Kalaha "Hahaha" (2014) (live)

Hahaha (live) [debut]

release date: Sep. 1, 2014

format: digital (9 x File, FLAC) (RUMPLP016)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,52]

producer: Troels Bech Jessen (sound engineer)

label: Rump Recordings - nationality: Denmark

Tracklist: 1. "Spejderrobot" - 2. "Allahabad" - 3. "Assymetriader" - 4. "K-Sounds" - 5. "Ellas Drager" - 6. "Amar" - 7. "Klap" - 8. "Amnesia" - 9. "Atacama"

Debut album by Danish electronic experimental quartet Kalaha is the live recordings stemming from Red Roof Jam, at the rooftop of DGI Byen, Copenhagen at STRØM [Festival], on Aug. 15, 2013. Kalaha is a colourful act made up by the two, primarily, jazz instrumentalists, drummer Emil De Waal and guitarist Niclas Knudsen [here nicknamed 'Ibrahim Electric') together with the two electronic musicians Rumpistol (aka Jens Berent Cristiansen) and Spejderrobot (aka Michael Elkjær). Together, they explore a combo of jazz and electronica with obvious inspiration from world music and afro beat, and on this debut, they showcase their talent for improvs based on music stemming from each of the members own back catalogue.

Giving the musicians' various starting points and the fact that these compositions are all improvs, Hahaha works surprisingly well - basically showcasing how musical talent will perservere regardless the form, and then of course: both jazz and electronica are genres that include an experimental approach per se.

Kalaha would later release the actual studio album debut Masala in 2016 and the band is definitely worth checking out with Hahaha standing as a promising start that later would be consolidated with a series of studio releases. Mystafa (Mar. 2021) appears to be their most recent album.

[ Purchase the album here ]

The The "The Comeback Special (Live at the Royal Albert Hall)" (2021)

The Comeback Special (Live at the Royal Albert Hall)

release date: Oct. 29, 2021

format: 2 cd

[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,02]

producer: Matt Johnson

label: Cinéola / Ear Music - nationality: England, UK

Live album by The The celebrating the return to live performances after a 17 years hiatus. The album is recorded live at The Royal Albert Hall, London, Jun. 5, 2018. The The consists here of Matt Johnson on vocals and guitars, Barrie Cadogan on lead guitar and backing vocals, James Eller on bass and backing vocals, DC Collard (aka David Frederick Collard) on keyboards and backing vocals, and with Earl Harvin on drums.

Long story short: Johnson basically left the limelight of the music business as a result of losing his brother Eugene in 1999, and the loss of brother Andrew (aka illustrator Andy Dog) in 2016 made him decide to return as a performer.

The album is packed with great renditions of his back catalogue - it's amazing how strong these songs are performed. Now, everyone holds their breath and hope Johnson will take up his career releasing brand new material as The The.

Great comeback - highly recommended!

[ Mojo, Uncut, Record Collector 4 / 5 stars ]

Siouxsie and the Banshees "Voices on the Air (The Peel Sessions)" (2006)

Voices on the Air (The Peel Sessions) (compilation)

release date: Oct. 23, 2006

format: cd

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]

producer: diverse

label: Polydor / Universal / BBC - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: (1. session, 29/11/79): 1. "Love in a Void" (anden liveoptræden '79) - 2. "Mirage" - 3. "Metal Postcard (Mittageisen)" - (2. session, 6/2/78): 5. "Hong Kong Garden" - 6. "Overground" - 7. "Carcass" - 8. "Helter / Skelter" - (3. session, 9/4/79): 10. "Playground Twist" - 11. "Regal Zone" - (4. session, 10/2/81): 13. "Halloween" - 14. "Voodoo Dolly" - 16. "Into the Light" - (5. session, 21/1/86): 17. "Candyman" - 19. "Lands End"

Compilation album by Siouxsie and the Banshees from Polydor / Universal who just keep finding material to issue with a band they didn't see as commercial enough while active on the label. Here, however, it's not another best of, which looks like many others but a collective work of all the band's appearances on John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show over the years from 1977 to 1986. The John Peel Sessions is a legendary radio show existing from 1967 until Peel's death in 2004, and it includes more than 4,000 recordings by more than 2,000 artists. The album here comprises a total of 19 tracks spread over five appearances, where the only two regulars from all five recordings are vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bassist Steven Severin. The first three sessions, Nov. 29, 1977 (tracks #1-4), Feb. 6, 1978 (tracks #5-8), and Apr. 9, 1979 (tracks #9-12) respectively, sees John McKay on guitar and Kenny Morris on drums. The fourth session recorded 10/2-1981 (tracks #13-16) is with John McGeogh on guitar and Budgie on drums, and the fifth and final session Jan. 21, 1986 (tracks #17-19) is with John Valentine Carruthers on guitar.

It's mainly the band's earlier period you'll find documented here - with only three tracks are taken from the band's seventh album, Tinderbox (1986), the remaining 16 tracks (apart from one track by The Creatures) may be found in studio versions on the band's first four albums.

Voices on the Air (The Peel Sessions) is obviously a collector's item, as the recordings have not previously been broadcast together. The band's first Peel Session was independently released as an ep in '87 (on cd in '89), the second session released in '89 - both are collected on a compilation from '91.

The album is fine musical historic release, virtually showcasing the band before any label had a contract ready, and with the BBC's limited sound studio with a single sound track available, it's really the documentation of pure rawness, white noise, and electric energy flowing from one of the most notable British bands who instantly managed the progression from punk rock and into the wider scene of post-punk.

The album is dedicated BBC radio presenter John Peel (1939-2004) and producer John Walters (1938-2001, who was producer on many Peel Sessions, but not on the tracks on the album mentioned here).

From the band's BBC performances, there also exists a later rather extensive 3 CD + 1 DVD box set (with around 85 tracks), Siouxsie and the Banshees at the BBC released in 2009, which in addition to the five Peel Sessions also includes other radio-broadcast concerts and television appearances.

Recommended connoisseurs.

[ 👍allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

Magazine "Play." (1980)

Play. (live)

release date: Dec. 1980

format: vinyl / digital

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,92]

producer: Magazine, John Brand

label: Virgin - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: A) 1. "Give Me Everything" - 2. "A Song from Under the Floorboards" (5 / 5) - 3. "Permafrost" - 4. "The Light Pours Out of Me" (4 / 5) - 5. "Model Worker" - - B) 2. "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" - 3. "Because You're Frightened" (4 / 5) - 5. "Definitive Gaze"

Live album by Magazine are the recordings made at the one and same performance recorded Sep. 6, 1980 at Melbourne Festival Hall, Australia. The band was on tour with its most recent studio album The Correct Use of Soap (May 1980). The band appears in a new line-up after John McGeoch's departure following the album release, and he is here substituted by Robin Simon (ex-Ultravox). Other members here are vocalist Howard Devoto, bassist Barry Adamson, keyboardist Dave Formula, and drummer John Doyle.

The album is a 10 track album with four tracks stemming from the The Corect Use... album, three tracks from the debut Real Life (Jun. 1978), one track from the seconda album Secondhand Daylight (Mar. 1979), and one track (track #B4) is a B-side to the single A Song From Under the Floorboards.

Given that McGeoch was unreplaceable, Simon actually does a great job, although, this is the only Magazine album he plays on. The song selection is great, and the band plays an exquisite concert. Critics argue that since the album is without a great song from the performance and instead comes with "Twenty Years Ago" and the odd cover "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)", it doesn't deserve good ratings. Bollocks, I say! The album is bulging from great songs and energetic versions. It's a great testimony of one of the most remarkable post-punk bands, who understood to blend styles and come up with something new, when most bands were lost when parting with punk rock.

Highly recommended.

Best of 1988:Chet Baker "Memories: Chet Baker in Tokyo" (1988) (live)

'My' lp version

Memories: Chet Baker in Tokyo (live)
Release date: 1988
format: vinyl (K28P 6491) / digital
[album rate: 5 / 5] [4,80]
producer: Shigeyuki Kawashima
label: Paddle Wheel - nationality: USA

*Tracklist: 1. "Stella by Starlight" - 2. "For Minors Only" - 3. "Almost Blue" [Elvis Costello cover] - 4. "Portrait in Black and White" - 5. "My Funny Valentine"
*[original vinyl version]

alternate cover

This album is sooo cool and... absolutely wonderful.
I always found that tiny bit more pleasure from Chet than Miles Davis - no bad feelings about Miles but I think it has to do with some inner feel and slow sincerity that is ever present in Chet's sound. And also, he's not a bad singer. He's not a great vocalist in terms of ability to articulate and produce clean clear notes but there's something extremely authentic and fragile in his voice that you also find in his instrumentation. The only real down side to this album is the short playing time, of course having it on cd as well, the repeat function really comes handy.

1988 Favourite releases: 1. Chet Baker Memories: Chet Baker in Tokyo - 2. R.E.M. Green - 3. Talk Talk Spirit of Eden

[ collectors' item ]

Gregory Porter "One Night Only - Live at the Royal Albert Hall" (2018) (live)

One Night Only - Live at the Royal Albert Hall (live)
release date: Dec. 21, 2018
format: digital (19 x File, FLAC)
[album rate: 4 / 5]
producer: non-produced / Jeremy Azis (video-producer)
label: Blue Note - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Mona Lisa" (other concert) - 6. "Miss Otis Regrets" - 8. "In Heaven" - 9. "When Love Was King" (other concert) - 12. "No Love Dying" (live at Polarprisen 2017) - 13. "I Wonder Who My Daddy Is" - 16. "The Christmas Song" - 17. "Smile" (Irish concert) - 18. "Hey Laura"

Live album by Gregory Porter recorded Apr. 2, 2018 at Royal Albert Hall, London. The album contains 19 tracks and is also issued in a cd + dvd combo-edition with the same material on both cd and dvd, also featuring an additional interview with Porter. The majority of the songs here are taken from the most recent studio album Nat King Cole & Me from 2017 as all twelve songs from that album are represented with the addition of seven songs from various studio releases. The band musicians supporting Porter are Chip Crawford on piano, Jahmal Nichols on bass, Emanuel Harrold on drums, and with Tivon Pennicott on saxophone - his usual backing band. Aside from these great jazz instrumentalists they're all supported by The London Studio Orchestra conducted by Vince Mendoza.
It's not an easy task to select highlights from this album where all compositions are fine examples of Porter's capacity as a vocal jazz and jazz standards crooner. He is in no need of modernised auto-tune equipment, nor a producers golden post-production touch - it's recorded as is, and it's the second best when you missed being there.
Basically, this is the best album release in 2018 - I just don't want to include live releases in my top-3 end-list, which is why it isn't there. But asked to choose between this year's studio releases by Robyn, Nils Frahm, Gorillaz and Porter's live album, I'd go with Porter anytime, as it's absolutely wonderful.
Highly recommended.
[ 👍allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

The Gun Club "Divinity" (ep) (1991)

Divinity (ep)

release date: Aug. 1991

format: cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,48]

producer: Jeffrey Lee Pierce

label: New Rose Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Sorrow Knows" - 2. "Richard Speck" - 3. "Keys to the Kingdom" - 4. "Black Hole" - 6. "Yellow Eyes" (Live) - 7. "Hearts" (Live)

EP release by The Gun Club following 10 months after Pastoral Hide & Seek (Oct. 1990). The album was originally released as a 7-track double vinyl ep consisting of 4 new compositions and 3 live tracks stemming from the band's farewell tour from a concert in France. The cd issue comes with 8 tracks, adding a remix of "St. John the Divine", a song that appears in its original version on Pastoral... - with the three live tracks put at the end of the cd. The band's drummer Nick Sanderson had left the band after Pastoral..., and back here is Desi (aka Desi Desperate, aka Peter Kablean), who previously stood in as an untrained substitute to handle drums on the final performances for the band's farewell concerts in Dec. '84 as Terry Graham already left before Jeffrey Lee Pierce then finally broke up the band. Pierce and girlfriend and bassist Romi Mori stayed in Amsterdam but Kid Congo Powers is now back on guitar, and with Desi these four constitute the new quartet. This is however, the final release with Powers, who should leave again the following Spring of '92.

Dvinity appears to have been made at point when Pierce wanted to record a follow-up to the 1990 album but apparently had been unable to write enough material for a normal album. Also, it seems that Pierce went through a rough period with poor health due to his substance abuse. Anyway, all four new compositions are strong songs that recount some of the characteristics of the band, but the album is a strange breed. The first half takes you into the sensation of what could've been another full-length and then a new mix of an old song, which basically sounds like the original, but it transports you elsewhere before we enter three good live recordings, which in a way both document the energy in the vocal and instrumental performance / the very presence of Jeffrey Lee Pierce, yet also show us another side of the coin of a former great unity, which just isn't the same as the starting point of the album. The end-track is a live version of "Fire of Love" from Miami which in a way takes the sound downstairs in a muddy and distorted chaos of what sound more like a bad recording.

Divinity is a difficult album to review, but I think it will of course appeal to die-hard fans, but for others, it probably could feel like something is missing out. After this, Pierce' condition saw him hospitalised and the band activity was on a halt, although, the line-up once again went through some changes. Desi  was replaced by Simon Fish in early '92, shortly after, Powers left for good, and in early '93 the band was back as a trio of Pierce, Mori, and with Sanderson back on drums - ready to record what would turn out to be the band's final album, Lucky Jim (1993).

Mark Kozelek "Lost Verses - Live" (2009) (live)

Lost Verses - Live (live)

release date: May 12, 2009

format: digital (14 x File, MP3)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,84]

producer: Mark Kozelek

label: Caldo Verde Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Unlit Hallway" - 2. "Carry Me Ohio" - 3. "Four Fingered Fisherman" - 5. "Salvador Sanchez" - 8. "Tiny Cities" - 9. "Lucky Man" - 10. "Send in the Clowns" - 12. "Tonight in Bilbao" - 14. "Katy Song"

Live album by Mark Kozelek released between two Sun Kil Moon studio albums: April (Apr. 2008) and Admiral Fell Promises (Jul. 2010). Most recently, however, Kozelek also released the live EP 7 Songs Belfast (Jul. 2008), and, on a whole, Kozelek's discography doesn't appear to lack live releases. From 2001 to 2014, he has released no less than (approx.) 16 solo live albums.

Lost Verses - Live consists of 14 tracks with a total running time of 74 minutes with songs recorded from seven concerts between 2007 and 2008. More precisely, it's mostly two concerts from Kozelek's European tour recorded Nov. 2007 - the first in Gothenburg, Sweden, and the second is from Lisbon, Portugal. The remaining five live recordings are from concerts across the USA between Apr. and Nov. 2008. As usual, Kozelek has included some cover songs - here limited to two by Modest Mouse (tracks #3 and #8) and the classic "Send in the Clowns" by Stephen Sondheim. Kozelek's own compositions are mainly tracks released under the name of Sun Kil Moon, either made with the band or for later albums under the same name but while performing as a solo artist, but there has also been room for songs from his time with the band Red House Painters, as there are tracks released under his own name.

All recordings mostly sounds like renderings of Kozelek's solo performances, and maybe that's the whole point, although Red House Painters' guitarist Phil Carney is credited as guitarist, and the recordings also come from tours where Carney supported Kozelek in Europe as well as in the States, and he doesn't appear on all fourteen tracks.

With this, Kozelek documents his abilities as songwriter, as vocalist, as guitarist, and not least as a skilled storyteller. Due to the sparse instrumentation, it's in a quiet and perhaps somewhat introverted domain, but the compositions and the performances are definitely not flawed.

Lost Verses - Live is a super fine and highly recommended album from a most gifted songwriter.

[ PopMatters, Sputnikmusic 4 / 5, Pitchfork 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Elvis Costello & Bill Frisell "Deep Dead Blue" (1995) (live)

Deep Dead Blue (Live 25 June 95) (live)
release date: Aug. 14, 1995
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]
producer: ?
label: Warner Bros. / Nonesuch - nationality: England, UK

Collaboration live album by Elvis Costello and Bill Frisell recorded live at the Meltdown Festival, Queen Elizabeth Hall RFH2, London, Jun. 25, 1995.

The album may be regarded as a Mini-album with its relatively short running time at just less than 27 minutes. It consists of seven tracks of which two are covers and only the title track is credited the duo (track #7).

Stylistically, it's primarily ballads of vocal jazz and jazz fusion, and Costello is alone credited his vocal and Frisell is alone credited his guitar work with no other musicians contributing. The American guitarist is very likely to be capable of playing anything but his primary domain is jazz fusion, and on this it's his touch with bolder melodic instrumental jazz.

Despite being really stripped down arrangements this concept works surprisingly well. Costello 'plays around' with his most intimate vocal with Frisell adding that swirling and appropriate foundation that makes it all sparkle.

[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

Mark Kozelek "7 Songs Belfast" (2008), live

7 Songs Belfast (live)

release date: Jun. 10, 2008

format: digital (7 x File, MP3 - 2012 reissue)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]

producer: non-produced

label: Caldo Verde Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Michigan" - 2. "Around and Around" - 4. "Gentle Moon" - 5. "Carry Me Ohio" - 7. "Tonight in Bilbao"

Live EP by Mark Kozelek count six takes from The Black Box, Belfast, Nov. 4, 2007, and the final seventh track recorded from The Dancehouse Theater in Manchester, Oct. 30, 2007. The EP was originally issued as a limited free CD for customers on the record company's website and sold for Kozelek's Autumn tour 2008. In 2012 the EP was issued as a digital album.

The seven compositions here are acoustic versions with either Kozelek solo or supported by guitarist Phil Carney on six of Kozelek's own songs and "Around and Around" by John Denver.

The EP's two best tracks originally stem from the Sun Kil Moon debut Ghosts of the Great Highway (Nov. 2003), and of these two, track #5 is found in a better version on the live-album Lost Verses - Live (May 2009).

Excellent live release, which is however overshadowed by the 2009 album.

The Divine Comedy "Live at Somerset House" (2010) (live)

Live at Somerset House (live)

release date: Dec. 2010
format: digital (24 x File, FLAC)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,82]
producer: Nel Hannon
label: Concert Live - nationality: Northern Ireland, UK

12th album release by The Divine Comedy is a double live album from a concert at Somerset House, London, Jul. 17, 2010 released on the label Concert Live.
The album consists of 24 tracks (some issues: 22) and it contains many great songs, and it truly serves to document Neil Hannon as the great amusing entertainer, he really is.
Quite enjoyable.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

Etta James "Rocks the House" (1964) (live)

Rocks the House (live)
release date: Jan. 23, 1964
format: digital
[album rate: 4 / 5]

First live and 5th overall album release by Etta James released on Argo Records and produced by Leonard Chess and Etta James. The album is the recordings of a concerts held on the nights of Sep. 27 and 28, 1963 at the New Era Club in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. The album is very fine r&b, soul album with one of the genre's best vocal artists and is considered one of her best live albums ever recorded.
[ allmusic.com 5 / 5 stars ]

Martha Wainwright "Sans fusils, ni souliers, à Paris..." (2009)

Sans fusils, ni souliers, à Paris... (live)
release date: Nov. 24, 2009
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,18]
producer: Hal Willner
label: V2 - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "La foule" - 4. "L'accordéoniste"

3rd album by Martha Wainwrigth, where the full title is Sans fusils, ni souliers, à Paris: Martha Wainwright's Piaf Record following the acclaimed I Know You're Married but I've Got Feelings Too (May 2008). The album is not the expected new studio album. Instead, it's the live recordings of three concerts from mid-June 2009 at Dixon Place Theatre, New York, thus not what the title could imply recorded in Paris, France. The album title is with reference to the lyrics of "Les Grognards". All songs are Wainwright covers of familiar Edith Piaf songs and it's basically a tribute album.

It's indisputable that Wainwright is a most talented vocalist with a large repertoire and register, and as a French-Canadian she may possess a natural bond with French culture and traditions, and although she is highly capable as a singer, I just don't think she is up to the task particularly convincing on this arena. Wainwright is known for mastering contrasts between the emotionally vulnerable and the more expressively devilish, and yet here her voice seems to lack an emotional attuned dimension that you find in Piaf's versions, but also in songs performed by Mireille Mathieu, who have given most of these songs a different and personal quality.

It's not an unambiguously bad album, where Wainwright misses the mark - it's only more so that others have done it better.

[ Sunday Tribune 3 / 5, The Times, The Guardian 4 / 5 stars ]

The Cranberries "Something Else" (2017)

Something Else
release date: Apr. 28, 2017
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,72]
producer: The Cranberries
label: BMG - nationality: Ireland

[ playlist of album songs ]

7th studio album, or: 7th official band release is a collection of ten previously released songs in acoustic versions recorded live at the University of Limerick, Ireland with the addition of three new songs (#2, 7 and 13). The album follows a series of live albums (8 albums in 2010 recorded at various European locations and another 2 live albums in 2012 also in Europe), and it presents some of the band's most popular compositions in acoustic / orchestral versions with the addition of the Irish Chamber Orchestra, which really distinguishes this from ordinary live albums.
The album was met by positive reviews and a following European live tour was scheduled, but during its initial stage in late May, the remaining dates were cancelled due to O'Riordan's health problems. Also the American tour was subsequently cancelled in July, and the band didn't get to do any further live performances that year. However, they managed to record O'Riordan's vocals for a forthcoming album when in Jan. 2018 it was announced that she had been found dead at London's Park Lane Hilton hotel. So in a way, this material feature the last official live recordings of The Cranberries and by Dolores O'Riordan, although, a successive and final album, In the End would be released in 2019.
As for track highlights, I find it too difficult a task to pick tracks at the expense of others 'cause there really are no fillers nor any mediocre tracks on an album that may require some familiarisation to these arrangements, but in the end, it's a truly fine result and a recommended album.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

LCD Soundsystem "London Sessions" (2010) (live)

London Sessions (live)
release date: Nov. 8, 2010
format: cd (2011)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,64]
producer: James Murphy; DFA
label: DFA Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Us v Them" - 2. "All I Want" - 4. "Get Innocuous!" - 5. "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House" - 6. "All My Friends" (4 / 5) - 8. "I Can Change" - 9. "Yr City Is a Sucker"
[ full album ]

Live-in-the-studio album of recordings at The Pool recording studio of Miloco Studios in London, England, Tuesday Jun. 29, 2010. The album was released as a downloadable album only Nov. 8, 2010 and on cd Jan. 24, 2011. On this occasion the band consists of James Murphy on vocals and percussion, Nancy Whang on keyboards and vocals, Pat Mahoney on drums and vocals, Tyler Pope on bass, percussion and vocals, Gavin Russom on synth, keyboards, percussion and vocals, David Scott Stone on guitar, percussion, synth and vocals and with Matt Thornley on guitar, percussion and vocals.
The collection of songs here are taken from all three previous studio albums, which makes it a good compilation as it comes with two tracks from the debut, three from Sound of Silver and four from This Is Happening. I actually find that the tracks (#2, #3, #7 and #8) from the most recent studio album all sound better in this more vibrant and dance-punk production, and on top of that, they also make the compositions from the various albums feel like one whole.
All in all this is truly one of the band's best albums.
Prior to the album release James Murphy had started rumours about the band's near end, and on Feb. 8, 2011, on the band's website, LCD Soundsystem proclaimed that they would play their last concert in April.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

The Chemical Brothers "Don't Think" (2012) (live)

Don't Think (live)
release date: Mar. 27, 2012
format: dvd & cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,92]
producer: The Chemical Brothers
label: Parlophone - nationality: England, UK

👉 Official playlist trailer

Great live album by The Chemical Brothers is first and foremost a film-documentation of the duo's concert concept recorded from the duo's 2011 live performance at Fuji Rock Festival in Japan. The sticker on the front cover reads 'The Chemical Brothers Present Don't Think Live From Japan'.
It's always a bit hard to review live albums, and electronically-founded ones aren't making it any easier but with the visual dimension it adds a great deal to the live experience. The album is issued in dvd and cd format, which means that Disc 1 is the dvd footage including 20 tracks of live recordings and Disc 2 compiling 11 selected audio tracks. The compositions all come from various albums over time but the great thing about electronic artists performing live, and especially in this case, is their ability to create new music based on their own original material, and this one is absolutely in the high-end of live performances as they understand to build the compositions together and make it a fascinating whole. Compared to e.g. Sigur Ròs and their mighty fine Inni live album, this is simply a better live performance in the sense that The Chemical Brothers' old repertoire played live is transformed into brand new material - instead of 'only' playing popular songs like they sound on the original studio albums (as SR does so well). The Chemical Brothers produce live versions of well-known tracks that are stuffed with interceptions and interpretations of their own material to make everything fit to the moment. Now, that's living the art!
Highly recommended.

John Mayer "Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles" (2008) (live)

Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles (live)
release date: Jul. 1, 2008
format: 2 cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,82]
producer: Chad Franscoviak, John Mayer, Steve Jordan
label: Columbia - nationality: USA

4th live album by John Mayer - or his fourth live album released on cd 'cause in 2004 he released a series of four downloadable albums (making this his (eigth live album) from four consecutive live concerts all from August that year: As/is Mountain View, CA, As/is Houston, TX, As/is Cleveland/Cincinnati, OH and As/is Philadelphia, PA. In Oct. 2004 As/is a double cd was released containing selected tracks from these four concerts, and in Nov. 2005 he released the live album Try! released as John Mayer Trio with Steve Jordan and Pino Palladino with recordings from live concerts from the Fall of 2005.
Where the Light Is is a double live album containing the recordings of a live concert held at L.A. Live Nokia Theatre, Los Angeles, California, Dec. 8, 2007 - the album has also been released as a music concert film on dvd like Any Given Thursday before that. Disc 1 consists of 13 tracks of which the first five songs are acoustic songs, and the following eight are with John Mayer Trio (five of these also appear on the album Try!) - all paying maximum attention on blues rock . Two of these are Jimi Hendrix' compositions: track #7 "Wait Until Tomorrow" and track #13 "Bold as Love". Another two of the eight compositions by the Trio "Who Did You Think I Was" and "Good Love Is on the Way" sound as if written by Hendrix, and "Come When I Call", "Out of My Mind" and "Vultures" sound more like Clapton inspired by Muddy Waters, but at the bottom-line they're all eight blues rock-shaped and as such performed.
Disc 2 consists of nine tracks - eight taken from his most recent studio release Continuum - all blending his pop / rock repertoire with acoustic folk rock, fusion rock (e.g. "Belief") and blues rock.
It seems that Mayer shines so much more when playing live, and this album only serves to document just that. He embraces blues rock and plays with clear influences from jazz, traditional r&b and folk rock when playing these songs live, and at the same time he distances himself from his early studio albums of mere polished pop / rock.
The album is easily his so far best live album, and as such a highly recommended album.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]

LCD Soundsystem "This Is Happening" (2010) (live)

This Is Happening (live)
release date: May 18, 2010
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,24]
producer: The DFA [ aka Tim Goldsworthy & James Murphy]
label: DFA Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Dance Yrself Clean" - 2. "Drunk Girls" - 5. "I Can Change" (live) - 6. "You Wanted a Hit" (live)

3rd studio album by LCD Soundsystem follows a well-known formula with Goldsworthy and Murphy of the band in the producer seat and with Murphy both as the most extensively credited members as well composer of most tracks. According to the credit list the band has been reduced to a quintet, but in essence it's more obvious that it has become a one-man project band as the other four members are reduced to appearances on one track [!]. Pat Mahoney, Nancy Whang and Tyler Pope are credited for drums, vocals and bass on track #7, whereas Philip Mossman simply isn't credited for any contributions. Eric Broucek and Mandy Coon seem out of the [project] band and also co-founding member and co-producer Tim Goldsworthy is only credited for his producer part. So in essence, LCD Soundsystem is James Murphy.
The style is very close to that of the predecessor, and that's both good and bad as all the influences the band play on are so wide-ranged that it's hard to just copy but that's nevertheless what comes out as: a close to a copy of Sound of Silver. The album is a mix of tracks that play on either rock- and dance punk-influences, indietronica and old-school synth pop and what could be labelled new wave.
The album was met by positive reviews and became the band's so far best selling album reaching number #10 in the US (number #1 on the Top Dance / Electronic Albums list), number #7 in the UK and #11 in Australia.
It's really not bad at all, but I don't think that it adds much new to the repertoire, and what seems "worse" is the absence of strong hit-songs. It sounds to me as an attempt to make another album they've already produced. "Dance Yrself Clean" and "I Can Change" are clearly the album's best tracks. "Drunk Girls" is a fine up-tempo track but sounds much like an Undertones replica, "All I Want" sounds too close to an indietronica version of Bowie's " 'Heroes' ", "You Wanted a Hit" starts off like a Sakamoto rip-off (but then luckily winds up on its own), and the remaining tracks sort of vanish in anonymity, imho, which ultimately makes it a bit of a bland experience.
Shortly after the album release James Murphy apparently had announced that it would probably be the last album by LCD Soundsystem, although, he later that year is said to have suggested that the band may continue as a project-band - but without being a big thing.
[ allmusic.com, The Guardian, NME, Spin, Rolling Stone 4 / 5, 

Ane Brun "Live in Scandinavia" (2007)

Live in Scandinavia (live)

release date: Feb. 7, 2007

format: digital

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,64]

producer: Ane Brun

label: DetErMine Records / V2 - nationality: Norway

Track highlights: 2. "To Let Myself Go" - 6. "A Temporary Dive" - 8. "So You Did It Again" - 9. "The Dancer" - 10. "Changing of the Seasons / Fight Song" - 12. "So Real"

Live album by Ane Brun with 17 tracks from a series of concerts in Norway and Sweden recorded from Sep. 10 to 20, 2006. Although, the album quite nicely draws attention to the whole of Scandinavia (where she rightly toured) the songs are taken from eight performances, of which nine are from Norway and eight from Sweden. And of these eight Swedish concerts, seven are from one and the same show on 20/9 in Södra Teatern in Stockholm, while the last one is from the night before at Katalin in Uppsala. The concert recordings in Norway, on the other hand, stem from six different locations. The album has a total running time of 75 minutes.

The songs are mainly from her two studio albums, Spending Time with Morgan from 2003 and A Temporary Dive from 2005, in addition there has been room for three covers by PJ Harvey, Jeff Buckley, and Henry Purcell, with the latter's song also featuring on her 2005 studio album.

It's not the big traditional backing band that Brun brings with her for these concerts. When she doesn't play alone on guitar or piano, she's often accompanied by either the string quartet The DMF String Quartet, by guitarist Staffan Johansson, by pianist Nina Kinert, and / or by percussionist Erik Arvinder. And whether playing with minimal instrumentation or as a soloist, she has said, "There is something about the focus in playing by myself that fascinates me", she says. "There’s nothing to hide behind when I'm alone on stage and it becomes almost meditative for me when I play."

Live in Scandinavia is a fine rendering of Ane Brun on a stage where you can almost sense her natural abilities as a great and present live artist, something which her early career as a street musician may have had a positive effect upon.

Blondie "At the BBC" (2010) (live)

At the BBC (live)
release date: Oct. 4, 2010
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
producer: ?
label: Chrysalis Records - nationality: USA

[ concert extract ]

Live album by Blondie released more than 30 years following the recordings. The album is from one concert arranged by BBC Radio 1 at The Apollo Theatre, Glasgow on Dec. 31, 1979. Although, the concert was held at a relatively early point of its career, the band still manages to put together a fine collection of strong tunes.
The album was released as a double disc containing a dvd with most tracks from the concert and a few sessions from Top of The Pops, which makes it a fine bargain. Soundwise: well, it's from a period where punk rock had pointed very strictly that it should be authentic / garage-like, so this is not over-produced - actually it leaves out the producer credits, and it may just likely have been recorded as is without any major editing - and refreshingly far from modern times' X-factor productions, and in a way more than adequate.
It's a fine release showcasing the special new wave and mainstream pop / rock blend that Blondie represented without ever being pure art rock, dirty enough to be punk or new wave but they really understood how to appeal to more than a minor set of fans incorporating inspiration from a huge variety of styles and genres, and actually producing highly original music.