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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
