Beck – Everybody’s Gotta Learn SometimeStarting with Midnight Vultures, I started losing interest in Beck and the last of his albums that I bought and spent any time with was 2008’s Modern Guilt. So, although most of these songs have been released previously, they are (or at least Beck’s versions are) new to me. Some of them work pretty well… Read more »
Ari Lennox – VacancyHer voice is good, but the music seems synthetic. I mean, I know it is synthetic, but it shouldn’t feel so mechanical. It’s clear she wants to show off her soul chops, but that effort is undercut by soulless backing.Listen: NoBuy: No Megadeth – MegadethOf speedmetal’s Big Four, only Megadeth continued to release records that I ever… Read more »
A$AP Rocky – Don’t Be DumbRight off the bat, the songs seem mediocre, but the production and arrangements seem fantastic. The lyrics to “PLAYA” aren’t stupid, but they are weak from a rhyme perspective. Over the course of the album, I waffle on the lyrics, find the music to be mundane, and the production very good.Listen: Maybe just a few… Read more »
HAAi – HUMANiSE: As I let “Satellite” wash over me for the first time, it’s clear that HAAi has given us another set of songs that will slowly unfold and drop little shimmers of light as they do so. Robert Plant with Suzi Dean – Saving Grace: Is the band Saving Grace? Is the album Saving Grace? I prefer to get… Read more »
Wednesday – Bleeds: I tend to listen to music before words, which maybe doesn’t serve a record like Bleeds. The lyrical themes supposedly center around the heartbreak between MJ Lenderman and Karly Hartzman, so I suspect I’d be rewarded if I dug into the words. I was so indifferent to the music, though, that I doubt I’ll ever get back… Read more »
Gracie Abrams – Good Riddance: My favorite thing about Abrams is the fragile vulnerability of her voice, and it’s so much more present here than it is on The Secret of Us. I’ve only made it through the first four songs of the extended release, and I’m looking forward to slowly unwrapping this gift. The Joy Formidable – The Big… Read more »
Grateful Dead – 9/20/82 (New York); 9/3/77 (Englishtown NJ): The 1982 concert has some absolutely wonderful moments, including one of my favorite versions of “Row Jimmy” and an early performance of “Throwing Stones.” Overall, though, it just lacks the magic of the show in NJ five years earlier. Beyonce – Renaissance: I love that Beyonce paid homage to classic house… Read more »
Hollie Kenniff – We All Have Places That We Miss: This is, by far, the record I listened to most this week. It’s a gentle record with a sense of hope. It makes me imagine a quieter and more subtle Explosions in the Sky. I’m a sucker for songs that build around a repeated motif, and I absolutely love the… Read more »
I took a break for a few months, mostly because making the thumbnails and spam comments became a barrier. I’m going to see if skipping the thumbnails makes it easier to post these weekly. Moderat – Moderat II: These guys are contenders for my “10 favorite electronic artists” list, but I rarely listen to them and this is the only… Read more »
Better late than never. A third of the way into 2023 may seem pretty late in the game to post about the best of 2022, but life is busy and I got lazy (lazier than usual) about my comments. Well, here is is … finally. Ismatic Guru – “I Didn’t Like It” (from Ismatic Guru II EP): This is just… Read more »