A lot going on in life, so I’ve dumped some highlights of the past few months into a single list.
Antonin Dvorak – Rusalka: It’s like the Little Mermaid but with murder! In the first act, I love the personification of a wave as a woman who is hugging the man she loves.
Claire Rousay – Everything Perfect Is Already Here: Listened a few more times but still doesn’t do a lot for me.
Kelly Lee Owens – LP.8: One of my favorite things about a record is when each track stands on its own but they all come together in a way that is greater than the individual parts. LP.8 succeeds at this. I don’t love every track but they all fit together incredibly well.
Young Fathers – Heavy Heavy: I can tell when I hear something original because I compare it to really random things. Heavy Heavy got everything from the Stones to Motown to TV on the Radio. It’s unquestionably one of the best, and most original, records I’ve heard in a long time, and it’s been a mainstay these past few months.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – The Heist: I read a couple of people reminisce about The Heist beating Good Kid M.A.A.D. City back in the day. I never listened to The Heist so I checked it out. It’s good. Some horns, some good storytelling, some uplifting moments where hope triumphs over despair. It made me wonder why “serious” music fans spend so much time hating on artists who bring joy into their music.
Deftones – Ohms: This should have followed White Pony.
Tori Amos – Little Earthquakes and Scarlet’s Walk: The thing that surprises me most about Little Earthquakes is how safe most of the arrangements are: strings where emotions swell, power chords when tension boils over, eighth-note basslines to propel things forward. It all works, but I know more about music than I did when I fell for this record in the early ‘90s. Now, it feels both manipulative and lazy. She clearly had more creative control over Scarlet’s Walk, yet the music doesn’t capture her power. I’d love to see Amos work with a truly great producer and band who could match her creativity.
Amelie Lens – Global Underground 44 Antwerp: This one kept me company on a couple of long commutes. It’s good, but I prefer her mix for Fabric.
Kolsch – “Dogma”: Version 1 is like if “Baba O’Riley” was re-imagined as a techno song.
Jeff Buckley – Grace: The amazing thing about this record, unlike say Greta Van Fleet, is it channels the spirit of Zeppelin without ever ripping them off.