New CDs in stores today – aside from best-of compilations from Iggy Pop, Emmylou Harris and Michael Jackson – come courtesy of a Pixie all grown up, an indie act finding its groove and one of the summer’s biggest blockbuster films.
Frank Black, “Honeycomb” (Back Porch) As The Pixies were reuniting last year, frontman Frank Black had just recorded this solo album in Nashville with accomplished local musicians. The result is the stark poeticism imbuing this record, which is unlike anything the prolific Black has released.
The Go! Team, “Thunder, Lightning, Strike” (Memphis Industries) This sunny, feel-good nu-disco dominating record was the buzz of South by Southwest this year. The Go! Team, which sounds like The Flaming Lips cast into the loose mold of Branvan 3000, is the hip-hop generation’s “Electric Company” soundtrack.
Various Artists, “The Dukes of Hazzard – Music From the Motion Picture” (Phantom) Here you have Willie Nelson singing “Good Ol’ Boys” instead of Waylon Jennings and Jessica Simpson rocking “These Boots Were Made For Walkin’ ” instead of Nancy Sinatra. Beyond that, it’s a collection of your basic Southern rock.
– Ricardo Baca
