Local Music Blog: What's New at Kiss the Sky—Oct. 18 Releases

And some folks love to say they’re not making good music anymore! All I can say is the great new releases just keep on coming.

Let’s start with the latest Thomas Dolby release, Map of the Floating City. And yes! We’re talking the same Thomas Dolby who penned that ubiquitous 1982 hit, She Blinded Me With Science. Ah! But beneath that techno rock exterior lies the heart of a true British singer-songwriter.

Now, I’m not a very visual person, but I can vividly picture those 1992 Route 31 drives from Streamwood to St. Charles while my wife and I listened to Dolby’s I Love You Goodbye. It’s one of the best songs ever written.

And once you get by the first couple of tracks, Map of the Floating City picks up right where 1992’s Astronauts and Heretics left off. It’s like meeting up with a friend you haven’t seen in years, but picking up the conversation as if you had lunch with them yesterday. 

Sporting artists like Mark Knopfler, Imogen Heap, Regina Spektor and more, this album is an amazing endeavor. On the verge of obtaining the rarely issued “must have” rating, I’m going to give this effort a high end “highly recommended” nod.

All I can say is, Mr. Dolby! Please don’t make us wait another 19 years for your next album.

Next we have Tom Waits’ 24th effort (including bootlegs) and his first studio album in seven years, Bad as Me. Waits, who’s been hanging around the music scene since 1973, is like an old friend who crashed in your basement, never left, and now you’ve kind of gotten used to having him hang around.

His trademark growl may be somewhat of an acquired taste, but on Bad as Me he returns to those dulcet tones more reminiscent of his early career. As Rolling Stone said, this is his most accessible work in years.

Don’t get me wrong, Waits continues to employ his standard themes of dissatisfaction, desperation and regret, but somehow you can’t help but feel better for his struggle. And you haven’t heard a love song until you’ve heard Tom Waits sing a love song.

Though Bad as Me presses that “must have” envelope, we’ll have to settle for another highly recommended rating.

Onto that famous British foursome known as Coldplay and their fifth album, Mylo Xyloto. Lead singer and songwriter Chris Martin revealed this album was inspired by some 1970’s New York graffiti and the anti-Nazi White Rose movement—both of which were driven by a younger generation turning to art in times of turbulence.

I believe Coldplay desperately wants this 14-song set to become the balm for the economic woes that ail us all, but it doesn’t quite work. And I’m not sure if I’ll ever forgive them for including Rihanna on one of their songs. Guys, you’re already cool, so stop trying so hard.

Despite the fact that esteemed Glen Ellyn Patch editor Samantha Liss loves this album and would clearly give it a highly heralded “must have,” I can go no further than recommending it.

I don’t know. Maybe my lower rating is the result of utterly falling in love with Coldplay’s previous effort, Viva la Vida. In any event, a mediocre Chris Martin effort is better than the best of many other artists.

And last, but not least, we have Deer Tick’s Divine Providence. Generally tagged as an alt-country band, this particular album consists of some in-your-face punkish rock songs that bring back memories of the Ramones and Iggy Pop.

While some folks find lead singer John McCauley’s voice grating, it’s perfectly suited to this set of music. Let’s Go Out to the Bar is one of those rare anthemic rockers that makes you want to hoist your pint of Harp while singing along – utterly out of tune – at the top of your lungs. Because Divine Providence is such a very pleasant surprise, no surprise here, I give it yet another highly recommended rating.

Next week! Florence and the Machine, Metallica and Lou Reed (Yes! You read that right), the 20th anniversary reissue of U2’s Achtung Baby, and the long lost Beach Boys’ masterpiece and intended follow up to Pet Sounds, SMiLE.

Until then, you’ll probably find me discussing the merits of that warm vinyl sound in downtown Geneva at