Joe Jackson - Rain

Rykodisc is proud to announce the release of the new Joe Jackson record on January 28, 2008. Entitled, Rain, it's the first Jackson record since the brilliant and critically acclaimed Volume 4 was released in 2003. While Volume 4 and the seven-month tour that followed featured the reunion of the original, iconic Joe Jackson Band, Rain, was made with three of those four members: Jackson (vocals and keyboards), Graham Maby (bass/vocals) and Dave Houghton (drums/vocals). The record was produced by Jackson, and recorded in his newly-adopted city of Berlin at Planet Roc studios.

The common thread running through the record is its simplicity; where Jackson's distinctive piano and voice, Maby's intricate and melodic bass and Houghton's tough and tender drums are all you hear. A rich yet stark production by Jackson and mixed by Paul Kolderie and Sean Slade, Rain boasts a broad, grand sound, open yet tightly wound and focused at the same time, that emphasizes Jackson's sterling songcraft -- a unique amalgam of pop, rock, jazz and classical ideas and lyrics with deep, sympathetic glimpses into the human spirit written by a man who is keenly sensitive, sharp and complex.

Deus - Pocket Revolution

Deus's first full-length outing since 1999 (and its only album to get decent distribution in the United States up to that point), 2006's Pocket Revolution showcases the Belgian alt-rock band's eclectic and adventurous sound. On this bold 12-track set, the ensemble revels in a densely layered aesthetic that features surging guitar lines and propulsive rhythms, along with keyboard and violin textures courtesy of multi-instrumentalist Klaas Janzoons. While the group, led by singer/guitarist Tom Barman, presents moments that hint at straightforward rock (the driving opener "Bad Times"), Deus seems more inclined to take slightly experimental routes, as on the Raymond Carver-inspired, Krautrock-tinged "What We Talk About (When We Talk About Love)," and "Sun Ra," an extended tune that nods to the avant-garde jazz pioneer of the same name. Given Deus's fearlessly dynamic approach and eclectic influences, fans of forward-thinking rock are sure to appreciate Pocket Revolution.

Porcupine Tree - In Absentia

After a quarter-century of punk and postmodern excesses, it's always something of a surprise to find young musicians who not only recall a past era's musical indulgences, but also revel in them. This Lava Records debut is the latest fruit of Porcupine Tree mainstay Steven Wilson's obsession with prog, a mania that dates to the late '80s when the "band" was little more than a fantasy, though one with a remarkably imaginative--if entirely fictional--history and bio. But that pipedream eventually became a real "alt prog" cult fave, with these dozen ambitious songs finding a focus that occasionally eluded the band on half-hour soundscapes like its underground hit, "Voyage 34." Tracks like "Gravity Eyelids" have a retro-psychedelic feel that would have done the XTC alter ego Dukes of Stratosphear proud, with Wilson's pure melodic tenor pushing it beyond the merely baroque. But the collection is also a strong statement of another crucial Wilson/Porcupine retro-sensibility: The album has unified musical statement. "Lips of Ashes" and "Prodigal" serve up the sort of impressionistic, harmony-rich musings that Pink Floyd has rarely managed since Wish You Were Here, while "The Creator Has a Master Tape" punctuates the rich harmonies of tracks like "Heart Attack in a Layby" with Crimson-esque metallic thrash and processed vocals. While the band's instrumental prowess sometimes slums its way into the free-form jazz noodling of past efforts, the album remains one of the band's fullest achievements. --Jerry McCulley
Buy In Absentia from Amazon

Madrugada - The Deep End

I liked this album from the first moment I first listened to the opening song of the album, "Kids are on high street" ... This is the first rock album I have truly enjoyed this year, and I think it is one of the best of Madrugada. What I like in music , "The Deep End" has it all: great lyrics, great music and "fresh" sound. Sivert Høyem's vocals are excellent, and totally fit in to the music. I have been listening to the deep end again and again, enjoying the beautiful lyrics.
Great work again from Madrugada!

Rogue Wave - Descended Like Vultures

On its second Sub Pop album, Descended Like Vultures, the San Francisco quartet Rogue Wave makes a notable departure from its debut, Out Of The Shadow. While the earlier disc has an airy, lo-fi sound that's enhanced by subtle electronics, much of Vultures is amped-up indie-rock bolstered by dense arrangements. "Publish My Love" features alternately chiming and driving surges of guitars, while "10:1" careens along on layered keyboard lines and a propulsive beat. Frontman Zach Rogue often sounds like a less troubled younger brother of Elliott Smith, particularly on the record's mellower moments, including the folk-tinged "California" and the dreamy "You." Although Rogue Wave fans may initially be perplexed by Vultures, the album reveals a more ambitious aspect of the band, and repeated listens reveal its many charms.

Robyn - Robyn

International pressing of the worldwide #1 album from this Swedish songstress features the same tracklisting as the UK edition and contains one bonus track over the Swedish edition ('With Every Heartbeat'). Robin Miriam Carlsson AKA Robyn is a Swedish pop singer-songwriter and is widely known in her home country. Robyn was known in the late '90s for her dance-pop hits "Show Me Love" and "Do You Know (What it Takes)". She has since started to gain mainstream success in the United Kingdom again, due to the massive critical and commercial success of her single "With Every Heartbeat". Universal. 2007.

Music moment

Mariah Carey - Shake It Off Lyrics

Seal - Dance Floor Anthem Lyrics

Natalie Imbruglia - Scars Lyrics

Jason Fox - Coffee Girl Lyrics

Eva Cassidy - Who Am I To Say Lyrics

Backstreet Boys - Satellite Lyrics

David Bowie - Scary Monsters

Fresh off his Berlin trilogy (Low, Heroes, Lodger), David Bowie released Scary Monsters, an album that continued the cool, detached, electronic-flavored sound he'd been experimenting with on the aforementioned records. Robert Fripp's distinctively angular guitar style contributes greatly to the resulting Kraftwerk-flavored funk of "Fashion" and the jittery paranoia of the title track. Elsewhere, Bowie updates the saga of Major Tom with "Ashes to Ashes" and turns to Tom Verlaine for the new wave nihilism of "Kingdom Come" which also features Fripp on guitar.

Robert Fripp was far from the only great guest invited to play on Scary Monsters. Pete Townshend's swirling guitar on "Because You're Young" made it an underrated classic in Bowie's canon. SCARY MONSTERS proved to be David Bowie's last musical effort for a while as he spent the next three years pursuing a career in acting before returning to the studio in 1983 to record LET'S DANCE.