New Albums - Page 128

1975 was quite a year for Rush, which released two albums, both of which have been newly remastered and re-released this year on vinyl. The first, Fly By Night, was reissued in January, and now the second album from 1975, Caress of Steel, has been given the star treatment. The original analog masters of the album from the Canadian trio...

JJ Grey and Mofro’s latest, Ol’ Glory, shows off the Southern band’s mix blues, rock, folk, funk, gospel, and R&B. Featuring Todd Smallie on bass, the band churns out a phenomenal groove. The 12-song set, recorded at Retrophonics Studio in St. Augustine, Florida, also includes work from guests Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars) on dobro and electric slide guitar and...

Imagine Dragons’s sophomore effort, Smoke + Mirrors is already generating heat with the single “I Bet My Life.” Britain’s Q Magazine has already given the album high marks — four stars — and compared the Las Vegas band’s vibe to that of “Songs From the Big Chair”-era Tears for Fears. It says the album is a “modern pop-rock gem.” Other...

Double bassist Ben Wolfe has worked alongside some of the jazz world’s biggest names, including Wynton Marsalis and Diana Krall. And as he’s done so, he has also forged his own impressive path as a player, composer and bandleader. His latest recorded effort sees him heading up a quartet on The Whisperer. The record features him, Orrin Evans on piano,...

A fan’s handheld video, combined with audio and newly created animations, brings to life two previously unreleased June 1978 Boston Music Hall performances by Bob Marley & The Wailers. The CD/DVD package called Easy Skanking in Boston ’78 is being released in celebration of the late Marley’s 70th birthday year and the 1978 band, of course, features Aston “Family Man”...

Johan Hansén-Larson can be considered a regular here at No Treble, with several of his videos being featured here over the years. Now, the Swedish bassist can be heard at length on the Kristian Persson Elements jazz album, Let It Go. Cormac Larkin of the Irish Times says “Funk and soul are the main references in Persson’s hot, big-hearted sound,...

The new duo PUUL, comprised of British bassist Tim Harries (Brian Eno, Bill Bruford) and Norwegian soundscape artist Terje Evensen (John Paul Jones) has release its debut album, Puul. The band name came from Harries, who says he always wanted to be in band with a double “u” in its name. The two musicians share a unique sensibility, according to...

The Vijay Iyer Trio’s new album, Break Stuff, contemplates musical breakdowns and breaks. The trio includes not only bandleader Iyer on piano, but also double bassist Stephan Crump (Jen Chapin Trio, Ches Smith Trio, Secret Keeper, and Rosetta Trio) and drummer Marcus Gilmore. Iyer called upon both of them to be completely themselves as the recorded Break Stuff, Crump said....

Adrenaline Mob’s latest EP, Dearly Departed, combines covers and originals in a nine-song set. It includes outtakes from the group’s last full studio album, Men of Honor (which featured past bassist John Moyer) as well as covers and acoustic versions of the group’s past work. The group’s current bassist, Erik Leonhardt (ex-Tantric) appears on the new recordings. One of the...

Producer Mark Ronson knows his bass. Just listen to the name check on these lines from “Heavy and Rolling” a track of his chart-scaling fourth studio album, Uptown Special: “Smooth as glass/Smooth as Marcus Miller.” While Miller doesn’t appear on the album, bassists are everywhere on the album. Jamareo Artis keeps the groove going on the hit “Uptown Funk,” featuring...

The Church has released its 25th studio album, Further/Deeper. Led by bassist/singer/songwriter Steve Kilbey, the Australian rock outfit may be most well known for its 1980s alternative hit, “Under the Milky Way.” Further/Deeper came together easily, Kilby said. “The magic started on day one. Someone strummed a chord or struck a drum or plucked a note and we were off....

English jazz/rock fusion pioneers Soft Machine played the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland in 1974, and now the audio and video recordings of that performance are available in a CD/DVD set called Switzerland 1974. The group at the time featured Roy Babbington on bass, as well as Allan Holdsworth on guitar. Holdsworth only remained with the group for 15 months,...