Quick Hits, Vol. 50 (Public Enemy, Ghostface Killah, Kacey Musgraves, The Struts)

Happy 50th, Quick Hits.  Thank you for being my diversion from work that gives me something fun to do with my brain all day in between doing less fun things.

Public Enemy - Man Plans God Laughs.  Surprisingly solid.  Everything I have heard from them since Apocalypse 91 has been uninspired and boring.  Well, the title song from the He Got Game Soundtrack was kind of cool, but that is a 20+ year hiatus.  After seeing them live last year, I still wasn't expecting much from a new album, but the beats are pretty tense, the lyrics are still timely and smart, and some of the self-referential stuff they do really works. The title song is the most popular on Spotify, with just over 1.3 million listens.

Their references - "Am I radical?" "bring the noize," "89, another summer," etc. recall the classic P.E. calling cards of the past, and most of these songs contain similar references, but I'd say that most of the "message" in here is relatively watered-down.  P.E. could have had a pretty strong voice right now with the current political climate and Michael Brown et al, but they go just far enough to sound tough but not far enough to actually get back to their radical ways of the late 80's and early 90's.  I do dig the Stones riff in "Honky Tonk Rules," and the song title of "Corplantationopoly" is excellent, but then backed up with pretty weak lyrics.  "Bump bump, bump, bump, how can I say this?  Corplantations spreading that matrix, pity pity, flock to these cities, seem to forgot, punch the robot."  Riiiight.  Fight the power, man.  Punch the robot.  At about 2 minutes a song, its a quick listen that was fun to take me back, but I won't keep it around.

Ghostface Killah - Twelve Reasons to Die II.  Dude.  Ghost just keeps going.  Heavy on the old soul music (sounds like it is played by a live backing band) again, with some Autoharp strumming.  This is further continuation of the complicated story about the his alter-ego fighting with a crime family and those damn vinyl records filled with blood.  Cliff Notes version of the story: In the first album, Tony Starks went up against the DeLuca crime family, who killed him and put his soul/remains into twelve albums.  If those albums are played, his alter-ego sould, Ghostface Killah, comes out (or something).  Now some other guy (Lester Kane) is messing with the DeLuca family, finds the albums, and when he plays them he releases Starks/Ghostface and agrees to give up his body to the spirit in exchange for taking down the DeLuca clan.  Got it?  Also sounds like we'll have a third album in this chain sooner or later.  None of these tracks cracks the top ten on Spotify for Ghostface, so I'll give you my favorite because of a tight guest verse from Vince Staples, "Get the Money."

Tearing up the DeLuca empire sounds fun.  Staples sounds smooth as hell.  Oh, and there is a second disc included on Spotify, which is all instrumental versions of the 13 tracks on the album.  Fully unnecessary.  I dig the story and the execution of this album, but there is nothing on here that is going to bring me back again.  Until #3...

Kacey Musgraves - Pageant Material.  I get that you might not be in to country music, and so you might just dismiss this album out of habit.  Huge mistake.  Like her last album and like the new wave of country stars who wink at the genre and then have some fun with it (Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson), this is funny and a hell of a lot of fun.  She can take that too far - see "Biscuits" with the chorus of "Mind your own biscuits and life will be gravy" - but she hits the nail on the head way more often than she mashes her thumb.  And even that song, I like it a lot and will continue to hum it in my head hours after I've finished it.  The music is good, but you come for the wry observations about life in small town country-land, family relations, and making fun where there isn't any.

My favorite moment is the Willie-assisted cover of Nelson's 1965 beauty "Are You Sure."  It isn't actually named on the album, it is a secret song after the final listed track, "Fine."  You may not remember this, but I have a clear memory of the TV show Lost, when Hurley is looking around at the misfit toy survivors spread around him on the beach, and slips his headphones on to listen to this song.  At the time, despite a pretty heavy past of Willie listening, I had never heard that track before, and so I remember being struck by (1) how perfect a song it was for that moment in the show; and (2) how great a song it was in general.  This is a great version, with Willie's unmistakable guitar work under Kacey's knockout voice, and then Willie's old, weathered voice for a bit.

Man, Willie looks like hell.  While I still think I liked her first album better ("Merry Go Round" was devastatingly perfect, and "Follow Your Arrow" great stuff), this one is a keeper for sure.

The Struts - Everybody Wants.  All they've got is a four song EP, but it is over-the-top awesomely sneering Brit rock and roll fun.  "Could Have Been Me" is a wide-open fist pumper that should be used at every stadium in the world to get the crowd on their feet, clapping over their heads while tears stream down their faces.  Very Freddie Mercury, especially with the hoots and hollers during the crowd-sing-along portion.  "Kiss This" is a strutting peacock of a funky dance kiss-off.  Very different from the first track, but just as appealing.  "Put Your Money on Me" cranks up some 70's guitar licks and tambourine for a sunny hand-clapper straight out of K-Billy's Super Sounds of the Seventies.  You'd think they'd add in a soft lover tune here before the EP is over, but you'd be wrong. "Where Did She Go" is immediately cranked up to 11 as well, a pub sing-along fit for any soccer pitch across the world.  This is just four songs, you should go check it out and see what I am talking about - it is awesome.  Here is "Could Have Been Me," in case you are too lazy to go find it on Spotify.

Yeah!  Unfortunately, this looks like the kind of band that will put out this awesome teaser and then implode because three of the members don't feel respected or as loved as the wild child frontman.  I hope I'm wrong and that a full-length is on the way.