Dexter and the Moonrocks = “Flavorless”
There is something I’m not crazy about in this song. I think it’s that it reminds me of Bush. Yet, there is something that I kind of like. I think it’s that the Bush song it reminds me of is “Glycerine.”
Listen: Maybe
Handsome Jack – Barnburners!
When I first heard Handsome Jack, they played 70’s hard rock that was remarkable only in how well they did what has already been done. I’m not sure they have gotten beyond that, but it is still done well and perhaps with a nod to Creedence at times.
Listen: Maybe
Buy: No
Mandy, Indiana – URGH
French is my favorite language when sung, but Mandy, Indiana do their best to mask its beauty. URGH is not an easy listen. At times, it is unsettling and downright creepy and then out of nowhere, I find myself briefly in the middle of a pop song. “Sicko!” features billy woods whose Golliwog was really good and creepy in its own right, but much more musical. URGH is kind of like listening to music disintegrate.
Listen: Maybe, but it is not fun
Buy: No
Ratboys – Singin’ to an Empty Chair
I really loved AOID back in 2015 and have enjoyed Ratboys’ records since. This album takes a bit of a rootsy turn that I don’t hate, but it does come at the expense of their earlier ability to be catchy without feeling catchy.
Listen: Yes
Buy: Probably not
Jay Buchanan – Weapon of Beauty
“Caroline, my hands make the shape of yours in mine” is a great line. The love is as clear as it is that it is lost. Buchanan and his band are really good, but not quite as good as lines like that one. If the record has a fault, it isn’t that it isn’t good enough, just that it’s not good enough for some of its words. Also, if Kenny Rogers was still alive, I think he’d have a case against “True Black” (even though it’s a good song). Weapons of Beauty keeps growing on me even in the first listen. Maybe it’s that it feels initially like a Western record and then other things like Fleetwood Mac show up in different places. Overall, Buchanan seems to sing about a wandering path to (hopefully) the Narrow Gate.
Listen: Yes
Buy: I waffled at first, but I think it’s a “Yes”
I read at least three other reviews of Mandy, Indiana and nothing compelled me to listen until “like listening to music disintegrate.” I think that’s a reasonable comparison. The beats (especially when they disintegrate) grabbed me in a big way, but I’m not certain I care for any of the rest of it.