Long players

As my obsession with classical music on vinyl grows and  want list for rock and roll records shrinks, the amount of new music I buy dwindles further. Here's a stab at what I've bought in 2012. None changed the world, but all have some merits.

Mark Lanegan, Blues Funeral
The former Screaming Trees singer/Tom Waits understudy shakes out some techno and synthesizer grooves on his latest effort. Apparently he feels comfortable dropping his ragged yet soulful voice in front of any backing track these days. Ode to Sad Disco throws out a surprising Human League feel, and Harborview Hospital could have been recorded by The National. As usual, Lanegan . On Leviathan, the blast of grunge expected by the title never arrives to spoil the swirling choruses of this poignant song.

Lambchop - Mr. M
How I missed Lambchop to this point, I will never know.  I couldn't ask for a better introduction to this Nashville band that deftly defies genre labels. Kurt Wagner bares his lyrical teeth on Gone Tomorrow, but his songwriting shines throughout.


Jack White - Blunderbuss 
There's enough people out there touting this solo record as a masterpiece. At its best, Blunderbuss is above average with a handful of interesting turns. Similar in tone to Get Behind Me Satan,I wanted to like this, but have found no reason to return after my initial spins. White, however, returns to the same well of melodies he always uses.

M. Ward - Wasteland Companion
Matt Ward always release consistent long-players, and Wasteland won't change that. Ward's warm vocals and obvious love of 1950s rock continue to inform his musical sensibilities. His consistency with quality records show spur jealousy in other musicians.

Sleep - Dopesmoker (reissue)
Sleep's magnum opus has finally been released in remastered form. Recorded as one, 62-minute track of sludgy stoner metal, it stood in opposition to the time of its creation. As metal bands played faster and faster, Sleep slowed things down to a tortoise pace. Less choppy than Jerusalem, the edited version released that chopped the track into five pieces, Dopesmoker is not for everyone, but the perfect soundtrack for a long drive through strange terrain.