Tampa Calling

What the CL team is listening to right now.

Allen Toussaint
The Bright Mississippi (2009)
One of my favorite producers, Joe Henry, teams up with legendary New Orleans artist Toussaint to revive a set of Crescent City classics (and tunes associated with the city) — mostly instrumental jazz by the likes of Sidney Bechet, Jelly Roll Morton and Thelonious Monk. The sound is both old-timey and fresh. Known more as a writer, producer and arranger, Toussaint gets to show off his soulful piano skills. The disc comes out on Nonesuch April 21.
–Eric

Matthew Dear
Asa Breed (2007)
I’m in love with Matthew Dear’s cavalier, occasionally multi-tracked baritone, how he delivers his lyrics like it’s the first take and he’s not at all concerned. The Electro avant pop artist makes music that’s complex-free, with hints of minimalist house and acid-washed dance funk. This album is his third and a good introduction to his small but noteworthy catalog.
Recommended track: “Deserter.”

The Lonely Island
Incredibad (2009)
I don’t watch Saturday Night Live anymore, but I do check out the hilarious SNL Digital Shorts on YouTube. Cast member Andy Samberg along with Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone are “The Lonely Island,” but the trio brings in some heavy star power — Natalie Portman, Justin Timberlake, Norah Jones, E-40 and Jack Black, among others — to collaborate. Some of the schtick gets a bit tired by the end of the 19-track album, but cuts like “Dick in a Box” and “Jizz in my Pants” are still funny the 10th time around.
Recommended track: “Natalie’s Rap.” Such profanity from such a sweet piece. Mmm….
–B.Treotch

…And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead
The Century of Self (2009)
Morrissey
Years of Refusal (2009)
I noticed an interesting parallel between these two new releases. One album I’ve been enjoying more as an artist’s return-to-form while the other I slogged through repeatedly in order to better acquaint myself with the new stuff prior to an area concert. The Century of Self reaches back into the Trail of Dead catalog to grab some Worlds Apart bombast for a more interesting, less hooky listen than their last album, So Divided. As usual, I’m fascinated by Conrad Keely’s album art – this time around it’s intricate ball-point pen work.

But it’s the Morrissey disc that I’ve selected as the so-called “comeback.” And like his last comeback album, he has late-producer Jerry Finn to thank. Finn resurrected Moz once already (You Are the Quarry back in ’04) and while this album doesn’t bring the same arsenal of high-quality songs, it sounds a shitload better than the bloated Ringleader of the Tormentors. There are plenty of classic Moz-isms to be found, such as “It’s not your birthday anymore/ there’s no need to be kind to you” and “Now this might surprise you/ but I’m okay by myself/ and I don’t need you / or your morality to save me.” If you were turned off by the early singles, rest assured they are the album’s low points. Days after completing the album, Jerry Finn suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage and passed away two weeks later. Smiths/Moz fans should consider the album his parting gift.
–Joel

Blink-182
Enema of the State (1999)/Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001)
When the trio stood together on stage at the Grammy’s in February and announced they were getting back together, memories of my middle and high school days came flooding back. Of those days in the early 2000s when the punk band’s songs were played at school dances and everyone in middle school belted out the lyrics to “All the Small Things” on the school bus. I thought I’d listen to Take Off Your Pants and Jacket to try to rekindle some of the old hype – and I can’t stop laughing my ass off. The lyrics accurately depict the melodramatic angst of my teenage years (“First Date”) and, simultaneously, speak to me now as a lazy, soon-to-be college graduate (“What’s My Age Again?”).
–CL intern Michelle Stark

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