Daily Album Digest: August 9 - 22, 2015

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Carrying on February's Music Writer's Exercise (#MWE), each day I listen to a new album and tweet a brief review of it. Then every two weeks compile those tweets here with some extra thoughts.

8/11: The Mynabirds' Lovers Know: Tracks like "Omaha" have a sense of grandeur while retaining a genuine emotional core.

Why? 2015 release.

Additional Thoughts: Multiple reviews compared a couple of the tracks to the Killers and I can certainly get behind that idea with the stipulation that the Mynabirds do so with actual sincerity. I mentioned it in the tweet as well, of course, but “Omaha” got some real chills out of me. It’s one of the most beautiful tracks I’ve heard so far this year.

8/14: New Politics' Vikings: Energetic and fun, though full of clichés... until the baffling and terrible final track.

Why? New release. I saw them open for Paramore and Fall Out Boy last year, but I had yet to check out any of their work.

Additional Thoughts: I remember liking New Politics well enough when I saw them. Evidently not enough to check them out immediately and perhaps I should’ve taken that as a sign. The album is energetic and fun, but any enjoyment is impeded by just how Fueled By Ramen they are. Take opener “Everywhere I Go (Kings and Queens),” which tries so hard to be like fun.’s “Some Nights” and fails utterly because, try as he might, vocalist David Boyd being no Nate Ruess. There’s also “Loyalties Among Thieves” that some lyric sites have credited to Pete Wentz, Patrick Stump, and Joe Trohman of Fall Out Boy. The album’s Wikipedia page, meanwhile, claims every track has been written by New Politics, which frankly, you could be forgiven for not believing considering how much it sounds like Fall Out Boy. New Politics’ inability to set themselves apart isn’t a new criticism, either. I found reviews of their debut that pointed out how much they seem to want to be the Killers and Franz Ferdinand. And funnily enough, the final track “Strings Attached” nearly turned out my opinion on the album until it turned on me. The track starts off as a blistering ska, sort of hardcore number and then after about three minutes of silence there’s a rap verse about having a “gold dick” and what sounds like folks high on helium. Then after another three minutes there’s a dance synthpop interlude calling a girl an STD. Delightful. Yick. I’ll give their other records a shot just to be sure, but as of now I just don’t know who these guys are for. I mean, if you don’t dig any Fueled By Ramen related artists, it’s doubtful they’ll convert you and if you do like FBR (as I do) they’re redundant.

8/15: Backstreet Boys' This Is Us: A marked improvement on previous work in terms of vitality. Highlight: "Undone"

Why? I have a list of discographies I want to get through. This time I decided to a walk down memory lane with the Backstreet Boys.

Additional Thoughts: I hesitate to call it a return to form, but I suppose if any BSB record could be called such it would be this one as it has more in common with the upbeat dance music of their international debut than adult contemporary/ballad focus of much of their output since then. I should also mention that while I find it an improvement on Unbreakable that doesn’t mean I necessarily find it good on its own. The music has much more life to it, which is great, in a way, but it’s not enough for me to ignore a lot of the lyrical faux pas, like “PDA.” Though the worst offender is probably “She’s a Dream”; the full lyric being, “She’s a dream, cause she knows me.” And it gets worse. The basic point of the song is that this girl is such an awesome wonderful person for the narrator, because she doesn’t have a TV or radio and she’s completely ignorant of his celebrity status which everyone (including him) actively keeps from her. It’s. Just. Baffling. Plus, personal gripe, I guess, I know it was co-written by T-Pain, but I don’t need to hear the Backstreet say shorty. Maybe A.J. McLean could’ve carried that off in 2000, but the rest of the group in 2009? No. It’s like a dad desperately trying to sound with it. I really like “Undone,” though, so there’s that at least.

8/16: The Rolling Stones' The Rolling Stones, Now!: Maybe it's me, but the cover of "Down Home Girl" is... uncomfortable.

Why? I actually wasn’t going to include this album, but didn’t have enough time to listen to another instead. Whoops.

Additional Thoughts: I’ve probably touched on this before, but the early Stones records are difficult to talk about. The abundance of covers is one reason; another is differences and overlaps in the UK and U.S. versions. There’s often so much overlap that for the most part I’ve decided to forgo most of them altogether as daily albums. But, as I said, I run low on time on this particular day, so I decided to bend the rules. Plus, I’m not sure if “Down Home Girl” was on an album I’d already discussed, but it’s a song that I didn’t want to pass without any comment. The song basically sings the praises of a Southern country girl with all these stereotypical things like “turnip greens,” but then there’s a line about working in cotton fields and the line, “Every time you monkey child.” And I just… no. Again, maybe it’s me, maybe I’m being overly sensitive or something, but it doesn’t sit well with me.

8/17: Backstreet Boys' In A World Like This: If only their ostensible maturity yielded more like the sweet "Madeleine."

Why? Finishing up the Backstreet Boys’ discography.

Additional Thoughts: The title track says, “In time like this when nothing comes from the heart” and much of this album proves that. The big exception to that, of course, is “Madeleine” which is genuinely touching. It’s perhaps the most touching thing they’ve done since “Shape of My Heart.” It’s just a shame that their idea of maturity manifests as empty platitudes and attempts to sound like OneRepublic as shown in “Show ‘Em (What You’re Made Of)”. (Ironic, considering the only song I like off This Is Us was actually co-written by OR’s Ryan Tedder.) That or metaphors comparing love to prison or war, which sound way more melodramatic than they are in practice. In fact, they could probably stand to use more melodrama in such cases. I mean, if you’re going to compare a break up to prison you might as well go all out.

8/18: Thee Tsunamis' Saturday Night Sweetheart: Feels like it's from an alt-universe 1950s full of rough girl bands.

Why? 2015 release that Spotify recommended.

Additional Thoughts: The second I heard tracks like “I Know” I immediately regretted not saving the “punk rock Pipettes” descriptor. It does sound like it’s from an alternate timeline or that it’s a live recording recently unearthed from someone’s attic, which might be due in part to the fact that it was apparently recorded onto tape. It’s great fun. I don’t know what I did to have my Spotify recommendations filled with so many awesome chick bands recently, but I’m really glad it happened.

8/19: Cloud Nothings' Attack On Memory: Such blunt lyrics are admirable when others get so caught up in arch metaphors.

Why? A review on the Needle Drop made me curious.

Additional Thoughts: Granted I do have a not-so-secret affinity for metaphors, arch or not. Still, there is value in getting straight to the point and saying what you mean. If I had any issue with the album, it wouldn’t be the lyrics, but Dylan Baldi’s vocals. The gritty, growly thing he does (most prominently on songs like “No Future/No Past” and “Wasted Days”) seems a bit affected. I know other complimented such things, but it didn’t really work for me. Even so, I like the album and “Stay Useless” in particular.

8/22: Green Day's Dookie: A bit juvenile at times, sure, but damn, if it isn't cathartic and fun.

Why? Maintaining motivation has been difficult lately, which means a “Longview” loop can’t be too far behind.

Additional Thoughts: I nearly didn’t choose this album as I’ve probably heard it in full while driving around with friends, but I figured since I made an exception for Backstreet Boys’ first two records I could make another one here. And while I would love to crack into this album more, it’s part of the RS500, so that must wait. However, unlike the other daily albums that overlap with the RS500, I’ve decided to bump this up in the queue, so a full Dookie post might come sooner than you think.

All albums available to stream on Spotify. 

If you'd like to suggest an album, comment on this entry or tweet me. 

Daily Album Digest: July 26 - August 8, 2015

Carrying on February's Music Writer's Exercise (#MWE), each day I listen to a new album and tweet a brief review of it. Then every two weeks compile those tweets here with some extra thoughts.

7/26: Run the Jewels' Run the Jewels 2: While not as vicious as the first, it's dark and blunt moments are more refined.

Why? A recommendation from LoadingReadyRun’s Best of 2014 podcast.

Additional Thoughts: The first Run the Jewels album struck me most with its ferocity and wordplay. This album is still very dark and blunt, but it doesn’t feel as brutal or confrontational as the first yet somehow more pointed. The first record felt like an explosion. The second is a precision shot. Like the difference between a first draft and the second and third, etc. ideas and their execution become more refined. I suspect that will continue to happen as they become more firm in their identity as this project. Also, I feel the beats and instrumentals were more striking this time around. That’s not to say they were bad on the first album, but they didn’t grab my interest as much as the lyrics. On Run the Jewels 2, the lyrics and music work in even better harmony, which is a sign of the previously mentioned refinement. And while I tend to prefer Killer Mike’s flow, El-P made a Tolkien reference and a Beatle reference in the same song (“All My Life”), which can’t help but endear him to me.

7/27: Backstreet Boys' Backstreet Boys: "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss," the album's best song and what listening to this did to me.

Why? I have a list of discographies I want to get through. This time I decided to a walk down memory lane with the Backstreet Boys.

Additional Thoughts: Okay, before we get into anything else let me say: yes, I’m aware “Set Adrift on Memory Bliss” is a cover and no, that fact doesn’t change my opinion. Of course, it’s been my favorite Backstreet song since forever, so maybe I’m a little biased. Maaaybe. That “forever” bit is another thing I should address. See, I actually never had a chance to sit down with this album and listen to it front to back, but (because I was a teenage girl when they hit the scene) I still heard the big singles and knew the deeper cuts from hanging out with my cousin and repeated viewings of the Pay Per View special my mother once ordered for me. It’s a weird and wonderful thing to listen to a full album for the first time and suddenly remember every word as every note took me pack to 97-98 and the days before *NSYNC and New Kids (or rather Joey McIntyre) stole me away. Recently, when asked if the current musicscene is better than when Duran Duran started, John Taylor said, “The best shit happens when you’re coming of age. Teenage music- mine was the best. Yours was probably your best.” He’s right. Even if that music isn’t necessarily the best “objectively,” like any first love, it’s the best in that it elicits some of the most exciting and pure emotions; emotions that everything after can only try to recreate with varying degrees of success. So is the album actually any good or am I just blinded by nostalgia goggles? Hell if I know and hell if I care. If nothing else, it’s some cheesy and wonderful fun and there’s nothing wrong with that.

7/27: Backstreet Boys' Millennium: "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely" is criminally underrated.

Why? Working through the BSB discography.

Additional Thoughts: I avoided this in the tweet, so let’s get it out of the way, in the words of Quentin Tarantino, “’I Want It That Way’ – the best song of the boy band era!” Admittedly, at its peak, I was sick to death of the oversaturation, but damn, there’s no getting around the fact that it’s simply a classic that, for better or worse, overshadows anything and everything Backstreet has done since. That said, I will always go to bat for “Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely,” because if there’s one BSB song that deserves better it’s that one (and possibly “That’s What She Said,” which never got an official American release, to my knowledge.) As for the rest, where their U.S. debut had more balance, two-thirds of Millennium consists of ballads and most don’t rise to the same levels as “Show Me…” and “I Want It That Way.”

7/28: Ratatat's Magnifique: Nice, but fleetingly so. Much of it sounds like unfinished Electric Light Orchestra demos.

Why? 2015 release.

Additional Thoughts: I think tweet sums it up pretty well. These songs sound like bits of what could be bigger, fuller songs. I don’t have anything against the more simple, trim-the-fat thing they’re going for (not everything has to be full blown ELO, of course), but it feels incomplete and unsatisfying. It’s like chewing bubblegum – giving you the illusion of feeling full while chewing on it, but once gone you realize how hungry and unsated you remain. On a more positive note, I will say the changing radio bits that bridge together the songs is a neat idea to unify the album.

7/29: Ratking's So It Goes: They know they aren't Pac or Biggie and don't seem to want to be either, which is refreshing.

Why? A recommendation from LoadingReadyRun’s Best of 2014 podcast.

Additional Thoughts: I love the opening of this album. I wish I could quote it all right here, but I won’t. The basic idea is that dismissing current (or maybe any) music or making comparisons is flawed and a bit useless. “If your life experience is different that’s going to come out differently”; artists need to be judge on their own merits and one can’t expect another Pac, because his life and surrounding circumstances made him what he was. And I say their acknowledgement of this is refreshing because so many people, even big names, seem to want to be the next so-and-so. They invite comparison, sometimes even doing it on their own; take for example, Nicki Minaj’s “HOV Lane” in which she compares herself to Jay-Z. I get the intent behind such comparisons, but it is flawed. I don’t feel like I’m explaining this well. This might have to be a topic I come back to later.

7/30: Backstreet Boys' Black & Blue: From the school of If It's A Hit, Do It Again. But does it work this time? Somewhat.

Why? Working through the BSB discography.

Additional Thoughts: Now, in fairness, Millennium also comes from that school (as do the early records of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.) The big difference being that Millennium has “I Want It That Way” and “Show Me the Meaning…” which overshadow and make up for that fact. Another key difference is that it isn’t a matter of simply repeating the style and it’s pretty apparent exactly what songs they’re trying to repeat. “Shape Of My Heart,” for example, is clearly in the same vein as “I Want It That Way”; that doesn’t necessarily reflect badly on the song itself, which I think is quite good. Another notable thing about Black & Blue is it contains two tracks written all five members of Backstreet, “The Answer to Our Life” and “Time.” Most of their albums have a couple tracks written or co-written by one or two members, but all five (and only the five) seems rare. The two resulting tracks are kind of mediocre and “Answer” definitely apes Max Martin’s style, but hey, at least they tried. 

7/31: Lianne La Havas' Blood: "Never Get Enough" is a mix of sweet and harsh that makes it the album's biggest curveball.

Why? New release.

Additional Thoughts: I should add that being the biggest curveball doesn’t automatically make “Never Get Enough” the best song on Blood, just that it’s jarring on its own and in comparison to the rest of the record. The song itself has these sweet, tropical sounding verses next to a distorted, rock-tinged chorus, so it stands out on an album steeped in soul, jazz, and acoustics. If I had to pick the best song on this record, it would probably be a tie between “Ghost” and “Good Goodbye,” which are among the most heartfelt on the record. 

8/1: Modern English's Pillow Lips: The album hits a high with "Life Rich's Tapestry" it doesn't really reach again.

Why? Spotify recommended it based on ABC and Tears for Fears.

Additional Thoughts: In fairness, when listening to this album Spotify had a hiccup about halfway through and made finishing the album a struggle. I have no doubt that likely influenced my “meh” reaction to it, but I don’t hold it fully responsible. I mean, the album starts with a rerecording of “I Melt With You.” It can’t be a good sign if a band feels that must tack on a new version of their biggest hit to a project that isn’t meant to be some kind of greatest hits/tribute collection. Then there are tracks like “Beautiful People,” which sounds like lame early 90s dance music mixed with 60s lyrical clichés about “flowers in your hair” and how “all we need is love.” To make matters worse, a lyric that’s supposed to be “love, love, love” sounds more like “blah, blah, blah” when sung, whether that’s due more to how bored they sound or how bored it made me I’m not sure. 

8/2: Cariad Harmon's Cariad Harmon: Stand out track "Shame" manages to convey exhaustion while being incredibly beautiful.

Why? Spotify recommended it.

Additional Thoughts: This tweet bugs me, honestly, due to my regret that I couldn’t think of a better way to succinctly describe “Shame.” The song shows exhaustion in the sense that the narrator is clearly fed up with “the lot of you” and done with expending energy and “faking it” in their situation. It’s very open and honest, which mostly acoustic singer-songwriter music needs to be in order to truly work and not settle into boring nonsense. I’m not sure I connect to most of this album, personally, but she clearly puts her heart into her work. Even though part of me wants to groan at lyrical clichés about California and comparing New York to a jealous lover, she’s sincere enough that I can let it go.

8/3: Backstreet Boys' Never Gone: While not a good fit for each voice in BSB, I respect the change to a more rock sound.

Why? Working through the BSB discography.

Additional Thoughts: The album’s Wikipedia page says, “Initial critical response to Never Gone were surprisingly generally negative due to the change from the band's traditional pop style to a more mature adult contemporary sound.” I feel like that could be an oversimplification. Like I said, I respect the style change (because at least it’s a change) and I respect that it was made using only live instruments. But let’s be honest, BSB has always had a soft rock, adult contemporary edge to them, given that they’ve always heavily favored ballads. Plus, while much of the style underwent a change, the same can’t be said for the lyrics, which remain as generic as ever. Of course, it’s hard to make a song personal when sung by five people who didn’t write it. AllMusic’s review says, “If Never Gone had been released as Nick Carter's second solo album or A.J. McLean's first, it would have felt more genuine” and I must agree. Not only would it feel more genuine, but Carter and McLean’s voices are far more suited to this album’s sound than Brian Littrell’s – which might explain another problem. In my mind, Littrell’s voice is the Backstreet Boys, so when he seems out of place or takes a backseat it just doesn’t feel like BSB. Still, this album isn’t terrible and I certainly respect what it tries to do.

8/4: Dirty Dishes' Guilty: In the midst of this grungy and trippy album "One More Time" feels like a haunting lullaby.

Why? 2015 release that Spotify recommended.

Additional Thoughts: According to the band’s Facebook, they play “a mix of punchy, feedback-drenched anthems that would make the ghosts of the 90s proud” and I think for the most part they succeed. As well as the haunting quality, “One More Time” sounds like it should be on an Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland soundtrack, which I think exemplifies the dreamy quality they were going for with some of the record.

8/5: No Joy's More Faithful: Vibrant and jarring in the best way possible. Highlights: "Everything New" and "Rude Films"

Why? Spotify recommended it.

Additional Thoughts: One thing that made this album jarring for me is the fact that No Joy is considered a shoegaze band. This album has such life and vigor and variety, which set it apart from the shoegaze I know. But I am willing to concede that maybe I haven’t been exposed to the real good stuff and this might be more indicative of the genre. That jarring quality extends to the content of the album as it pulls in so many different directions, from the grungy “Remember Nothing” to the sweet vocals of “Everything New.” My only criticism would be about the vocals place in the mix and how they can be buried at times, but it’s a very enjoyable listen.

8/6: Backstreet Boys' Unbreakable: When nearly every ballad sounds the same, maybe it's time to try something else.

Why? Working through the BSB discography.

Additional Thoughts: Well, I should’ve known better than to get too excited about the sound change in Never Gone. And it’s not just that they revert to older sounds or they continue to repeat their typical subjects/song types, but the first half of the damn album contains three ballads in a row that sound exactly the same. How could this not be infuriating? The album’s best tracks are the JC Chasez co-written “Treat Me Right” and the Duran Duran-esque “Everything But Mine” and even those have problems, such as the latter’s lyric: “Time takes time.” Well, no shit, Sherlock.

8/7: Sharkmuffin's Chartreuse: With shades of punk and surf rock, it packs a lot of punch and variety in its short run time.

Why? New release. I’m not sure what made me pick this record (maybe it was their connection to Asbury Park), but I’m glad I did.

Additional Thoughts: This is one of those records so good it’s difficult to write about. I really had to stop myself from simply tweeting, “Trust me, it’s great! Just listen to it!” A big highlight from the album is its title track, which has great energy and bounce and reminds me a bit of Violent Femmes’ “Blister in the Sun” as well as a punk rock Pipettes.

8/8: Spoon's They Want My Soul: The stomping and swinging "Let Me Be Mine" stands out most on a really great album.

Why? Spotify recommended it based on Vampire Weekend and Phoenix.

Additional Thoughts: Like Chartreuse the greatness of this album makes it difficult to talk about. I suspect if I knew more of Spoon’s back catalog I might have more to say and my opinion on it might change (time will tell), but as it is I think it’s awesome and worth a listen.

All albums available to stream on Spotify. 

If you'd like to suggest an album, comment on this entry or tweet me.