Quick Hits, Vol. 260 (The Strokes, Purity Ring, Lucinda Williams, R.Chris)

I sucked it up and watched part of the Post Malone special the other night where he covered Nirvana songs for an hour as a fundraiser for COVID something-or-other.  I went into it with a very bad attitude - this face-tattoo'ed ass clown covering the mighty Nirvana!?  It's like Milli Vanilli announcing a cover show of Led Zeppelin.  Iggy Azelea planning a cover show of The Beatles.  Nickelback covering N.W.A.  But curiosity got the better of me and I pulled it up, only to find that he actually did a pretty faithful and legitimate version.  Having Travis Barker on the drums helped.  But the key thing that surprised me is that his voice could lock in pretty well to the growl of Cobain and did it justice.  I also liked that he wore a flowered dress/mumu for the event.  Still doesn't change my opinion overall about the guy!  I ain't going soft!  But a little begrudging respect there for him now.

The Strokes - The New Abnormal.  Wait, do I like a Strokes album?  Coronavirus has changed me!  This album is exceedingly heavy on the 80's synth action, and therefore leaves behind some of the classic garage chug that Is This It? enjoyed, but I keep finding that I actually kind of like it when the album comes on.  If you have followed me before, then you know I have been relatively unimpressed by the Strokes since that debut album, and that I really didn't enjoy their show at ACL a few years ago.  Like, "Bad Decisions" couldn't sound more like an 80's new wave rock song.  It seriously could be on the Breakfast Club soundtrack and I wouldn't be shocked.  I can't decide if that riff is more Psychedelic Furs or The Cure.  It's definitely one of them.  Anyway, these tracks all have a good sense of groove, which is one of the things that appeals most to me about good rock, and therefore, I'm bumping these things.  At first, I was unsure about "At The Door," the first single, but now I find myself singing along to it and kinda grooving the depressed synths at the start.  Funny thing is, I figured that would be the most popular track, but 7 tracks from this album are trending higher on Spotify (yes, I am now able to see playcounts and popularity again) and one has more streams.  And guess which one?  The 80's new wave song wins!  "Bad Decisions" with 11.7 million streams.

Disturbing ass video.  Like, literally, that initial guitar riff is something from the 80's.  It is straight up stolen, right?  It was killing me, so I googled it, and Brooklyn Vegan says "kinda sounds like the middle ground between “I Melt With You,” “Dancing With Myself,” and Is This It-era Strokes."  Which is right on.  I don't know, man, I like this album.  Not sure if I'll ever subject myself to another live show with them, but this is alrighty.

Purity Ring - WOMB.  I have liked this band before, but I still had to go look up their hits to remember exactly what it was that I liked, so it wasn't an ironclad love.  It was that 2015 album - kind of the same love that I threw at Chvrches, just not as good as Chvrches.  This album has some of that same energy, but just slightly dialed back.  You could dance to these tracks, but it isn't a wide-open, leave it all on the floor dance, more of a respectful sway like you might give to The XX.  I would have guessed that the second song, "pink lightning" was going to be the stream king, but instead it is a track called "stardew," with 2.3 million streams so far.

Yeah, that is a good one - pretty vocals, a cool, ethereal synth run over the danceable beat.  Also, I am now looking more carefully at the cover art, and there is a lot going on there.  The well-dressed lady with a tiny head is brushing her hair while one monk guy knits her spiderweb and the other is floating and using a Superman crystal to light up his sweet fringe jacket.  Seven tubby naked people are playing in the peepee fountain, while the naughty monk guy is stuck in the claustrophobia tube.  I really like that album cover.  Anyway, the album is okay.  I'm not in love with it, I wish it was a little more dance-forward, but some times I find myself grooving on it.

Lucinda Williams - Good Souls Better Angels.  Lucinda's Car Wheels on a Gravel Road album is a classic.  I'm kind of always hoping to catch that same lightning into a bottle when I try one of her new albums out.  This one shows her voice getting even more gravelly, her backing band digging deeper into their rock bag of tricks, and a lack of anything that really stands out.  In a bad sign overall, the top track is the opening song, meaning that most people lose interest after only one track, but I'm going to give you the second-most popular song, "Man Without a Soul," with 185k streams.

The comments on YouTube show that people are assuming this is all about Trump, despite there not being any name mentioned.  It could be about any other asshole of a man who lies and cheats and steals.  Not a great song - a little draggy and dirge-like.  I wish I liked this album but I just really don't much care for it.

R.Chris - Vibes.  This suggestion came from the same guy who brought me Ol' Burger Beats, so one guess on the style here.  Laaaaaaiiiiiiiiid back stuff.  The title track is cold as hell, just a slowed down sample track covered over by some soulful doowop woooooooo notes, and this guy strolling through it all like a very relaxed Mac Miller.  See for yourself:

That is, by a mile, his most streamed Spotify track at just over a million streams (versus less than 20k for any of his other ones).  If that doesn't make you want to bob your head and relax, then you need therapy that I can't provide.  The whole disc has that sort of vibe - I'll hold it for when I'm in that mood.