Quick Hits, Vol. 61 (Drake & Future, Thunderbitch, Ought, The Libertines)

Before I get to the new music, I need to give a shout out to Scott Weiland today after he died at age 48.  I know a lot of people bag on STP for being a rip off of Pearl Jam or Alice in Chains, but when Core and Purple came out in the early nineties, those albums were fantastic.  I didn't care who influenced them, I just knew that "Sex Type Thing," "Plush," "Wicked Garden," "Creep," "Interstate Love Song," "Vasoline," "Big Empty" and others were excellent rock tunes.  The intro for "Dead and Bloated," before the song kicks in like a ton of bricks, probably resulted in bruised knuckles for me on more than one occasion when jamming in my car.  I have a distinct memory of driving around after prom and listening to "Big Empty."

I never cared as much for the later albums - the one with the weird title about the Vatican Gift Shop, or whatever else they put out later than that, but those first two albums were solid stuff.  R.I.P.

Drake & Future - What a Time to Be Alive.  If you've been reading me, then you know that I'm pretty lukewarm when it comes to either of these dudes.  The alien auto-tune monster that is Future never gets me off the ground, and Drake's sing-song delivery is very hit or miss.  In a similar way, some of this is pretty damn fun ("Big Rings") and some of it is garbage ("Jumpman," the most popular track on this album).  This is like the garbage Jay Z makes now, where he just repeats the same word 136 times in a song and then says a few other words in between.  The one thing I like in "Jumpman" is the "caw!" of a crow in the background every once in a while.  I don't know why, but that sounds cool as hell. And the best part about "Big Rings" is the exuberant and fun beat, as well as the line "what a time to be alive!"

The beats on most of the songs make me feel badass, but lyrically, this stuff is just boring and uninteresting.  Like most, if not all, of the Future tunes I've listened to in the past.  I'll keep "Big Rings" and drop the rest.  Especially the 30 for 30 freestyle, which is soooooo boring.

Ugh, and then 3 hours after listening to this crap, I'm still saying "jumpmanjumpmanjumpmanjumpman" in my head.  Damn subliminal stuff.

Thunderbitch - Thunderbitch.  More soul rock power from Brittany Howard, the lead singer of Alabama Shakes.  Looser, rawer garage rock sound, not quite as soulful and warm as the Shakes' most recent album, but this is a fun sound nonetheless.  Song titles like "Leather Jacket," "I Don't Care," "I Just Wanna Rock n Roll," and "Wild Child" show you the type of tunes she is bringing to this party. Speaking of which, here is "Eastside Party."

Clap along, baby!  The most popular track is called "My Baby is my Guitar," but "Eastside" is more fun.  I enjoyed this well enough a few times, but I doubt I'll hold on to it for later listens.

Ought - Sun Coming Down.  Rolling Stone gave this album 4 stars, talking about an anxious groove.  I find the album strikingly similar to the grating Strokes music that I never want to hear again. Anxious may be a good descriptor, but no thanks for me.

The Libertines - Anthems for Doomed Youth.  I've never really given these dudes a chance before - but I feel like their reputation has received more press than their actual music.  The lead singer, Pete Doherty, became famous for drug-fueled silliness and frequent arrests/rehab stints, and I recall that being the majority of their fame for years. Their bio says that "Don't Look Back Into the Sun" was their big hit, but it doesn't even crack their top ten most popular on Spotify, so I get the idea that they really don't have a hit of any consequence.  The music reminds me of the Clash's speak-sing verses mixed with Blur-ish mid-90's Brit Pop sung choruses.  Seriously, some of these are indistinguishable from recent Blur songs - try out "Iceman" or "Fame and Fortune."  The most popular track right now is "Gunga Din"

That video kind of makes the song - looks like fun for a bit and then just plain exhausting. But that track, like the rest of this album, is good music.  The kind of sloppy rock and roll that isn't going to reach peak radio popularity, but I bet is a blast to see on stage and which makes for a fun listen in the car as well.  I like it.