Got vinyl? Kevin Wierzbicki gives cool new vinyl releases from The Killers, Jamey Johnson and MGMT a spin and gives us the lowdown on them in this latest edition of On The Record. Jamey Johnson - That Lonesome Song (2 X 12" vinyl)
Mercury
The last song on this album, "Between Jennings and Jones," describes Johnson's music in a nutshell. Referring to Waylon Jennings and George Jones, the song describes a singer who leaves Montgomery, Alabama for hopeful stardom in Nashville packing nothing more than a sound "somewhere between Jennings and Jones." Throw in a little Merle Haggard and a little Toby Keith and that's exactly where Johnson resides. The album starts with "Released," a brief non-musical piece depicting Johnson's release from jail before continuing with "High Cost of Living," a blunt revealing of the cocaine addiction that got him there in the first place. The two pieces set the tone for the album; Johnson performs these songs as a repentant man who's trying to get past the consequences of his mistakes. You'll hear lots of familiar sounds on That Lonesome Song; "Angel" and "The Door is Always Open" sound a lot like Jennings, "Place Out on the Ocean" moves to a Jimmy Buffett lilt and "Mowin' down the Roses" tunes into a funky Little Feat groove. But Johnson has a voice that honors these guys, he doesn't mimic them, and this album is a good start at landing this talented artist a spot in music history somewhere between Jennings and Jones. buy it
The Killers - "Human" b/w "A Crippling Blow" (12" Picture disc single)
Island
"Human," from the band's Day & Age album, is not the most exciting single that the Killers have ever released. But then again people don't normally buy picture discs for the musical content---the collectibles are more for show. As for the artwork, the "Human" side features a portrait of singer Brandon Flowers done in a (probably computer generated) pointillism style while the "A Crippling Blow" side features a black and white photo of the band standing against a tree. "A Crippling Blow" is not on Day & Age but maybe it should have been; it's a lot more fun than "Human." This one plays at 45 R.P.M. despite its 12" format. buy it
MGMT - Metanoia (10" E.P.)
Columbia
"Metanoia" clocks in at nearly fourteen minutes and technically it is one song but it sort of stops and restarts several times and ends up sounding like a (nice) long mash-up of Sgt. Pepper's-era Beatles and the spacey noodling of the Grateful Dead circa From the Mars Hotel. The music is held on the A-side of this 10" E.P. while the B-side has the image of a coach's whistle on a string etched into the vinyl. The package also includes a code for a free download of "Metanoia." buy it
