AllMusic Staff Pick
Sparks
Kimono My House

Arguably one of Sparks’ best albums, 1974’s Kimono My House (released 50 years ago today) finds the brothers Mael (Ron wrote most the songs and played keyboards, while Russell was the singing frontman) ingeniously playing their guitar- and keyboard-heavy pop mix on 12 consistently fine tracks.

- Stephen Cook

AllMusic Staff Pick:
Richard & Linda Thompson
Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight

In Linda Thompson, Richard found a superb collaborator and a world-class vocalist; Linda possessed a voice as clear and rich as Sandy Denny’s, but with a strength that could easily support Richard’s often weighty material, and she proved capable of tackling anything presented to her And while Richard had already made clear that he was a songwriter to be reckoned with, on I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight, released 50 years ago today, he went from strength to strength.

- Mark Deming

AllMusic Staff Pick
Bears in Trees
And Everybody Else Smiled Back

On this album, Bears in Trees sound more polished and expansive than in their earlier ventures, but they maintain the unique flavor of an indie “dirtbag boyband” drawing from a wide variety of inspirations. Singers Callum Litchfield and Iain Gillespie’s differing voices complement each other well, touching on themes of mental health and love earnestly and with a sense of humor. The album smoothly blends styles ranging from sentimental strings to defiant electric guitar to bright ukulele into a heartwarmingly honest production.

- Hannah Schwartz

AllMusic Staff Pick:
Nervous Gender
Music from Hell

Recently reissued by Dark Entries, Nervous Gender’s 1981 debut is a sick, depraved, and wickedly humorous lo-fi mess which greatly influenced both the synth-punk and queercore scenes.

- Paul Simpson

AllMusic Staff Pick:
Ben Folds Five
The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner

The follow-up to the popular Whatever and Ever Amen, Ben Folds Five’s third LP, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Mesner (released 25 years ago today), continues the eclectic and clever songwriting that has become the group’s trademark. Like other piano-based rock composers such as Randy Newman and Todd Rundgren, principal songwriter and de facto leader Ben Folds combines an off-beat world view with equally off-kilter musical arrangements to create a thoroughly original sound.

- Steve Kurutz

AllMusic Staff Pick:
Sweet
Sweet Fanny Adams

Although they were often dismissed as a fluffy singles group in their day, Sweet crafted a handful of strong albums in the mid-‘70s that sported some surprisingly muscular hard rock. Released 50 years ago today, Sweet Fanny Adams’ heavy metal masterpiece is the title track, a seedy portrait of juvenile delinquency whose brutal lyrics anticipate the grim imagery of punk rock. The song’s vivid lyrics are effectively brought to life by a blinding succession of speed metal guitar riffs that are fleshed out by the kind of spacy synthesizer work that later graced “Fox on the Run.”

- Donald A. Guarisco

AllMusic Staff Pick:
Frankie Reyes
Originalitos

Gabriel Reyes-Whittaker’s first all-original album as Frankie Reyes is a tranquil delight of cocktail minimalism played solo on an Oberheim synthesizer.

- Timothy Monger

AllMusic Staff Pick
Charlie Haden
The Montreal Tapes [Joe Henderson/Al Foster]

Recorded on the opening night of the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal as part of an eight-concert series paying tribute to Charlie Haden. While the other evenings all featured stellar musicians and wonderful collaborations, this one is special because it features Haden in a trio of players not usually associated with him: drummer Al Foster – fresh from Miles Davis’ band, and the late tenor giant Joe Henderson. In fact, Haden has subtitled the set, “Tribute to Joe Henderson.”

- Thom Jurek

AllMusic Staff Picks
Doris Day
Love Me or Leave Me [Original Soundtrack]

One of the vocalist’s greatest and least likely successes, this biopic saw her take a dramatic turn after a string of light musical comedies. Though she looked and sounded nothing like the subject, Ruth Etting (whose 1920s and ‘30s recordings were long out of print by that time), it became the best-selling album of Day’s career, spending months at the top of the Billboard album chart with her takes on songs like the title track, “Ten Cents Dance,” and “You Made Me Love You (I Didn’t Want to Do It).”

- Marcy Donelson

AllMusic Staff Pick:
Bunk Johnson
Last Testament

Bunk Johnson had a rather unlikely career. Completely forgotten and out of music by the late ‘30s, he was given a new set of teeth and a trumpet and hailed as a legend. Johnson made an impressive comeback, but excessive drinking resulted in an erratic and short-lived career. Both overpraised by some and dismissed by others, Johnson was actually a fine player when he was at his best. His final recording, which appears here along with two alternate takes, was arguably his best.

- Scott Yanow

AllMusic Staff Pick:
Neneh Cherry
Blank Project

Compared to Cherry’s three earlier solo albums, the last of which was released in 1996, this is from another dimension. It’s in line with her post-punk roots in the Slits, Rip Rig & Panic, New Age Steppers, and Float Up CP and, to a lesser extent, her 2000s output with family affair cirKus. The album begins with Cherry in a state of grief, and the mood from there hardly lifts through stark pieces full of hurtling drums and protrusive synthesizers topped by Cherry’s baleful and agitated words, sometimes delivered with contrasting sweetness. From front to back, it’s riveting uneasy listening.

- Andy Kellman

AllMusic Staff Pick:
Robin Trower
Bridge of Sighs

Guitarist Robin Trower’s watershed sophomore solo disc, released 50 years ago today, remains his most stunning, representative, and consistent collection of tunes. Mixing obvious Hendrix influences with blues and psychedelia, then adding the immensely soulful vocals of James Dewar, Trower pushed the often limited boundaries of the power trio concept into refreshing new waters.

- Hal Horowitz

AllMusic Staff Pick:
Klara Lewis
Ett

As a newcomer to Editions Mego, Klara Lewis’ full-length debut album sits comfortably alongside some of her peers on the label like Fennesz and Oneohtrix Point Never, and is a very impressive effort. For a debut, it’s a very rich, mature, and engaging listen with joyous moments – electronic landscapes with a special attention to detail and a warm, conscious human input. It’s for people who love low pulsating basses, industrial sounds, reverberated pops, and music that frequently drifts between the tranquil and unnerving.

- James Pearce

AllMusic Staff Pick:
Dave Angel
Classics

Collecting tracks from his early EPs for R&S, Dave Angel’s Classics is a superb collection of jazzy, Detroit-influenced techno from a British perspective. All of the tracks are driving yet lush and melodic, perfectly balancing rhythmic exploration and emotional expression.

- Paul Simpson

AllMusic Staff Pick:
Tall Tall Trees
Freedays

Mike Savino’s first solo outing under the indie psych-folk moniker, the project’s third album highlights modifications he made to his banjo while playing out solo, including pickups, looping and pedal effects, and the ability to use his banjo head as a drum. Originally intending to rely completely on his banjo gear, he eventually brought in frequent touring partner Kishi Bashi, Ween drummer Claude Coleman, Jr., and drummer Philip Mayer for finishing touches. The resulting nine songs ultimately deliver heartfelt music that’s at least as charming as it is innovative.

- Marcy Donelson