Now Hear This

The solo debut from one half of the Black Keys sounds like, well, the Black Keys. What did anyone really  expect? Unless Auerbach spent 80 minutes playing the bagpipes it was bound to. So folks hoping to hear Dan stretching himself will be disappointed but I’m digging this. The Fogerty like blues howl is replaced with a deeply soulful crooning in just the right spots and a bass player (god forbid) makes for an interesting low end counterpoint missing from the Black Keys’ drum/guitar minimalism. My favorite addition is the haunting Hammond B underpinning this track right here:

I Want Some More

Keep It Hid is out on Nonesuch Records. Dan will be at Bimbo’s March 13. I’ll be giving away a pair of tickets during my show on KALX at 90.7 FM next Wednesday so tune in! More tour dates and streaming tunes can be found  at Auerbach’s myspace page.

Robyn Hitchcock’s second record backed by the all star trio of Peter Buck on guitar, Young Fresh Fellow Scott McCaughey on bass, and Ministry skin pounder Bill Rieflin may not match the last couple of records he’s released but after 30 years of consistently fantastic songcraft his missteps stand shoulders above the pop paff topping today’s charts.

Goodnight Oslo

Goodnight Oslo is out on Yep Roc Records. If you have a couple hours to kill check out Robyn’s official site. There’s a reason it’s called The Museum of Robyn Hitchcock.

Like a crazy mix of Leonard Cohen’s despair and early Dylan’s exuberant folk rock Elvis Perkins In Dreamland play music that is catchy and penetrating at the same time. The despair is understandable as frontman Elvis Perkins  lost his father, actor Anthony Perkins, to AIDS in 1992 and his mother on one of the 9/11 planes. But the exuberance defies sorrow in a celebration of everyday life with one of the catchier songs I’ve heard in weeks. A driving rhythm offset to marvelous effect by the delicate harmonies of Lavender Diamond’s Becky Stark.

Hey

A couple more tunes are streaming at their website. Their self titled second record is out on XL Recordings March 10, pre-oreder it here. He is (or is it they are? I’m so confused) playing the Cafe Du Nord the very next day.