Rick Ross & Meek Mill - Too Good to Be True. I truly hate the sound of Meek Mill's rap voice. SO GRATING to me. This album keeps starting right after I've been all mellowed out by Chris Stapleton, and each time it has really pissed me off. Because the start of the first track, with that kind of interesting voice over of some lady receiving car keys, deciding the car is sweet, and then laughing, is cool. And then Mill starts in and it just sucks butt. I hate him so much. Not sure if I have ever finished this album, but pretty sure I haven't gotten past the third song or so before I wake up and have to move on. So bad. And it appears that the world agrees with me, as the first track is for sure the top track, and then everyone runs away. "SHAQ & KOBE" with 13 million streams.
I am soooooo relieved to be able to delete this album and move on with my life. That whiny ass voice - I hope I never hear it again.
Mitski - The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We. This is a beautiful album. Mitski sucked me in with the chugging rock of "Your Best American Girl" but then has crafted this lush indie rock vibe that envelops in pure comfort like a perfectly tuned hot tub. And the wild thing is, the stream count looks totally normal - 28 million here, 10 million there, 16 million here, and then about 3/4 of the way through the disc you hit "My Love Mine All Mine," which somehow has freaking 716.6 million streams. Where the hell did that come from? (I mean, I know the answer has to be TikTok, but still, that is wild for a chill indie gal like this.
Fascinating. It's a very pretty song, all lush and laconic peace. But to have Drake-sized numbers is so interesting. I'll never understand this period of the culture. "When Memories Snow" has a Bjork smell that then blossoms into more of a Fiona Apple sound. Really good stuff - keeping it around for sure.
Jimi Hendrix - Live at the Hollywood Bowl, August 18, 1967. Love me some Jimi. Sad I never got to see him do his thing. This recording isn't great, and there is some British bloke who pops up in some of these songs like Austin Powers but even more nasal, which messes up those songs for sure. Like in "Fire," the bloke does the "let me stand next to your fire" bit, and it is jarring and unpleasant for him to jump in the way he does. One of the cool things about the disc is that it isn't just a greatest hits playlist - he plays a Beatles track, a Dylan song, and a Howling Wolf song. The top track on the disc is another cover, by a guy named Robert Petway and made famous by Muddy Waters in his song "Rolling Stone." "Catfish Blues" has 310k streams. Over 8 minutes of bluesy sludge.
The drum freakout in the middle of the version on this disc is hilarious. ANIMAL! EAT DRUM!! Fun to go into some of these tunes, but I think I'd rather just stick to the main versions.
Pinegrove - 11:11. I'd never heard of Pinegrove, but one of the artists who is coming to the Two Step Inn said something about them being a big influence. Which is always kind of fascinating, to have people reference something you've never even heard of. Well, so this is a New Jersey rock band that has been through a rotating cast of members, with singer-songwriter and drummer being the only core members over the years, who met as children and have been together for many years. Sort of sounds like Death Cab for Cutie, The Decembrists, and Band of Horses combined forces, but with banjo involved. This is a 2022 album, apparently their final disc before the drummer left the band. It is really good - alt country rock bombast at its finest. The biggest tune is the second one, "Alaska," with just over 8 million streams.
You heard that Death Cab comp right there, right? I honestly would really like to see this live. Feels like it would be fantastic. The lead singer mainly reminds me of Ben Gibbard, but every once in a while I get a River Cuomo vibe in there as well. "Orange" sounds very much like a heavy-handed Band of Horses crunch. There is sooooooo much music out there in the world. Amazing that something this good had never come across my ears.
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