Picks of the Week
Thursday, February 19, 2009 - 12:56 PM
Three outstanding new releases, as picked by the Soundcheck staff -- plus a free song download. Listen to our segment here.

Benjy Ferree, “Come Back to the Five and Dime, Bobby Dee, Bobby Dee” (Domino) [Amazon]
Benjy Ferree has a bit of a Peter Pan fascination. His latest album is a eulogy for the forgotten child star Bobby Driscoll, who provided the voice of Peter Pan for the 1953 animated film. Driscoll starred in several Disney films, but the studio cut ties with him when he developed acne. He succumbed to drug addiction at age 31. Now, his sad story is a concept album. “Come Back to the Five and Dime Bobby Dee Bobby Dee,' from the singer-songwriter Benjy Ferree. --picked by Joel Meyer
DOWNLOAD: Benjy Ferree, 'Fear'

London Philharmonic Orchestra; Marin Alsop, conductor; Colin Currie, Percussion. Works by James MacMillan, Thomas Ades, Jennifer Higdon (LPO) [Amazon]
The percussion concerto is the crowd pleaser of the orchestra world. A new recording by the London Philharmonic shows exactly why. Scottish percussionist Colin Currie performs Jennifer Higdon’s Percussion Concerto, a piece that requires the soloist to dart about the stage playing 17 different instruments, including bongos and Chinese temple bells. That CD also includes a very dramatic score by the Scottish composer James MacMillan. --picked by Brian Wise
Marco Benevento, 'Me Not Me' (The Royal Potato Family) [Amazon]
Marco Benevento first came to attention as the keyboard half of the post-jazz Benevento-Russo Duo. Lately, he’s been working in a trio format. He still writes music that looks a bit like jazz and sounds a bit like rock, but his new effort, called “Me Not Me,” is full of covers, including a Leonard Cohen song. Benevento’s keyboards include far less piano and a lot more organ, circuit-bent electronics, and weird instruments like the Optigan. The album includes songs by Beck, My Morning Jacket, and The Knife. picked by John Schaefer
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