This past Friday was a big release day, with 4 new albums that I will probably be listening to over and over again. That means it's probably time to write about what I've been into over the last month-and-a-half or so. Sound good?
Phoebe Bridgers/Stranger in the Alps - Before last fall, I hadn't listened to any of Bridgers' music. Sure, I knew of her, but that was it. It wasn't until Boygenius (the group she's in with Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus) that I really heard anything she'd done. Their EP is great, so I thought it was time to expand my horizons and give this one a listen. Better late than never is a cliche for a reason, right? Anyway, the album starts off very strong with "Smoke Signals" and "Motion Sickness." The former is contemplative and moody and lovely with killer lyrics while the latter is more prickly and up-tempo with (again) killer lyrics. It's a strong start to the album. If I had to pick one track to get someone interested in her music, "Scott Street" would be the one. With some simple acoustic guitar, Bridgers paints a picture in the opening lines - "Walking Scott Street feeling like a stranger/With an open heart, open container/I've got a stack of mail and a tall can/It's a shower beer, it's a payment plan." The lyrics remain great throughout, but the music gets ever more intriguing. The drums kick in just before she asks someone how is playing drums and I just eat that kinda thing up. Later on we get some bass and strings while she's giving us oohs and then there are a ton of small noises incorporated, like train whistles and bicycle bells. It's just sooooo good. The album is more than those 3 songs, of course. There are two songs that feature the voices of some familiar men: "Killer" brings John Doe into the mix and "Would You Rather" has Conor Oberst, which presages their current Better Oblivion Community Center project that has produced a pretty darn good album and just misses Heavy Rotation status. Between this album and the other two projects I mentioned, I am very into her work at the moment and hope that we get a new solo album before 2019 is over. She's only getting better.
Guided By Voices/Zeppelin Over China - I know I just wrote about GBV in the last Heavy Rotation, but they did put out this double album on Feb. 1 and it took me a while to start absorbing the 32 songs. "Good Morning Sir" is a perfect opening track, a nice slice of the surging indie rock that has been their bread and butter for many years. "Carapace" has Pollard signing about turtle shells and sarcophagi (really love the way he squeezes in the syllables of "sarcophagus!") with some great cowbell helping the beat. I think Pollard is often underrated for his melodies, which is odd because there is so much of The Who in the DNA of the band. Case in point is "Send in the Suicide Squad" - great soaring melody and a nice little chiming guitar line working together to stick in your brain. That gets us through the first 4 songs with so much more to go. What's interesting is that there are quite a few songs here are mini-suites. "Jack Tell" starts out with some solid guitar and then quiets down for an almost electronic-like feel before cranking up in full band mode, complete with a sweet guitar solo and the end (a second guitar joins in too!). That's immediately followed by one of my favorites, "Bellicose Starling," which is built on a bed of acoustic guitar and strings and has a great melody that gets echoed by the instruments. GBV still knows how to do epic songs in a short amount of time - the soaring "Rally Boys" does the trick in 1:44. I could keep on going, or I could stop with "You Own the Night," a really good tune that takes us only halfway through. Yes, there's a lot here, but it's worth digging into...okay, one more - "Lurk of the Worm" kicks ass. Guess what? Warp and Woof, the next album, is out next month, so it's a good bet you'll be hearing more about it in a future edition of Heavy Rotation.
Joe Jackson/Look Sharp! - This one turned 40 early in the year and I thought it was high time I checked it out. Sure, I knew the big songs from it thanks to my years of listening to WXRT in Chicago, but that was it. Would it surprise you to read that I really really like it? "One More Time" starts things off in a great way - some nice slashing guitar, a fantastic bass line, and a classic new wave sound. Speaking of fantastic bass lines, "Sunday Papers" has another one. This was one of the songs I knew, but I don't think I ever appreciated it like I do now. Everyone knows how great "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" is, right? "Happy Loving Couples" has a great swing to it, belying its lyrics about how those titular couples that seem so great aren't "friends of mine." The title track is a showcase for the entire band, with some sweet piano, a sticky bass line, more of that angular guitar, and some nifty drumming. "Throw It Away" is a straight-up rocker with some great piano accents thrown in. Speaking of piano, there's a great solo on the reggae-influence "Fools In Love." I'm really glad I gave this album a try and I will definitely move on to more of Jackson's music this year.
Bob Mould/Sunshine Rock - I know for a fact that I've listened to this album more than any other in 2019. I do keep track of what I listen to, but beyond that this album has soundtracked my morning runs multiple times, which makes those plays stack up quickly. I love finding an album I can run to and shouldn't be surprised that this is one, because each of his previous three have helped me through many many miles. Those albums were all great too, and the new one is no exception. There are a couple reasons why they are all successful. One is that Mould has been writing in more of a power pop mode during this run, with the emphasis on the power. The other is his current band, with Jason Narducy on bass and Jon Wurster on drums; they know just what to do. Standouts this time around are "Lost Faith," which is driving and moody and hopeful despite the title; "I Fought," which just rips; "The Final Years," which eases up on the guitar and adds some strings into the mix while Mould contemplates letting go of his misplaced rage and looking to those titular final years; and the one-two punch that leads off the album, the titular track that sets the mood for what's to come and "What Do You Want Me To Do," which helps me keep pushing my pace. Oh, and there's the change-of-pace paean to creativity, "Camp Sunshine," too. I've now mentioned half of the album...and it's not like the rest of the songs are garbage either. If you run, give it a try. If you don't, give it a try on your car stereo and crank it up with the windows down as the weather gets warmer. It'll treat you well.
Telekinesis/Effluxion - I've been a fan of Michael Benjamin Lerner since his debut album as Telekinesis 10 years ago. Telekinesis! was great power pop; his sound has slowly expanded since then while still retaining the pop core. This new album, his 5th, goes back to a more power pop palette, however. I am quite okay with that. He played with Teenage Fanclub on a recent tour and maybe that's what put him back in this mode. Effluxion starts off with the title track and does that classic quiet to loud that's been done a ton yet is still effective when the song is strong. "Cut the Quick" has opens with some stuttery piano and gets locked in a slinky groove while also reaching for some power on the chorus. The quiet to loud is back with "Set a Course," which has a great driving drumbeat and some lovely oohs that pair with a wiry guitar line. "How Do I Get Rid of Sunlight?" starts off with some jaunty piano and bass and rides that groove all the way through. Really, you can't go wrong with any of these songs. They are extremely catchy and will get pleasantly lodged in your brain. At 10 songs in 31 minutes, the album doesn't overstay its welcome either. My fandom remains intact.
A Tribe Called Quest/People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm - Most of you are probably wondering why this is here. It's true that I don't listen to much hip hop, but it's not so much that I don't like it...rather, it's that I don't have that much knowledge. I recently read Hanif Abdurraqib's Go Ahead in the Rain, which was all about A Tribe Called Quest. I really liked the book and it's well worth a read even if you're only vaguely familiar with Tribe like I was (and still am, mostly). As I was reading, I decided to start listening along...and then I got stuck on this one. Easy to do, because there's so much here and it's all really good to great. If you know any songs from this, it's probably "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo," "Bonita Applebum," or "Can I Kick It?." Those are all great, but I'm going to focus on a few other songs that I didn't know going in. "Luck of Lucien" starts out with the fanfare from "All You Need Is Love" and drops into a great beat, eventually incorporating some sampled horns. Q-Tip drops his rhymes completely in the flow of the song. Honestly, I still haven't parsed all the words yet; it's harder for me with rap, but every time I listen, I pick up more. I really like the jazzy feel of "Footprints," which also incorporates some horns you may find familiar. Q-Tip and Phife Dawg have some great back and forth on "Ham 'N' Eggs," which they don't eat because they're "high in cholesterol." I can see why Abdurraqib used "Go Ahead in the Rain" as the title for his book, because that song just locks into a groove and goes. I know I don't really have a language to describe this music yet, and that's okay. I'm very happy to have dropped into Tribe's world and will definitely move on to their second album soon.
XTC/Oranges & Lemons - This one turned 30 just over a month ago, a fact I was alerted to by an acquaintance contributing "The Loving" to an ongoing shared playlist I'm a part of. I didn't come to the band until 1992's Nonsuch thanks to the rise of indie rock radio around that time. I've certainly gone back to their earlier work and consider myself a fan of the band, but this one had mostly eluded me over the years. My mistake, because these songs are great. "Mayor of Simpleton" was one of the two tracks I knew, thanks to airplay on the aforementioned WXRT. The lyrics have some bite to them (first line is "Never been near a university," which just kills me) and that's juxtaposed with the bright sunny pop of the music (and oh, that bass is great). "King for a Day" was the other the one and it's a very light on its feet pop song, if that makes any sort of sense. It also shows off the songwriting skills of Colin Moulding, who usually gets about 3 songs per album. Speaking of "The Loving," it has a lovely melody and harmonies and just feels very Andy Partridge in the best way possible. "Scarecrow People" is in the "abrasive" mode they band sometimes uses. Maybe "discordant" is a better term. The music isn't unpleasant, but there's some salt in the sugar, you know? I dig it. The album ends very strongly with "Pink Thing," "Miniature Sun," and "Chalkhills and Children." Strange to think the band made only 3 albums after this one, but their catalog is mighty. This is as good a place as any to dig in.
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