Herbie Hancock – Head Hunters: This sacred cow doesn’t deserve a full slaughter but it certainly does warrant some harsh criticism. Hancock took two genres that were at a creative peak—the sonic experimentation of late ‘60s jazz and the funk milestones from the early ‘70s—and created a lukewarm fusion whose sum is far, far less than its parts. Worse, this opened the door to at least two decades of dodgy jazz. I put this in the same category as Puff Daddy’s No Way Out, which fused hip-hop and pop in a way that diminished both for years to come.
Public Image Ltd. – Second Edition: I listened to this in the car, then I walked into a grocery store where Joni Mitchell’s “Carey” was playing overhead. The contrast was shocking. While both albums reflect the sound of restless young artists changing the face of music at volatile times in our social history, Mitchell’s arrogance and self-importance are so grating as to make the song unlistenable. Second Edition, on the other hand, is so grating and unlistenable that it not only burns what the band created the year before—which itself burned what John Lydon had created with his former band—but it creates something entirely new from the ashes. Listening to Second Edition is not nearly as easy as listening to Mitchell warble about her mean old daddy, but it’s a far more compelling work of art.
Gia Margaret – Singing: I stand by my comment last week that this and Miss Grit’s Under My Umbrella are two perspectives on what it’s like to be an introvert searching for where you fit in this world. Margaret’s words and music revolve around themes of introversion. This is a gentle record that reveals layers of depth and beauty the more I quietly sit with it.
Miss Grit – Under My Umbrella: Where Singing is quiet and gentle, Under My Umbrella is forceful and harsh. Sonically, it sits at the intersection of trip-hop, industrial, and electronic music, an intersection I rarely like due to its tendency to fall into cliches but that Margaret Sohn successfully navigates. I’m still processing the lyrics, which at times seem simplistic and dark for the sake of being dark, but at other times convey a duality that piques my interest.
Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department: Since at least Lover, Taylor Swift has peppered her records with clunky songs that feel like cloying efforts to relate to her fans’ interests. The true crime theme of “Florida!!!” is one of these songs. I’m not saying that Taylor should only write about relationships—“No Body, No Crime” is proof that she can write a true crime story-song that would make her country forefathers proud—but “Florida!!!” is one of many examples where her efforts to broaden her topical horizons fall flat. Otherwise, though, TTPD continues to be my favorite of her Eras-era trilogy.
Grateful Dead – 5/1/81 (Hampton, VA): I never would’ve guessed that 1981 would become one of my favorite years in the Grateful Dead’s catalog of live recordings, but here we are. Some of these songs (like “Promised Land”) possess the same fire as one of my all-time favorite shows, 3/9/1981. Others (like “Tennessee Jed” and “Althea”) have a laid-back energy that is somehow both chill and exciting. I only made it through set 1 this week, but the highlight is “Let It Grow,” a song that has never moved me but is absolutely thrilling here.
Old friends who made it into rotation this week: Jay Som: Belong; HAAi: Humanise; The National: First Two Pages of Frankenstein;
Record store finds this week: I picked up physical copies of the new Gia Margaret and Miss Grit albums, as well as Rachael Yamagata’s Starlit Alchemy, which I never expected to find in a local shop.