Top 89 Staff Picks: James Norton
by James Norton
December 10, 2014
James Norton is the editor and publisher of The Heavy Table, a daily web magazine devoted to food -- from roots to table -- in the upper midwest. He appears regularly on The Current's Morning Show's Wednesday 'Eating and Drinking with The Current' segment.
Norton has written a couple of food books, but most recently penned a collection of stories called Wendigo's Credit Card.
Jorge Drexler - Bailar en la Cueva
"Bailar en la Cueva" sees Uruguayan singer-songwriter Jorge Drexler step back from the (gorgeously) Radiohead-derivative sound that defined "12 Segundos de Oscuridad" and "Eco" and push into a folkier, more soulful sound that recalls the works of Manu Chao or Paul Simon's Graceland. Spanish is Drexler's native tongue, so you'll miss some of his biting wit and faculty with wordplay if you don't speak it - but the rhythm, soul, and melody will resonate regardless.
Fujiya & Miyagi - Artificial Sweeteners
The English electro-pop outfit Fujiya & Miyagi went dark and acidic with their 2011 album, "Ventriloquizzing"; true to its name, "Artificial Sweeteners" is a step back to the tightly-wound goofball charm that propelled their earlier album "Transparent Things." There's stripped-down aesthetic on tracks like Acid to My Alkaline that calls up Spoon or Elvis Costello - the minimalism on display in "Artificial Sweeteners" is kinetic, taut, and addictive.
Spoon - They Want My Soul
The dudes from the Austin, TX outfit Spoon can always be counted upon to put on a good show, and "They Want My Soul" is no exception. This, the band's ninth full-length release, shows no signs of fatigue - it's hard-charging, engaging, profoundly energizing rock and roll dominated by propulsive rhythm, swaggering vocals, and head nodding choruses. Spoon tends toward minimalism, but "They Want My Soul" feels lusher and more ambitiously produced than much of their back catalog without even a touch of bloated self-regard or gimmickry.
Röyksopp - The Inevitable End
"The Inevitable End" is both an album title and a statement of finality - this disc is the fifth and final album by the Norwegian duo Röyksopp. You'd think that digital keyboards and thickly vocoded vocals would result in album drained of life and emotion, but The Inevitable End is moody, brooding, warm, and gently mournful. Tracks like the pulse-pounding Monument call back to Röyksopp's ability to heat up a dance-floor, but most of "The Inevitable End" is a poetic goodbye, sad and lovely.
Beck - Morning Phase
Many listeners demand constant change and evolution from their artists, and Beck, by and large, has appeased critics with a perpetual willingness to reinvent himself and push forward into new sonic territory. "Morning Phase," however, feels like a sequel to the dark, wistful, and profoundly moving "Sea Change." So what if "Morning Phase" could alternatively be titled "Sea Change II: Still Changin' (After All These Years)" - the album is a plate of perfectly preserved leftovers from a ravishingly good banquet.
