Logic - No Pressure. I don't know what the national consensus is on Logic, but I generally like him. He's freaking fast - not like Twista or Busta fast - but he can just skim rhymes across the beats like a skipping stone. Some rhymes can be cheesy here and there, but I give him the benefit of the doubt because a lot of his turns of phrase are good too. And some of that older cheesy stuff was important stuff - his song about suicide, or his tracks about identity. I appreciate some of that positivity (even if some think it's corny).
Also, the beats on this album are very good. Several of the tracks kind of sound like classic Kanye beats - and with No ID doing the production, that makes sense. No ID has worked a lot with Kanye and Common - he's a big Chicago guy - and helped Kanye learn the ropes on acting as producer. So you can catch some of that flavor on here for sure - soulful samples and cool vibes abound. Check "Celebration." Or "Heard Em Say" sounds like Common or that eight-year-long outro track on College Dropout. I actually unfollowed Kanye on Twitter today. Which has nothing to do with this album, I just got so tired of seeing that poor dude's mentally addled ramblings and freakouts. Used to be kind of funny, but now that I know he is bipolar, it's just not funny anymore. The dude needs some help. In addition to the tracks that sound like classic Chicago, he's also got one ("GP4") that bites the amazing beat from Outkast's "Elevators." The original makes better use of that beat for sure, but I enjoy this one as well. "Soul Food II" is legit as well. Smooth, especially when it switches up halfway through, makes me want to roller skate in a cloud. "man i is" also pays homage to Outkast, biting the horn lick from "SpottieOttieDopalicious."
The top track for streams is "Perfect," a track smack dab in the middle of the disc, with 26.1 million streams.
Classic sounding, very basic beat, along with some great braggadocio, packaged up into a tiny little 1:40 track. Not sure why that is the top track - many of the others on here are better. Must be on a Spotify playlist or something. One issue with the album is that it does some navel gazing BS later on, with him including parts of his raw, early mixtapes, and a long speech about racism by some old-sounding guy, and then his own long outro. Also, "DadBod" is a track about him being a dad now, with all the dad responsibilities, but it also goes into a really weird soliloquy about him shopping at Target that seems to include him crapping in his pants? That one is odd. But overall, this is a good disc.
Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher. I've heard her a good number of times, through her part in the Better Oblivion Community Center and then again with Boygenius, but I don't think I have ever dug into one of her solo albums. This disc is beautiful. I'm in the midst of "Savior Complex" again right now, and between the lilting violins and gentle strumming of the guitar, it really is a lovely package designed to deliver a real bummer of a relationship song. Which is kind of the default position in these songs - a deep, real, honest sadness. Or maybe not sadness, maybe it's more just realism about how complex every relationship is and a lack of covering up the sharp edges of those relationships. "Garden Song," the first real track on here, showcases that really well, singing about "I grew up here till it all went up in flames, Except the notches and the door frames" and a recurring dream that involves both movies, tidal waves, and a dorm room. It's a beautiful tune, but has that deep longing in it that smells like sadness, even if it really isn't. "Kyoto" has a brighter sound, and it sounds like the one that would get some radio play and become a hit. 11.2 million streams.
Again, despite the sunny horns, her lyrics are bringing up old disappointments like the guy calling her brother for his birthday, but missing the birthday by ten days, and then cutting into the chorus of her soaring as she sings "I don't forgive you." It's a good one. "Graceland Too" is freaking lovely as well. In "I Know the End," she has this great line about "windows down, scream along, to some America First Rap Country Song" that I love to hear each time I breeze through that tune.
Old 97's - Twelfth. That is a funny word to type. Twelfth. ell-fff-tthh. Like talking with a mouthful of marbles. Anyway, you know just about exactly what you are getting with this album. There are no surprises waiting under the hood here, you just get another dose of great guitar-fueled Alt. Country pop. And I'm not dogging it - I still love their first four albums from the 90's - they're great stuff with clever lyrics and a fun edge. I actually heard "Turn Off the TV" (from this album) the other day on the radio, which is good - get these guys a little radio airplay. But I suspect that airtime on some public radio station in Austin isn't going to translate to any sort of real popularity in the mainstream. My kids would probably think this is dinosaur music. And they can go a little cheesy at times - "I Like You Better" feels like a song someone wrote at a songwriting workshop where the other attendees just yelled out things to say that the singer likes less than his girl. I mean, "I like you better than cash," or "I like you better than a six pack of beer," I can't see how this song is going to supplant "Question" as the Rhett Miller wedding dance tune. Ends up that "Turn off the TV" is the streaming hit for now at 111k streams.
Like I said - sounds like the Old 97's. Jangly, danceable, alt. country with an easy to jam chorus and a running time of less than 3 minutes. Perfect little poppy nuggets. "Confessional Boxing" is the same thing - driving jams. And "Bottle Rocket Baby" is the perfect encapsulation of the Old 97s sound - a backbeat that sounds like a train rolling down the line, and a sing-along chorus that even the most drunk guy at the show could figure out. But near the end of the disc, they do throw a curveball, where I kept thinking that the album had ended and something else had started. "Why Don't We Ever Say We're Sorry" sounds like a b-side from old Bon Iver or something. Weird way to end the disc. But, overall I like this one.
Bully - SUGAREGG. I freaking loved their track "Trying," from 2015's Feels Like, a purely great grungy track that made me feel like maybe I actually liked Hole (before remembering that, no, I do not like Hole. So, at first this was an EP that I had been listening to for a while, just four of these songs, but now I realized that it was actually a full album. From what I have read on Twitter, I know that this was more of a solo album for the lead singer - she dumped the normal band - but it sure sounds like a full-band album. I'd like to like it more than I do. The problem for me is that I like the harder instrumentation songs, but I'd rather have her gentler singing tone on those. Instead, you either get to choose from hard rockers where the singer's voice sounds like it is trying to peel paint from an aircraft carrier three oceans over, or you get the gentler tracks where her voice sounds great but the tune itself is sleepier. "Prism" is a great example of that latter type - her voice sounds legitimately good, but the tune is kind of plodding. For the former, look at the top track - "Where to Start" - where the beat and tune is driving and strong, but she spends the majority of the song screaming herself ragged over the top. 346k streams.
At first, she has a nice tone, and then the yelling dialed to 11 rolls in. This is what I had against Sheer Mag in the past - the critics love it and I can't get past the screamy-ness of it. It's too bad, because the Sonic Youth-ass tune is very appealing. I don't think I'll hold on to this one.
Fuzz - Fuzz. This isn't even a new album, but someone on Twitter was making fun of a promotional picture of the players in the band, saying that it looked like Nickelback, Puddle of Mudd, and Chris Gaines (Garth Brooks' weird alter-ego) had made a supergroup.
No disrespect to Ty Segall's band Fuzz but the band photo looks like a supergroup was formed by the lead singers of Nickelback and Puddle of Mudd and Garth Brooks' alter ego Chris Gaines. pic.twitter.com/AKxmMfyAyI
Which was hilarious and perfect. But, I dig Ty Segall, so I thought I'd check out the album, and it absolutely freaking slays. This disc is from 2013 - but its packed full of the fuzziest, grimiest, hard-rocking power chord deliciousness that I need in my life. From the kick in of "Earthen Gate," you can tell that this is a train barreling down the tracks of psych rock mountain. "Sleigh Ride" has some classic rock feel - Cream if they'd been fronted by a sneering ogre instead of Jack Bruce and they were willing to go a little harder than they'd ever gone before. The top track is one that will evoke a classic Pixie's track with the title, but come on like late 60's garage psych, with 7.4 million streams, this is "What's In My Head."
Again, this is not a modern take on psych rock - this absolutely sounds like it could have come out in between Jefferson Airplane's debut and Axis:Bold as Love. The drum break down, before the guitar freakout, in "Loose Sutures" is also scuzzy perfection. The album finale also comes on like a deranged lunatic in a Guitar Center. This disc keeps popping back up, right after I finish another lovely trip through Khruangbin, and its a fantastic kick of adrenaline every time. Stick it in my veins.
Bassnectar - All Colors. I'm not much of an EDM guy, but I've always had an affinity for Bassnectar because of the time I saw him at ACL. This is the type of EDM that pounds you into submission - massive bass and those kinds of build-up-to-drop moments that probably launch all the kids at his shows into orbit. The opening track is actually different though, very spectral, futuristic, space-humping music. And then he slams you in the face with the bass in the "Open Your Mind" next track. "All Colors" is good, but my favorite is one that is more of a rap than an EDM track - "Rewind the Track" which features something called Ashel Seasunz and some Dr. Dre-esque high pitched sounds in the background at times. I would freaking love to jam out to that one in a crowd of 80,000 sweaty teenagers. But, that track is only the second most streamed. The winner is one called "Nice & Easy," which features something called Rodney P. Just over 2 million streams.
I've always been a sucker for big brass horns in a rap song, but this one only really gets rolling when they remove the horns and start banging away with the grimy, smeary synths pounding on you. Several of the tracks on here get my head bobbing as they come along during the day. Solid stuff if you are into this type of music.
The Beths - Jump Rope Gazers. I'm going deep into the ones you've never heard of right here, but if you haven't heard of or listened to The Beths, then I'm here to tell you that you are absolutely missing out. Their last album was a top album of the year contender for me, and I keep spinning it to get myself through the days. This one isn't as immediately top shelf for me, it doesn't jam out quite as hard, but I still love it. These guys just bring an infectious joy to an otherwise relatively basic guitar-rock alternative sound. I think the problem with the album, versus their first one, is that it takes the rocking down a notch. "Out of Sight" tries to ramp it back up, but can't quite decide if it is a quiet burner or a soaring sing-along. "Don't Go Away" has a little bit of a Weezer tone to it that I like. The album opener jams. "Mars, the God of War" does some good work, and alos allows you to shout about hitting backspace on "why don't you just go to hell," which is legit. "Dying to Believe" is the instant top track for me - with the frenetic guitar work, pounding drums, and the harmonic background signers making it sound like we're on a roller coaster. It's also the top streamer at 677k.
That's the shit right there. Silly, rockin', a little confessional - I dig it all. Makes me REALLY wish I could see them at the BMI stage in a month for Austin City Limits. Dammit all to hell. I got to see them play a show at the Container Bar for SXSW a year and a half ago, and had tickets to see them play The Parish this spring, but now everything is horrible and I'll just have to keep jamming the songs in my guest room without seeing them live again. Good stuff, will keep.
Khruangbin - Mordechai. This band came to ACL a few years ago, which is how I found out about them in the first place. They did a collaboration with Leon Bridges called "Texas Sun" that my kids all thought was their mother's favorite song of all time because of how many times we played it after it came out. Very fun, cool, funky, eclectic tracks - some instrumental and some with words - that could frequently act as a very good rap background if someone cool was so inclined. "Father Bird, Mother Bird" has the sound of one of those cool BadBadNotGood tracks that Ghostface Killah used to rap over on that Sour Soul disc. Love this track - smooth as silk and fully laid back. The top track is a great one - "Time (You and I)" with 10.6 million streams (impressive!).
Got that tight wacka wacka action from the guitar, some funky bass machinations, and overall a damn good groove. I just put it in a playlist for my sister the other day - I think it matches her very well. Also, that video is amazing. Keeping this disc around for sure - I need more groovy funk in my life.
I've been piling up individual singles for a while in my new music queue, so its time to clean some of that out for you, Dear Reader.
Bruce Springsteen - Letter to You. Much like Stephen King, I'll dutifully line up for anything this guy puts out as well. This one has a lot of the classic Bruce flourishes, striking piano chords, that guitar squonk that he used on Glory Days, even his vocal "hooohhh!" right after the end of the first verse. This is a nice song - nothing groundbreaking or special, but it's nice.
Smashing Pumpkins - Cyr. Another that I jump on as soon as I see they have a new track, and holy shit this is horrific. Drum machines? Tron-ass synths? Muse-ass background vocals? The background notes sound like this wants to be a James Bond theme song. But it's truly horrible.
The Rolling Stones - Living in a Ghost Town. Not a bad little bluesy number, but it sure sounds like Mick is using Auto-Tune, which is an automatic no thank you for me. Dammit. I'm still sad that they cancelled their show in May. Would have been awesome.
Kacey Musgraves - Oh, What a World 2.0. Kind of a nice electronic re-imagining of this song from her last album that adds in some weird bird chirps, but also strips it down a little until some spacey Kacey synths hop in there. I like it.
Ruston Kelly - Brave. Very pretty, very quiet, finger-picked song that knocked me for a loop when I finally listened to the lyrics. I liked this guy's older tunes, this one is very good as well.
Travis Scott & Kid Cudi - THE SCOTTS. If you read me normally, then you know that I don't much care for Travis Scott - he just doesn't appear to try when writing his raps. The only thing redeemable about this one to me is the track - I like the beat and the weird final frontier synth freakout near the end.
El Dusty - Cumbia Anthem. Texas Monthly had an articled about this guy so I fired it up to check it out - kind of a EDM version of classic cumbia music? I am not a connoisseur of either, so I don't know what I'm talking about, but kinda fun!
Ray LaMontagne - We'll Make It Through. His voice is just so damn pretty. This one has a definite Neil Young vibe, between the brushed drums and harmonica. Tender and lovely.
Megan Thee Stallion ft. Beyonce - Savage Remix. This track bothers me only because my daughters sing it after their TikTok sessions, and it is disturbing to me. But if I'm being honest and leave that out of it, it kinda bumps.
YG - Laugh Now Kry Later! Completely forgettable. I go back to him because of a track or two from years ago, but I can't think of anything he's done recently that is worth the time.
S.G. Goodman - The Way I Talk. Not sure where this one came from, but it builds in a very slinky, mysterious way that I dig. Kind of bluesy indie folk, but when the guitars leap into the room it's strong.
Eric Church - Stick That In Your Country Song. So horrendous. Just gross. From the way he sings the word "that" in the chorus, to the treacly attempts to sound important and smart, like he's on the front lines of the BLM movement or something, are barf-o-rama. Nope.
Neil Young - Try. This is off of a "lost" album that he recently released, where all the tunes actually date back from the Harvest era. I love when he sings "shit, Mary, I can't dance." It's kind of a nice, shuffling, little ditty.
John Prine - I Remember Everything. RIP to a songwriting legend. This one has a Cash with Rick Rubin vibe, the voice a little more grizzled, the songwriting not especially top of the game, but still a pretty tune.
Beyonce - Black Parade. I had heard this a few times at my desk, but it came on the other day when I was driving and I just about hopped out of my car to dance for a bit. The beat is like an even better reinterpretation of the Gambino This is America track, but then Beyonce just glides over parts and pounds other parts, the whole time making me feel more powerful and strong than I have any right to be. My shoulders absolutely need to roll during this.
Megan Thee Stallion - Girls in the Hood. Biting the beat and scheme from Eazy E's Boyz in tha Hood, but adding in a little bit more spice both in the lyrics and in the high hats for the beat. Fun.
Billie Eilish - my future. So painful. Can this finally be the nail in this musical coffin? Starts as a whispered/vampy cringefest over a exceedingly minimal synth tune, and then a terrible beat kicks in and I'm suddenly trapped up to my knees in already chewed-bubblegum left behind by Chester Cheetah.
Now, back to the albums - my queue is lighter than usual right now, in major part because I haven't had ACL bands to check out and enjoy (crying emoji), but I'll have some more stuff up on full-lengths soon.
