right on!, the debut solo album of Warpaint bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg, consists of songs written during stolen moments while Warpaint was recording their second album. Jennylee (the name that Lindberg has taken for this solo project) has definitely incorporated some of the dreaminess and just-under-the-surface tension of Warpaint’s sound, with blended-down, reverb-soaked vocals and atmospheric guitars, as on “long lonely winter.” But there’s more diverse stuff happening on this record, too: “never” is a new wave rocker with a base layer of unrelenting hi-hats and a clean, glittery guitar, while “white devil” is an artsy, twitchy track with lots of Velvet Underground vibes, complete with a creepy spoken intro and screams in the background. Of the album, Lindberg said, “It’s not much of a production, just some real human shit.” Right on. right on! is out December 11. (Robin Babb)
Tech N9ne Tech N9ne Collabos Strangeulation Vol. II (Strange Music)
Strangeulation Vol. II is the second in Tech N9ne’s series of collaboration albums, featuring all of the artists from his rap label, Strange Music, on a 23-track powerhouse of an LP. All the tracks feature classic gangsta rap beats and production courtesy of Tech N9ne, with verses from 2-3 artists. “We Just Wanna Party,” featuring Rittz and Darrein Safron, starts with a recited checklist of party necessities: “Girl Scout cookies: check. 151 Malibu Rum and pineapple juice: check. Hennessey, Sprite and lemon: check,” then bursts into trap triplets and sub-bass vocals. On “PBSA,” Ces Cru spits with machine-gun speed and bravado, while the growly chorus chants “Play ball–slay all.” Tech N9ne has said of the album, “The concept of Strangeulation is me being so proud of my artists that I feel like we can have the whole bullshit [music] industry in a chokehold.” Strangeulation Vol. II was released Nov. 20. (Robin Babb)
Love Reel to Real (High Moon Records)
Arthur Lee’s post-Forever Changes incarnations of Love are a repository of dark, uninhibited and sometimes unhinged songwriting. After a series of increasingly obscure, commercially unsuccessful Love albums—all released to little critical acclaim and on a variety of low-budget labels—Arthur Lee knocked the monkey off his back and landed a decent record deal with RSO. Having shelved the brilliant, Hendrix-influenced Black Beauty, Reel To Real was Lee’s first album since his reviled solo album Vindicator and was the first Love release in four years. 1974’s Reel To Real is a rich, Sly Stone-flavored R&B junket, with acid-rock corners and a funk focal point that may surprise “My Little Red Book” fans . “Diamond in the back, sunroof top …” indeed. Love toured this album with Lou Reed, who had just released Sally Can’t Dance. This isn’t a new release, but it is compelling and revelatory. ‘Nuff said. Buy it. (Geoffrey Plant)
