Must-hear releases include a mix of new music, reissues and live discs

An EP that wraps up a tribute to the Firefly science fiction western TV series, one of the strongest debuts in memory, a brilliant return for Boz Scaggs, an expanded two-disc reissue of the debut from Lords of the New Church and a new live set from Erasure are all available now.

Artist: The Fallen Stars
Title: Leaves on the Wind — Vol. 3: Can't Take The Sky From Me (Kiss My Squirrel Music)
You might like if you enjoy: Joss Whedon's "Firefly," the Jayhawks, Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris
Tell me more: When Firefly first aired on the Fox network in September 2002, it immediately captured the attention of discerning fans (now known as "Browncoats") of science fiction with its unique cast of authentic characters, blend of outer space and Western landscapes, and sharp storytelling. Although the Joss Whedon-created series was cancelled after a mere 14 episodes, the influence of the series was profound (indeed the film "Serenity" was released in 2005 to critical acclaim). Look no further than the Fallen Stars' compelling trilogy titled Leaves on the Wind, with Vol. 3: Can't Take The Sky From Me having just been released. On volume 3 of Leaves on the Wind, musical duo Bobbo and Tracy Byrnes have crafted songs inspired by the final four episodes of "Firefly," as well as offering up their emotive take on Whedon's theme song for the series ("The Ballad of Serenity"). Fans of the first two "Leaves on the Wind" titles will pleased that "Can't Take The Sky From Me" is the equal with its Americana-styled songs capturing the magic of the series in song. The countrified rocker "Naked" serves as a duet for Tracy and Bobbo, whose voices shine alone or together in the spirited choruses. "Carry Me" is especially poignant, with an acoustic flavor and sweet melody that plays out in the verses and choruses. The rollicking "Home" and yearning "Here I Am" also capture the creative power of the groundbreaking sci-fi series. A portion of the proceeds from all three Leaves on the Wind titles go to support Equality Now, an organization working to end violence and discrimination against girls and women around the world. Information: thefallenstars.com.

Artist: Danny Wilkerson
Title: Wilkerson (SpyderPop Records)
You might like if you enjoy: ELO, Jellyfish, Paul McCartney, XTC
Tell me more: Listeners hungry for new music that is melodic, intelligent and ambitious almost beyond measure will be floored by Wilkerson, the brilliant debut from singer-songwriter Danny Wilkerson. The sonic ghosts of the Beatles, the Zombies, Jeff Lynne and XTC can be heard but to be sure the songs here are original and performances uniformly inspired. With songs this exceptional it doesn't hurt that Wilkerson is joined by an all-star cast of supporting players including Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (of Jellyfish, Imperial Drag and Beck fame) on keyboards and backing vocals, guitarist Pat Buchanan (Hall & Oates, Cyndi Lauper, Don Henley), multi-instrumentalist Joe Siders (The New Pornographers) and many others. If Jellyfish had teamed with Burt Bacharach it might sound something like the infectious opener "Everybody Loves to Love." The propulsive "Enough For Somebody" is buoyant and exuberant, perfectly capturing the joy of youthful love. Backed only by a string section, Wilkerson's inviting vocals shine on the probing "Endless Haze"; the Beatlesque "When Your Number's Up" puts his masterful talents as songwriter on display. The shimmering "How She Lost My Heart," lofty "Carry The One" and baroque pop "Let It Go Tonight" are late disc standouts. Produced and engineered by bleu, and mastered by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios in London, "Wilkerson" is an amazing debut. Information: spyderpop.com.

Artist: Lords of the New Church
Title: Lords of the New Church: Special Edition (Blixa Sounds Records)
You might like if you enjoy: X, The Dead Boys
Tell me more: More than 35 years after its original release in 1982, the reissued and expanded deluxe edition of the self-titled debut from Lords of the New Church connects with surprising sway. The band was a supergroup of sorts, teaming punk rock pioneers Stiv Bator (The Dead Boys), Brian James (The Damned), Dave Tregunna (Sham 69) and Nick Turner (The Barracudas). The band's collective pedigree wouldn't have meant much if the Lords of the New Church didn't rock with the authority and musical might so clearly showcased across the two-disc set. The songs here highlight the band's skills to blend ferocious early punk sensibilities with classic melodic songcraft; the anti-war "Russian Roulette," goth rocker "New Church" mesmerizing rocker "Open Your Eyes" and cowpunk-flavored "Li'l Boys Play With Dolls" showcase the range of the quartet. A second disc chronicles the band's blistering full-length live performance at My Father's Place in 1982. An illustrated 12-page booklet with revealing liner notes penned by Craig Rosen adds additional depth to the title. Information: Blixa.com.

Artist: Boz Scaggs
Title: Out of the Blues (Concord Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Tinsley Ellis, Bon Scaggs
Tell me more: With his signature vocals at the helm, Box Scaggs delivers a great set of performances on the aptly-titled Out of the Blues. The self-produced collection features a mix of outstanding remakes as well as original compositions by songwriter and long-time friend Jack Walroth (including the great Chicago blues-styled "Radiator 110" and playful New Orleans rocker "Little Miss Night and Day," the latter co-penned with Scaggs). Perhaps the most affecting track on the top-tier set is a version of Neil Young's "On The Beach," the title track from Young's fifth solo album. When Scaggs sings "The world is turning / I hope it don't turn away" the listener can hear the pain and power in Scaggs' voice; the selection of this track may well have been influenced by the terrible fire that burned down the artist's home and all its contents in a massive wildfire that struck Napa, California in 2017. Scaggs has also assembled a number of famed studio pros to help bring heft to all blues-minded nine tracks — indeed drummer Jim Keltner, bassist Willie Weeks, keyboardist Jim Cox, and guitar greats Doyle Bramhall II, Ray Parker Jr. and Charlie Sexton shine at every turn. Information: BozScaggs.com.

Artist: Erasure
Title: World Be Live (Mute Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Depeche Mode, Yaz
Tell me more: There was a time when live albums were seemingly a part of most established artists' discography. Listening to the terrific two-disc World Be Live from Erasure is to wish more popular artists would release concert recordings. The seminal synth pop duo Erasure (singer-songwriter Andy Bell and keyboardist Vince Clarke) is featured performing 24 tracks on the fast-moving release. World Be Live was recorded across two shows at the Event Apollo in London at the close of the group's sold-out UK World Be Gone tour. All the hits are too, and sound great. "Opening with "Oh L'Amour" and "Ship of Fools," fans are treated to favorites "Chains of Love," "Who Needs Love (Like That)," "Always," "Sometimes" and "A Little Respect" along the way. Erasure also digs deep into their catalog, performing tracks such as the lovely ballad "Mad As We Are," the catchy "Just a Little Love" from their 2017 "World Be Gone" album and even a rousing cover of Blondie's "Atomic." "World Be Live" is available in 2CD, triple vinyl and digital formats. Erasure is currently on tour and is scheduled to perform at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles on Aug. 21, 24, 25, 26, and at Symphony Hall in San Diego on Aug. 22. Information: ErasureInfo.com.



Robert Kinsler

Lords of the New Church's debut album expanded with live set, coming form Blixa Sounds on July 20, 2018

It's great to hear the world is going to see the release of a special, expanded edition of the debut from the Lords of the New Church!


The Lords of the New Church and more unearthed'

Two-CD release from Blixa Sounds, due July 20, 2018, features the band's self-titled 1982 debut plus bonus tracks and a live set!

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The 1982 self-titled debut by post-punk supergroup the Lords of the New Church will be unearthed for a new generation of fans by Blixa Sounds Records on July 20, 2018.

This special edition two-CD set titled Lords of the New Church: Special Edition features all 10 tracks from the band’s 1982 self-titled debut, originally released by I.R.S. Records in the U.S., plus the B-side bonus tracks “Girls Girls Girls” and “Young Don’t Cry,” as well as the single version of the band’s modern rock hit, “Open Your Eyes.” The album is augmented by a 13-track 1982 live set — culled from the band’s own vault — featuring the Lords in all their glory at My Father’s Place, the legendary Long Island, N.Y. nightclub. Aside from live versions of the songs on their debut, the second disc includes the Lords’ reading of the Allen Toussaint classic “Fortune Teller.” The set includes a 12-page, full-color booklet, featuring photos of the band, replicas of gig posters and new liners noted by music journalist Craig Rosen, who interviewed the band in 1983 for his college newspaper.

The Lords of the New Church were formed in 1980 by Stiv Bator and Brian James, both survivors of the punk wars of the late ’70s. James was a founding member and chief songwriter of U.K. punksthe Damned, responsible for such classics as “New Rose” and “Neat Neat Neat.” Bator was the mouthpiece of young, loud and snotty Cleveland punks the Dead Boys, known for such classics as “Sonic Reducer” and “Caught With the Meat in Your Mouth.” It was record mogul Miles Copeland, founder of the I.R.S. Records label and older brother of Police drummer Stewart, who suggested the Bator-James alliance.

Initially, the Lords were a punk supergroup of sorts, with its first rhythm section consisting of ex-Generation X bassist Tony James and two-time Clash drummer Terry Chimes. Though they didn’t last, their song “Russian Roulette” stayed, and made the band’s debut album. Bassist Dave Tregunna of Sham 69 was eventually recruited with Damned drummer Rat Scabies joining the fold for a single 1980 gig billed as the Dead Damned Sham Band. By the time Scabies was replaced by Nick Turner, formerly of London-based neo-surf combo the Barracudas, the band was rechristened the Lords of the New Church.

Recorded at Farmyard Studios in the U.K. and produced by the Lords, the band’s 10-track 1982 debut is an unholy mix of punk, glam, garage rock and goth, giving those too young to catch the Damned and the Dead Boys in their prime the opportunity to experience the legends of Bator and James in real time.

Delivered at the beginning of the Reagan-Thatcher years, Bator’s lyrics perfectly caught the paranoia of the time, observing, “They threaten our lives with nuclear war” in the opening salvo “New Church.” He takes it a step further in the band’s biggest hit and album standout “Open Your Eyes.” Over a galloping punky reggae rhythm provided by James et al., Bator sings, “Video games train the kids for war / Army chic in high-fashion stores,” later adding “nuclear politicians’ picture show / the acting’s lousy but the blind don’t know.” Those lyrics were timely in ’82, and sadly they’re still relevant today; only the puppetheads in charge have changed.

Elsewhere, the Lords served up the defiantly politically incorrect “Eat Your Heart Out,” aimed at a “rich bitch” Stiv wants to “shut up and sit down,” a killer cover of the Balloon Farm nugget “Question of Temperature,” and other raging originals, including the tribal stomp of “Portobello,” the big beat psych-pop of “Livin’ on Livin’,” and the eve-of-destruction rocker “Holy War.”

While the band was touring to support the album in March 1983, an aspiring college journalist caught up with the Lords prior to a gig at Perkins Palace in Pasadena, California. What he witnessed was not rock ’n’ roll excess, but rather a group of seasoned professionals working hard to break through. Their day consisted of a TV appearance, interviews, soundcheck, a quick trip back to the hotel, and then the gig. Bator was wisecracking and rail thin; James, more soft-spoken and serious. “We’re four geezers who got together because we got along with each other,” James noted. Bator, at the time, was down on punk, which had been co-opted by violent skinheads, and was seeking to offer fans an alternative. “It’s all just a repeating of clichés and slogans of the past,” he said. “It’s become a fashion instead of a movement of passion like it was.”

While the Lords went on to record two other studio albums, their self-titled debut remains their finest hour (actually, a quick-hit 34 minutes). Bator died in 1990 after being hit by a car in Paris. According to legend, his girlfriend snorted some of his ashes and sprinkled the rest on the grave of Jim Morrison

Stiv may be gone, but it’s not too late for you to worship at the altar of the Lords and join the New Church. Shut up and sit down, and give it a listen.

Lords Of The New Church: Special Edition

Disc One:
1. New Church                        

2. Russian Roulette                  

3. Question of Temperature    

4. Eat Your Heart Out             

5. Portobello                           

6. Open Your Eyes                  

7. Livin’ On Livin’                    

8. Li’l Boys Play With Dolls     

9. Apocalypso                         

10. Holy War                           

Bonus Tracks

11. Girls, Girls, Girls                

12. Young Don’t Cry                

13. Open Your Eyes (Single Version)  

Disc Two:

(Live From My Father’s Place 1982)
1. New Church                        

2. Question of Temperature    

3. Girls Girls Girls                    

4. Livin’ On Livin’                    

5. Eat Your Heart Out             

6. Russian Roulette                 

7. Fortune Teller                                 

8. Open Your Eyes                  

9. Li’l Boys Play with Dolls      

10. Holy War    

11. Portobello

12. Apocalypso

13. New Church