10/18: OOFJ's Acute Feast: Moody electropop with bass and beats reminiscent of Portishead or maybe a strange Bond score.
Why? Spotify recommended it.
Additional Thoughts: So, funny thing, apparently, my comparing Acute Feast to a score wasn’t all that weird, because Jenno Bjørnkjær (one half of OOFJ) composed the score for Melancholia. The Bond comparison is particularly true of “Sailor,” though I can’t put my finger on exactly why, maybe it’s in the horns and strings. Not that I know if any Bond film actually sounds like that, but you know alt-universe Bond, I guess. Unfortunately, the high, breathy vocal style throughout the album alternates between boring and grating, like on “Totally.” I guess I just wish there was some more variety in that area, because I dig the music and mood of it.
10/19: Sara Bareilles' Careful Confessions: Simply wonderful; direct and smart with shades of jazz. Highlight: “Undertow”
Why? I really enjoyed the One Week One Band dedicated to her, so I figured I’d go through her discography.
Additional Thoughts: Something that struck me the first time I listened to this record (after the jazz influence that I didn’t expect) is that so much of it sounds live. And yes, about a third of the album is live recordings, but even the studio recordings feel live. Of course, as wonderful as the music is, with a title like Careful Confessions one might expect as much (if not more) focus on the lyrical content and yes, it appears that Sara most definitely did. Her words show someone smart, honest, and not just relatable, but approachable in a way that other singer-songwriters she might be compared to are not.
10/20: Boy & Bear's Limit of Love: The life and swing of “Man Alone” makes it stand out on an album that's fairly beige.
Why? 2015 release.
Additional Thoughts: I realize calling the album “beige” might sound harsh and I’m sorry for that. It’s not bad by any means, but that’s kind of the problem; it’s some inoffensive pop/rock and just blends into the background. While I appreciate the band’s attempt to record and capture their “powerful live performances,” this record doesn’t come off very powerful to me, in any sense of the word. And that doesn’t necessarily reflect badly on their performances, because there are many examples of records not completely capturing the energy of a great live band.
10/21: Lapalux's Lustmore: Sets out to evoke the transition from waking to sleep, and does - but not in a positive sense.
Why? Saw it on the Needle Drop.
Additional Thoughts: Reminds me of another eternity by purity ring in that it’s very dream-like, but disappears from my memory almost instantly. And I said in the tweet, it does succeed in evoking that state of mind, but it’s just not for me. However, I will say that the guest vocalists are great, especially Andreya Triana. I definitely need to check out her work.
10/22: Sara Bareilles' Little Voice: A major label debut that manages more polish without sacrificing emotion and soul.
Why? Currently working through her discography.
Additional Thoughts: This is a tough one to talk about because six of the tracks also appear on Careful Confessions, so there’s not much for me to say. The versions here are rerecords that, aside from some obvious differences (like the opening of “Fairytale”), mostly just sound a bit more polished than the earlier ones. Most of the changes aren’t very drastic or detrimental. Though I will admit I probably prefer most of the Confessions versions simply because those were the first versions I heard. Of the “new” songs, I think the stand out is the ballad “Between the Lines,” because, ho man, does it hit close to home.
10/23: Vanessa Carlton's Liberman: “Unlock the Lock,” like much of the album, exudes an enchanting, quiet confidence.
Why? New release.
Additional Thoughts: I have to admit that I don’t know very much of Vanessa Carlton’s work beyond her singles, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this record. And yet, something about this feels… inevitable and right. Perhaps that’s down to the aforementioned confidence it exudes and maybe I’d change my mind were I to listen to the rest of the work it follows, only time will tell. Either way, it’s a wonderful record with enchanting atmosphere and insightful lyrics, like “Blue Pool” and “Nothing Where Something Used To Be.”
10/25: Grounders' Grounders: The vibe of “No Ringer” feels like Final Straw era Snow Patrol, which is a great thing.
Why? Spotify recommended it.
Additional Thoughts: Though it’s great to be reminded briefly of my favorite Snow Patrol era gone by, overall, this record doesn’t do much for me. Other reviews describe it with words like “pillowy,” “haze,” “spacey,” and “atmospheric,” which are fitting descriptions and qualities that can work. However, for me, I found nothing to really latch on to among all the haze and that desire made it impossible to let go and drift away with the atmosphere.
10/26: Sara Bareilles' Kaleidoscope Heart: So much to love; from the vocals to the melodies to lyrics like “Machine Gun.”
Why? Currently working through her discography.
Additional Thoughts: In his review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine says, “Because Bareilles is so naturally commercial, it’s easy to dismiss these gifts, but her effortless music should not be taken for granted; it’s tough to write tunes that play this easy that wind up enduring.” I have to agree with this assessment. Kaleidoscope Heart is overall such an easy and pleasant listen that it could’ve very easily just become dismissible background noise, but Sara is so good at crafting tunes and showing vulnerability (like in the moving “Breathe Again” and “The Light”) that you can’t ignore her. And if tracks like “Let the Rain” are any indication, she isn’t afraid to try new things and expand her sound.
10/27: Chvrches' Every Open Eye: I'm always leery of hype, but “Playing Dead” alone justifies it. (And so does the rest.)
Why? 2015 release.
Additional Thoughts: I’ve been burned by hype trains before (2015 definitely added to that), but luckily that didn’t happen with Chvrches. It’s funny, after listening to the record I made a comment about them being the musical baby of Paramore and Depeche Mode and the literally next day they were announced as part of the line-up for Parahoy. (And they’ve opened for Depeche Mode. Because of course!) Now, I already talked about this album in my 2015 Favorites list and I may expand even more on at a later date. For now, the only thing I wanted to add is about “Afterglow,” which feels like it sits in the church-like opening of U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name” and extends it for a whole song. Good call, really, I’ve always begrudgingly liked the opening of that song.
10/28: Ivy Levan's No Good: Serious vocal chops with musical variety and emotional versatility. Highlight: “Killing You”
Why? Spotify recommended one of her singles based on Dumblonde.
Additional Thoughts: The obvious star and center of this album is Ivy’s soulful, killer voice. A close second would be the emotional progression (of sorts) that happens over the course of the record. It starts off with a lot of confidence and bragging (“Biscuit,” for example), but toward the end transitions into more heartfelt tracks, like “Johnny Boy.” And she has the presence and voice to make it all work. The only thing that doesn’t really work is the guest rap verse on “Like A Glove,” which has some… charming lines like, “We got a connection. I got a confession. I got a erection,” and that’s not even the worst of it. Ah, well. No album can be perfect.
10/29: Sara Bareilles' The Blessed Unrest: Shows a lot of growth and new turns, such as the synth infused “Eden.”
Why? Currently working through her discography.
Additional Thoughts: This album shows Sara continuing to experiment and expand, like on “Satellite Call” and the aforementioned (and lead contender for best song on the album) “Eden.” But I must say that it doesn’t start on a good foot, because I deeply, viscerally hate “Brave.” Yes, it’s a lovely sentiment, but something about the way “I wanna see you be brave” hits my ears induces complete and utter rage. I’m sorry, Sara. I am so, so sorry. Outside my rage, though “Brave” does start Unrest’s theme of embracing change and well, bravery, it does so far more happily and upbeat than the rest of the record does. That isn’t a bad thing, necessarily, (vulnerability and heartfelt honesty are some of Sara’s strengths, after all) just an observation.
All albums available to stream on Spotify.
No comments:
Post a Comment