Last year I only managed two Heavy Rotation posts; it was the same in 2016. This year I hope to get back to 2015 levels, where I put up four. Posting one in early February gets me off to a promising start, at least. The albums I'm writing about here have been keeping me company throughout January (and even late December in many cases)...
The Breeders/Title TK - I'll admit it. I really slept on The Breeders. Sure, I loved "Cannonball" just as much as everyone else back in '93, but I didn't investigate any further. Thanks to streaming, however, I've become quite familiar with Last Splash and love it. Still, however, I hadn't ventured much beyond that album. It wasn't until the band announced it was coming back earlier this month that I gave this album I try. All I can say is...man, I really slept on The Breeders.
Title TK is actually their follow-up to Last Splash, coming 9 years later. It's also produced by Steve Albini, which is a fact I literally learned just before I type this. It's never too late, people. Anyway, let's talk some of the music. I love "The She." I love it because I still haven't figured it out. It lopes along on a skittering drumbeat and an almost-menacing baseline; it stops and starts and has weird squelches. It is transfixing and beguiling. The album offers many other pleasures as well, from more classic-sounding "Too Alive" to the poppy gallop of "Full On Idle" to the coiled, stuttering "Sinister Foxx" with its refrain of "Has anyone seen the iguana?" The drums are great throughout the album and so is the bass (when it's present). I have fallen in love and I think these songs will keep their mystery for quite a while yet. Also? "T and T" and "Huffer" are a pretty good 1-2 album closer.
Buffalo Tom/Skins - Speaking of sleeping on bands...here's Buffalo Tom. Coincidentally, I was enamored with their hit "Sodajerk" in '93, but again, I didn't investigate further. I did, however, use eMusic credits to pick up Let Me Come Over around a decade or so ago. That's a really good album, by the way. More recently, I bought a digital copy of Big Red Letter Day and fell for that as well. I hadn't gone much beyond those two albums, though. With the announcement that they're coming back with a new album soon and a great new song ("All Be Gone"), I decided to check out their most-recent album, which happens to be Skins. Better late than never, right?
Unsurprisingly, I really like this album. Buffalo Tom traffics in melodic rock, unafraid to bust out the electric guitars or to keep things quieter. Take the early-album triptych of "Down," "Don't Forget Me," and "Guilty Girls." The first is a mid-tempo rocker that builds to some squalling guitar, the second is all acoustic guitar and piano and female guest vocals, and the third is an up-tempo song that sidles up to power pop. Good stuff. Those are all sung by guitarist/lead singer Bill Janovitz. The bassist and sometime lead singer, Chris Colbourn, takes lead on more songs here than I think he's ever done before (then again, still not 100% up on the catalog) and acquits himself nicely (check out "Miss Barren Brooks"). If I haven't sold you yet, give "Here I Come" or "Out of the Dark" a try. After giving this album a workout, I am definitely ready for the new one...and March 2 is not that far away!
Destroyer/Ken - Luckily, I don't have to talk about how I slept on Destroyer, because I've been down with Dan Bejar's band since Destroyer's Rubies in 2006 and down with his contributions to New Pornographers since 2003. So, a new Destroyer album is always cause for celebration...and yet, this one didn't grab me right away. I'm not sure why. I was a big fan of the first single, "Tinseltown Swimming in Blood," with its New Order-influence. That influence is definitely felt throughout, but many of the songs need repeated listens to give up their secrets. For instance, "Sky's Grey" opens softly with a steady pulse of electronic percussion before eventually giving way to a more classic Destroyer sound with the refrain of "I've been working on the new Oliver Twist." It takes time to hear how the parts fit together. When I listen to "Saw You at the Hospital" now, I can't believe I once didn't grasp its charms - the great piano, the subtle bass, how the music echoes the lyrics (especially the drone that creeps in here and there and then sends the song on its way out). "Rome" is another one that starts more diffuse and opens into something grander and familiar. When I say familiar, I'm not saying it's bad or that Bejar hasn't grown, because he certainly has. He does like repetition in lyrics and it just works for him; you know, he's one of the few for whom it does. Granted, not everything falls under the label of "subtle," but pleasures abound. I think the album goes out on a strong note with "Stay Lost" and "La Regle du Jeu," which features a good old-fashioned guitar solo. Nothing wrong with the classics and nothing with this one, yet another strong outing from Destroyer.
Grandaddy/Last Place - Let's see. Grandaddy is another band of which I'm a fan who also put out a new album in 2017 that didn't grab me right away. I loved the first single (and first song on the album) "Way We Won't" but couldn't find a way in beyond that. Again, now that I'm many more spins in I wonder what I was thinking. Maybe it was the 11 years since their last album, Just Like the Fambly Cat (that album is quite underrated, by the way)? Nah, it's more likely that sometimes you just need...well...time. The band sounds just a sharp as it did a decade ago and their sound still resonates - guitars and keys and mostly-mid-tempo rock with a knack for melody. The lyrics are full of heart and sadness and have that slightly askew view as always. "I Don't Want to Live Here Anymore" is classic Grandaddy and I love it. I also love the part in "This Is the Part" where everything pauses for a moment and Jason Lytle goes a bit higher and the music follows suit. This album also features another song in the "Jed cycle," which was unexpected. If you've never heard the band, this is as good a place as any to start. Let me know if you do.
Queen/A Night at the Opera - Okay, confession time. Before last year, I'd never heard a Queen album. Sure, I knew the hits that everyone knows, but that's it. And honestly, I didn't even realize "You're My Best Friend" off of this album was a Queen song. So what finally got me to listen? Well, they covered it on The Great Albums podcast a couple years ago, but I'm still working my way through the backlog. I listen to episodes and then listen to the albums they talk about; I was definitely intrigued by the episode, but was blown away when I listened to A Night at the Opera for the first time. Sure, I knew "Bohemian Rhapsody" and loved the scene in Wayne's World and I liked "You're My Best Friend" regardless of my ignorance, but there are gems here I knew nothing about. There's the rock-fueled drama of "I'm In Love With My Car" and the acoustic bounce of "'39" with the cool ah-ah-ahs and the beautiful piano-driven "Love Of My Life" and the operatic "The Prophet's Song," which delivers great rock, awesome a cappella, and isn't afraid to get weird. I still can't get over how much I love this album. I am really looking forward to checking out some more Queen, but I need to get this out of my system first. It could still take a while...
Jeff Rosenstock/Post- (that hyphen is actually part of the title) - So far I've covered albums from 1975, 2002, 2011, and two from 2017. You may ask, what about 2018, Justin? Well, I have you covered with the new Jeff Rosenstock, which was released online on Jan. 1. I heard about it that day or the next and didn't get to it until maybe the 4th. On my first listen, I liked it. On my second, I really liked it. By my third, I had fallen hard for it. The music is catchy as hell, full of guitars and drums and shout-along group vocals ("We're tired/We're bored" goes the refrain in "USA"). Let me put it this way - I have run to this album multiple times and I can't resist air-drumming while it's happening. "USA" is basically the opener (it's preceded by a 6 second vocal clip) and clocks in at 7:32; "Let Them Win" closes the album and lasts 11:10. Both songs use that time to change moods, with some ambient sounds at times while also firmly bringing the rock. In between those two are shorter songs, which are all great. At the moment, I'm partial to "Yr Throat," "All This Useless Energy," and "Beating My Head Against A Wall," which are full of energy. "TV Stars" and "9/10" change up the sound a bit and are perfect changes of pace. While it seems crazy that an album released on the first day of the year would end up on my top ten at the end of the year, Post- seems like a lock. Seriously, go listen and then reach out to tell me I was not wrong. Or don't do that last part. Whatever. Just listen and enjoy.
The Breeders/Title TK - I'll admit it. I really slept on The Breeders. Sure, I loved "Cannonball" just as much as everyone else back in '93, but I didn't investigate any further. Thanks to streaming, however, I've become quite familiar with Last Splash and love it. Still, however, I hadn't ventured much beyond that album. It wasn't until the band announced it was coming back earlier this month that I gave this album I try. All I can say is...man, I really slept on The Breeders.
Title TK is actually their follow-up to Last Splash, coming 9 years later. It's also produced by Steve Albini, which is a fact I literally learned just before I type this. It's never too late, people. Anyway, let's talk some of the music. I love "The She." I love it because I still haven't figured it out. It lopes along on a skittering drumbeat and an almost-menacing baseline; it stops and starts and has weird squelches. It is transfixing and beguiling. The album offers many other pleasures as well, from more classic-sounding "Too Alive" to the poppy gallop of "Full On Idle" to the coiled, stuttering "Sinister Foxx" with its refrain of "Has anyone seen the iguana?" The drums are great throughout the album and so is the bass (when it's present). I have fallen in love and I think these songs will keep their mystery for quite a while yet. Also? "T and T" and "Huffer" are a pretty good 1-2 album closer.
Buffalo Tom/Skins - Speaking of sleeping on bands...here's Buffalo Tom. Coincidentally, I was enamored with their hit "Sodajerk" in '93, but again, I didn't investigate further. I did, however, use eMusic credits to pick up Let Me Come Over around a decade or so ago. That's a really good album, by the way. More recently, I bought a digital copy of Big Red Letter Day and fell for that as well. I hadn't gone much beyond those two albums, though. With the announcement that they're coming back with a new album soon and a great new song ("All Be Gone"), I decided to check out their most-recent album, which happens to be Skins. Better late than never, right?
Unsurprisingly, I really like this album. Buffalo Tom traffics in melodic rock, unafraid to bust out the electric guitars or to keep things quieter. Take the early-album triptych of "Down," "Don't Forget Me," and "Guilty Girls." The first is a mid-tempo rocker that builds to some squalling guitar, the second is all acoustic guitar and piano and female guest vocals, and the third is an up-tempo song that sidles up to power pop. Good stuff. Those are all sung by guitarist/lead singer Bill Janovitz. The bassist and sometime lead singer, Chris Colbourn, takes lead on more songs here than I think he's ever done before (then again, still not 100% up on the catalog) and acquits himself nicely (check out "Miss Barren Brooks"). If I haven't sold you yet, give "Here I Come" or "Out of the Dark" a try. After giving this album a workout, I am definitely ready for the new one...and March 2 is not that far away!
Destroyer/Ken - Luckily, I don't have to talk about how I slept on Destroyer, because I've been down with Dan Bejar's band since Destroyer's Rubies in 2006 and down with his contributions to New Pornographers since 2003. So, a new Destroyer album is always cause for celebration...and yet, this one didn't grab me right away. I'm not sure why. I was a big fan of the first single, "Tinseltown Swimming in Blood," with its New Order-influence. That influence is definitely felt throughout, but many of the songs need repeated listens to give up their secrets. For instance, "Sky's Grey" opens softly with a steady pulse of electronic percussion before eventually giving way to a more classic Destroyer sound with the refrain of "I've been working on the new Oliver Twist." It takes time to hear how the parts fit together. When I listen to "Saw You at the Hospital" now, I can't believe I once didn't grasp its charms - the great piano, the subtle bass, how the music echoes the lyrics (especially the drone that creeps in here and there and then sends the song on its way out). "Rome" is another one that starts more diffuse and opens into something grander and familiar. When I say familiar, I'm not saying it's bad or that Bejar hasn't grown, because he certainly has. He does like repetition in lyrics and it just works for him; you know, he's one of the few for whom it does. Granted, not everything falls under the label of "subtle," but pleasures abound. I think the album goes out on a strong note with "Stay Lost" and "La Regle du Jeu," which features a good old-fashioned guitar solo. Nothing wrong with the classics and nothing with this one, yet another strong outing from Destroyer.
Grandaddy/Last Place - Let's see. Grandaddy is another band of which I'm a fan who also put out a new album in 2017 that didn't grab me right away. I loved the first single (and first song on the album) "Way We Won't" but couldn't find a way in beyond that. Again, now that I'm many more spins in I wonder what I was thinking. Maybe it was the 11 years since their last album, Just Like the Fambly Cat (that album is quite underrated, by the way)? Nah, it's more likely that sometimes you just need...well...time. The band sounds just a sharp as it did a decade ago and their sound still resonates - guitars and keys and mostly-mid-tempo rock with a knack for melody. The lyrics are full of heart and sadness and have that slightly askew view as always. "I Don't Want to Live Here Anymore" is classic Grandaddy and I love it. I also love the part in "This Is the Part" where everything pauses for a moment and Jason Lytle goes a bit higher and the music follows suit. This album also features another song in the "Jed cycle," which was unexpected. If you've never heard the band, this is as good a place as any to start. Let me know if you do.
Queen/A Night at the Opera - Okay, confession time. Before last year, I'd never heard a Queen album. Sure, I knew the hits that everyone knows, but that's it. And honestly, I didn't even realize "You're My Best Friend" off of this album was a Queen song. So what finally got me to listen? Well, they covered it on The Great Albums podcast a couple years ago, but I'm still working my way through the backlog. I listen to episodes and then listen to the albums they talk about; I was definitely intrigued by the episode, but was blown away when I listened to A Night at the Opera for the first time. Sure, I knew "Bohemian Rhapsody" and loved the scene in Wayne's World and I liked "You're My Best Friend" regardless of my ignorance, but there are gems here I knew nothing about. There's the rock-fueled drama of "I'm In Love With My Car" and the acoustic bounce of "'39" with the cool ah-ah-ahs and the beautiful piano-driven "Love Of My Life" and the operatic "The Prophet's Song," which delivers great rock, awesome a cappella, and isn't afraid to get weird. I still can't get over how much I love this album. I am really looking forward to checking out some more Queen, but I need to get this out of my system first. It could still take a while...
Jeff Rosenstock/Post- (that hyphen is actually part of the title) - So far I've covered albums from 1975, 2002, 2011, and two from 2017. You may ask, what about 2018, Justin? Well, I have you covered with the new Jeff Rosenstock, which was released online on Jan. 1. I heard about it that day or the next and didn't get to it until maybe the 4th. On my first listen, I liked it. On my second, I really liked it. By my third, I had fallen hard for it. The music is catchy as hell, full of guitars and drums and shout-along group vocals ("We're tired/We're bored" goes the refrain in "USA"). Let me put it this way - I have run to this album multiple times and I can't resist air-drumming while it's happening. "USA" is basically the opener (it's preceded by a 6 second vocal clip) and clocks in at 7:32; "Let Them Win" closes the album and lasts 11:10. Both songs use that time to change moods, with some ambient sounds at times while also firmly bringing the rock. In between those two are shorter songs, which are all great. At the moment, I'm partial to "Yr Throat," "All This Useless Energy," and "Beating My Head Against A Wall," which are full of energy. "TV Stars" and "9/10" change up the sound a bit and are perfect changes of pace. While it seems crazy that an album released on the first day of the year would end up on my top ten at the end of the year, Post- seems like a lock. Seriously, go listen and then reach out to tell me I was not wrong. Or don't do that last part. Whatever. Just listen and enjoy.
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