Quick Hits, Vol. 20 (Justin Townes Earle, Banks, Ought, FKA Twigs)

Justin Townes Earle - Absent Fathers.  I dig Steve Earle.  I dig Townes Van Zandt.  Thus, I'm predisposed to enjoy this album.  Its not a disappointment, slightly better voice tone than dad, but he has the same kind of tossed-off cadence and accent.  Kind of a bluesy folk sound - basic but well executed.  I definitely dig the rockers more than the slow ones - "Round the Bend" is a little barroom jam with a rockabilly breakdown in the middle that sounds damn fine.  The album ends on "Looking for a Place to Land," which is a great Townes homage.  Pleasant album that I'll keep around for a bit.

Banks - Goddess.  Brooding electronic dance lady.  I'd expect that this is not something I would normally like (see Del Rey, Lana), but she's not all mopey and sad and stupid.  The title track is a really great tune that drew me in to the whole thing, and now I like the rest pretty well also.

Walks the line between rap and R&B, but over glitchy, clicking, dark beats.  Really nice chilled out tune to bump.  And the rest of the album has the same kind of vibe - relaxed music that still has enough edge to not be boring.  Check "This is What it Feels Like" or the Fiona Apple-esque "You Should Know Where I'm Coming From."  "Beggin' for Thread" is the most listened to, with over 31 million spins on Spotify.  Pretty good song - dark dance.

Ought - More than Any Other Day.  Low wattage, punky indie.  I think my favorite of the songs is the "Weather Song," which is a loose, jangly shouter of a track.  OK album, doesn't really grab me.

FKA twigs - LP1.  People went crazy for this album last year.  The Hive Mind article found that it won the album of the year designation using their algorithm and methodology.  It will be odd for me to like Banks but not dig this, because they are similar electro R&B minimalist ladies, but I'm just not really feeling this.  Falsetto soprano, whispery vocals, over clicks and bumps with a couple swells of additional instrumentation, but never really turning into dance or anything steady.

Its definitely different from most of the music that I ever listen to, but nope.  Not my thing. Electronica Mariah Carey.  My apologies to every music critic on the planet.