Brandon's Buzz

April arrives in high style, as a boatload of estrogen descends upon poor David Byrne, and a handful of hotly-anticipated sophomore projects make their entrances. Take a look:

Because she is his biggest fan on the planet, bar none, I asked my remarkable best friend Sherry Ann to pen a paragraph about one of this week’s record store report residents. Herewith in its entirety, her novel-length dissertation: “First name Cary, last name Brothers.”  This is how Nashville singer/songwriter Cary Brothers describes himself on his Facebook page.  My guess is to keep people from searching for that ever elusive second Cary Brother that completes the band. Brothers, whose second album Under Control drops this week, got his big break in 2004 when college friend Zach Braff featured his song “Blue Eyes” on the soundtrack to his hit film Garden State. His music has since been used in shows like “One Tree Hill,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “Scrubs,” and if I were a betting person, I would put some money down that Mark Schwann will feature the new album in [this season’s] remaining four episodes of OTH.  Under Control is a ten track set (twelve if you buy it on iTunes) that stays in the vein of Brothers’ previous music — indie acoustic pop — but with a lot more production by Dashboard Confessional producer Bill Lefler. If you like Joshua Radin or Mat Kearney, then this album should be right up your alley.  Having already heard his covers of Spandau Ballet’s “True” and the Thompson Twins’ “If You Were Here,” which are available on iTunes, I personally can’t wait to hear Brothers’ take on Level 42’s “Something About You.” The only thing I can possibly add to that is, “Me either.”

Would you think me crazy if I told you that this week’s marquee release is a double-length concept album about the life and loves of former Filipino first lady Imelda Marcos? Because that is exactly what has come to pass with the new project Here Lies Love, on which New Wave legend David Byrne has teamed up with British dance master Fatboy Slim, and corralled one of the hands-down strongest assemblages of female talent — among them: Cyndi Lauper, Natalie Merchant, Allison Moorer, Sia, Martha Wainwright, and my beloved Tori Amos (who, believe it or not, shares a duet with Lauper, which is roughly what I calculate gay heaven should sound something like) — I have ever seen sharing the same narrow swath of musical real estate, for the lone purpose of celebrating and honoring one of the 20th century’s most infamous global political figures. Already I’m counting the minutes.

Also noteworthy this week:

• Also joining in the fun on Here Lies Love is the brilliantly talented (and critically adored) Sharon Jones, whose latest record with her band
  The Dap-Kings is entitled I Learned the Hard Way.

 

• Former Wallflower Jakob Dylan continues going it alone with his sophomore solo release, Women and Country.

 

• Miss Madonna drops a chronicle of her most recent concert experience this week with a new live CD/DVD set, The Sticky and Sweet Tour.

 

• Just ahead of the new Hole record, the band’s former bassist
  Melissa auf der Maur returns with her long-awaited second solo record, Out of Our Minds.

 

• Former J. Geils Band frontman Peter Wolf gets some help from
  Merle Haggard and the peerless Shelby Lynne on his latest record, Midnight Souvenirs.

 

• A lifetime beyond the “Party of Five” days, BoDeans are still plugging away at it; their latest is Mr. Sad Clown.

 

• One of the best-kept secrets in American music is the incredible
  Patrick Park, whose fifth album, Come What Will, arrives this week.

 

• Last but not least, I know this is meant to be a music report, but I’d be severely remiss if I failed to mention that one of my favorite authors — the staggeringly fine Christopher Rice — returns this week with his fifth thriller novel, The Moonlit Earth.

names dropped with reckless abandon: "Grey's Anatomy", "One Tree Hill", Allison Moorer, Bill Lefler, BoDeans, Cary Brothers, Christopher Rice, Cyndi Lauper, Dashboard Confessional, David Byrne, Fatboy Slim, Hole, Imelda Marcos, J. Geils Band, Jakob Dylan, Joshua Radin, Level 42, Madonna, Mark Schwann, Martha Wainwright, Mat Kearney, Melissa auf der Maur, Merle Haggard, Natalie Merchant, Patrick Park, Peter Wolf, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Shelby Lynne, Sherry Ann, Sia, Spandau Ballet, The Wallflowers, Thompson Twins, Tori Amos, Zach Braff