Odds 'n' Sods: Liz Phair, Steel Train, Kylie Minogue, Courtyard Hounds, and More

Time to clear the desk of all these CDs. Stuff's really piling up and I'm not sure I'll get to write full posts of many of them, so let's take a quick look at what's new and notable (or not).Tracy Bonham: Masts of Manhatta -- Remember Tracy Bonham? In the...

By Jay Bennett

July 16, 2010

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Time to clear the desk of all these CDs. Stuff's really piling up and I'm not sure I'll get to write full posts of many of them, so let's take a quick look at what's new and notable (or not).

Tracy Bonham: Masts of Manhatta -- Remember Tracy Bonham? In the post-Alanis mid-'90s, she had a minor hit with "Mother Mother." Then, she promptly faded into semi-obscurity. Now, with those messy hit-making days long behind her, Bonham can simply be a musician. And this record isn't bad, full of eclectic (Tom Waits is an obvious influence) and unconventional instrumentation and arrangements, but not without some solid songwriting. Far more listenable than Joanna Newsom.

Liz Phair: Funstyle -- Believe the hype about this record, released unannounced over the July 4 weekend as a download by the alt-queen of the pre-Alanis early '90s. Unlike Tracy Bonham, Phair comes off as an artist uncomfortable in her own skin. And then there's the whole issue of talent. As a sort-of-edgier version of Sheryl Crow, Phair simply isn't the caliber of singer (really, she's pretty bad here) or songwriter to pull it off. Listening to Funstyle, it's not difficult to see why her label and agent dumped her, as sad as the story is.

Steel Train: Steel Train -- With a name like Steel Train, I fully expected alt-country. Nope. This is full-on theatrical and anthemic pop rock á la The Alarm. If I didn't know better, I'd have thought this were a Christian rock band. Lead track "Bullet" (which sounds like the handiwork of professional songwriters) actually has the lyrics "We are the last generation of hope / And I wouldn't mind / If together we died alone." Grow up, dudes.

Boondox: South of Hell -- Strictly for fans of that Kid Rock country/rap/cock-rock song "Cowboy." This record is on the Insane Clown Posse label, Psychopathic Records, and it closely adheres to that particular painted-face-and-depravity aesthetic, especially the song about Boondox inviting a girl into a threesome and then killing her with the same knife he killed the first girl with.

Kylie Minogue: Aphrodite -- "Put your hands up if you feel love," sings Kylie Minogue on one of the many flawless dance-floor gems on her latest record. Kylie Minogue may seem ageless, but her voice sure is heavily processed on Aphrodite. Not that it matters. I'm sure it'll sound just fine in the club. Sample song titles: "Everything Is Beautiful," "All the Lovers," "Looking for an Angel," and "Can't Beat the Feeling."

Courtyard Hounds: Courtyard Hounds -- The two Dixie Chicks whose names you don't know have a new record out, a collection of laid-back country-pop tunes that let their voices shine, without Natalie Maines' outsize personality and voice steal the show. Easy listening, solid (if particularly outstanding) songs, golden voices, tasteful production, duet with Jakob Dylan -- pretty much everything that Liz Phair would kill for right about now.

Woom: Muu's Way -- This is a precious boy-girl indie act from Oakland that seemingly would rather toy with a bunch of different musical notions than it would to simply write one of those boring old verse-chorus-verse-chorus songs. Listening to Muu's Way is like hanging out in Woom's bedroom for 31 minutes, looking at the unicorn posters on the wall and perusing their three-ring binder full of stickers. Wholly inoffensive and only occasionally interesting.

"Nothing Not New" is a yearlong project in which New Times editorial operations manager Jay Bennett, a 41-year-old music fan and musician, will listen only to music released in 2010. Each Monday through Friday, he will listen to one new record (no best ofs, reissues, or concert recordings) and write about it. Why? Because in the words of his editor, Martin Cizmar, he suffers from "aesthetic atrophy," a wasting away of one's ability to embrace new and different music as one ages. Read more about this all-too-common ailment here.

The "Nothing Not New" Archives

July 15 -- Mystery Jets: Serotonin (B+)

July 14 -- Authority Zero: Stories of Survival (C+)

July 13 -- Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse: Dark Night of the Soul (B+)

July 12 -- Crowded House: Intriguer (B)

July 8 -- Ty Segall: Melted (B+)

July 7 -- Pierce the Veil: Selfish Machines (D-)

July 6 -- 13 Must-Hear Songs from the First Half of 2010

July 2 -- Katzenjammer: Le Pop (B)

June 30 -- Wolf Parade: Expo 86 (B-)

June 29 -- Scissor Sisters: Night Work (B+)

June 24 -- Foals: Total Life Forever (D+)

June 23 -- Pernice Brothers: Goodbye, Killer (A-)

June 22 -- The Roots: How I Got Over (B+)

June 21 -- Danzig: Deth Red Sabaoth (D)

June 18 -- The Chemical Brothers: Further (B+)

June 17 -- Eyes Set to Kill: Broken Frames (C)

June 16 -- Devo: Something for Everybody (B+)

June 15 -- The Gaslight Anthem: American Slang (C-)

June 14 -- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Mojo (C)

June 11 -- Odds 'n' Sods: The Dig, The Cringe, Delta Spirit, Stereo Total, and more

June 10 -- Gemma Ray: It's a Shame About Gemma Ray (A-)

June 9 -- Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti: Before Today (B)

June 8 -- Against Me!: White Crosses (C)

June 7 -- Blitzen Trapper: Destroyer of the Void (B-)

June 4 -- The Melvins: The Bride Screamed Murder (B-)

June 3 -- Crystal Castles: Crystal Castles II (B-)

June 2 -- The Cool Kids: Tacklebox (B-)

May 27 -- What Cheer? Brigade: We Blow You Suck (D)

May 26 -- Stone Tempe Pilots: Stone Temple Pilots (C)

May 25 -- Karen Elson: The Ghost Who Walks (C+)

May 24 -- Damien Jurado: Saint Bartlett (B)

May 21 -- Woven Bones: In and Out and Back Again (B-)

May 20 -- Band of Horses: Infinite Arms (B-)

May 19 -- Sleigh Bells: Treats (D-)

May 18 -- The Black Keys: Brothers (B+)

May 17 -- LCD Soundsystem: This Is Happening (A-)

May 14 -- Odds 'n' Sods: CocoRosie, Natalie Merchant, The Sadies, and more

May 13 -- Male Bonding: Nothing Hurts (B)

May 12 -- Flying Lotus: Cosmogramma (B-)

May 11 -- The Dead Weather: Sea of Cowards (A)

May 10 -- The National: High Violet (B+)

May 7 -- Shapiro: Shapiro (C)

May 6 -- Gogol Bordello: Trans-Continental Hustle (C-)

May 5 -- Broken Social Scene: Forgiveness Rock Record (A-)

May 4 -- The New Pornographers: Together (B-)

May 3 -- The Hold Steady: Heaven Is Whenever (A-)

April 30 -- Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings: I Learned the Hard Way (A)

April 29 -- Hole: Nobody's Daughter (D+)

April 28 -- Odds 'n' Sods: Toro y Moi, Merle Haggard, Freedy Johnston, and more

April 27 -- Unnatural Helpers: Cracked Love & Other Drugs (B+)

April 26 -- Harlan T. Bobo: Sucker (A-)

April 23 -- Roky Erickson and Okkervil River: True Love Cast Out All Evil (A-)

April 22 -- Caribou: Swim (D)

April 21 -- The Apples in Stereo: Travellers in Space and Time (C-)

April 20 -- Jakob Dylan: Women + Country (D+)

April 19 -- Cornershop: Judy Sucks a Lemon for Breakfast (C)

April 16 -- Frightened Rabbit: The Winter of Mixed Drinks (B+)

April 15 -- Coheed and Cambria: Year of the Black Rainbow (D-)

April 14 -- Foxy Shazam: Foxy Shazam (D, later changed to a B)

April 13 -- MGMT: Congratulations (B+)

April 12 -- Odds 'n' Sods: Robyn Hitchcock, RJD2, Scorpions, and More

April 9 -- Murder by Death: Good Morning, Magpie (B-)

April 8 -- Harlem: Hippies (C+)

April 7 -- Slow Club: Yeah, So (B)

April 6 -- Black Francis: NonStopErotik (B+)

April 5 -- Growing: Pumps! (F)

April 2 -- Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs: Medicine County (B)

April 1 -- Dum Dum Girls: I Will Be (A-)

March 31 -- The Dillinger Escape Plan: Option Paralysis (B+)

March 30 -- Local Natives: Gorilla Manor (B)

March 29 -- The Bird and the Bee: Interpreting the Masters: Hall & Oates (C)

March 26 -- Eddy Current Suppression Ring: Rush to Relax (C+)

March 25 -- Let's Wrestle: In the Court of the Wrestling Let's (B)

March 24 -- Goldfrapp: Head First (D)

March 23 -- She & Him: Volume 2 (A-)

March 22 -- Broken Bells: Broken Bells (C+)

March 19 -- Locksley: Be In Love (B)

March 18 -- jj: jj no. 3 (C-)

March 17 -- Xiu Xiu: Dear God, I Hate Myself (D+)

March 16 -- Drive By Truckers: The Big To-Do (B-)

March 15 -- April Smith and the Great Picture Show: Songs for a Sinking Ship (C)

March 12 -- The Morning Benders: Big Echo (C+)

March 11 -- Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: Beat the Devil's Tattoos (B)

March 10 -- Acrassicauda: Only the Dead See the End of War (C-)

March 9 -- Titus Andronicus: The Monitor (B+)

March 8 -- Ted Leo and the Pharmacists: The Brutalist Bricks (A)

March 5 -- Liars: Sisterworld (A-)

March 4 -- Gorillaz: Plastic Beach (A-)

March 3 -- Johnny Cash: American VI: Ain't No Grave (B+)

March 2 -- High on Fire: Snakes for the Divine (C)

March 1 -- Joanna Newsom: Have One on Me (C)

Feb. 26 -- Freeway & Jake One: The Stimulus Package (D)

Feb. 25 -- Past Lives: Tapestry of Webs (B-)

Feb. 24 -- Shout Out Louds: Work (B)

Feb. 23 -- Brian Jonestown Massacre: Who Killed Sgt. Pepper? (B+)

Feb. 22 -- Shearwater: The Golden Archipelago (D+)

Feb. 19 -- The Strange Boys: Be Brave (B+)

Feb. 18 -- Tindersticks: Falling Down a Mountain (A)

Feb. 17 -- Lightspeed Champion: Life Is Sweet! Nice to Meet You (C-)

Feb. 16 -- Adam Green: Minor Love (B-)

Feb. 15 -- Juliana Hatfield: Peace & Love (B+)

Feb. 12 -- Massive Attack: Heligoland (C-)

Feb. 11 -- The Watson Twins: Talking to You, Talking to Me (C-)

Feb. 10 -- Hot Chip: One Life Stand (B+)

Feb. 9 -- You Say Party! We Say Die!: XXXX (B+)

Feb. 8 -- Allison Moorer: Crows (B)

Feb. 5 -- Joe Pug: Messenger (C)

Feb. 4 -- The Soft Pack: The Soft Pack (A)

Feb. 3 -- Polysics: Absolute Polysics (B-)

Feb. 2 -- Pierced Arrows: Descending Shadows (A-)

Feb. 1 -- The Brunettes: Paper Doll (B-)

Jan. 29 -- Basia Bulat: Heart of My Own (C)

Jan. 28 -- Priestess: Prior to the Fire (B)

Jan. 27 -- The Magnetic Fields: Realism (B)

Jan. 26 -- Four Tet: There Is Love in You (D)

Jan. 25 -- Delphic: Acolyte (C+)

Jan. 22 -- The Hot Rats: Turn Ons (B+)

Jan. 21 -- Los Campesinos!: Romance Is Boring (A-)

Jan. 20 -- Midlake: The Courage of Others (D-)

Jan. 19 -- Laura Veirs: July Flame (B+)

Jan. 18 -- Beach House: Teen Dream (C)

Jan. 15 -- Charlotte Gainsbourg: IRM (B)

Jan. 14 -- OK Go: Of the Blue Colour of the Sky (D)

Jan. 13 -- Eels: End Times (A-)

Jan. 12 -- Spoon: Transference (B)

Jan. 11 -- Editors: In This Light and On This Evening (D+)

Jan. 8 -- Surfer Blood: Astro Coast (B+)

Jan. 7 -- Yeasayer: Odd Blood (C-)

Jan. 6 -- Cold War Kids: Behave Yourself EP (B+)

Jan. 5 -- Vampire Weekend: Contra (D+)

Jan. 4 -- Texas Tornados: Está Bueno! (B)

Jan. 1 -- Scanners: Submarine (B-)

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