Album: In the Morse Code of Brake Lights Artist: The New Pornographers Release Date: September 27, 2019 Favorite Tracks: “You’ll Need A New Backseat Driver,” “The Surprise Knock,” and “Falling Down the Stairs of Your Smile” Thoughts:
I’ve been a longtime fan of The New Pornographers but finding my enthusiasm for the Canadian band dwindling over there past few releases. This new album has everything one would expect of the New Pornographers, the unique mix of power pop and folk rock, harmonies, virtuoso instrumentation, and clever titles. The first three songs on the album are good, but there are no standout gems like “Sing Me Spanish Techno,” “Challengers,” or “Crash Years.” The remainder of the album is just boring. I guess The New Pornographers and I have just drifted apart.
Album: The Center Won’t Hold Artist: Sleater Kinney Release Date: August 16, 2019 Favorite Tracks:
Hurry on Home
Bad Dance
The Dog/The Body
Thoughts:
This is a new sound for the band, one that incorporates electronic instruments and an industrial music sound to its raging guitar riffs. The producer is Annie Clark of St. Vincent and her stamp on the sound is clear, although not overwhelming. It’s not without controversy as drummer Janet Weiss announced her departure from the band over the change in direction.
The lyrics touch on the politics of being women continuing to perform as they age, defying the expectations that women in the public eye always be young and beautiful. Similarly, these songs are steeped in the experiences being women and identifying as queer in the Trump Era even if the lyrics aren’t always explicit on that point as they are on the album’s finale “Broken.”
An experienced band and a big name producer bring with it a lot of expectations. I’m not sure if The Center Won’t Hold lives up to those expectations, but its worth listening on its own terms.
Kokoko! is a collective of artists from Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. They use instruments fashioned from trash to create sounds for a musical style that blends electronica with dance punk. The synths layered on by their French producer Débruit also gives it an 80s freestyle dance pop sound. Kokoko! makes refreshing music that functions equally well at a dance club or a political protest.
Album: Freya Ridings Artist: Freya Ridings Release Date: July 19, 2019 Favorite Tracks: “Castles,” “Wishbone,” and “You Mean the World to Me” Thoughts:
Freya Ridings is a young singer/songwriter from England who joins the tradition of women with bold, powerful voices (such as Adele or Florence Welch) singing songs of love and love lost. There’s nothing innovative on this debut album, but if you like this style of pop singing – and I do – it’s worth adding to your playlist.
Today I will review three recently-released albums by artists who were 1980s superstars.
Album: Western Stars Artist: Bruce Springsteen Release Date: June 14, 2019 Favorite Tracks:
Western Stars
Chasin’ Wild Horses
Moonlight Motel
Thoughts:
I’ve always liked Springsteen well enough, although my knowledge of his work is fairly superficial. This album reminds me of the Rolling Stones’ Blue & Lonesome in the sense that Springsteen is at an age where he has nothing left to prove, and has the leisure to dive into his roots. Nonetheless, it’s a different sound for him, especially the string arrangements. Strings can be cheezy if done poorly, but they’re are well-integrated into the songs and the stories they’re telling and complement Springsteen’s voice which is as strong and expressive as ever. Springsteen is famously from New Jersey, but here is voice is baked in the Americana of the West.
Rating: ***
Album: Absolute Zero Artist: Bruce Hornsby Release Date: April 12, 2019 Favorite Tracks: none stand out, but they’re all decent Thoughts:
The less-famous Bruce had his biggest hits at the beginning of his career in the 1980s, and probably for most people that’s all they know about him. In the 1990s, Hornsby toured with the Grateful Dead and created new albums with a jazz fusion sound. When I lived in Williamsburg, VA, his hometown, he was a local celebrity and people exchanged stories of Bruce sightings. I saw him in concert several times and have always thought his music sounds far better in live performace than on an album. Neverthless, over the past 15 years or so I’ve failed to keep up with his career – until now. This album uses elements of classical, jazz, and avant-garde music with Hornsby’s virtuosic style. Jazz drummer Jack DeJohnette guests on some tracks as does Justin Vernon of Bon Iver which gives it some NPR Music cred. It’s a creative experiment with dissonant sounds and juxtapositions, but I don’t think it’s something I’ll want to return to.
Rating: **1/2
Album: Originals Artist: Prince Release Date: June 7, 2019 Favorite Tracks:
100 MPH
Holly Rock
The Glamorous Life
Wouldn’t You Love to Love Me?
Nothing Compares 2 U
Thoughts:
Prince, of course, is deceased and will no longer be releasing new music. But his famous vault will be mined for music for the forseeable future. Following up on Piano and a Microphone, 1983, and collects mostly unreleased versions of songs Prince wrote as demos for other artists. So now we can hear Prince’s take on songs like “Jungle Love,” “Manic Monday,” and “The Glamorous Life,” which were hits for The Time, The Bangles, and Sheila E. A number of these songs were crafted by Prince for his proteges in the Minneapolis scene so they’re not familiar to me, although the most bizarre of the songs that are new to me is “You’re My Love,” which Prince wrote for Kenny Rogers! The demos exude Prince’s hard work and musicianship and would’ve been good enough for Prince to release himself. On the other hand, there are things the other artists brought to these songs that I think Prince was aware was needed. This album is enjoyable, but I think it’s worth more for historical/musicological study than for just listening for fun
Album: Keepsake Artist: Hatchie Release Date: June 21, 2019 Favorite Tracks: Without a Blush Thoughts:
This is the first full-length album from Australian singer-songwriter Harriette Pilbeam, who records under the name Hatchie. The songs are lush and dreamy and a suitable soundtrack to a lazy summer day. The sound is reminiscent of early 90s bands with ethereal female lead vocalists like The Sundays. I really liked her 2018 EP Sugar & Spice, but the songs on Keepsake don’t packe the same punch with the exception of “Without a Blush.” A lot of songs suffer from a repetitious nature where they start with a good groove or lyric but it becomes grating as the song goes along. The song “Obsessed” is a good example of this. I was looking forward to this album but I don’t think I will be revisiting it.
Album: Cut & Stitch Artist: Petrol Girls Release Date: May 24, 2019 Favorite Tracks:
Big Mouth
Monstrous
Weather Warning
Naive
Thoughts:
I have a soft spot for punk rock that features women’s voices shouting over shredding guitars. The Petrol Girls website bears the tagline “Raging Feminist Post Hardcore from the UK and Austria” which about sums it up. And while the shouted lyrics may not always be easy to understand, I appreciate that they’re saying important things, the emotion behind them is clear.
Album: Reward Artist: Cate Le Bon Release Date: May 24, 2019 Thoughts:
Welsh singer Cate Le Bon sings ethereally over lush arrangements in her newest collection of art pop. The reviews are good but it doesn’t resonate much with me. Typically, quiet and minimalist music appeals to me, but this album just feels, well … boring. I hate giving a bad review, so don’t take my word for it, and see if it is more Reward-ing for you.
Album: The Best of Luck Club Artist: Alex Lahey Release Date: May 17, 2019 Favorite Tracks:
I Don’t Get Invited to Parties Anymore
Am I Doing It Right?
Don’t Be So Hard on Yourself
Isabella
Thoughts:
Do you like 1980s power pop, but want to hear it from a young, contemporary artist? Australia’s Alex Lahey fits the bill on this album that just totally rocks. She even rips out a sax solo on “Don’t Be So Hard on Yourself.” A year ago this week, I reviewed an album by Lahey’s fellow Australian Courtney Barnett, which I completely loved, and I feel just as strongly for The Best of Luck Club. Lahey is maybe a bit less edgy musically than Barnett, but her lyrics are empowering and uplifting. And even on the ballads the pair of ballads that close out the album – “Black RMs” and “I Want to Live With You” – Lahey express the contended domesticity of a loving relationship while still being a rock & roller.
Album: there is no Other Artist: Rhiannon Giddens (with Franceso Turrisi) Release Date: May 3, 2019 Favorite Tracks:
Brown Baby
Little Margaret
Pizzica di San Vito
Wayfaring Stranger
Thoughts:
Rhiannon Giddens is a name I’ve heard for a while but I’d not gotten around to listening to her music. In fact, there was a time when I conflated her with the R&B singer Rihanna (ooops). Well, Rhiannon Giddens is a folk musician, although that seems inadequate to describe the masterful fusion of musical styles on this album. Giddens is joined by Italian jazz instrumentalist Franceso Turrisi on this album. Together they perform a mix of traditional and original tunes that draw on bluegrass, gospel, Italian folk tunes, Arabic, and African sounds. Many of the songs feature just two instruments with Giddens’ spinetingling vocals, while others have complex and fascinating percussion. The sound is unlike anything I’ve heard while still feeling familiar.
