mark Gajadhar, bassist Morgan Henderson, and former guitarist Devin Welch. This debut EP is more focused on indie rock and dance beats than the Blood Brothers’ catalog, but it shows promise for the group’s future as it gains cohesiveness.

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Posted to Music Reviews on Tuesday, November 4th, 2008 by Scott Morrow.