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Health & Fitness

Local Music Blog: What's New at Kiss the Sky—Oct. 4 Releases

A music lover reviews the week's new music releases that can be found at Kiss The Sky in downtown Geneva.

Wow! Another banner week for new music at . So let’s get right to it.

Ever since Peter Gabriel came out with his quintessential So album back 1986, I’ve ceaselessly prayed for him to do something else like it. But alas, Gabriel seems to be one of those “pure” artists who spurns commercial success at every turn. The strange efforts that followed So were underwhelming to say the least.

But in 2010, backed by orchestral instruments, Gabriel put out an album of covers called Scratch My Back which turned out to be the most interesting thing he’s done in decades. Emboldened by that experience, he applied the same template to his own songs and the end result is this week’s magnificent New Blood.

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Again, I’m wary whenever artists reworks their stuff, but In Your Eyes set to a 40 plus piece orchestra is an incredible thing. It’s almost as if this is the way Gabriel’s music should have been produced the first place. I took a shot on the two-disc deluxe set, which includes instrumental versions of his songs, and they’re amazing as well.

I can’t stop listening to this album. It may not be new the new material I’ve been hoping for, but it’s the next best thing. I give New Blood a hearty highly recommended rating.

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It’s hard to believe that Ryan (don’t call him Bryan) Adams managed to stave off self-destruction long enough to release his 13th album, Ashes and Fire. But despite my general disdain for overly self-absorbed musicians, I love this album.

With Adams, you never know if you’re getting a country or rock personas, but this effort is different from the rest. It’s a singer-songwriter making music from the heart which makes Ashes and Fire his best effort yet. I highly recommend it. Who says musicians can’t mature?

On to our eccentric Icelandic elf, Bjork, and her eighth effort, Biophilia. Intended to be a more than just a musical experience, Biophilia contains various iPad apps that allegedly allow the listener to more deeply experience each of the 13 songs.

If you’re never quite sure what you’re gonna get with Ryan Adams, multiply that mystery by 10 with Bjork. She often crosses the line from experimental to pretentious, sometimes she moans more than sings, and portions of some songs that might sound better if she’d just dumped the silverware drawer on the floor, but somehow this ode to the forces of nature works.

Since my wife said she liked the album from a distance, “Where you don’t have to hear all the annoying electric stuff,” I’m going to recommend Biophilia to those of you with an adventurous spirit.

And speaking of singer-songwriters, we also have a release from one of my favorite female artists, Rachel Yamagata. Though I’m still waiting for her breakout effort, I’m never disappointed by her ethereal yet world-weary voice.

There’s nothing not to like about third effort, Chesapeake. Who could dislike an album containing a song called, I Don’t Want to be Your Mother? I can easily recommend this one with high hopes for Ms. Yamagata’s musical future.

Though I loved the organized sonic chaos of Cymbals Eat Guitars’ self-released first album, Why There Are Mountains, their sophomore effort is a good argument for not signing with a record company.

It’s not that Lenses Alien is too commercial, it’s almost as if the band is trying too hard to overstate their indie roots to assure us they haven’t sold out. It’s not a bad album, but I’d buy it only if you’re a fan.

Now we come the reason why I’m so leery of reissues and remixes, Radiohead’s TKOL RMX 1234567 which boasts a variety of reinterpretations of the songs from their fine King of Limbs album.

Considering how anti-commercial Radiohead claims to be, I thought this would be a sure thing, but boy, was I was wrong. There is absolutely nothing worthwhile here. I could’ve done better remixes on my PC.

So for the first time, I’m assigning TKOL RMX 1234567 the dreaded “avoid it at all costs” rating. You can thank me later.

Though I wasn’t drunk enough to buy William Shatner's seventh album (Yes! Seventh!), Seeking Major Tom, (yes seventh!)—a double-disc set no less—I did listen to snippets of the songs. And if your idea of a good time is listening to Captain Kirk talk his way through technically themed songs like She Blinded Me With Science, then this one’s for you.

This time, he employs some expert help from excellent artists like Ritchie Blackmore, Lyle Lovett, Steve Miller, Peter Frampton and Sheryl Crow, but the only way I’d pay for this album is if Leonard Nimoy put a gun to my head and said, “Buy it now or the dummy gets it!”

Next week things slow down a little bit. We’ve got new ones from Perry Farrell and Jane’s Addiction, M83, My Brightest Diamond, a complete Smiths remastered box set and maybe Judy Collins.

Until then, you’ll can find me at Kiss the Sky.

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