U2 – Days of Ash EP
It is never good sign when an artist of any kind does something similar to a past success and it falls short. “American Obituary” wants to be to Renee Good what “Pride” was to MLK. But it just isn’t the same. This isn’t a reflection on Good versus MLK, but of Bono no longer trusting his listeners. “Pride” never mentions MLK (or Jesus for that matter), but it vividly draws parallels between them. Even going through the motions, U2 makes good records and this is one of those. It’s only bad compared to the high bar of their large body of great work.
Listen: Yes
Buy: No
Liz Cooper – New Day
One song is echoey 60’s garage pop. The next is trippy soul. Later, it’s jerky new wave. And it doesn’t miss a beat. The band is one of those bands that is so good no one notices, because they play for the songs. New Day is a bigger, broader record than Liz Cooper’s previous releases and I think as a result, it is also better. I really liked Window Flowers back in 2018, but it never got into steady rotation. I wonder if New Day will.
Listen: Yes
Buy: Maybe
Michael Monroe – Outerstellar
Outerstellar is one of those records that would be better if only it was briefer. There is good stuff here that is in line with Monroe’s history without looking back. When it struggles, it is usually a song that doesn’t have the dirty poignancy of his best work and/or just comes across a little too clean. That said, when Monroe is himself, he remains a believable anomaly in hard rock (particularly of the 80’s variety)
Listen: Yes
Buy: I would say yes, but I saw it at the store last week and I think it was $38 and it is just not enough bang for its buck.
Prism Shores – “I Didn’t Mean to Change My Mind”
This song could have come right out of 1994-ish, after grunge had peaked and REM’s best work was behind them, but there were still plenty of bands playing muddy, guitar-driven pop. This is good enough that I will listen to the full-length when it comes to see if they get beyond that.