Wednesday, January 07, 2026

Crazy Cavan & The Rhythm'Rockers

Live at the Rainbow

(1978)

320

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Crazy Cavan & The Rhythm'Rockers

Crazy Rhythm

(2008)

320

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Gregory Isaacs -1988 - Red Rose For Gregory

Gregory Isaacs -1988 - Red Rose For Gregory @320

Red Rose for Gregory is among the best full-length releases from legendary Reggae crooner; Gregory Isaacs. Recorded for producer Gussie Clarke, the album features Clarke's red-hot studio band with the Mighty Diamonds and J. C. Lodge handling backing vocals. With "Rumours" being the stand-out hit, the rest of the record stands shoulder to shoulder with it in terms of quality. Clarke's signature style -- deep, reverberated bass, fat beats, and sparse musical arrangements -- delighted the dancehalls, and the openness of his sound was perfect for DJs to chatter across. It also was a treat for singers, as it allowed emotions to bleed through, and provided space to drop in backing vocals and further instrumentation as needed. Isaacs took full advantage of the opportunities presented and gifted Clarke with some of his best performances. The passionate declaration of love on "All I Need Is You," the intimacy of the title track, as the singer muses about the identity of a secret admirer, and the lovely, easy-going "Slow Down" are just some of the standouts here. And then there's the hits. "Rumours," of course, but also the tough "Rough Neck" and the stunning "Mind Yu Dis," all appear here in spectacular 12" extended mixes, alongside a promotional 12" version of "Teacher's Plight." This is truly Isaacs at the heights of his dancehall glory. (Bandcamp)

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Tuesday, January 06, 2026

CosmasMix 193

Here's my latest monthly mix to catch you up on all the new and newly re-released indie gems that have been coming out this past month. This one is filled with over 4 hours of new stuff!

Exclusively new (and newly reissued) indie releases from mid November to mid December 2025, featuring: Soft Kill, Bleeder and Alice Creek, The Lions Constellation, Adele Dazeem, chokecherry, Glitterer, Floral Image, Crabber, Momma, Robber Robber, The Melody Chamber, Cathedral Bells, Saccades, Lemondaze, CRYYS, ACTORS, Bootblacks, Echo Instinct, Sacred Skin, Memorials, Doves, Bloc Party, Green Day, Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine, Hüsker Dü, Savage Republic, James, The Jesus And Mary Chain, The Durutti Column, Appliance, The Charlatans, Jetstream Pony, Thee Headcoatees, Lush, Northside, Happy Mondays, New Order, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, Tears For Fears, The Cars, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Replacements, Tacoma Radar, Talking Heads, The B-52's, Pavement, Superchunk, Wombo, Circle Jerks, Lifeguard, Ceremony East Coast, IDLES And Rob Simenson, These New South Whales, Spiritual Cramp, Exek, O_RLLY, Hause Plants and Ducks Ltd., Rosa Anschütz, Swim School, Sharp Pins, Tony Molina, good flying birds, Teen Daze, Home Front, and They Might Be Giants.

1967 - Arlo Guthrie - Alice's Restaurant

1967 - Arlo Guthrie - Alice's Restaurant (Flac)

Although he'd been a fixture on the East Coast folk circuit for several years, Arlo Guthrie did not release his debut album until mid-1967. A majority of the attention directed at Alice's Restaurant focuses on the epic 18-plus-minute title track, which sprawled over the entire A-side of the long-player. However, it is the other half-dozen Guthrie compositions that provide an insight into his uniformly outstanding, yet astoundingly overlooked, early sides on Warner Bros. Although arguably not 100 percent factual, "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" -- which was recorded in front of a live audience -- is rooted in a series of real incidents.

This decidedly anti-establishment saga of garbage dumps closed on Thanksgiving, good ol' Officer Obie, as well as Guthrie's experiences with the draft succeeds not only because of the unusual and outlandish situations that the hero finds himself in; it is also his underdog point of view and sardonic delivery that maximize the effect in the retelling. In terms of artistic merit, the studio side is an equally endowed effort containing six decidedly more traditional folk-rock compositions. Among the standouts are the haunting "Chilling of the Evening," which is given an arrangement perhaps more aptly suited to a Jimmy Webb/Glen Campbell collaboration.

There is a somewhat dated charm in "Ring-Around-a-Rosy Rag," a sly, uptempo, and hippie-friendly bit of jug band nostalgia. "I'm Going Home" is an underrated minor-chord masterpiece that is not only reminiscent of Roger McGuinn's "Ballad of Easy Rider," but also spotlights a more sensitive and intricate nature to Guthrie's craftsmanship. Also worth mentioning is the first installment of "The Motorcycle Song" -- which was updated and discussed further on the live self-titled follow-up release Arlo (1968) -- notable for the extended discourse on the "significance of the pickle." (PurePleasureRecords)

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Various Artists

Brunswick Lost Soul, Vol. 1

(2011)

320

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Various Artists

Brunswick Lost Soul, Vol. 2

(2011)

320

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Various Artists

Steppin Muzak Records Presents

At the Juke Joint

(2009)

320

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Various Artists

Steppin Muzak Records Presents

At the Juke Joint, Vol. 2

(2012)

320

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Monday, January 05, 2026

2004 - The Very Best of Asleep at the Wheel

2004 - The Very Best of Asleep at the Wheel @320

Asleep at the Wheel has been the standard bearer for the western swing tradition for a long time - entering its fourth decade, in fact. Of course, one of the risks of being a standard bearer is that you might just run out of standards to bear.

Led, as always, by the tall Texan transplant Ray Benson (originally from Philadelphia) AATW presents 14 tracks, mostly re-recorded versions of some of its best-known signature tunes. This is as good an opportunity as any to appreciate how effortlessly the band has always shifted from pure honky tonk country ("The Letter That Johnny Walker Read") to the uptown swing of Louis Jordan ("Choo Choo Ch-Boogie" and "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens") And they've contributed some of their own original classics as well, like Leroy Preston's rocking "My Baby Thinks She's a Train." The most natural sounding grooves are reserved for Bob Wills classics such as "Take Me Back to Tulsa."

With the addition of some newer tracks such as "Dance With Who Brung You" and "Texas Me and You," AATW shows that Benson and company are still the very best at bringing the Texas Playboys sound to the world of contemporary country music. (Country Standard Time)

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