PORTLAND, Maine — Chris Brown from Bull Moose joined us to talk about new releases this month. Here's his full list and comments:
Fontaines D.C. - Romance - CD/LP (various colors)/Cassette
"Fontaines D.C. is an Irish indie rock band, that released their first album in 2019. There always has been a solid indie buzz around them. This year, they were a fitting opener for Arctic Monkeys. The core sound is guitars and drums. There’s a touch of shoegaze too, but the lushness is provided by strings and occasional mellotron instead of layers of processed guitars. They will tour North America beginning next month."
Lainey Wilson – Whirlwind – CD/LP
"Lainey Wilson announced a line of jewelry the same day she released Whirlwind. Lainey Wilson is a hugely popular pop-country artist. Her last album, Bell Bottom Country, won the Best Country Album Grammy last year."
Zeal & Ardor – Greif – LP/CD (The album title really is spelled with the e before the I.)
"Zeal & Ardor is a Swiss heavy metal band. People say they are an avant-garde band, but it’s more accurate to say that they don’t restrict their music to someone else’s idea of heavy metal. They bring in all kinds of other ideas and love to play quietly. That makes the more traditional heavy metal sections of their music have much more impact. People who like to rock out and also want to think about their music will enjoy them. They will tour North America in November and December."
Sun Ra & His Astro Infinity Arkestra – Strange Strings (Expanded) CD/LP
"You want to talk about avant-garde? Let’s talk about Sun Ra, especially because his band recently played two shows in Maine. In 1965 he handed the horn section in his band exotic stringed instruments they didn’t know how to play. The 1967 album that contained those recordings is presented here, with additional recordings from those sessions. This album is out there, even by Sun Ra standards."