Lush Spooky

Guitarist Bill Frisell’s new double LP Orchestras documents two inspired concert-hall engagements arranged by Michael Gibbs for Frisell’s long-standing trio with bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Rudy Royston: one featuring the nearly 60-piece Brussels Philharmonic, conducted by Alexander Hanson; and one with the 11-piece Umbria Jazz Orchestra, under the musical direction of Manuele Morbidini. But as with so much of Frisell’s music over the past four decades, a relatively straightforward concept and a familiar songbook yield quietly stirring revelations. The music showcases a level of comfort and interactivity that far transcends the vast majority of “with strings” projects on the jazz record shelf. Sweeping orchestration evoking landmark film scores and Gil Evans alike move nimbly within and around the trio’s telepathic rapport, and Frisell’s shimmering trademark tone melds gorgeously with symphonic strings and brass.

After Taylor's Universe released Soundwall in 2007, a mix of jazz and prog that featured guest metal guitarist Michael Denner from Mercyful Fate/King Diamond fame, Robin Taylor and company decided to put together the supergroup called Art Cinema. Their self-titled debut dumps most of the jazz leanings for a more melodic prog-rock flavor, something that might surprise many of the fans of Taylor and his rather diverse avant-garde back catalog. The line-up for this release is Taylor (guitars, keyboards, percussion), Denner (guitars), Jytte Lindberg (lead vocals), Louise Nipper (lead & backing vocals), Bjarne Holm (drums), Carsten Sindvald (sax), Flemming Muus Tranberg (bass), Jon Hemmersam (guitars), and Pierre Tasson (violin)…

This 5xCD box set from Cherry Red offers a compelling look at shoegaze's prime era. Still in a Dream takes a wide trawl approach to its genre, which has upsides and downsides. As with Rhino’s goth box A Life Less Lived, shoegaze is generously interpreted to include antecedents and formative influences, which bulks up the quality.

The Happenings are best-known for their hit single "See You in September," which is a sunny slice of sunshine pop featuring happy, bouncy vocals and intricate harmonies reminiscent of great white doo wop groups like the Four Seasons and the Tokens, who were not-so-coincidentally the Happenings' mentors and producers. Collectables has reissued both of the Happenings' records on one disc: 1966's The Happenings and 1967's Psycle. Both discs feature the stunning vocal gymnastics of their hit single and their updated doo wop sound coated with an easy listening gloss of strings on a not-very-thick Wall of Sound. Most of the songs on their debut were written by the members of the Tokens and are not bad but not that memorable, as they follow the formula of their hit but pale in comparison. An exception to this is the strange "You're in a Bad Way," which is a spooky track filled with death-related imagery that sports a surprisingly funky backbeat.