Jim Boggia: Misadventures in Stereo
Bluhammock Music BLU80033
Format: CD

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Jim Boggia’s witty liner notes for his third disc, Misadventures in Stereo, close with a series of "Questions asked during the making of this record." One of them is "Should we use a click?" A click track is an electronic metronome that plays in headphones to keep musicians from wandering off time when they’re recording or playing live, and some people (I’m one) believe the beginning of cold, manufactured pop music can be traced to the use of the technique. Boggia’s answer to the question is "God no." There’s nothing manufactured about Misadventures in Stereo, which is a stunningly subtle example of pop craftsmanship. Boggia doesn’t hide his influences -- among them the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and, bless him, Harry Nilsson -- but he channels them in surprising ways. It’s only about halfway through the beautifully constructed vocal harmonies of "To and Fro" that his connection to the Move becomes apparent, while in "Chalk One Up for Albert’s Side," the trumpet line, and the alarm clock that chimes about two-thirds of the way through the track, evoke Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band without hitting you over the head with it. Pretty soon you’ll stop trying to figure out where Boggia’s genius is rooted and just let it wash over you. I can’t resist a guy who slips in a reference to underappreciated pop genius Emitt Rhodes in "8 Track." Neither should you. . . . Joseph Taylor

Neil Young: Sugar Mountain: Live at Canterbury House
Reprise 516758-2
Format: CD

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Neil Young was just 22 when he recorded these live performances in 1968, at Canterbury House, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Buffalo Springfield had just split up, and Young’s first solo album would be released only a few days later. Young wasn’t yet rock aristocracy, and, as the emcee notes in his introduction, the club was surprised at how many people came out to hear him. One track from this gig, "Sugar Mountain," showed up as the B-side of the singles "The Loner" and "Cinnamon Girl," and on the 3-LP/2-CD retrospective Decade (1977), but nothing else here has ever been officially released until now. Young sings tunes he wrote for Buffalo Springfield ("Out of My Mind," "On the Way Home"), along with a few that would show up on his first LP. He also talks quite a bit between tunes, some of it hippyish fun, some of it puzzling but likable. In this very simple two-track recording, Young’s acoustic guitar and voice are mixed center stage, behind them the reassuring sound of analog tape hiss. Some of these songs sound drastically different from their full-on rock versions, but lose none of their power in these stripped-down acoustic performances. . . . Joseph Taylor

Various Artists: Rich Man’s War: New Blues & Roots Songs of Peace and Protest
RUF 1144
Format: CD

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You might not find anything in the 12 tracks of Rich Man’s War: New Blues & Roots Songs of Peace and Protest as elegant as "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" or "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream," but much here is worth hearing. Some of the songs -- Michael Hill’s "Fear Itself," the Pat Boyack Band’s "Mr. Wesola’s Lucky Number Dream Book Part II" -- are smart, but hard to learn and play. Others are more friendly to the oral tradition: Bob Brozman’s "Follow the Money," Norman and Nancy Blake’s "Don’t Be Afraid of the Neo-Cons," Roy Zimmerman’s "Chickenhawk," and Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater’s gospel tune "A Time for Peace." Wit and imagination abound. For a collection of such diverse styles and arrangements recorded independently over five years, these tracks sound not only clear and bright, but give the impression of having been recorded much closer together in time and space. . . . David Cantor

The Columbia Is Lost: St. Anthony’s Fire
www.thecolumbiaislost.co.uk
Format: CD

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The Columbia Is Lost, aka wunderkind Paul Ash, released St. Anthony’s Fire in October 2008. It’s the first full-length album from Ash, who wrote, performed, recorded, and produced it all, using "any instrument I could get my hands on" -- which turns out to be an impressively varied selection. From electric bass, guitar, and keyboard to cello, trumpet, clarinet, charango, and a 269-year-old violin, the blend is ornately orchestral and harmonic. Some tracks are entirely instrumental, such as the grinding, electrified takeoff track, "Light the Blue Touch Paper," and the Middle Eastern-influenced "Auto De Fe," which conjures up images of desert caravans. Those that incorporate lyrics do so with subtle chants, samples of tele convos, and softly spoken, dream-like poems. Each song seems to progress from calm to confusion to chaos and back to calm, giving the listener the feeling that an emotional voyage has been made. You may have to go to MySpace, or The Columbia Is Lost website, to order this disc; an unsigned artist, Ash distributes his music himself, and will gladly ship you an album directly from West Sussex, England. He’ll also likely include a brief personal note thanking you for your support. Much like the effect of the poisonous ergot fungus alluded to in the album’s title, St. Anthony’s Fire is utterly bewitching. . . . Shannon Holliday

Artie Shaw: The Last Recordings, Volume 1
Nimbus NI 2709/10
Format: CD

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Artie Shaw was one of the geniuses of swing, a popular musician who constantly challenged himself and then, in 1954, when he felt he’d said everything he could on the clarinet, quit playing altogether. This two-CD set includes three of Shaw’s final small-group recordings from 1954 -- sextet and quintet sessions that include Hank Jones on piano. Shaw is in strong form, elegant and fiery, with a clean, burnished tone and an easy, unforced flow of beautiful melodic ideas. The tunes are standards Shaw and his fans knew well, such as "Besame Mucho" and "Someone to Watch Over Me," but the leader never coasts or falls back on clichés. Tal Farlow, the guitarist on the first two sessions, contributes some of his best playing in beautifully restrained lines. Those sessions also feature Joe Roland on vibes, whose solos are as detailed and precise as Shaw’s. The clarinetist has high praise for Hank Jones in the liner notes, and the pianist earned it. He plays brilliantly throughout, and his solos are tasteful and intelligently paced. These sessions were recorded in mono, and while I occasionally wished for a bit more clarity in the sound, they’re nonetheless enjoyable. The recordings, originally released on Verve, were reissued in 1992 on MusicMasters, and are now again available through the British label Nimbus. . . . Joseph Taylor