Quick Hits, Vol. 164 (Bjork, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, U2)

Bjork - Utopia.  There was a time when I probably loved Bjork more than any other artist.  Debut and Post are amazingly fun and interesting albums.  I still love them to this day.  And I've tried to stick with her, buying albums (until now and Spotify) and dutifully listening along to try to figure them out, but I think this one is finally ending my love affair.  Here is the problem.  My joy in the old Bjork albums was that she made weird-as-shit music that you could still dance to or jam out to.  Obviously "Big Time Sensuality" or "Army of Me" or "Human Behavior" or "Hyperballad" were like that (and if you are thinking right now, "Jack, you crazy, Bjork blows," then go check out those tracks), but I'm even saying something quiet and less beat-forward like "Isobel" or "Come to Me" still at least have a structure that makes them sound like real music.  
On the other end of the spectrum, these are extremely spare tracks of her singing random poetry over meandering sounds with no discernible beat.  Bare choral vocals are the backing on "Features Creatures."  Clicking and random flute notes on "Courtship."  Shuddering shudders and a harp plucking on "Losss."  "The Gate" is the most listened to from the new album, since it was an early single that I have been hearing for a while now.  1.6 million streams.

Just got all blissed out by the weird ass video man.  She just jizzed light all over that empty alien metal person thing.  True love.  Or maybe sexual assault.  I can't tell.  I mean, I care for you too, man.  But can we move it along or something?  What is the line between this being music and just a poetry reading with some sounds that happen to happen in the background?  Because this doesn't follow any sort of structure for what I would call music.  The internet definition of music: "vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion."  Well, then this is absolutely music, because most of these songs are beautiful and have harmony and emotion, and that definition doesn't require any certain structure or beat.  But as for me, I'll stick to her amazing early albums and the super avant-garde art nerds out there can keep searching for meaning in the random bleeps and bloops of "Claimstalker."

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Who Built the Moon?  Well hell, maybe its actually better if Oasis stays broken in half, so that we end up getting double the music.  This album is legitimately good as well.  "She Taught Me How to Fly" is a driving 80's-new-wave-guitared slice of shimmering pop rock.  Although it won't sound that appealing, the lead single ("Holy Mountain") reminds me of that terrible old song "She Bangs," mixed with Chicago's horn section or something, in making a bombastic rock track.  This one has 3.8 million streams.

Fun shit.  The little whistle/flute tune in the midst of it is a good addition.  "Get out of your doldrums baby now!"  Those are the best tunes on here, the brassy, aggressively fun ones, like that one and "Keep On Reaching."  Nothing on here is revelatory, nothing caused me to stop my work and perk up to see what was going on, but I very much enjoyed each listen to the album and will keep it around.

U2 - Songs of Experience.  Dammit Bono.  I'd been super pumped for this album after a few single releases had teased me into a frenzy to hear the rest.  (1) And then the album opener is a pompous, whispered cliche bomb using Bon Iver's vocal manipulator machine over ominous synths.  Hit me with the Edge/Clayton two-by-four first thing, then get all artsy later on in the album!  What the hell, I'm just going to go track by track.  (2) The second track just barely lights the pulse up with a low slung guitar intro that slinks into a low key sing along like the Cheers theme song.  (3) But then "You're the Best Thing About Me" is some good, classic U2 action. 

I like that song.  But why is the video so super-MERICA?  But the good old chiming guitars, very singable chorus, that one works.  (4) Fourth, "Get Out of Your Own Way" sounds fine after two listens, I like the bassline, sounds like classic U2 stuff, but it has an annoying propensity to repeat itself ("all night all night! all right all right! your fight your fight!"), and I'm not so sure how the Kendrick spoken-word outro works?  Why can't Kendrick have provided a real rap on here?  I know U2 appeared on DAMN for him earlier this year, so they owed each other and all that, but give them a real deal verse!  Instead, you just get this sermonizing, not even really rapped:

Blessed are the arrogant, For there is the kingdom of their own company,
Blessed are the superstars, For the magnificence in their light, We understand better our own insignificance,
Blessed are the filthy rich, For you can only truly own what you give away, Like your pain

Well, OK.  I had heard that Kendrick was going to give them a verse, but that is kind of bullshit.  Otherwise a fun song.  (5) And then Kendrick continues preaching platitudes at the start of track 5, "American Soul," which is more of a stomper sing-a-long paced by some fuzzed out guitar work.  This track is good, gets me grooving after a few listens.  (6) Track six, "Summer of Love," is more subtle, and I think it is cool because of that, leaves some of the bombast behind for a little more nuance.  Reminds me of a more spirited Lana Del Rey or something (which I know makes it sound like a bad thing, but I don't intend it that way), singing about the coast (but not the one everyone knows?) and the summer of love.  Ah, he mentions Aleppo near the end of the song, so maybe this is the west coast of Syria, and singing about changing things for the better over there - love instead of war and all that.  Pretty cool, and after a few listens I'm grooving this one.  Almost caught myself snapping just then.  MAJOR DAD ROCK ALERT.  SNAPS ARE POSSIBLE.
(7) Next is "Red Flag Day," which is more propulsive and I especially like the offbeat break at about a minute in.  The tune kind of pogos forward and then breaks into a ska strut for a bit, then back to bouncing on the beat.  This tune is good, and I love that change in tempo throughout.  Funky and cool.  (8) "The Showman (Little More Better)" cranks up with acoustic guitar a bleary kind of singalong.  OK, nothing special after a few streams. (9) And then "The Little Things That Give You Away" builds slowly and then has the chiming, awesome Edge guitar that I know and love, to go along with a mid-tempo love song groove that works really well.  Dig it.  (10) "Landlady" is honestly confusing to me.  I just read through the lyrics and am no better off than I was after several listens.  Maybe the landlady is his mom, who believes in him and helps him when he is down?  I dunno.  Song is OK.
(11) And then you get "Blackout," with all of the right U2-centric bits and pieces all gathered together into one good package.  Grooving bassline.  Solid drums that support a dance party with the chorus.  Slightly goofy lyrics that involve a line like "Democracy is flat on its back, Jack." And the Edge's sweet guitarwork.

Man, if I had been in that little room to hear them try this out in person, I would have absolutely broken.  Shit yes.  Although I will note that Adam Clayton looks bored as hell in that video.  Not saying that is their best song ever or anything, but it still kind of jams.  (12) Nearing the end of the album, you get less rock and more earnest balladry.  "Love is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way" is one of those tunes that feels ready-made to have the crowd yell along to the "oh oh ooooohhh oh ohhhh" portion.  (13) The final track is actually named its track number, which seems like a weird thing to do in this day and age.  "13 (There is a Light)."  Quiet track, but lyrically a good one and a good fit to end the album with some preaching and pretty harmonies.  "I've got a question for the child in you before it leaves, Are you tough enough to be kind?  Do you know your heart has its own mind?  Darkness gathers around the light. Hold on. Hold on."

I've done each track about 5 times now, and my instant reaction is that this album is very good.  Some of the tracks are great, some are not (but may just need some time to percolate, or may just remain weak), but I gotta say I'm glad to have this album to hear.  I sort of wish that the album's pacing had been different.  Like, put "Blackout" as the second song, right after that moody ass intro, to kick the album into gear.  Instead, you get a slower mood that only cranks up later.  Obviously keeping it around.