The eponymous 2011 album by Arthur's Landing was a cause of celebration. A musical collective whose members had previously performed with the late gay musical mastermind Arthur Russell, Arthur's Landing joined the chorus of others who made efforts to keep Russell's music and memory alive. Four years later, Arthur's Landing returns with the double-CD remix disc Second Thoughts (Buddhist Army). It's hard to imagine what Russell, whose contributions to dance music can still be felt today (just ask gay rapper Cazwell, who sampled Russell's Loose Joints track "Is It All Over My Face?"), would think about the current state of remixing �" or the use of the word remix, for that matter. Still, it is eye- and ear-opening to hear the Cooked Audio mix of "It's A Boy," the Alkalino mix of "Tell You Today," the Standard Planets mix of "Dumbo Dumbo," and the Virgin Magnetic mix of "Change My Life." They all make Russell more relevant than ever.
Like Arthur Russell, Jobriath was a musician far ahead of his time, and one that we lost too soon, when he died of AIDS complications in 1983. As groundbreaking an artist as Russell, Jobriath was an openly and unapologetically gay performer, marketed by Elektra Records in the early 1970s as American glam rock's answer to David Bowie. Walking the walk and talking the talk in equal measure, Jobriath failed to catch on as hoped and was soon set adrift. Over the years, he's been rediscovered by a variety of musicians (hello, Morrissey) and a range of hipsters, and finally got some of his due belatedly. The attractively packaged DVD/LP set Jobriath A.D. - A Rock n Roll Fairy Tale + Popstar: The Lost Musical (Factory 25) combines Kieran Turner's well-received doc about Jobriath (including a wealth of bonus features) with the clear vinyl album containing the previously unreleased songs (and Jobriath's commentary) from Popstar, his "lost musical."
Pianist Elizabeth Joy Roe pays homage to Benjamin Britten (1913-76) and Samuel Barber (1910-81), two of the greatest queer composers of the 20th century, on Britten & Barber | Piano Concertos, Nocturnes (Decca), playing with the London Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Emil Tabakov. The 1945 revised version of Britten's Piano Concerto, Op. 13 and Barber's Piano Concerto, Op. 38 are marvelous choices for Roe, as are Barber's Nocturne for Piano (Homage to John Field), Op. 33 and Britten's Night Piece (Nocturno). Roe's insightful liner notes are also required reading.