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The Best Vinyl We’re Spinning in March
March is here, which means two things: winter is just about over, and more awesome records are pouring into Barnes & Noble! Check out these great albums from M. Ward, Esperanza Spalding, Bob Mould, Celtic Thunder, and some B&N exclusive vinyl from Sara Bareilles. We’ve also got great film and musical soundtracks, including the original soundtrack from West Side Story and the special edition, 3-disc behemoth score for the upcoming film Batman v Superman. There’s no better way to welcome the coming spring than by putting one of these great records on the turntable, opening all your windows, and letting the sunshine in!
What’s Inside: Songs from Waitress, by Sara Bareilles
Bareilles’ fifth album is the score from the stage adaptation of the 2007 film Waitress, for which she wrote both the music and the lyrics. Modern theatre is full of film adaptations, but none of them have soundtracks this good; while these songs were touched up for a proper album release, they maintain the clarity and playfulness of Broadway showtunes without losing what makes Bareilles’ voice so unique. Her songwriting and vocal chops make this an impressively versatile album. “Opening Up” is as bright and joyous as a beam of sunlight, where “Soft Place to Land” is quieter, more introspective, and carried by beautiful harmonies.
More Rain, by M. Ward
Portland-based singer/songwriter M. Ward (also one half, with Zooey Deschanel, of She & Him) carries the influence of his hometown’s signature weather—damp, gray, but somehow pleasant—into this solo album, his eighth overall. While its tone is unassuming and somewhat downcast, the lyrics take what Ward calls a “bird’s eye view of humanity,” processing unhappy observations into a sort of rainy-day optimism. This is most evident on songs like “Girl From Conejo Valley” and “Confession,” both of which are earnest and unironic thanks to Ward’s voice and a few dreamlike touches to the album’s production.
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Emily’s D+Evolution, by Esperanza Spalding
If you want proof of singer and bassist/cellist Esperanza Spalding’s skills, she’s only 31 and has four Grammys, and was the first jazz musician to win one of them (Best New Artist, in 2011). Her upcoming album, Emily’s D+Evolution, makes a bit of a shift from jazz fusion into simpler, and more explosive, flirtations with rock. Spalding’s exemplary bass skills are joined by guitarist Matthew Stevens and, depending on the track, Justin Tyson or Karriem Riggins on drums, and as bandleader, Esperanza pairs rock ‘n’ roll energy with dynamic jazz composition. The results make for really compelling music, especially the tracks “One” and “Judas.”
Vinyl: Music from the HBO Original Series, Vol. 1
A show about the music industry during the original heyday of vinyl records is expected to have a killer soundtrack, and Vinyl surpasses that expectation. A blend of era-appropriate pop, rock, disco, and soul, Vinyl captures the essence of a very active decade in music without sounding beholden to it. Along with classics by Otis Redding, Ruth Brown, and Foghat, this album got New York Dolls’ singer David Johansen back in the studio to breathe new life into two of his band’s best songs, “Personality Crisis” and “Stranded In the Jungle,” and Kaleo’s raging “No Good” channels the blues rock of the 1970s so well that it’s as much a seance as it is a great song.
Batman v Superman Deluxe Soundtrack
The hype train for Batman v Superman has been greatly aided by its fantastic score, composed by Dreamworks bigwig Hans Zimmer and Dutch producer/multi-instrumentalist Junkie XL. Many times, movie scores are underwhelming on their own, because their entire purpose is to elevate the visual aspects of a film, but Zimmer and XL’s collaboration is a powerful, intense, combative piece of work. The elements of Superman’s brash, public confidence and Batman’s dark, secretive brooding are all present in the music, even without the accompanying visuals. “Their War Here” and “Men Are Still Good” are the most evocative for us, but with three discs in this set, you’ll have to pick your own favorites.
West Side Story, by Leonard Bernstein
Musical soundtracks don’t get much better than Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim’s legendary collaboration on West Side Story. Essentially a retelling of Romeo & Juliet in 1950s New York, West Side Story was considered an extremely edgy and risky production in its heyday, and Bernstein’s music played a big role in that. His marriage of classical rigor and pop spontaneity (and catchiness) was a revolution in and of itself, and resulted in some of the most iconic songs of the 20th century. The finger-snapping rhythms and distinctive melodies of “Prologue” have become pop culture mainstays in their own right, and “Jet Song,” “Gee Officer Krupke,” and “I Feel Pretty” have endured among pop music fans and theatre enthusiasts alike.
Patch the Sky, by Bob Mould
In a statement about his upcoming solo album Patch the Sky, former Hüsker Dü and Sugar frontman Bob Mould (who also wrote the theme song for The Daily Show) said he “withdrew from everyday life [and] wrote alone for six months” in preparation. The resulting album is “generally simple and catchy” on one side, and “heavier in spirit and tone” on the other. He loves both sides of this new album, and after hearing it, so do we. As much as he warns about the dark lyrics and themes, there are some real earworms to be found here. Heck, the first track, “Voices in My Head,” is almost enough to sell this album by itself, and even darker material like “Black Confetti” makes for enjoyable listening.
Legacy, Vol 1, by Celtic Thunder
Celtic Thunder’s latest stage show, Legacy, is a tour de force performance of their best songs, picked from their impressive streak of standing-room-only world tours. It also sees the Irish singing group reunite with Damian McGinty, one of the group’s original members, who went on to play Rory Flanagan on Glee. As expected, the vocals on this record are in top form, especially on the tracks “Caledonia,” “The Mountains of Mourne,” and “Danny Boy,” but the musicians deserve some love, too. Providing hefty, complex arrangements full of strings, guitars, percussion, whistles, pipes, and keyboards, the Celtic Thunder Band is no joke.