Pearl Harbor & the Explosions
Pearl Harbor & the Explosions
(Liberation Hall)
Similar artists: The Waitresses, Holly & the Italians, Kirsty MacColl, Patty Smyth
Pearl Harbor & the Explosions was a brief shining star on the Bay Area music scene at the dawn of the new wave era. Led by Pearl E. Gates (a former backing singer/dancer for The Tubes, later known as Pearl Harbour and now Palm Springs resident), the quartet enjoyed a regional hit with “Drivin” on influential San Francisco indie label 415 Records and signed to Warner Bros. for its lone album released in January 1980. David Kahne (The Bangles, Paul McCartney, Tony Bennett), who worked with Warner's Howie Klein at 415, produced it.
This terrific reissue replaces one from Blixa Sounds that went out of print. It features the original album's nine pop/new wave-tinged tunes, seven bonus tracks (encompassing spirited live Nick Lowe, Ron Wood and Joe Bennett covers), astute liner notes by veteran Bay Area music critic/author Joel Selvin, new cover art and multiple archival photos.
Standouts include a breezy and insanely catchy “You Got It (Release It),” edgy rocker “Shut Up and Dance,” the frenetic epic “Up and Over,” where Peter Bilt's guitar work evoked Andy Summers (Harbor & the Explosions opened concerts for The Police and Talking Heads during its brief career), the urgent “Drivin'” and appropriately-titled "Busy Little B-Side." The reissue comes in CD, digital and limited edition opaque sky blue vinyl.
Also reissued via Liberation Hall: Pearl’s vibrant old school rock ‘n’ roll-leaning solo bow Don’t Follow Me, I’m Lost Too, with contributions from The Clash, Ian Dury & the Blockheads members, plus BJ Cole and Geraint Watkins.
Info: bandcamp.com
Suzanne Vega
Flying with Angels
(Cooking Vinyl)
Similar artists: Tracy Chapman, Shawn Colvin, Aimee Mann, Jewel
Emerging from Greenwich Village folk clubs, Suzanne Vega released her debut album in 1985. Over the ensuing decade, she landed hits like “Luka,” “Book of Dreams,” “Tom’s Diner,” and “Blood Makes Noise,” having a major impact on young female singer/songwriters of the era and the Lilith Fair festivals.
Vega is back with this long-awaited studio album and it’s among her best ever. Frequent collaborator and guitarist Gerry Leonard produced; Catherine Russell – like Leonard, a David Bowie alum – also returns to add sublime backing vocals (Vega's daughter Ruby also sings on a couple songs). Vega’s literate songcraft is often Dylan-esque, so the nod to The Bard of Folk on delightful highlight “Chambermaid” makes perfect sense, while the bright, groovy “Lucinda,” a long-gestating tribute to fellow performer Williams, is equally memorable.
Elsewhere, the jangly “Speakers’ Corner” deftly delving into the effect of social media dominance, the manic rocker “Rats” inspired by a pandemic-related NYC rodent problem, lovely Irish folk ballad “Galway,” luxurious, nearly disco “Love Thief” and dark, percolating “Witch” are other winners.
Info: suzannevega.com
Peter Murphy
Silver Shade
(Metropolis)
Similar artists: Bauhaus, Tool, Nine Inch Nails
Whether serving as frontman for seminal darkwave band Bauhaus or a solo act, Peter Murphy is always a captivating presence. His deep and dramatic, instantly recognizable baritone and oblique lyrics have kept the British singer entrenched within the alt-rock consciousness since the early ‘80s.
Murphy’s first new studio album since 2014’s Lion is a fascinating keeper. Killing Joke bassist Youth returned to produce and play various instruments. This time around, they recruited guests from Nine Inch Nails (Trent Reznor on vocals) and Tool (Justin Chancellor and Danny Carey, on bass, drums) for selected tracks. Several clock in past the five-minute-mark.
The results are both riveting and startling. Key picks to click: the slinky, foreboding “Swoon,” exotic sonics on the Spanish guitar-tinged ballad “Time Waits” and creepy “Xavier New Boy,” the primal “Cochita is Lame” (co-written by Bauhaus bandmate Kevin Haskins) and the chugging, foreboding title track.
Info: bandcamp.com
George Paul
