The Shed November December 2018

Rowdy English pub rockers Towers of London blend the high-octane charge of Sex Pistols-era British punk, the hedonistic charm of '80s hair metal, and the tabloid-heavy antics of Oasis and the Libertines into a volatile shot of pure rock & roll debauchery. Formed in the late '90s in Liverpool, the group consists of lead vocalist Donny Tourette, guitarist Dirk Tourette, lead guitarist the Rev, bassist Tommy Brunette, and drummer Snell. The group inked a deal with TVT Records in 2005, releasing the hit singles "How Rude She Was," "Fuck It Up," "Air Guitar," and "On a Noose." Their full-length debut, Blood Sweat and Towers, arrived in the summer of 2006, followed by Fizzy Pop in 2008.

Smile A While (1972). Brainstorm's debut offers an odd twist on jazz-rock, throwing in bits of Canterbury and Frank Zappa, as well as the Dutch band Supersister. The record starts off with the explosive energy of the instrumental "Das Schwein Trugt," a fast piece of complex prog-jazz. "Zwick Zwick" follows, beginning at an only slightly slower pace, with some wild flutes and clarinets over a choppy rhythm, and then halfway through the guitar, bass, and organ rip into the mix to add a furious energy to the piece. Though the album is mostly instrumental, a couple tracks offer quirky song structures, the very short "Watch Time Flow By" and a couple short sections in the long title track, while "Snakeskin Tango" has someone moaning in anguish and the middle section of "Bosco Biati Weiss Alles" contains strange wordless vocal drones…

Stan Kenton's earliest recordings as a leader make this first volume in the Classics Kenton chronology the logical starting point for anyone seeking to comprehend his life and work. Beginning with a long lost "Etude for Saxophones" and plowing through nine Decca sides from late 1941 and early 1942, the producers of this compilation shed light on Kenton's pre-Capitol period. With the exception of "This Love of Mine" (sung by tenor saxophonist Red Dorris), all of the Decca recordings are instrumentals that contain premonitions of Kenton's eventual obsession with stylized modernity. Parallels could be drawn with the music of Claude Thornhill, Larry Clinton and Raymond Scott…