Well, here we are. Another Tuesday, another batch of records. Let's not waste any more time, shall we?
Lotus Plaza, Spooky Action at a Distance: More eerie, filmy, jangly pop music from Deerhunter's Lockett Pundt. I never fully connected with his main gig, but this sounds great - spooky and lo-fi, the kind of thing that might have come out on Captured Tracks if it wasn't for the high-wattage indie personality behind it. RECOMMENDED
Dr. John, Locked… more »
Robert Charles Guidry was leaving a diner in his native Louisiana when he heard the words that would forever make him Bobby Charles. "See you later, alligator," the 17-year-old jive-talked to a friend, only to hear, like a gospel call-and-response, "In a while, crocodile" from a neighboring patron.
He had been playing teen soirees with a combo called the Cardinals (no relation to the r&b vocal group of the same name) in the small town of… more »
New Orleans 'most recent round of hurricane scares - and interview clips of evacuees declaring this time they're really not coming back - make you fear anew for its future. Many of the musicians who carry the city's heartbeat never really returned after Katrina. The diaspora of émigrés (including a few musicians reviewed here) stretches from Texas into Georgia. Still, returnees and exiles alike continue to preserve and extend the city's musical traditions. And they… more »
Dr. John’s Gumbo bridged the gap between post-hippie rock and early rock & roll, blues, and R&B, offering a selection of classic New Orleans R&B, including “Tipitina” and “Junko Partner,” updated with a gritty, funky beat. There aren’t as many psychedelic flourishes as there were on his first two albums, but the ones that are present enhance his sweeping vision of American roots music. And that sly fusion of styles makes Dr. John’s Gumbo one of Dr. John’s finest albums. – Stephen Thomas Erlewine