Local Music Blog: What's New at Kiss the Sky—Nov. 15 New Releases

This week, the term “new release” is a bit of a stretch at because everything we’ll be talking about is either a reissue, a greatest hits package or a live album. In other words, there ain’t nothin’ new about these new releases.

We’ll start with The Who’s sixth studio album and second rock opera, Quadrophenia, the latest '70s standard to get the remastered reissue treatment. This classic 1973 double album was an ode to teenage tension as told through the eyes of Jimmy, a 1964 London “Mod.”

If you recall, the “Mods” and “Rockers” were two disparate early '60s English youth cultural movements who often squared off against each other in violent confrontation.

The Quadrophenia title plays off the word “schizophrenia,” as protagonist Jimmy had four distinct personalities that were cast to represent each of the four Who members’ identities.

And as I re-listened to this classic concept album, I realized that I’d forgotten just how good it is. I suppose it’s easy to let one fall through the cracks when you have 7,000 albums, but who can forget songs like, Love Reign O’er Me, The Real Me and 5:15.

Though some Who purists will disagree, I think this remaster sounds great. Those driving, take-no-prisoner Pete Townshend/Roger Daltry vocal leap right out at you and grab you by the throat. Though I can take or leave the 11-demo tracks, you know I still love those insights into the process.

As it always is, this reissue comes in two flavors—a simple two-CD set and a $165 super deluxe version. Though it took great willpower, I opted for the less-expensive route this round. All in all, I can highly recommend this reissues without reservation.

As depressed as I was upon hearing of alt-rockers REM going their separate ways, their “final” offering, Part Lies Part Heart Part Truth Part Garbage: 1982-2011, put that smile right back on my face.

Listening to their entire 31-year body of work from Gardening at Night to Uberlin in one sitting was an amazing experience. It almost made me want to say, “they don’t make music like this anymore.”

This amazing greatest hits compendium contains three new tracks including the wonderful We All Go Back to Where We Belong, which seems to summarize the parting ways sentiment.

Are you ready? Part Lies is a “must have” if there ever was a must have.

Other than having nary a tree on their forlorn volcanic Atlantic Ocean island, Iceland’s claim to fame is exporting some fascinating music. We’ve already reviewed Bjork’s latest here, and this week it’s Sigur Ros (pronounced seegur rose). While Bjork croons away in English, this quartet sings in their native Icelandic.

Their current effort, Inni, is a two CD, one DVD live set recorded at London’s Alexandra Palace just before the group embarked on their “indefinite” 2008 hiatus. There’s something about atmospheric rockers singing in a foreign language that always fires me up. I love lead singer Jonsi’s plaintive vocals and the groups typical “less is more” approach.

Considering how good the sound is, with the muted the UK audience and the lack of any band banter, it’s hard to tell that Inni is a live album, but it’s still a worthwhile experience. Especially on the three-disc clear vinyl set that I purchase, I would highly recommend this one to Sigur Ros fans and simply recommend it to everyone else.

Then we have another live set, Tegan and Sara Get Along, proffered by that famous Canadian twin sister indie rock duo, Tegan and Sara. Both the CD and DVD cover a stripped down, 70-minute, 15-song performance at the intimate Warehouse Studios in Vancouver. The DVD also contains two documentaries, one considering the sisters’ origins and the other covering their first tour of India.

Though I typically go for unplugged stuff, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with this album, I have to say I like their studio stuff better. Fans of Tegan and Sarah will likely lap it up, but for someone new to their work I’d probably recommend 2007’s The Con.

Thus, we’ll give Tegan and Sara Get Along an, “only if you’re a fan” rating.

That’s it for this week and the pickin’s continue to get somewhat slim. However, if quality always trumps quantity, then we’re doing just fine. We have another remastered reissue that I’ve been drooling over, my favorite Stone album, Some Girls. Then there’s Kate Bush’s first set of new stuff in six year, 50 Words for Snow, a live solo album from Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell, and, if it arrives in time, (KTS ain’t carrying it) the entire Rush catalog remastered in three separate “sector” box sets.

Until then, you’ll find me at Kiss the Sky trying to persuade Mike that, despite his pronouncements to the contrary, The Jam is a great punk rock band.