STACK March 2017 Issue 149

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The Doors
London Fog 1966
Recently discovered live
recordings of The Doors from
1966, the earliest known to exist,
have been released for the very
first time.
They were recorded at The London
Fog, a hole-in-the-wall club on
West Hollywood's Sunset Strip
that provided the newest band
on the block with a six-month
residency, where they shaped
many of the classic songs that
would appear on their first two
albums.
This release includes only two
originals; the remainder are covers
of blues and R&B songs, with the
only hint of what was to come an
early version of Strange Days.
(Warner) Billy Pinnell
18 MARCH 2017
Gary Clark Jr.
Gary Clark Jr. - Live / North
America 2016
One of the hottest blues/rock
guitar players on the planet
includes new songs and several
from his 2015 studio release on
his second live album. Clark’s
trademark bluesy, distorted
guitar sound is offset by soulful
vocals, often reminiscent of Curtis
Mayfield on some of the slower
songs. Highlights include Shake
featuring vocalist Leon Bridges,
and previously unreleased covers:
Elmore James' My Baby's Gone ,
Jimmy Reed's Honest I Do, Lowell
Fulson's Three O'Clock Blues and
the Delta standard Catfish Blues.
The two-CD set allows for lots
of soloing from this virtuoso of
modern blues.
(Warner) Billy Pinnell
Laura Marling
Semper Femina
Semper Femina follows 2015’s
Short Movie as the next step in
Marling recommitting herself to
music. Before the latter, there
was a real chance the charts had
heard the last of Marling, but
Short Movie found her refreshed
and exploring new ground. On
Semper Femina the singer-
songwriter reclaims the Mercury
Prize-nominated acoustic folk of
the past, emboldened with the
perspective and specificity that
made Short Movie so gripping.
Whether it's driving, straight-
down-the-line ballads Wild Fire and
Wild Once or dancing, syncopated
beats and electric guitar blasts on
Soothing and Nothing Not Nearly,
Marling has lost none of her edge.
(Kobalt) Jake Cleland
Conor Oberst Salutations
There’s plenty to be said for the
solemnity of Ruminations, but
Salutations, where Conor Oberst
reproduces those 10 tracks and
seven new ones with a full band,
proves Oberst still has just as keen
an ear for chest-thumping rock.
Recruiting Jim Keltner – whose
resume as drummer includes every
band Oberst would claim as an
influence – and old friends The Felice
Brothers, Oberst’s crushing lyricism
is still as foregrounded and personal
as ever, but the dynamics lent by
backing vocals and overdubs give
Salutations a stronger swing. The
restraint of tracks like Tachychardia
and Barbary Coast are preserved,
but Gossamer Thin and Till St
Dymphna Kicks Us Out are newly
gutsy; new tracks like Anytime Soon
catch Oberst rarely radiant with the
joy of life. Far from mere retread,
Salutations is a blessing.
(Warner) Jake Cleland
Alison Krauss Windy City
Alison Krauss is an outstanding
fiddle player and singer, known
for awakening America’s love
of bluegrass. With a recording
career that started at age 14, she
has become the most awarded
female artist in Grammys history,
across her band Union Station,
her collaborations with Robert
Plant, and solo. It's been 18 years
since her last solo project, and
this time she has teamed up with
renowned Nashville producer
Buddy Cannon (Willie Nelson).
Together they handpicked a
collection of heartbreaking classic
country songs, previously released
by Brenda Lee, The Osborne
Brothers, Willie Nelson and
Jimmie Rodgers amongst others.
A voice that is so sweet, delicate
and powerful reliving songs from
years gone by - a perfect way to
make a solo revival.
(EMI) Denise Hylands
Marty Stuart And His
Fabulous Superlatives
Way Out West
Marty Stuart’s obsession with
country music started at a young
age, taking him on to play with
legends including Lester Flatt to
Johnny Cash, amongst others.
His 18th album is a love letter
to the west – California, that is.
Its psychedelic, Western, jangly
pop and country twang elements
all evoke the sounds of Marty
Robbins, Cash and Dwight
Yoakam. From LA to the Mojave
desert and way down Mexico way,
it’s all here. With his aptly-named
band the Fabulous Superlatives
– Kenny Vaughan (guitar), Chris
Scruggs (bass) and Harry Stinson
(drums), some of the best in
Nashville – Stuart proves he is a
living legend of real country music.
(Superlatone/CookingVinyl)
Denise Hylands
Timber Timbre
Sincerely, Future Pollution
If fiction is the art of telling
truth through lies, then Timber
Timbre's albums are wikipedia
entries on the subject of human
nature. For years the Canadian
band led by Taylor Kirk have shed
light on darker regions of the
heart, trading in shadowy tales
rich with storytelling detail and
atmospheric texture. Sincerely,
Future Pollution continues this
tradition, but reflects more clearly
than ever a world where dread is
not so distant and foreboding is
foregrounded. The gothic ballads
and deep rock dirges play like a
smoke-hued mirror for our times.
(Inertia)
SimonWinkler
Valerie June
The Order Of Time
To see the future more clearly
it’s necessary to look deeper
into the past. Valerie June is an
artist with a gift for translating old
traditions into fresh forms. Born
in Tennessee and now based in
NewYork, Valerie’s music reflects
a great love and understanding
of blues, jazz and soul, and in
turn reveals new and previously
unexplored sounds within. The
Order Of Time contains songs
written over years, and beautifully
captures the moments that
often come to define our lives,
whether we realise in the moment
or at some point much later.
There’s immediacy in the melodic
elements and complexity in the
vocal performances, and more
to appreciate with each repeated
listen.
(Caroline) SimonWinkler