I’m so happy to have good FM radio to listen to, that I have agreed to give Radio Flamingo (96.9 FM) a plug for it’s “Bleeding Edge Day”.

Tomorrow, April 21, 2010, Radio Flamingo will play several full albums that were just released in the last couple of weeks – some as recently as today (indeed, some will not even be officially released for another week or so – now that’s “bleeding edge”)!

Anita, from Radio Flamingo, has let me in on the details . . . and it should be really cool . . . with a little bit of everything to satisfy everyone.

It’s sometimes difficult to keep abreast of the “bleeding edge” of music here in Playa Flamingo, but Radio Flamingo is solving that problem for us.

Here’s how it will work:

Starting at 7:00 am, 96.9 FM will start playing the following full albums, in this order (for more information about each album, click on the graphic):

Women + Country, by Jakob Dylan.

Women + Country is Jakob Dylan’s highly anticipated sophomore album following his critically acclaimed solo debut, Seeing Things. Women + Country is soulful yet striking, ripe with sublime beauty. Paired with Oscar, Grammy, and Golden Globe award winning producer T Bone Burnett (Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, Crazy Heart) and joined with the stirringly rich vocals of Neko Case and Kelly Hogan, Women + Country creates a compelling and powerful experience for the listener.

Go, by Jónsi

Jónsi has spent more than a decade writing epic compositions with Sigur Rós, creating some of the finest, most acclaimed albums of the last ten years. The choice to make an album of solo recordings came together as a solution to a backlog of songs Jónsi had written that didn’t seem to fit within the Sigur Rós context. Go is a different beast entirely. Ecstatic, dramatic and alive, it features Jónsi’s signature vocals throughout, with the majority of the songs sung in English.

I Learned It The Hard Way, by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings are already well known as one of the most exciting acts in the nation for both their explosive live shows and their prolific output of gritty studio recordings. Their breakout release, 100 Days, 100 Nights, sold over 150,000 copies worldwide. This Spring the band will release I Learned the Hard Way, their fourth full-length on Brooklyn’s independent Daptone Records. The record marks a bold step forward for a band who almost single handedly stewarded today’s return of soul music to its more traditional sound.

Produced by Bosco Mann and recorded on an Ampex eight-track tape machine by Gabriel Roth in Daptone Records’ House of Soul studios, the record drips with a warmth and spontaneity rarely found since the golden days of Muscle Shoals and Stax. Sharon’s raw power, rhythmic swagger, moaning soulfulness, and melodic command set her firmly alongside Tina Turner, James Brown, Mavis Staples, and Aretha as a fixture in the canon of soul music. From the lush Philly-Soul fanfare that ushers in “The Game Gets Old” at the top of the record, to the stripped down Sam Cooke-style “Mama Don’t Like My Man” at the tail, the Dap-Kings dance seamlessly through both the most crafted and simple arrangements with subtlety and discipline. I Learned the Hard Way is the “Daptone Sound” at its best.

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings are already well known as one of the most exciting acts in the nation for both their explosive live shows and their prolific output of gritty studio recordings. Their breakout release, 100 Days, 100 Nights, sold over 150,000 copies worldwide. This Spring the band will release I Learned the Hard Way, their fourth full-length on Brooklyn’s independent Daptone Records. The record marks a bold step forward for a band who almost single handedly stewarded today’s return of soul music to its more traditional sound.

Produced by Bosco Mann and recorded on an Ampex eight-track tape machine by Gabriel Roth in Daptone Records’ House of Soul studios, the record drips with a warmth and spontaneity rarely found since the golden days of Muscle Shoals and Stax. Sharon’s raw power, rhythmic swagger, moaning soulfulness, and melodic command set her firmly alongside Tina Turner, James Brown, Mavis Staples, and Aretha as a fixture in the canon of soul music. From the lush Philly-Soul fanfare that ushers in “The Game Gets Old” at the top of the record, to the stripped down Sam Cooke-style “Mama Don’t Like My Man” at the tail, the Dap-Kings dance seamlessly through both the most crafted and simple arrangements with subtlety and discipline. I Learned the Hard Way is the “Daptone Sound” at its best.

Congratulations, by MGMT

Congratulations unlocks a new musical world whirling in its own space/time grid infused with hints of music from the past five decades. Produced by MGMT and Sonic Boom (Spacemen 3, E.A.R., Spectrum), Congratulations features Andrew Vanwyngarden and Ben Goldwasser, MGMT’s core duo, performing with Matt Asti (bass, backing vocals), Will Berman (drums, backing vocals), and James Richardson (guitar, backing vocals), the band’s live line-up.

Congratulations is the successor to MGMT’s Oracular Spectacular, the 2008 debut album. Soulful and complex, Congratulations is a surprising and delightful quantum step forward in MGMT’s ongoing pop revolution.

Midnight Souvenirs, by Peter Wolf

Midnight Souvenirs (Verve/UMe), Peter Wolf’s seventh solo album is a continuation of the singer-songwriter’s distinctive and eclectic tales that brighten and interpret a world gone noir. Following in the tracks of Wolf’s Sleepless, which was honored by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the “500 greatest albums of all-time,” the new collection gives hope to the love-wounded and promises “there’s still time for the midnight wine,” even if “sometimes you heal, sometimes you’re scarred.” Featuring duets with country legend and national treasure Merle Haggard, the soulfully transcending dynamic award winner Shelby Lynne, and the haunting and majestic voice of Neko Case, “Midnight Souvenirs” integrates and embraces rock, R & B, blues, folk and country in a way that has distinguished Wolf’s storied career. Measurable are his decades as the leader and frenzied focal figure of the J. Geils Band, with whom he showcased his talents on such hits as “Centerfold,” “Freeze Frame,” “Love Stinks” and “Musta Got Lost.” “Midnight Souvenirs” was packed fair and square in the studio by Wolf and Kenny White, who also co-produced “Sleepless” and 1998′s “Fools Parade,” celebrated as one of the “50 most influential albums of the ’90s” by Rolling Stone Magazine. Much like the material on those two discs, the majority of the new songs were co-written with Oscar winner Will Jennings (Eric Clapton’s “Tears From Heaven,” Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love,” and Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warens duet “Up Where We Belong”). Also contributing to the album were songwriters Angelo Petraglia and Taylor Rhodes, whose songs have been recorded by Kings of Leon and Aerosmith.

The 14 songs on the album range from the country blues of “Tragedy”–with Shelby Lynne–and the hard-rockin’ “The Night Comes Down” (dedicated to the late Willy DeVille) to the bittersweet texture of “It’s Too Late For Me” with Merle Haggard, and the punchline impact of vintage Philly roots R & B on “Overnight Lows.” Wolf and Neko Case deliver an eternal bouquet on “The Green Fields of Summer.”

Shame Shame, by Dr. Dog

Dr. Dog having evolved from a band whose primary creative outlet was the album-making process into one that favored the energy of their live performances, they knew they wanted to document the new dynamic they had developed on the road. Producer Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliott Smith) was brought in to help peel back the intricate arrangements of last album Fate to reveal the raw immediacy of a tight five-man unit honing their craft.

A Beginners Guide, by Jim Moray

Few Brit folk artists have caused such a stir as Jim Moray. His debut album, 2003′s Sweet England, polarized opinion in dramatic fashion. Old traditionalists were dismissive of the computer-generated sounds employed on his daringly adventurous arrangements of old ballads featuring beats and tape loops, influenced as much by Massive Attack and Radiohead as the old trad singers. More, however, saw it as the most innovative and exciting development for British folk music in years, and at least one reviewer described Sweet England as the most important folk album since Fairport Convention’s seminal Liege & Lief 34 years earlier, an album Moray himself had drawn such inspiration from he was embarrassed by the comparison.

Originally from Macclesfield, he was raised in Staffordshire. His dad was a morris dancer — his parents met at a folk club — and Jim and his sister Jackie (fiddle singer Jackie Oates) were exposed to English traditional music at festivals and records in the house. He learned guitar and spent much of his teenage years playing in rock bands, including a spell as a drummer in a punk band, before heading off on a four-year course studying classical music at Birmingham Conservatoire in 1999. It was while he was there that he reverted to his roots and started experimenting with radical rearrangements of traditional songs on his computer, resulting in the home-produced EP I Am Jim Moray in 2001. He also caused a stir at the finals of the BBC Young Folk Awards when most present regarded him as the runaway winner, though the prize mysteriously went to a band of young Scots sisters, Give Way.

Still a student in Birmingham, Moray funded the home-produced Sweet England from his student grant and submitted it as part of his degree in 2003 (he passed), releasing it on his entertainingly titled label, Niblick Is a Giraffe. While it included conventional piano and guitar and featured one self-written song (“Longing for Lucy”), the extensive use of samples, beats, and arrangements on the laptop triggered a major debate — particularly due to radical interpretations of famous old songs like “Early One Morning,” “Lord Bateman,” and “Seeds of Love” — and Sweet England was hailed as a serious leap forward for the music as a result. Moray himself fueled the interest with some compelling theories about the modern nature of folk music and his desire to appeal to a new, young audience with no awareness or interest in the folk tradition. Less successful were his live tours to promote it. He wasn’t a natural live performer, his voice sometimes sounded worryingly shallow, and his ambitious attempts to create multimedia stage effects with film and lighting failed to ignite. Sweet England went on to win best album at the 2004 BBC Folk Awards and Moray also won the Horizon Award as best new act, where he made a point of thanking non-folkies for buying his record.

Despite overtures from major labels, Moray stuck with his independent status when, complete with a Ziggy-esque glitter rock sleeve design, he released his extravagant, dramatic follow-up album, Jim Moray, in 2006. Throwing everything but the kitchen sink into the mix, Moray had created a far heavier and more rock-influenced album than its predecessor, and it had a rough ride from the critics, though there was much to commend it, especially two original songs “My Sweet Rose” and “Magic When You’re Near” alongside the traditional material. Moray remained an enigmatic presence. He gradually became a more assured if more low-key live performer, touring with Nick Cooke on melodeon and James Delarre on fiddle; he also turned producer for the debut album Strange Histories by James Raynard, launched his own alternative folk club in Bristol, and in 2007 worked on his third album, Low Culture.

Here Lies Love, by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim

‘Here Lies Love’ is a 22 song double-disc song cycle – improbably poignant, decidedly surreal, surprisingly thought provoking – about the rise and fall of the Philippines’ notorious Imelda Marcos. It was conceived by David Byrne; composed by Byrne and British deejay/recording artist Fatboy Slim, a/k/a Norman Cook; and performed by a dream cast drawn from the worlds of indie rock, alt country, R&B and pop.
Byrne’s taste in collaborators is as imaginative as it is impeccable, including Cyndi Lauper (who recounts, to lighthearted disco beats, Imelda’s courtship with Ferdinand Marcos), Steve Earle (as the power-hungry Ferdinand), Dap-Kings vocalist Sharon Jones (recalling Imelda’s introduction into New York society) and Natalie Merchant (as spurned Imelda confidante Estrella, anticipating the onset of martial law). Along with vocals turns from such stars as Tori Amos and the B-52′s Kate Pierson, Byrne works with rising indie rockers St. Vincent and My Brightest Diamond; New York chanteuses Nellie McKay and Martha Wainwright; and dance-music divas Roisin Murphy and Santigold. Byrne himself appears as the voice of imperialistic America on ‘American Troglodyte’ a send-up that wouldn’t have seemed out of places in Talking Heads’ True Stories.

Byrne originally envisioned this as a musical theatre piece, to be mounted in disco and nightclub settings, reflecting the globe-trotting Marcos’ taste for such velvet-roped spots as Studio 54 and Regine’s. In 2006, he performed work-in-progress versions to enthusiastic audiences at New York City’s Carnegie Hall and the Adelaide Festival in Australia. When more funding for a theatrical version proved elusive, While plans for a U.S. theatrical production continue to evolve, he has delivered this unique recording. ‘Here Lies Love’ has an effervescent disco feel, redolent of Fatboy Slim’s own dance-floor anthems, with warm undercurrents of the Latin rhythms that have percolated through Byrne’s recent solo work. The sunny arrangements act in counterpoint to the reality of the Marcos’ increasingly repressive regime, reflecting the imagined inner life of the glamour-obsessed Imelda. Explains Byrne, ‘For me, the darker side of the excesses are, for the most part, a matter of record. A lot of the audience is going to come with that knowledge already. What’s more of a challenge is to get inside the head of the person who was behind all of that, and understand what made them tick.’ Byrne offers no judgment and avoids the obvious – there is no mention of Imelda’s infamous shoe collection.
Many of Byrne’s lyrics are, astonishingly enough, constructed from actual Imelda quotes, including the project’s title, the words that Imelda, now returned to the Philippines from U.S.-assisted exile in Hawaii, would like to have inscribed on her gravestone. Byrne generously annotates each song in the CD booklet and illustrates the story with archival photos. In a detailed preface, he reveals what drew him to this subject and the bumpy route he took to launch the project and, ultimately, record this CD. The lavish booklet is indeed a page-turner, just as ‘Here Lies Love’ is a wonderfully old-school album that rewards start-to-finish listening. Once again, Byrne – beloved as musician, thinker and bicyclist-about-town – reveals the breadth and singularity of his vision.

Chicken and Biscuits, by Colt Ford

This one should be a hoot!

Taking power-chorded swamp funk to the hoedown, the gravel-throated ex-golf pro hets his hick-hop on rapper-style, loading his breakthrough with big-name cameos: James Otto, Randy Houser, Darryl Worley, Joe Nichols and more from the country side, plus – in the heaviest cut – old-school hell-raiser D.M.C.  Subjects include food, beer, driving backhoes drunk, women turning cavemen into sushi eaters, fat-bottomed girls, crunk-converted rednecks, fishing, hunting and food.  The cover standout is C.W. McCall’s CB radio classic “Convoy” – a prototype country rap that went No. 1 in 1976.

Slash, by Slash

Anybody who is the least bit familiar with rock music will associate the name Slash with that of a legendary rock guitarist and icon. As the former lead guitarist of mega-rock group Guns `N’ Roses, Slash has had a dominant presence in music for more than twenty years. Referred to by many as one of the greatest and most influential guitar players of all time, Slash’s signature style and commanding guitar mastery has impacted not only millions of fans around the world, but many of his fellow artists – in all genres of music. Slash’s various projects over the years have included the multi-platinum global rock band Velvet Revolver as well as guest guitarist and collaborator for a countless list of artists including Lenny Kravitz, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, the Yard birds, Sammy Hagar and more. Add soundtrack albums and his most recent success via the video game best-seller Guitar Hero to truly begin to appreciate the legacy Slash has established through this point in his career. Slash has always been the artist others seek and invite to collaborate with on their material… now, for the first time, Slash will do the inviting. “Slash”, Slash’s first solo release, is a collection of new songs written in partnership with some of the most notable and legendary artists in music. After first enlisting the services of producing partner Eric Valentine (Queens of Stone Age, The All-America n Rejects), Slash compiled a premier rhythm section in bassist Chris Chaney (Jane’s Addiction) and drummer Josh Freese (Nine Inch Nai ls). The album features an all-star roster of guest musicians including Ian Astbury of The Cult, Chris Cornell, Rocco DeLuca , Fergie, Dav e Grohl, Myles Kennedy of Alterbridge, Kid Rock, Lemmy Kilmeister of Motorhead, Ada m Levine of Maroon 5, Duff McKaga n, M. Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold, Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop, and Andrew Stockda le of Wolfmother. Slash handled the majority of arranging and song writing duties and handpicked each guest artist to collaborate with on rounding out each track.

Fire Away, by Ozomatli

2010 release, the Grammy Award-winning band’s fifth studio full length. Produced by acclaimed producer Tony Berg, Fire Away features 11 new Ozo songs. Ozomatli’s music – a collision of Hip Hop and Salsa, Dancehall and Cumbia, Samba and Funk, Merengue and Comparsa, East LA R&B and New Orleans second line, Jamaican Ragga and Indian Raga — has long followed a key mantra: it will take you around the world by taking you around the city of LA.

Tango 3.0, by Gotan Project

Gotan Project’s new album Tango 3.0 fluidly steps back on the dance floor where their last album Lunatico left off. Group members Philippe Cohen Solal,Christoph Mueller,and Eduardo Makaroff have constructed yet another beautiful melange of traditional Argentinean tango, dub, jazz and electronics. Tango 3.0′s 11 tracks are at once seductive and propulsive.

The Age of Miracles, by Mary Chapin Carpenter

The Age of Miracles is the 3rd Zoe/Rounder release from world renowned singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter. The Age of Miracles has been a work in progress since 2007. The album is a personal exploration of regret and resilience but also a larger, more universal expression of wonder at the times we are living in. Carpenter is backed by an incredible band that includes Matt Rollings (piano, B-3 organ), Russ Kunkel (drums), Duke Levine (electric and acoustic guitar), Glenn Worf (bass), Dan Dugmore (steel and 12 string guitar) and Eric Darken (percussion). It also features guest vocals by Vince Gill and Alison Krauss.

Party Heard Around The World, by Lonestar

The long awaited new album from the Country supergroup . . . and you’re hearing it several days earlier than it’s official release (as you are with The Age of Miracles and Chicken and Biscuits).

The 11.2 hours of music will then repeat again from the beginning.

Enjoy!

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