Quick Hits, Vol. 47 (Faith No More, FFS, James Taylor, Shamir)

Faith No More - Sol Invictus.  I always had a soft spot for Faith No More.  Even beyond what everyone knows - "Epic" or "Falling to Pieces" - I think their rendition of "War Pigs" is the best cover of that song around.  Then their next album, Angel Dust, was a fun album back in high school.  "Midlife Crisis," "Kindergarten," or even their cover of "Easy" were all good times.  So I was really hoping to like this new album, and while it has some flashes of fun, overall I'd say I underwhelmed about it.  Here is a live version of the most-listened-to track on the album, "Superhero."

That tune kicks ass.  I bet seeing them play live is really sweet.  Love seeing gray haired dudes still jamming it out like their 20-year-old selves back in the day.  Like that track, there are others with pure rock in them, but they reach a level of sameness that is lame.  So, even after about ten tries, I'm not especially into the album.

FFS - FFS.  This is a combined effort of Franz Ferdinand with Sparks, and it is kind of a weak Franz Ferdinand album. You definitely hear their trademark sound, but nothing in here was all that interesting or arresting to me.  Sparks has an interesting bio on Spotify - two brothers who "spent their childhood modeling young men's apparel for mail-order catalogs" and then made art pop in the early 70's, a "glam-bubblegum opus," a Giorgio Moroder powered "dance-pop confection," an album called Whomp that Sucker, and their 22nd album in 2011.  Weird collabo, and it doesn't do much for me.

James Taylor - Before this World.  Gaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!  There is a song on here, called "Angels of Fenway," which is about the worst thing I think I've ever put in my ears.  I want to hurt myself.  Yuckedy yuck yuckerson.  I was enjoying the album just fine until that turd landed in the punchbowl.  I don't know the backstory on the Red Sox using Sweet Caroline, but I sure hope that it was something organic and real where it just happened.  (It was).  The opposite of that is this brazen cash grab to be played during games and become the official theme song of the team.  Such sadness.  I'm sorry to do this to you, but I had to suffer through it.

Death.  Gross.  Vomit.
I dig old school James Taylor.  Back when he was a coke fiend, he made some really nice music, some of the soundtrack of my high school age was taken from that greatest hits album he put out in 1976.  If you didn't stick one of those suckers onto a mix tape, you were missing out on some serious schmaltz points with your lady friends.  That album still rules.
And while the rest of this album (other than that garbage Red Sox Nation(tm) anthem) is likeable in the same way, nothing on here touches those old standards.  And the more I dwell on the awfulness of that song, the less I like the rest of this.  Death to the Angels of Fenway!

Shamir - Ratchet.  I don't even know what to call this music.  Kind of rap, over disco party electronic house, and the singer is apparently a dude although there is no way you would know from the tone of his voice.  "On the Regular" was the track that stood out, and no surprise it happens to have the most listens on the album.

That song is a good time.  Not my normal bag of music, but that is pretty dang fun to jam. Nothing else on the album is as sweet.  You can probably pass on hearing the rest.