8/25: Carly Rae Jepsen's Emotion: If Kiss is
cotton candy Emotion refines that
sweetness into something more subtle.
Why? 2015 release.
Additional Thoughts: Kiss is a great pop record that I was probably too harsh on back
when I discussed it here. Or, maybe it would be more accurate to say that the
subject I chose to discuss regarding the album made me seem harsher on the
record itself than I was in reality. Either way, it’s an undeniably fun record,
regardless if major label interference played a part in it or not. Carly Rae’s
trajectory has been such that it feels weird and incorrect (though not technically wrong) to call this record mature
or something along those lines. I think Emotion
provides a balanced mix of the pop on Kiss
and the singer-songwriter tendencies and themes from Tug of War, such as on “LA Hallucinations.” And the songs are just
great, especially “Gimmie Love” and “Making the Most of the Night.” Plus, it
must be said, it’s a much better 80s throwback than 1989 (particularly “All That.”)
8/27: Green Day's Insomniac: If there's at least one difference between this and Dookie, it's aggression.
Why? I have a list of discographies I want to get
through. This time around I decided on Green Day.
Additional Thoughts: Many critics got on
this album’s case for not being much of an artistic leap. And while I do
understand that to a point, I don’t think it’s fair to expect every album to be
monumental leap forward for an artist or the medium as a whole. They don’t all
need to be groundbreaking, watershed moments. Besides, Insomniac does feel very different from Dookie. It’s certainly louder and more aggressive musically than Dookie. Also, Dookie has an undercurrent of anger to it that is smoothed out by
poop jokes and references to masturbation, but on Insomniac that juvenile humor is gone and you just get the straight
anger, like on “86.” Plus, it has “Brain Stew,” man! Arguments, invalid, yadda
yadda, you know the drill.
8/28: Sea Lion's Desolate Stars: Quite beautiful, though her childlike vocals may be
something of an acquired taste.
Why? New release.
Additional Thoughts: Stereogum describes
(http://www.stereogum.com/1826141/stream-sea-lion-desolate-stars/mp3s/) this
project as “whisper-folk,” which is quite fitting. The music of Sea Lion shifts
between moody and mellow, almost brooding, so when Linn Osterberg’s voice comes
in it creates a very interesting, captivating contrast. Childlike is the best
way to describe the vocals in both sound and in that they have an unassuming,
almost shy quality about them. I have difficulty thinking of anyone who sounds
like Osterberg. The closest might possibly be Jewel when she sings in higher
registers, but Linn has such a unique voice that comparison doesn’t feel
satisfying.
8/30: Dragonette's Galore: It'd be too easy to bog this down with reductive
comparisons; this is some great synthpop.
Why? Spotify recommended it because of Marina
& the Diamonds.
Additional Thoughts: Alright, let’s get
this out of the way: from the first seconds of opening track “I Get Around,”
Dragonette sounds like The Fame-era
Lady Gaga with sweeter singing. Of course, no one (least of all Gaga) has the
market cornered on synthpop/new wave, but Galore’s
physical US release came a few months after Gaga’s debut, which I bet invited
the comparison a lot (along with comparisons to Gwen Stefani); understandably
so, sure, but not really fairly. As I said, no one can claim any one genre and
I think sometimes (while helpful) comparisons can be reductive and lack nuance
if relied on too much. Anyhow, the attitude and brazenness in tracks like
“Competition” and “Jesus Doesn’t Love Me” may stick more in some folks’ minds,
but the album also has plenty of sweetness, such as “Another Day” and “Gold
Rush.” Initially, I felt like the only real misstep on it was “The Boys,” a
bonus track for the US edition written and cover of Calvin Harris. But now,
while I can still see why it made me cringe, I find it kinda charming in its
own weird way. It might be one of those tracks like “Hollaback Girl” or
“Fergalicious,” which you reject at first listen, but eventually you can’t help
but love. (And don’t bother lying, you know you do.)
8/31: Green Day's Kerplunk!: One can't deny the heart behind tracks like
"Christie Road" and "Who Wrote Holden Caulfield?"
Why? I’m currently working through their
discography.
Additional Thoughts: Kerplunk! serves as a good transition from the band’s debut to
their big breakthrough Dookie. It
even has an early version of “Welcome to Paradise,” which is awesome. More
importantly, a lot of the heart that plays a huge part in their work also comes
more to the forefront in tracks like the nostalgic “Christie Road” “No One
Knows.” Plus, “Words I might Have Ate” is just a great title. And of course
there’s the ridiculous “Dominated Love Slave,” which is certainly a thing, heh.
9/1: Dogs On Acid's Dogs On Acid: Weezer vibes and Lennon references make for a rough,
but fun indie rock debut.
Why? 2015 release and I wanted to hear the music
of a band with a name like that.
Additional Thoughts: Yeah, I admit, I’m a
mark for any kind of Beatles-related reference, so their track “Flushed” made
me smile. I especially like the line “Hey Jude, you’re messing up my mood.” But
putting the Lennon references aside, it’s still a fun track, which I guess is
to be expected of a band that clearly loves Weezer a whole lot. And though
Weezer’s influence is very pronounced, I’m not willing to write Dogs On Acid off
as a mere rip-off or some such since this is only their first album and I’d
like to see where they go.
9/2: iamamiwhoami's kin: Atmospheric synthpop that ranges from beautiful to spooky with
ease. Highlight: "drops"
Why? A review on the Needle Drop piqued my
interest.
Additional Thoughts: One review I read described
kin as “glacial,” which… well, that’s
already way more perfect and succinct than anything I could add. But still, one
thing I wanted to add to my tweet is some notes on the vocals and their
variations. For example, the vocals on “kill” and “drops” remind me a great
deal of Stevie Nicks, but other times the record recalls artists like Bjork and
Portishead. As with Sea Lion, said vocals can be somewhat of an acquired taste
for some, but if nothing else, they are interesting. I should also note that
iamamiwhoami is actually an audiovisual project, wherein each song produced is
accompanied by a video. (kin, by the
way, predates BEYONCE by more than a
year, so any stans who think their girl invented the concept of a visual album
need to check themselves.) Anyway, I’ll confess I don’t really get the visuals,
including a group of hair-people (?) following singer, Jonna Lee. Wikipedia
claims kin continues a story started
in bounty, so maybe it would make
more sense with that context. I don’t know. Either way, the visuals may not be
my thing, but that doesn’t hurt the music for me at all.
9/3: Green Day's 39/Smooth: An okay debut with good energy, but not *quite* GD's
signature energy as it lacks Tré Cool.
Why? I’m currently working through their
discography.
Additional Thoughts: As this post (and
past digests, I’m sure) shows, I do tend to be rather soft on debuts. I can’t
help that. Artists need time to grow, find their footing and an artist having
their entire identity and sound ready for their first record is rare, if not
nonexistent. On Green Day’s case, a lot of what they would become is already
present, such as in the melodies (see “16”). Though, as mentioned, the energy
is ever so slightly different with “I Was There” probably being the closest to
that same bouncy, manic-Cool energy. If anything, the record really goes to
show how important each member has been to shaping Green Day’s sound.
9/4: Helena Hauff's Discreet Desires: The combination of chiptunes, hard beats, and
horror movie vibes works so well.
Why? New release. (And I did not want to sit
through the new Miley Cyrus just yet.)
Additional Thoughts: This is an instance
where the tweet sums the record up pretty well without much need for much else.
One thing I’d like to add, though, is that some tracks reach a point where they
drag due to lack of variety. I suppose it can weigh down the record a bit, but
Hauff’s sound is cool and interesting enough (see: “Piece of Pleasure”) for me
to forgive its imperfections.
9/5: Hooton Tennis Club's Highest Point In Cliff Town: Bright, enjoyable melodies, though the
lyrics feel.. unfinished.
Why? I don’t remember exactly, I think Spotify
might’ve recommended it to me or I saw it in a list of recently released
albums.
Additional Thoughts:
Man, you gotta feel bad for bands from Liverpool, right? I mean, the Beatles’
shadow looms large and, rightly or not, the comparisons (and expectations) will
be there. In Hooton Tennis Club’s case, one could make a Beatle comparison, especially
in regard to opener “Up In The Air.” I wish I could remember what I meant when
I described the lyrics as feeling “unfinished.” If I had to guess, I suppose I
meant that they seem like they could be fleshed out more in spots. Regardless,
as jangly indie rock goes, it’s an enjoyable debut. All albums available to stream on Spotify.
