COWBOY JUNKIES – OPEN TO BEAUTY: BEST OF THE 21st CENTURY
Just a few months ago I got to see the Cowboy Junkies perform a moody show at the Fitzgerald theater in downtown St. Paul. It was a great reminder that not only does Margo Timmins have a once in a lifetime kind of voice, but she’s a talented songwriter and guitarist. It was great to hear that history of music all at once. If you didn’t get a chance to make it to the show, the band had graciously pulled together their best songs released this century. Open to Beauty (a nice play on the albums Open and Such Ferocious Beauty) reminds you just how consistent they’ve been across 3 albums worth of yellow vinyl. You’ll be missing the smoke machines and purple lighting, but the moody and intimate feeling still comes across at home.
Stream • Cooking Vinyl • Connect: @cowboyjunkies
DINOSAUR JR. – YOU’RE LIVING ALL OVER ME (SPECIAL RECYCLED VINYL)
J Mascis is known for face-melting fuzzy guitar and going back to You’re Living All Over Me just feels so distinctly Dinosaur Jr. It sounds like it came from an alternate timeline’s 1987, where grunge hit early and the indie sideshoots where already thriving. The albums been out for a while and Dino Jr. will probably not be gathering a ton of new fans with the recycled vinyl edition that they are dropping, but if it’s been a while or you want to check out some solid shredding that balances against some pretty fragile vocals, this is the one.
Stream • Dinosaur Jr. Inc • Connect: @dinosaurjr
IAN HUNTER – THE SINGLES COLLECTION 1975-83
This week marks Ian Hunter‘s 87th birthday, so I thought I’d give him a birthday solid by giving his solo work some attention. You may know Hunter from his time as the lead singer of Mott The Hoople (David Bowie famously “saved the band” by offering them a song and then produced and sang backing vocals on it – “All The Young Dudes”), or from other bands covering his songs, “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” (Great White) and “Cleveland Rocks,” which Presidents of the United States of America covered and became the theme song for The Drew Carey Show. The Singles Collection 1975–83 pulls together that post‑Mott run, capturing a songwriter finding his footing as a solo artist while still carrying that glam‑era swagger.
Stream • Sun Label Group • Connect: @ianhunterdotcom
PINK FLOYD – 8-TRACKS
Pink Floyd’s 8‑Tracks feels less like a traditional release and more like a curated reinterpretation, pulling eight songs from six different albums from 1971 to 1979. Steve Wilson (who has become known for his work remixing the catalogs of classic progressive artists and has worked with Pink Floyd on a few other projects) sequenced and edited them all into one continuous listening experience using sound effects from the original recordings. Plus, it’s got a full-length version of “Pigs On The Wing.”
Stream • Sony • Connect: @pinkfloyd
