Quick Hits, Vol. 145 (John Mayer, Future Islands, Mac Demarco, Japandroids)

John Mayer - The Search for Everything.  I have been thinking about this for a while, I need to do a guilty pleasures post that bares my soul and all of the terrible music I have loved over the years.  I don't know that Mayer qualifies, but mentally, I feel like people give him much shit for being lame.  Don't care, I very much enjoy his soft rock goodness and will ride for it regardless of the consequences.  The album opener on this disc is a funky-ass falsetto-using jam that I really enjoy every time I hear it - it fully requires the white man overbite dance and some shoulder shrugs.  Enjoy some "Still Feel Like Your Man."

Ah, that video now reminds me that I had previously reviewed the four song EP that first came out for this album.  I dug it then and I dig it now.  As I mentioned before, the third song on the album, "Helpless," is some 80's Eric Clapton homage perfection.  So very good.  Other tunes are also good, like "In the Blood" or "Roll it on Home," but the finest tunes are surely those from the first four songs on the album.  I'm about to make my kids truly and fully sick of this album by asking Alexa to play it in the kitchen at all times.

Random aside: there is a remix of the Beastie Boys song "Pass the Mic," available on Spotify and *googles the YouTubes* also on YouTube, which is the BOMB.

It's not as good as the "Root Down" remixes from back in the day, but that is some schmeary, loopy, screwed goodness right there.  Man, I miss the Beasties.

Future Islands - The Far Field.  I forget why I listened to this album, maybe they were coming to weekend 2 of ACL or something?  I do not enjoy this music.  Honestly, I may need to just take a break from new music for a few weeks and just listen to nothing but albums I already love, just to reset my expectations from what I'm hearing.  This sounds like I unearthed an album by a little known 80's band that deserves to remain little known.  Literally like someone cribbed some New Order bass lines, Psychedelic Furs synth trills, INXS drums, and made a new song.  Here, try "Time on Her Side."

The rest of the album is pretty similar.  I think it is the basslines that really make this sound like old school 80's music.  New Order or the Cure is what I hear in every song.  Or its the synths.  Whatever, I'm good.  I'll just go actually listen to the 80's music.

Mac Demarco - This Old Dog.  The more I've listened to this album (which was right behind Chris Stapleton in my Q, so I've heard it like 20 times by now), the more I enjoy it.  Canadian dude.  Low key and lo-fi, it isn't exciting or inventive, just very relaxed and lyrical.  The album opener speaks to me, as I too have been seeing a lot more of my old man in myself these days.  Which is a weird thing to realize, but true.  In some ways, I'm glad, because my pops has a lot I should emulate, but in other ways it freaks me out because I'm getting old and doing weird things like tearing up when realizing that my kids are all at ACL with me listening to a new band.  I'M NOT CRYING YOU'RE CRYING!  Anyhoo, if you are in for some chilled out, jammy indie rock, then this is your jam.  The aforementioned "My Old Man" is the top listened to track on Spotify, with 10.4 million streams, but I'm going to give you a different track instead, this is "Still Beating," with 6.1 million streams.

Odd tuning on the guitar work, but I like the way it sounds.  Don't make her cry, Mac.  C'mon.  And just because it is weird and kind of cool, here is a weird version with him walking around in a park and playing that song and the title track too.

Anyway, the whole album has that chilled out vibe and relaxed sound.  I've enjoyed it for a while and will hold on to the disc.

Japandroids - Near to the Wild Heart of Life.  I know I've listened to their music before, but I couldn't name a song or repeat a chorus from a single one of their old songs.  This stuff is relatively good indie rock that borders on an emo sound.  Reminds me of Gaslight Anthem, who I liked a lot a few years ago.  Very earnest sounding rock that never gets too fired up or groovy, so it never reaches what I really want to hear out of my rock, but I still am enjoying the album anyway.  This is one of those albums, though, were the most listened to track is the first one, and you know my theories on that, so maybe a lot of people are not so sure about this one.  Here is that tune, the title track and album opener, which has 3.0 million streams on Spotify.

I like the unhinged feeling at the start of the song, makes this feel earnest and desperate, like they just really need you to hear it.  The verse kicks in and it sounds more like a Springsteen anthem to survival and staying true to your self.  Its actually pretty great.  "I left my home, and all I had. I used to be good, but now I'm bad." I really thought this review was going to be bad after my first few listens, but now I'm into this album.  I like it.