Quick Hits, Vol. 198 (Florence & the Machine, Mitski, Lenny Kravitz, Eminem)

Florence & the Machine - High as Hope.  Her voice is still a killer instrument of mass destruction, sounding tender and strong in the same bar, but this album never hooked me.  "Hunger" is the hit from it, although it has a sixth of the streams of their true big hit.  At 44.0 million streams, its not like it has done badly or anything, but a song about her eating disorders and body issues isn't going to turn into the fun time song of the summer.  If I had to pick a favorite, it would probably be "Big God."  The second most streamed tune, "Sky Full of Song," is also beautiful, but another song that appears to be about depressing subject matter.  23.9 million streams.

I get that everything doesn't have to be "Party in the USA" or anything, and that writing this album was probably very cathartic for her, and that these tunes are intrinsically beautiful.  Very passionate.  Very nostalgic.  But it doesn't mean I want to keep listening to them over and over.  I'm sure for some people these word-stuffed tunes will hit home and be very important, but not for me.  I was pretty excited to have a new album come out, but I'm OK without this one.

Mitski - Be the Cowboy.  I was also pretty excited about this album after her last disc ruled ("Your Best American Girl" is still pretty likely to make me randomly tear up as I listen to it, as it literally did a few days after I wrote this and then saw a clip of it during the excellent movie Hearts Beat Loud) and then I heard the disco-fied "Nobody" on the radio a few times.

Funky and cool, also highly weird.  I like it.  The rest of the album, I'm conflicted about.  Her voice is still great, and lyrically there are some interesting bits in this, but some of it gets bogged down in the same way that the Florence album above does, or the St. Vincent album.  Her last album was much grungier, this one leans more towards a clean poppier sound.  Like "Why Didn't You Stop Me," which sounds like an 80's pop anthem full of squiggly synths and sprayed guitar licks and some horns.  But then "Old Friends" is more like a gentle confessional slog of her just talking over spare tunes.  The start of "Blue Light" evokes the Pixies, which I like for a heartbeat, and then the song is kinda boring.  This one just doesn't do much for me.  There will be bits of songs that I dig, but the overall feel is empty.

Lenny Kravitz - Raise Vibration.  Maaaaaaan.  I loved Lenny.  Mama Said is a classic album, and Are You Gonna Go My Way is damn good as well.  But if you're still expecting that style of great rock and funk wrapped up into a good time, you will be very disappointed here.  Emblematic of that feel is "Johnny Cash," which literally made me laugh out loud when it first came on, because its a horrible ballad and makes zero sense.  "Just hold me like Johnny Cash, When I lost my mother, Whisper in my ear, Just like June Carter, And though I fight these tears that I hide, Just hold me tight for the rest of my life."  Apparently, Johnny Cash was actually there when Lenny found out that his mother had died, and so Johnny Cash actually held him at that moment.  Which is super weird.  But even more weird is to make a song about that randomly strange moment, but I guess tie it to the love you have for someone else, and then title it Johnny Cash!  WTF?  The most streamed song is "It's Enough," with 2.7 million streams.

Blurg.  Ooooh yeah!  We gotta be better people and stuff!  The hatred in your heart makes me sad!  Get it together for the children!  Ooooooh yeah!  "Here to Love" is a pretty similar message, except over a treacly piano-humping tune - We are here to love!  No time to waste!  Turn your back on the hate!  Oooooh yeah!  Nope.

Eminem - Kamikaze.  Poor Eminem.  He can still absolutely blaze on a beat.  But he also fills albums full of absolutely cringeworthy dreck.  His classic tunes are still amazing.  But his last album was front to back awful.  This one has a few good ones, and a bunch of terrible ones.  The album opener is a prime cut of his vocal gymnastics and multi-rhyme schemes that sounds cool as hell, but actually says just about nothing - "The Ringer." Has a cool, ominous beat, and his flow is amazing as he makes fun of all the mumble rappers with Lil names, while also exposing his own failures and troubles.  (can't find anything on YouTube that sounds good, they all sound tinny and weird, just go listen to it on Spotify).  Lyrically, its dumb, but the flow and rhymes sound awesome.  I mean, really, if he could say something good, with his insanely contorted flow and rhyme scheme?  Would be amazing.
"Lucky You" is pretty good, but leans pretty heavily on some guy called Joyner Lucas.  I also always enjoy the skits with Paul, those still make me grin even after like 50 of them over the years.  But he spends soooo much of this album complaining about other people and telling them how he is going to fight them for dissing him, or whatever.  Where are the funny raps?  Where is the jokey, playful, ridiculous?  Nope, just shit talking about good rhymes.  "Lucky You" has the most streams at 193 million, but I'm going to show you "Fall" because it has a real video - 84.8 million streams.

Cheesy ass video, but I like the song, and the Bon Iver hook is nice.  Again though, I wish he would stick with the funny bits, and not some diatribe about how the Grammys don't give him their awards.
"Not Alike" sounds like he's trying to copy Block Boy JB and Migos.  "Nice Guy" and "Good Guy" and "Venom," the last three songs on the album, are terrible.  The I'm-so-sorry to his old D-12 mates in "Stepping Stone" is also not great.  "Kamikaze" is OK.  yeah, this whole album is just a bummer.  He's just lashing out at his haters and mad about everything, but where he used to turn that into funny stuff and weird jokes, this time he's just bitching.  I'll save a few and dump the rest.