Quick Hits, Vol. 259 (Pearl Jam, Waxahatchee, Margaret Glaspy, Ol' Burger Beats)

Pearl Jam - Gigaton.  If I'm being honest, when I first heard the initial single off of this new album - "Dance of the Clairvoyants" - I was a little put out.  Was that a drum machine?  Is this late model Talking Heads?  But the more I played it, the more I bought in to the groove and jammed it.  Then "Superblood Wolfmoon" was the next single, and I felt more comforted by the regular rock-iness of that track.  Now, I think the album is great.  I have to admit that I have played it an absolute shitton while being locked down in the house, but still, I think it works well.  Also, I'm a massive homer for this band, so more than likely, it was going to scratch my itch.  Here is "Superblood Wolfmoon," that has an indeterminate number of streams on Spotify, because working from home makes my life more difficult.

I was listening to a radio thing a few weeks ago where the DJ was dogging on the section in the middle where they just chug for thirty seconds or so - right after the guitar solo, at about 2:50.  He said it sounded like the generic music they get to put behind promo spots.  WHATEVER, JERKFACE!  It's a band reloading for the final attack!  Up yours, Jason!  "Quick Escape" has soaring singing and a searing guitar solo ready made to add to a good rock groove.  "Never Destination" cranks up the classic rock.  "Seven O'Clock" has a weird talking quality to the verse, where it seems like Eddie has more words to say than he can fit into the beat, but then the chorus has this really nice, pastoral quality to it that is comforting.  "Comes Then Goes" has a southern bluesy guitar thing going on.  "Retrograde" is another low-key burner that sounds like some classic soft-touch PJ.  I'm in!

Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud.  Another good album by Katie Crutchfield and her buds, although this one drops back from some of the harder edges she has played with in the past, in favor of a more Americana sound.  "Can't Do Much" stands out for that - sounds like a Jayhawks tune with her vocals used in an excellent cover.  It's a warm album - very welcoming and right for the current weird times of sitting at home all the time - and it feels very comfortable to just keep it spinning all day.  It never kicks it up a notch, just stays in that chilled out gear the whole time, and it kind of rules for that.  "Hell" steps it up a little, but not so much that you couldn't still imagine that tune on an Indigo Girls album.  Here's "Can't Do Much," which has a stream count that I would know if my Spotify wasn't blocked by my dumb employer.

A friend just tweeted something out about how this album sounds like the Jayhawks and now I'm all geeked up that I recognized that too.  Also, just for your enjoyment, here is an "At Home Tiny Desk" concert with her and a dude named Kevin Morby.  I laughed out loud when she started singing, because its so damn loud in that tiny little room.  Old Kevin is going to have trouble hearing out of his left ear for a while.

I wish the acoustics were better in there - I mean, whaa whaaaaa, right?  Getting a free concert at home and I'm complaining about the lack of good baffling.  I've gotten off base here.  I like this album.

Margaret Glaspy - Devotion.  Loved her last album - Emotions and Math - so I popped this one into my new music queue when I spotted it.  She leaves behind some of the alt rock arrangements in favor of a more electronic-based sound.  Almost a Maggie Rogers vibe, but less soulful.  I'm actually kind of bummed out by the change - I'm sure this angles her to a better place with a poppier crowd, but I'd rather hear that raw rock angle than this.  Also, sometimes it exits even that normal pop zone - "Consequences" starts to sound like Trent Reznor remixed Bjork.  The title track is almost R&B.  What is going on here?  This track, which may or may not be the most popular, but at least has a real video, starts out with some vocoder junk, and then that keeps coming in to sing her harmonies, like they have Daft Punk acting as the devil on her shoulder trying to keep up with the melody.  The track as a whole is kind of nice, a little memory of the folky alt rock from before (except with electronics in charge).  "Killing What Keeps Us Alive."  Dunno how many streams on Spotify.

Her voice is still the best part of this - she's got a great voice with a hint of a growl to keep it less clean.  Too bad.  Really liked the other one, but this one can go on.

Ol' Burger Beats - Out of Sight, Out of Mind.  This is the part where you think I've gone insane, but no, there really is an artist out there who goes by Ol' Burger Beats.  One of my co-workers texted me a link to one of these tracks one night recently - if I had to guess, I would guess that he was exceedingly stoned when he sent me that link and was vibing out to these tunes.  And while I was not stoned, I can absolutely dig what this guy is throwing down.  The second track on the album is the killer - this is "Set It."

Smoooooooooth jazz stuff turned into a killer groove - when its fast, I need to jam, when it slows down, it just takes your mind with it and woozes you into a stupor.  The question is - who is this guy who makes classic jazzy beats under a very weird moniker?  To make the story even more strange, dude is from Norway and his real name is Ole-Birger Neergard.  If the dude could talk Ghostface or Action Bronson into rapping over these beats - world domination.  The actual track that my friend sent me has a rapper on top of it - a remix at the end of this album with a guy named Jeremiah Jae - just for fun, check out "It's Black - Remix."

Again, how smooth is that?  I dig this weird Norwegian crate digger mastermind.

ACL 2020: Will There Be An Announcement?

Time works in weird ways when every day is spent in your home.  We do different things, it's not like every day is actually the same, but still, the distinct days melt away in my mind to the point where I can't remember if things were yesterday or last week or in March.  Which is all very disconcerting.

But, I had a thought this morning while walking the dog, that it is almost time for the ACL lineup announcement.  I've done a terrible job of my predictions this year - not sure that I see a point trying to research the potential patterns on Pearl Jam's concert calendar when there is no more concert calendar.  For anyone.  Everything is just gone.  Which really sucks - I love studying the things and working through what might be.  Speaking of which, I have heard several Replacements songs on the radio recently, which seems weird, and would normally make me go research whether or not they are going to get together and play a reunion show for ACL, but what will I find?  A bunch of old articles talking about a reunion that could potentially happen (in 2017) or why they broke up in the first place but zero, at all, about today or a current touring plan.  Ugh.

Anyway, that thought led me to go back and look at last year's timeline - last year's leaks of artists, through those annoying Magic Eye puzzles, began on April 25.  And then the full lineup announcement came on April 30.  Next week.  Ugh.

I'd honestly love for them to go ahead and release the lineup - even if it would likely just be a tease of something that isn't going to happen, but I'd still enjoy finding new bands and dreaming of what may be able to happen in October.  I mean, maybe, right?  There is so much we don't know about the virus, and people are working hard on vaccines, so a guy can dream!

For now, I give you the newest Run the Jewels single:

Quick Hits, Vol. 258 (Zach Bryan, The Weeknd, pile o' singles)

Zach Bryan - DeAnn.  I have a relatively new Nephew-in-Law (is that a thing?  I'll assume that is a thing, I will call him Nephew-in-Law) who suggested this guy to me, and I like it.  Very stripped down singer-songwriter type stuff - just a guy and his guitar - but some of these have good turns of phrase that make the guy appealing to me.  I won't say he's as good as Tyler Childers, but he's in that same wheelhouse.  He doesn't have a bio on Spotify, and his photos look like he was a Young Life counselor in a prior life.  This article makes it sound like he's been blowing up because of this album, released without a label or publicity.  He says he is on active duty with the Navy (which is pretty damn boss), but threw this together when some friends encouraged him to let his stuff see the light of day.  "God Speed" has a few great lines, like "And I wanna love a girl who doesn't worry about the pictures when we kiss ... lay in bed all day and call that shit pure bliss."  That's the song I'll give you - 1.9 million streams.

I can imagine that these tunes would be even better with a full-on band and arrangements backing them up.  They're good as they are, but adding in some drums and banjos and a children's choir and digeridoos and BASS DROPS would complete the package.  Cool story, good stuff.

The Weeknd - After Hours.  It actually bums me out that I'm so hard up for new music that I'm having to listen to this album repeatedly.  I know I'm not going to like it, and yet its the last full album in my new music queue.  What do you expect you will get from this album?  Some Michael Jackson level falsetto vocals?  Check.  A few very good Metro Boomin' beats?  Check.  An hour of almost exactly the same sound invading your brain until, at one point while just going through this again, I had to pause it because I thought I was going to lose my mind?  Check.  Just FYI, his song from a few years ago, Starboy, has 1.3 BILLION fucking streams.  And the top on from this album, which sounds like they made a computer listen to all 80's synth rock for 100 years and then create a new track for him, is "Blinding Lights," and it already inexplicably has 592 million freaking streams.

"Self-Control" (Laura Branigan), "Take on Me" (A-Ha), "Maniac" (Footloose soundtrack), "I Ran" (Flock of Seagulls), and "Young Turks" (Rod Stewart) would all like to file a copyright claim against your song right this second, but they're all too busy not dying from COVID-19.  Actually, I keep hearing that "Self-Control" song repeatedly, in so many of these tracks.  I do not enjoy this album, and it can go away.  I'm sure it will be the hit album of the year and I'll have to listen to this crap all the time anyway, but I'm good without it.

Singles:

• The Strokes - At the Door.  The opening little organ grind of this one makes me bummed out each time it starts, but in the end, I actually kind of like the song.  Sooner or later that squelchy organ goes away and it sounds nice, then they have a good solo bit later on.  Actually not bad!
• Jason Isbell - Be Afraid.  I'm falling more and more in love with Isbell.  This one is more of an alt rock track than country/Americana, but obviously that isn't an issue for me.  Between following him on Twitter (very good follow) and diving back into his older tunes, I'm digging it.  This track is a good taster of the new album to come.
• Jimmie Allen and Noah Cyrus - This is Us.  Never heard of Allen, but I liked a track by Miley's little sister a few weeks ago, so I thought I'd give this one a shot.  It's fine, kind of a generic country pop thing.
• Slander - FEELING GUD.  A guy in my office told me (through a very convoluted story about someone he knows who plays video games or something) that this guy would be coming to ACL this year.  This is an electro re-make of a Nina Simone track, and its not great but it isn't terrible either.
• Skegss - Save It For the Weekend.  Yeah baby.  I dig the band name, dig the raw rock and roll jams.  Got a FIDLAR meets Strokes sound and I'm liking it.  I think this one was written up in a short blurb in Rolling Stone.
• Skegss - Up in the Clouds.  I wish this was my band.
• Dixie Chicks - Gaslighter.  Okay song.  I was pretty excited to have a new one from them, but I wouldn't say that this kiss-off-to-an-ex tune vaults up into the rarefied air of their classics.  Although I wanna know about what happened on her boat.  I want more of the banjo and mandolin too.
• Nothing But Thieves - Is Everybody Going Crazy?  The answer to your question is yes.  The track is pretty solid, but nothing special - hopefully their new album will be good.
• Wallows - OK.  Very tight pop rock nugget right here - I really like it.  Got that Two Door Cinema Club vibe going in here, along with a heavy dose of 80's synth pop, and the catchy groove in here is undeniable.
• The Killers - Caution.  I've been underwhelmed by some of their more recent tunes, but this one has just the right amount of catchy pop and bombastic, soaring rock.  Full on Molly Ringwald-dance time with this one and those massive synth solo licks in the middle.  I like it.
• Run the Jewels - Ooh LA LA.  HELL YES, GIVE ME MORE OF THE RUN THE JEWELS STUFF RIGHT NOW!  If anything is going to get me through shelter-at-home, its more of this brawny, sample-stacked fire.  Like a slo-mo asskicking of my eardrums.  Release the album!  Save us all!

Damn Everything

Finally got a notice today that the Rolling Stones show at the Austin 360 Amp. is officially postponed.  Those dudes are gonna freaking die by the time this dumb virus leaves us alone.  I'll never get to sing along to "Tumblin' Dice" in person.  Dammit. 

Also got notice that The Jayhawks show is postponed, and obviously previously got notice that Sturgill Simpson was pushed (twice).  I think The Beths is the only show that I haven't gotten notice of being pushed, but I'm sure that is on the way.  Sadness.

I very much appreciate the bands who are trying to do online shows or whatever, to keep people's spirits up, but its just not anywhere near the same.  Watching some video footage of a show in Chris Robinson's garage is some bull honkey.

Meanwhile, I'm healthy and the rest of my family is as well, so I can live with the disappointment of no live music, but I'm just sad about all of the fun things slipping off of my calendar.

I'm going to try to write something about ACL this week - not sure if there is any point right now, but I'm gonna give it a shot anyway.  Thanks for coming around and checking out the blog right now, sorry I've been a slacker.