Monthly Archives: April 2020

Purchase log picks, April 2020

[Caifanes - La historia]

Caifanes, La historia

When I lived in Texas, I went to a number of rock en Español concerts, and without fail, someone would be wearing a Caifanes or Jaguares t-shirt. So when I ran across this retrospective at Goodwill, I finally gave into curiosity. I really dig the mix of British post-punk with Latin rhythms.

Nakamori Akina, AKINA BOX 1982-1989

I downloaded this 18-disc boxed set after finding NEW AKINA Etranger on vinyl, then discovering Fushigi while looking Nakamori up on Wikipedia. One of the first Japanese CDs I ever bought was CRUISE. I’ve always found the melancholy of Nakamori’s voice more appealing than Matsuda Seiko.

The Gaslight Anthem, The ’59 Sound

With the record and thrift stores shut, I’ve been listening to past purchases with which I didn’t spend much time. The ’59 Sound seemed like a big deal at the time of its release, but the snippets I heard seemed a bit too earnest for me. I picked up the album at Lifelong to see if I was wrong about it, and I was.

downy, untitled seventh album

I had barely caught up with the band’s fifth album, and they’re already on their seventh? There was an 8-year gap between album four and five, and downy has released three albums since 2013. Where did the time go?

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Looking ahead, May-July 2020

Washington State is under a stay-at-home order till May 4, which means I’m not going to be shopping for music at a local record store till then — assuming the order doesn’t get extended.

Perfume Genius, Set My Heart on Fire Immediately, May 15

Prior to No Shape, I’ve been ambivalent about Perfume Genius. I would hear excerpts of previous albums and not feel much compulsion to listen to more. I picked up No Shape from the thrift store mostly because it had garnered a lot of acclaim. And I liked it enough to look forward to this next release.

Various Artists, I Still Play, May 22

Bob Hurwitz retired as president of Nonesuch in 2017, and for his send-off, a number of artists wrote piano works for him. The title piece, written by John Adams, was Hurwitz’s reply when someone asked him if he still plays piano.

Inventions, Continous Portrait, July 10

Matthew Cooper of Eluvium and Mark Smith of Explosions in the Sky reunite for their first new album since 2015.

Rescheduled

  • Rufus Wainwright, Unfollow the Rules, July 10
  • Sam Smith, TBD (formerly titled To Die For), Fall 2020

Vinyl

Everything But the Girl, Temperamental, May 8

I like this album enough to want this vinyl reissue, but I didn’t like it enough to get the deluxe edition a few years back.

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