Lou Barlow - Mirror Eye (buy it)A new Lou EP from Spanish label Acuarela, which gives the full scoop here. No preview tracks from the EP are around, but Lou's web site is a labyrinthine trove of downloads, video, scrawled notes and ephemera. A quick curiosity is 7 Before 17, "16 years old, crew cut and straight-edge". Of the batch, most of which are about a minute long, my pick is "17 in July".
MP3: Lou Barlow - 17 in July
Catherine Howe - What a Beautiful Place (buy it)The first release of the year from the Numero Group, this is the first time Howe's debut album has been on CD. Los Angeles City Beat has a fine story on this album:
"Made in an era when singer-songwriters were flexing their rock muscles and Carole King’s Tapestry ruled the charts, What a Beautiful Place is a lush, heavily orchestrated record that feels more a product of the early or mid-’60s. In its day, it would have sounded square, but it may be that very squareness that plays compellingly now. It’s an off-the-wall mixture of slightly shlocky old-school pop and neo-trad English folk (though Howe denies such leanings), with some jazzy seasoning provided by Scott’s own stabbing, bluesy piano work. At its center is Howe, whose chilled, half-swallowed, vibrato-free vocals maintain a sustained, charming purity."
MP3: Catherine Howe - It's Not Likely
Other notable releases include a pricey double-CD live import from Nick Cave and the new Beirut EP.
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