The Official ACL Blog for like Eight People!
If you want the daily schedule post, look below at those tabs or down and to the right at the September posts. Have fun!
I am SLACKING on the prediction posts. Normally I put in so much more work, but I think it has become increasingly difficult to figure out who could be here, as music has become more splintered and ACL has become more welcoming to all sorts of genres and styles who previously would have been sent to other Festivals. So maybe it is less rewarding to work through that. I dunno. Or I'm just busy!
But, I just saw that Wet Leg announced their new tour, and it has some intriguing dates. Pheonix on 10/3 (Friday of Weekend One), OKC on October 7, and El Paso on October 14. Weekend two is 10th-12th. That for sure looks like a band who wants to be around the Texas area during the ACL weekends and has multiple nights of the Festival free to go. Would be awesome - their first album jams.
Nine Inch Nails still shows Houston and Fort Worth in mid-September, with no dates in October at all. Sounds like the right sized tour that is itching to get to Austin and F me like an animal.
I have been bummed to see some tour announcements recently that make it clear we will not get some bands, like HAIM, Drive-By Truckers, Black Keys, Father John Misty, Wu Tang, Phish, Fitz and the Tantrums, Pantera, Alabama Shakes, Pixies, Lumineers, The Hives, Ice Cube, and, of course, The Beths. Oh, and thank GOD Mumford is coming to town in October.
I don't have time to work through all of this right now, but I am going to publish this as a post right now and then come back to it when I have some time in the next few days.
Here is my question. Can we decipher what is written on that shirt despite the fuzzing out? The top one definitely looks like two lines of text, so it is bound to be THE SPIN DOCTORS. The next one looks like it starts with an L for one line of text, so definitely that will be LIT. Third row starts with a P for PEARL JAM. The fourth line has a really big block at the start, just like it would if it said ICE CUBE. The fifth line is just too hard to read, but the sixth line definitely says DAMN YANKEES. After that, I see TURNPIKE TROUBADOURS and MR BUNGLE.
Because I expect to have the ACL lineup out in about ten days, I have been working my way through the albums in my queue to make sure I don't have any of those stragglers like last year where I was reviewing 9 month old albums in October. We'll see if I can get there or not. But I am definitely excited about the idea of the lineup being right around the corner! Still holding out hope for the old white guy lineup and not the dreck that just hit Lolla!
Charley Crockett - Lonesome Drifter. This dude causes some opinions. I find it to be really weird, because he is a pretty straight-forward musician making classic country things in a new package, but when he played the Two Step last year I had multiple people saying how much they dislike him. Fascinating. The only thing that I will note as a negative on this album is how "same" it is to everything else he has done. He even re-records "Jamestown Ferry," which was on at least one of his previous albums, and really doesn't give it much of a refurbishment. But otherwise, I dunno, this is a nice little album of classic country sounds that is entirely unoffensive and pretty catchy at times. He does a great cover of "Amarillo by Morning" too. Nothing wrong with that. It's the second biggest streamer, but I'm giving you "Game I Can't Win." 1.1 million streams.
I mean, that tune underneath it could be an old Waylon tune, just be-boppin' along with the bass striding back and forth under a load of steel. As usual, I think it is a great set of songs. If you want to hear some good new, but also classically styled, country music, then here is your chance.
Mumford & Sons - RUSHMERE. I'm thinking back to the last time these goobers came to ACL, and the extensive discussion I went through about how great their initial albums were and how complete uninteresting their last few have been instead. This keeps up that tradition with an entirely unremarkable collection of songs with no soul or joy in them for me. We were on a road trip this weekend for kid sports, and my wife very much dislikes choosing the music that will play in the car as we drive. So she just grabbed a Spotify mix that was like "Chill Mix" or something, and it ended up being pretty much 99% Mumford and 1% Noah Kahan. After realizing my plight, and after skipping at least 375 songs, I finally just changed the music to be something that the world actually wanted to hear, but it meant that I heard a few of these tunes again in the car (which is a better listening experience than at the desk while working, for sure). They were not redeemed. The album is not actively bad or anything, but I have been through it probably ten times, and I could not tell you a thing about any of these songs. They just sound like Marcus Mumford singing some stuff with a driving, stompy little beat behind him. The title track is the top streamer with 14.4 million.
Truly painful to watch all of those people react on camera to hearing this song for the first time. Just an awful experience to watch them act out while knowing the band is watching. Also, I hate most reality TV, so I'm the wrong audience. But, definitely sounds like Mumford, right? Banjos going wild, a quiet part talking about "beauty in the pain" and then a crescendo to make everyone freak out. That video made this whole album even worse for me. Earlier it had just been a forgettable disc, now I'm actively grossed out by it. More than happy to just delete that disc and move along.
Lucy Dacus - Forever is a Feeling. It may sound funny to praise this album, which sounds very much like prior Dacus discs, after just dumping on Mumford, but it is how my brain is processing these things. I had always thought that Phoebe Bridgers was my favorite out of boygenius, but I think Dacus brings a confessional gravity to her lyrics and a low key voice to the table that draws me in. Also, when the chugging guitars kick in during the last song, it has made me look up from what I am doing each time and exclaim in some way. "Talk" has some grimy guitar chug to it as well, which I like. She does a good job of mixing in heavy and light on here. "Ankles" has a wild juxtaposition of sweet loving ideas and also dominating sexual ideas mixed in, which catches me off guard each time. "Come Out" is clear and good love stuff though. "Ankles" is the top track. 9 million.
Well, that video was wonderfully endearing. The song is catchy as well, even if a little graphic! Sometimes, this makes me think of Father John Misty, where a pretty background is plastered over with strange and wry observations about something mundane - some guy being good at Grand Theft Auto and her shoveling popcorn into her mouth so she won't speak her mind. But sometimes I can't quite parse the lyrics, like on "Forever is a Feeling," where she is singing "this is bliss, this is hell" in the chorus and then singing about cute things like how she knew the shortcut on a drive but let the other person take the scenic route, juxtaposed with less cute things like how her hands are in zip ties and 25-to-life "why not"? Dunno man. I like the disc though, this is good.
Wallows - More. These dudes came to ACL previously, that is how they popped onto my radar. And, of course, the band stars Dylan Minnette as lead singer, who you may recognize as the actor in Prison Break, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, or 13 Reasons Why. The guitarist was also a child actor - Braeden Lemasters - in loads of little roles in ER, Grey's Anatomy, or House, and also films like Easy A and A Christmas Story 2. This is pretty solid rock, but with a little more synth than I want. Like, the second song gets all blissed out with an underlying synth line that sort of makes the song sound juvenile or thrown off. Off-putting to me for some reason. Luckily, that isn't the top song where it would show that the rest of the world digs that action while I'm a doofus. That honor goes to the terribly named "Your New Favorite Song." 5.5 million streams.
Remember when the Arctic Monkeys turned their back on the music that got them there and went all lounge-act? Me too. Also, terrible video. Just about the worst video I can think of. At the end of the day, I'll let this one go.
David Brooks can be a blowhard dope, and sometimes his writing infuriates me, but his short article explaining why Trump is an idiot had a great quote that stopped me to read it several times: "As the retired general Jim Mattis and Bing West once wrote, “If you haven’t read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate, and you will be incompetent, because your personal experiences alone aren’t broad enough to sustain you.”" I know better than to send my kids an article to read, but man, I really want to!
Father John Misty - Mahashmashana. Lucious, beautiful, captivating stuff here. It isn't just the strings, but the orchestral bits definitely ratchet up the mouth feel of these tunes. It's also his perfect voice and the meaningful lyrics that help to make this feel like something special. I read a post jokingly lamenting on Misty's behalf that this is the fifth (!?!) time that his album launch has been overshadowed by a new album from Kendrick Lamar. This one was released on the same day that Lamar dropped GNX, without any warning or preamble. So, kind of funny that his releases just get eclipsed the second they hit the Internet. The nine-minute title track opens the album with a Beatles-esque piano rock ballad full of one liner nuggets and an overall inscrutable message. "A perfect lie can live forever, The truth don't fare as well. It isn't perched on lips mid-laughter. It ain't the kind of thing you tell." And then "She Cleans Up" steps off into a funky strut and lyrics about Mary Magdalene deciding to fight those who wanted to harm Jesus. "I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All" also rolls out the funky groove, along with a strange arrangement of lyrical detours - turning down the cover of Rolling Stone, a himbo Ken doll, killing a rattlesnake with his truck who then gave him record sales advice, a bride and groom who seem like bad people and yet their priest sees them as a perfect match - it's like smart nonsense the whole time. That's the biggest track, with a sad-sounding stream total of 4.1 million.
Those saxes jam - and yet I don't see them on stage with the rest of those bros. Dig the groove for sure. "Screamland" has a stressful majesty to it that also grabs my attention each time it rolls by. It unfolds and then erupts as its title might predict to you. I feel like this is an album that will do likewise, unfold further over time and show me different aspects of its nature after further enjoyment. I'll also note that I played this on the Sonos in the living room last night as I made a complicated dinner, and the algorithm's follow up tunes once this album was done were also a great vibe.
Franz Ferdinand - The Human Fear. Man, remember these dudes? Feels like they were huge once. Well, if you liked that sound from 2004, you get another heavy dose of it right here. This sounds to me exactly like it could have been a continuation of what made them sound so fun and amazing back then. That throw-back sound they brought out to the forefront then, sort of new wave, a little dash of disco, a whiff of the Beatles (and the folks who copied them), a lot of danceable pop rock bounce - it's all back here. Which is nice, if not particularly arresting. There is probably a reason I haven't gone back to the 2004 smash in a while. Album opener "Audacious" is the stream leader for now with 3.5 million streams.
When those horns pop in on the third verse, and then the guitar starts sliding around like that, I get the heavy Beatles zest in my ears. Pleasing song. I have a feeling that this will be on the ACL poster this year. They are recognizable enough for folks of several generations to be like, "oh yeah, sure, I like those guys," without being so popular that the C3 folks will need to break the bank to have them along. I will say that the electro sounds of "Hooked" is a low point on here, sort of yanks me out of my relaxed enjoyment of the rest of this. But overall, unoffensively good.
Larry June/2 Chainz - Life is Beautiful. I just fired through a Larry June review last week. This dude puts out too much music. Yet again, my dude is super crazy laid back and cool as hell. You get those same smooth, sample-laden beats from the Alchemist, but now you also get 2 Chainz adding his goofy ass to the mix. He keeps it chill though, matching the pace and vibe of the June verses. But also, some of these add a snip of menace, like the tastily tense "Colossal" that bites part of what I think of as "Paul Revere," but very well could have been a sample that Rick Rubin used back then and I just didn't know. (according to Wikipedia, that backwards woozy schoop/schloop/shoop/doo/doo thing from Paul Revere was made from scratch by Yauch by looping an 808 backwards). But, that one has some mystery and creep to it. "I Been," the third track, is the top streamer so far with 4.3 million streams.
Oh hell yeah. Wide screen video. "they got deadbeat moms now" made me laugh. But like I said before, if that doesn't make you feel rich and relaxed, I don't know what to tell you. So luxurious. Cool to think of how the Alchemist comes up with this stuff - like, does he just buy every record at every garage sale he can get to and then listen to each ancient soul/jazz album searching for cool little nuggets to snip into a beat? I love it.
Jason Isbell - Foxes in the Snow. I ran through this album several times on headphones while flying to Nashville over the weekend, and I have to say that a close and careful listen like that makes a difference. This is the semi-traditional acoustic-and-solo-and-introspective-post-divorce-album. Loads of those out there in the cannon, but apparently Isbell divorced Amanda Shires and then went in the studio for five days to bang out another set of deeply confessional tunes about hard times and mistakes made and the future that you can build by pushing through. I love it.
The opening track is the most popular, because it was the first single, and it starts with only a cappella and then adds in a light guitar picking. Another good one in here is "Don't Be Tough," which is like a list of advice topics you should give your kids. "Crimson and Clay" is also great, because you get the idea that he is turning back to what made him to figure out where to go next (and that happens to be the red clay of Alabama). I also have to call out the line in that one talking about a little noose in a locker and brown eyes crying in the hall. A tiny couplet in the song and yet you can see it all and feel the pain with just those two lines. The second-biggest streamer is the title track, and I vote you listen to that one. 817k streams.
Excellent guitar. As we wandered around Nashville after listening to this disc on the plane, this is the one that kept popping into my head, either the melody or random snippets of the lyrics. "falls asleep inside my head, seems so easy" is a lovely little snip. "Ride to Robert's" is so nice too, not only the active picking, but the story he is telling and the detail about Tennessee and Nashville and his love. He gets into hard subjects here too, his sobriety, his poor behavior in the past - he bares his soul for all to see. "Gravelweed" and "Eileen" are great with that. But that level of candor and authenticity makes this feel better than most lyrics. I love the idea of the goodbye note that he finds behind a bed, thinking that no note was left for years, only to have the goodbye note crap in his Cheerios with a pithy saying.
By the way, I read an interview with him about the final song, which he wrote for his little brother's first dance at his wedding. Pretty funny: "A: I wrote [that song] for my little brother and his wife when they got married. She came to me and asked if I would write them a first dance song. Nobody’s ever asked me that before and I thought, that’s so bold. But since you asked, I’m going to do it. ... Q: That was incredibly brave of your brother and now sister-in-law. You’ve very good at writing sad songs. A: I know. She could have gotten herself in a bind with that if I’d written a traditional song of my own. It would have been bad. Q: Did they hear the song before you sang it on their wedding day? A: No. Nobody did. I just got up and sang it while they were dancing their first dance. I wasn’t gonna get halfway through the song and be like, “and then she died of cancer.” [Laughs.] But if anybody ever asks me to do that again though, it’s fair game. I played along the first time. This time, I’m pulling some s–t. " Love that.
Excellent disc that I will keep spinning for a long time.
Only now, in hindsight, do I remember why last year we said that we should skip this festival. Haha! Whatever, it was fun! Now that the hard parts are over and I've been able to pee, all that's left are the good memories.
While the logistics of it all were still very difficult and less-pleasant, and the weather threw us a curveball, at the end of the day, we had a freaking blast. I got to see Alan Jackson. And yes, it was not the young, vibrant, energetic version of Alan Jackson that others got to see in the 90's, and yes, some annoying people forced the venue to stop the shop for a chunk of time to clear out of a restricted area, and yes, the show ended early. But nonetheless, I got to see and hear "Chatahoochee" and "Chasin' That Neon Rainbow" and "Don't Rock the Jukebox" and others while singing along with good friends and my extremely patient wife. Good stuff.
Haha, seeing that pile of t-shirts on stage just reminded me of Jackson tossing t-shirts to the crowd from the stage. I don't think they went more than ten feet, but he was chucking them out there for the front row folks.
For Saturday, the first big issue was just getting in the dang gates. The lines to get in were well over an hour, and the people in charge of the lines weren't helping - lots of lines that were barely moving while other lines motored along, until someone in charge yelled at everyone that it should just be one line. But worse than that was the bathroom lines once inside. When the urinal lines are streaming across an entire field, then something is wrong. Some of the ladies in our group spent over an hour in that line too, and I may have used a cup for some relief at one point. Allegedly... Oh, and as is usual for these types of things, the cell service was borked for sure. I was hoping that a smaller festival wouldn't have that issue, but it sucked.
BUT, the music was great. We missed Hudson Westbrook or Noeline Hofmann while waiting at the gate (although youngest daughter was there for the gates to open so she could be front row at Hudson, she and her friends loved it). So, first show was William Beckmann, who sounds phenomenal. Like, if Harry Connick Jr. had gone into a country phase. Several folks in the group really wanted Diamond Rio, so we left Beckmann early to go see that. Probably my least favorite show of the day, in part because I don't know those songs. And this weird old lady took an interest in us and kept singing the lyrics towards me while smoking a cigarette she bummed off a teenager. But, not knowing lyrics didn't hold me back from really enjoying Tracy Byrd - that guy is still slinging the hits and grabbing the crowd. I liked that show for sure.
Flatland Cavalry was excellent. Their live show takes their tunes to another level - really seemed like a bigger band and bigger event than I was expecting. You know who else was really fun? Miranda Lambert was awesome. I wasn't expecting much there, just figured I should go see someone because she is very popular, but she sounds great, engages really well with the audience, and just made the show a lot of fun. We skipped the Diplo/Gavin Adcock hour to make sure we had a good spot for Alan, and it did not disappoint. I do wish that he hadn't encouraged folks to enter the restricted area and then had to pause the show to get them back out, but maybe he was just tired and wanted a break!
Sunday was interesting because before coming into it, I had not realized exactly how *same* so many of the artists are. Also, it was cold as balls. I've never gone to a music festival in a beanie before. It was necessary for this one, and all the girls trying to stay fashionable were freezing their butts off! But, the logistics folks at C3 made the lines to get in and the bathroom lines a TON better, so that was a great win.
Tanner Usrey was great. My review of him called him low-key, but he was anything but low-key on that stage. He was a grimy rock and roll hurricane up there and it was a blast. Next was the Panhandlers, who are also really good. Although, it dawned on our entire group after a short while that the Clete guy from Flatland Cavalry is head-and-shoulders better than the other three singers up there. And once you realize that, you realize that you don't want to hear those dudes warble their way through a tune. Just stick with the really good one! But they have some really great songs, and they definitely made me want a Chilton. We left that early for Treaty Oak Revival, and here is where pretty much all of my friends disagreed with me. I think those dudes are actively bad. Like, the most generic Nickelback-ass cock rock with a smidge of country veneer. Not my thing, and they got people to start throwing shit in the crowd, which was also not my favorite.
Sammy Kershaw was good stuff - I knew way more of his songs than I remembered - and his voice is still all there. Shane Smith and the Saints was another hard rock assault. I wasn't in love with it and so we left earlier to get back over for Ryan Bingham. Hey, guess what Bingham sounds like? Hard rock assault time all over again! I'm sort of joking, but it absolutely felt like the trashy energy was amped up for everyone who may have normally kept it more country or acoustic. I also think the last time I saw Bingham changed my expectations, as the last time it was just him and his guitar (and now it was a rock show). But then, I wanted all of the trashy rock and roll energy to flow during Lynyrd Skynyrd, and they totally came through for me. My one beef there was that we left before "Free Bird," but yelling along to "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Simple Man" and "Call Me The Breeze" and all the other classics was a blast.
The Sturgill show was excellent. He opened with the Allman Brothers, which is perfect for his current blend of country and rock and jam band freakouts. He also played a snippet of "Bulls on Parade," which got all of us old bros pretty pumped up. And the way that he closes the shows now with the wild party of "Call to Arms" and a bunch of jamming - super tasty. He did that same final song at the ACL Fest show last year and it was delirious with those horns going to town.
Good times. The wife left after Bingham on Sunday, but I wasn't going to miss Skynyrd and Sturgill! After a little more muddy walking up to the parking lot of some gym on I-35, one more expensive ass ride back to town. I know, right now, I'm thinking I won't do that one again. And then, when they announce that Garth Brooks and Faith Hill are headlining and I'll be lining up for freaking tickets again...
So freaking good. The thought of trying to quantify it right now seems difficult. I hadn't originally planned on going to any of the three shows he had scheduled for this little run, but then a friend pinged me with a freebee to stand at the Mezzanine level. Pretty sweet!
If you haven't yet heard the new album - Foxes in the Snow - he leaned pretty heavily on some of those new tunes. And you start to realize that he was kind of a dirt-bag to his ex-wife, as many of those lyrics are deeply confessional and he doesn't shy away from recounting bad moments that were his fault. Just plaintively asking the room if he intends to be alone for all of his days, or telling us that his own behavior was a shock to himself. "Good While It Lasted" is a powerful slice of that, with the title phrase taking on multiple meanings: (1) that their relationship was good while they were having fun and in love; (2) then afterwards, when he found a moment that he didn't think of her, that moment was good while it lasted; and (3) looking back on good memories and realizing it was good while it lasted.
Another amazing thing he did was to change up "Bury Me," the first single from the new album, into a rad zydeco boogie with accordion and everything. The original is a totally low-key acoustic plucker, so to hear it transformed into a danceable party was really cool.
He also fired through a handful of the songs that he recorded with the 400 Unit (which was nice, since they made the trip and all), but as usual he keeps skipping my favorites. A line in "Gravelweed," which is also great, speaks to this somewhat, where he sings “And now that I live to see my melodies betray me/ I’m sorry the love songs all mean different things today.” So, you can see that his recent divorce might change the way that he wants to perform, and those performances wouldn't include "Cover Me Up" or "If We Were Vampires" if he wrote those are love songs about his now ex-wife. Also, no "Elephant." Which is such a dagger of a song, but so well-done. But, "King of Oklahoma" and "Cast Iron Skillet" and "Flying Over Water" were all still super good stuff.
I didn't know the Drive By Truckers song that he used to close the show until a few weeks ago. Had a dive down into a rabbit hole about Richard Manuel, one of the main guys from The Band. The bit of the chorus where Isbell sings "sounds like gold" is amazing, and then the song really lent itself well to the idea of jamming out and extending the groove into the night. I loved it. (shout out Counting Crows as well for their song that mentions him being dead. Those guys were great.)
10/10, would go see him again immediately if given the option!
Horsegirl - Phonetics On and On. Not sure where this one came from, but do you remember those weird little songs interspersed through the Juno Soundtrack? My brain says they were by the Moldy Peaches, but I looked it up and it looks like those were by Kimya Dawson. That is what some of these songs remind me of. Kind of like if Sonic Youth, the Velvet Underground, and Kimya Dawson decided to make gentle indie rock together. I don't intend that to sound like a slight either, it is a pretty nice set of quiet, little rock and roll slivers. "2468" is the top streamer, with 608k.
Got a Wes Anderson vibe to that video, that colorful, active, and particular minimalism. Definitely prefer some of the other songs on here that have more to them lyrically. This one is like a droning experiment. But, like, "Well I Know You're Shy" is a bright little nugget of poppy indie that makes me happy inside. "I Can't Stand to See You" has some pleasing jangle to it as well. This thing is super lo-fi and unassuming, but it makes me happy.
Roc Marciano - The Skeleton Key. Also not sure where this came from, this isn't a go-to rapper for me. The Internet tells me he is a legend, but I don't know about all of that. I've been digging what the Alchemist has been doing for Larry June, but I feel like maybe he used his best stuff before he got to this album. Or at least he used his most luxe, chill, smooth shit there, and kept mostly sparsely crafted and menacing tracks for this one. They feel intense. Instead of finding a lush loop of bass or sax, he finds a tense violin sound and loops that into a worrisome nailbiter. Interesting why he chooses certain beats for certain guys. Maybe Marciano requested stress. I guess "Make Sure" is a little more luscious, even as he is rapping about blowing people's brains out. "Chopstick" may be my favorite. Top track is "Street Magic" with 561k streams.
It's almost not even a beat, it is so disjointed and spare. And the rap is very conversational, it just happens to rhyme. I want that fat ass coat though... Maybe a powerful thing for deep rapheads, but I can let it go.
Japanese Breakfast - For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women). As per the usual, this is really pretty. Not quite as upbeat as the prior albums (which, duh, with that title) but nonetheless I find it warmly dark. And its not all dark! "Mega Circuit" has a whimsical Fiona Apple-esque lilt to it that is catchy for sure. The weirdest thing to happen in all of music this year, for my money, is the warbling addition of Jeff Bridges to "Men in Bars" for, uh, reasons. At first, I thought maybe Elvis Costello had gone through a stroke and agreed to come back with this song, but then I saw who it was, and I guess that makes sense. His marblemouthed delivery of lines in The Old Man definitely checks out here. At 10 songs and 32 minutes, this disc definitely breezes by quickly. "Orlando in Love" make me think of a Lord Huron song from a few years ago. That's the top streamer with 3.7 million.
I don't know why but I was really hoping Orlando Bloom was going to wander out in his elf costume. These are good songs, this is a good little set.
My Morning Jacket - is. I KNOW, I KNOW. I am a huge ass homer for these dudes, and if you know that you already hate them, then you can just bugger off and go read Pitchfork or something. Because I am going to gush. I freaking love it. For me, this is the perfect combination of regular ass rock and roll, jammy instrumental detours, and harmonic beauty. For some rude ass people, including, unfortunately, my wife, this is a bad combination that makes them want to leave transcendent live shows early to avoid the amazing beauty of such a thing. But for me, this is what I want to boogie/groove with and then bliss out to in equal measure without having to change the disc. I was trying to consider what about them reaches so deeply into my brain, and I think it is the combination they create of some of my favorite early musical loves, like the Black Crowes bluesy rock, the Dead's freewheeling spirit, and the way that the Allman Brothers do all of those things.
I think I get to go see their show in a few weeks and I'm psyched that I really like the new album. Sometimes when you go to the show the band wants to just play new stuff, and that wasn't what you really came to hear. I like that some of these songs call back to classic MMJ - like how the drum/synth strikes at the start of "Half a Lifetime" sound like a retake of "Off the Record" from Z - but then make it all new all over again. Definitely helps that Jim James has such a rad voice. "Time Waited" was the first single, and so it has the most streams by a good-sized margin. And it's a great tune! But I feel like I connect more to the grimy rock goodness of "Squid Ink" so I am going to give you that one. 608k streams.
Yeah, baby. Lock in to that groove and never leave. Not that it is necessarily better than the more chill light touch of "Time Waited," this is just more where my ear is right now. That heavy ass riff in there is yummy fo sho. "Everyday Magic" is a sweet groove that I dig as well, and the copycat sound of "I Can Hear Your Love" makes me smile even if it reminds me way too much of the "Love is Strange" song that was on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack a million years ago. I am in all the way. Dig it all. Sign me up.
Plains - I Walked With You A Ways. I think Katie Crutchfield's voice is just too distinctive for this to sound like anything other than a Waxahatchee album. This is her with someone named Jess Williamson, who I am not familiar with, but they sound fantastic together. An indie country Americana slice of pie slathered in top tier harmonies. Sometimes it makes me think of the Highwomen, although really it just sounds like Waxahatchee. Which is a good thing! "Problem With It" is the top track with 6.5 million streams.
Huh. Just realized this album was from 2022. I guess I found it sooner or later. Pretty dang sure that landscape they are driving through at the start is the road between Marfa and Alpine out in West Texas. Beautiful patch of the world. Also, I freaking love the banjo in that tune - just the perfect level of pluck weaving in around behind their harmonies. Damn, I would love to be on the rim at Big Bend, drinking a cold beer and listening to Crutchfield sing right now. Sounds like a perfect evening. Definitely an enjoyable disc.
Blu & Evidence - Los Angeles. No recollection of where this one came from, but I kind of dig it. There are multiple songs on here that call back to Cypress Hill, and I am extremely here for that. "The Land" uses a piece of that guitar hit from "How I Could Just Kill a Man," and also contains some little snippet of someone talking about making that song. Not sure if either of these guys somehow had a hand in making that original track, but I like the laid back throwback this one is. Cool as the other side of the pillow. "The Cold" is similar, and sounds like the Cypress track "Illusions." Really enjoy the chill of it. The top track is the second-to-last one on here, "Wild Wild West." Only 139k streams.
Lot of L.A. references throughout the disc - LA Traffic, LA Tourists, neighborhoods, crime, all of it. Good disc of new rap that sounds classic and timeless to me.
Mac Miller - Balloonerism. I have talked before some about how weird it is to get a posthumous release from artists. Is this really what he wanted to release? Did he like these tracks? Is someone just throwing this out there to make money despite the fact that he didn't finish these or intend for them to be a part of his legacy? Feels kind of gross. And this is his second release after death, which makes it even less likely that this one was something he wanted out there. According to the Internet, this was apparently an album that he put together in 2015, but shelved in favor of his more upbeat major-label debut. It's a jazzy, low-key, kind of depressing sound in here - "Mrs. Deborah Downer" being a prime example, but several of these stick to that formula. There are no party raps in here. But that doesn't mean it is bad or anything, it's just very much a vibe album. There are no cool samples, there is no booming bass, it's more like he made a Tiny Desk concert out of his B-Sides, with Thundercat and a jazz synth player in tow. Lyrics like "how long has it been since you smiled?" or "look around and all I see if gray skies, there's help inside that medicine cabinet." "5 Dollar Pony Rides" is the top track with 22.9 million streams.
Can't you just see this happening in the Tiny Desk space? It is a nice little vibe, and it sticks through the whole album. Nothing so special that I really need to hold on to it forever, but a nice relaxing detour into bummerville.
High Vis - Guided Tour. This one came to me from trying to find other things that sound like Turnstile. To me, this is not as good, not as catchy or melodic, but it still scratches the itch of loud, angry dudes blasting some post-punk rock into my earholes. "Mind's a Lie" is interesting each time it pops up, because of the little sample loop they added into it. Doesn't fit at all with the rest of these tunes at first, and then it super does. Because while some of this is skuzzy yell-along hardcore, it can also sound like an 80's pop rock band throwing anthemic guitar chords to the sky. "Feeling Bless" is a great example of that. I don't know what to compare those guitars to - The Psychedelic Furs? Early U2? Teenage Bandwagon? Dunno. But I like it. As usual for me, some of the yelling starts to ache after a while, I wish he did a little less of that. But overall, the disc makes me bob my head and bop along. Like, the underlying, chugging tune of "Mob DLA" jams for sure, but the verses tire me out. Top track is that "Mind's a Lie" one. 1.1 million streams.
Seriously, each time this song starts my mind thinks that we must have started a new album. That skinhead guy seems real mad and stuff. There is one guitar strum they do in there a few times that, again, makes me think of some classic 80's song that I can't place. The version of London shown in that video is depressing as all hell.
Killer Mike - Michael & The Mighty Midnight Revival, Songs for Sinners and Saints. Quite an album title. There is a line in a Run the Jewels track that goes "Producer gave me a beat, said it's the beat of the year / I said "El-P didn't do it, so get the fuck outta here!"" I think about that as I listen to this solo album for half of the RTJ crew. Because some of these songs very much sound like they are rehashes of songs from his last album Michael - I'm not sure of that, but it feels like some of them have the same beats or lyrics or something. Just give me more RTJ, big fella. This feeling gets especially true when the back half of the album veers off into just straight R&B/gospel/spoken word action that I don't need at all. The first four songs and the last song are fine. I will absolutely admit that the name of one of the guys on "LORD PREPARE ME" is amazing, even if I don't care for the tune - Belly Gang Kushington is a legit name. Low streaming album for sure, the top track is the last song, "STILL TALK'N THAT SHIT" with 2.9 million streams.
Oh weird. As I started to write about it and the opening lines, it dawned on me that this track was on the Michael album. WTF. Why is he just re-releasing the same song? Here is what I said when I reviewed the Michael album: "It is interesting to consider whether Killer Mike is cool or if he is an ass. I love Run the Jewels, and so my normal response to that question would aim for the cool side of the equation, but then I hear him rap something like "N****s talk to me about that woke-ass shit (Yeah) / Same n****s walkin' on some broke-ass shit / You see, your words ain't worth no money, I ain't spoke back, bitch / All of you n****s hang together on some Brokeback shit." I'm not saying that being annoyed with people talking about "woke" issues is off limits, he can complain about people being woke all they want. But to call people who espouse woke ideals to be both broke and gay is just really weird. Like, some Junior High level joke crap. Just catches me off guard as gross when so much of his RTJ stuff mixes killer bars with smart ideas ready to fight the power. Which is too bad, because that track - "TALK'N THAT SHIT!" is otherwise a cool beat and sound." Why can't you come up with new songs, Mike? What are we doing here?
White Denim - 12. What a weird detour. You know how the Arctic Monkeys just randomly decided to make bad lounge music instead of rad rock stuff a few years back? Well, that is what you get here. The first couple songs almost have a jam-band sound going on, but overall this is like they just pulled the fangs right out of the snake and it decided to cuddle you instead of strike. The listeners have spoken as well, as this has negligible streams. Top track is the first one, I suspect because people turned it off when that was done. "Light On" has 123k.
Couldn't you mistake that for something by like, Phish? When you are expecting the blaring goodness of Stuff or Corsicana Lemonade, but this is what lands? Hard nope. I'm sure it is making some people out there happy to have a jazzy wiggle during this tune, but not for me.
Larry June - Doing it for Me. June was an ACL artist a few years ago who I have stuck to. He has a sound that I find to be very pleasing, a low-key, laid back, rolling flow that feels pleasantly chill at all times. His beats match that to, just a constant parade of chilled out samples and smooth horns wandering through the forest of bass. Dig it. He is prolific, with pretty much an album a year (or more) since 2015. This one just kind of wanders along - I don't know that anything on it really grabs you like it is the new hit single, but it all sounds seductively chill. Top track is called "Imported Couches," which is a great title for a rap song because it gets me immediately curious. 3.3 million streams.
Woah. That yellow couch is insane. Also, I would very much like to have it in my house immediately. Fells like it might hurt your back after a while. But, you hear that smooth ass stuff? The beat, the flow, the whole damn thing is just sooooo chilllll. I want to hang on an imported couch getting blazed. Damn!
U2 - How to Re-Assemble an Atomic Bomb. An album of outtakes from the How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb sessions, and honestly if you told me that these songs had made that album I would not doubt your statement. These very much sound like current U2 to me. I can't remember if I ever talked about that most recent single they did to celebrate their Sphere residency. The one that ripped off "Call Me" in a very blatant and major way? Well, all of the songs on this little disc are significantly better than that one. I mean, it just sounds like U2. The opening track "Picture of You (X+W)" has some jittery Edge guitars and Bono lyrics about saving him from himself that soar over harmonies. Totally sounds like what we all signed up for each time. "Treason" is a little annoying, involves a yelling bit in the middle and some faux Middle Eastern vibes throughout. I did not know that they made the "Theme to The Batman," although the guitars in it absolutely sound like the Edge (and a little like Mission Impossible's theme mixed with the Psycho music). But overall, this doesn't feel like a B-sides collection to me, these feel like legit tunes that U2 made. I'm also a homer for them. Fascinatingly, I am in the minority. No one is streaming these songs. "Country Mile" has the most with a paltry 2.1 million.
I mean, if that had been on the Atomic Bomb album, would anyone have batted an eye? Sounds like the other tunes on there for sure. And I would love to go walk for a mile in the country with you, Bono. let's do this. Nice harmonies, great guitar sounds. Good stuff.
Charlie XCX - BRAT. I am well aware that I am extremely late to this party, as this was the big album of last summer and the Kamala campaign and Saturday Night Live and everything else. But my ACL listening needs really interfere with my other listening action, and to be quite honest every time this album has popped up I have found something else to listen to. I got in to this a little with my Sabrina Carpenter review the other day, but I just can't get on board with the poptimism movement and the world declaring that this sort of thing is important music. I can't stand it. Sadly, this likely means that she will almost certainly be on the ACL lineup and I will be forced to dive more deeply into this stuff, but I have made my way through this album a handful of times and I hate the vocal effects and the generically uninteresting beats and the repetitiveness of it all. And I am for sure biased, because I wouldn't think a thing of it if the Black Keys had a generic and repetitive riff. But this is just not giving me any pleasure at all. The playcount is interesting to me, in that several of these songs, on the supposedly biggest album of 2024, have less than 40 million streams, while only four have more than a hundred million. Makes it seem to me like this wasn't as big a deal as the critics and media tried to make it seem. The top track by a ways is the album opener, "360." 334.9 million streams.
The start of that being a Google ad was deeply annoying to me as well, as, for sure, was the skit at the start. I hate it even more than the song itself. I'm sure its some meta commentary that an old white guy would not like that portion or the song, but at the end of the day I am what I am and this is not good. It just really feels like people felt like they needed to get on board with this in order to be cool or relevant or whatever despite its actual value. It sort of reminds me of the flow of Iggy Izalea. I will absolutely not be saving this album for later listens.
Soccer Mommy - Evergreen. Ahhhhhh, a balm to my soul after that schlock. She uses real instruments, and allows her voice to shine in all of its close-to-perfect glory. I also really like how the songs vary between slower indie rock burners and low-key rockers. My disappointment is that the disc is so darned short. 41 minutes feels like it slips by way too quickly. The most rock of all of the songs is the top streamer, with "Driver" and 1.6 million streams.
Dig that fuzzy guitar crunch at the start, and the break for the chorus. And I think the lyrics are sort of funny as well, with her saying she'd be the driver but is making no promises about staying on route. Also, it looks really annoying to ride in a convertible with long hair. Either way, I think her music is really a nice way to spend my time. She's not breaking any barriers or creating a Rushmore album, but it sounds wonderful to me.
Laura Marling - Patterns in Repeat. Another gem. Truly a joy to hear. However, despite that true praise, I am going to say that this wonderfully lovely collection of folky little beauties can be boring to me a little bit. Which is terribly rude, because it is really pretty. Sometimes you'd just rather have A$AP Ferg yell at you though. "Child of Mine" sounds like Aimee Mann giving me a hug while wearing a floor length chinchilla coat. "Interlude" keeps making me think that The Smile album has come back and I'm about to hear Thom Yorke sing about something weird. Lyrically, "Caroline" has an amazingly subtle storyline that sticks among the slightly annoying lalalalalalalala bits. I love the way she rends a tale of a lost love who still pops up in memory. Top track by a large margin is "Patterns" with 5.2 million.
Huh. She's so much younger than I expected. I don't know why I figured her for a 70 year old. Like I said, very lovely track - that fingerpicking is so nice. Now it's time for Ferg to yell at us a lil.
A$AP Ferg - DAROLD. One of my favorite memories of having my kids with me at ACL was sending them into the Austin Kiddie Limits area while I went to go watch Ferg's set. Afterwards, we grabbed a snow cone or something, sitting in the grass, and middle kid was like "Dad, did you hear how naughty the guy was who was playing outside of the face paint area? He used all the bad words!" Yes, yes, he did my sweet. Nothing on here is as good as "Shabba," "Plain Jane," or "New Level," but it can still be very fun to just go dumb with these sorts of brawny things. Although, I will admit that the album loses its way by pretty much turning into an R&B disc on the back half. Don't care for those tracks. But the front half that features guys like Denzel Curry and Future, those work. Top track is a solo one - "Thought I Was Dead." 2.6 million streams (which is crazy low - no one listens to Ferg?)
(1) I hate when the advertisement before a music video is a music video - did I click on the wrong thing? Who is this dork with a guitar in the A$AP video? (2) horns in a rap track always excite me (3) I've found myself walking around the house saying "hold up wait a minute let me talk my shit!" (4) anytime you get a crowd of kids jumping around and yelling a rap lyric, I am a big fan. I am surprised that the Future track wasn't the top one, but maybe he is falling off now too? And while I complained about the R&B back half, I actually find "French Tips" to be a pretty mellow LL Cool J-ish jam. I kind of like that sort of "here is how I'm going to take of my girl in extravagant ways" type rap. he even shouts out Biggie in here, and that matches as well. Dig it. Anyway, I wish I had more bangers and less pretty ones. Can't always get what you want...
It's time, y'all! Should be a really fun opening day for the Festival. I am hoping for better weather than last year's Saturday experience!
This format will be like I have done in the past for ACL lineups - the links will take you to my more complete review of the artist at issue, and the bit next to the link will be my short one-liner about the band or artist. Hope it is helpful!
Hell yeah. Imma get a Cowboys jersey, some shredded jeans, and a straw to rock the Alan look all day.
Noeline Hofmann: Beautiful and basic country music with great lyrics and a Zach Bryan co-sign
Showdeo (1:30)
Hudson Westbrook: Solid young country fella, reminds me of Wyatt Flores
I think the youth vote is going to go hard for Westbrook - I keep hearing my girls talk about him - but I might do a half set from both of the ladies instead. I saw a few Westbrook songs at ACL and was underwhelmed.
2:15/2:45/3:00
Big River (3:00)
Ernest: Buddy to Morgan Wallen making some cheesy but solid bro country
Pony Up (2:15)
William Beckmann: Honey-voiced classic country action from a newcomer
Showdeo (2:45)
Diamond Rio: 90's Nashville country, power harmonies, supreme mullets, and that "Meet in the Middle" tune
I may do the same here, since these times are so staggered, and watch half of Beckmann and then the Diamond Rio action. If I had to actually choose, I think I'd go with Beckmann. He's great.
Tracy Byrd: High Cheese rating 90's Nashville country and a DWI PSA
Torn on this one between Flatland and Byrd. I think I will lean towards seeing something new and good in Flatland, rather than the nostalgia points, but Byrd has at least four top tier 90's Nashville bangers that would be fun to sing along to with the crowd.
5:30
Pony Up
Priscilla Block: Country pop that veers between sad, confessional tunes and funny, self-deprecating tunes
Showdeo
Randall King: Pure country in a classic sense but from a new guy
It feels to me like these guys got mistakenly moved up the schedule. Are they really bigger or better than Flatland, Rio, or Byrd? I'm going to say absolutely not from my perspective. But I'll do King here (or more likely go find a dinner to snarf down).
6:30
Big River Stage: Miranda Lambert: One of the Queens of country music
Sort of sucks, since everyone will go to this stage as she is the only thing playing during this hour. But at least it makes the choice of what to see really easy! I just expect this means I will not be anywhere near the stage!
7:30
Pony Up
DIPLO: Electronic kingpin with generally uninteresting songs BUT now he is angling for that sweet country bumpkin cash as well.
Showdeo
Gavin Adcock: Raw young country guy from Georgia giving me nothing
I'm well aware of how this is going to work. I am going to skip both of these because I dislike them both very much, and later someone is going to tell me that the Adcock set was the best thing of all time and I'll feel a tinge of FOMO. But I'm thinking this hour sets me up to try to get closer for Alan. I hope my wife is on board and doesn't want to stay nine miles from the stage.
HEADLINER (8:30):
Big River Stage: Alan Jackson: One of the greatest country artists ever.
I am excited for this show. I hope he's still got his fastball, but either way, I bet the crowd is going to give him a heavy assist with the lyrics!
Well, this really ought to be a good time. I am really looking forward to Alan Jackson, I am just so very hopeful that he is able to really do a show and isn't going to struggle! This format will be like I have done in the past for ACL lineups - the links will take you to my more complete review of the artist at issue, and the bit next to the link will be my short one-liner about the band or artist. Hope it is helpful!
12:00/12:15
Big River
Maggie Antone: Varied selection of cover tunes turned into a nice little country set
Pony Up
The Droptines: Alt-country and good lyrics are still alive and well
Showdeo
Waylon Wyatt: Acoustic and a holler from an Arkansas kid who looks up to Zach Bryan
I generally liked all three of these, but I think if forced to choose, I'd go see the pride of the Frio River valley and check out The Droptines.
1:00/1:30/1:40
Big River (1:30)
Tanner Usrey: Really great, low-key Americana guy in the vein of Zach Bryan
Pony Up (1:00)
Vincent Mason: Another newcomer making country with rock edges
Showdeo (1:40)
Willow Avalon: Cutesy country with too much tremolo affectation for my tastes
Actually a tough hour. All three of these have things about them that I like and would enjoy seeing. I guess I'd angle to The Panhandlers, but could see choosing either of the other two as well. I guess really, with their staggered times, I could see two of them...
4:00/4:30
Big River (4:30)
Nelly: THE St. Louis Rapper, as far as I'm concerned, with loads of hits you know (and a new country angle that is depressing)
Sammy Kershaw: "She Don't Know She's Beautiful" plus some other classics from the 90's
Kershaw all the way for me. If you could guarantee me that Nelly was only going to play the best hits and not veer into his new trash? Maybe. But I feel like I am at this festival to see the cheese from the 90's back on stage. Although, now that I think about this day, there are really only two classic country artists on this whole day. That is sort of a bummer - maybe they used them all up in the last two years!
5:30
Pony Up
Braxton Keith: Young guy doing classic-sounding Nashville country
Yeah, I think I'll see Shane Smith here. Keith has some good tunes, but I'd lean towards a Texas-centric show any day over Nashville sound.
6:30
Big River Stage: Ryan Bingham and the Texas Gentlemen. Rough-edged voice in between Steve Earle and Paul Westerberg making great rock-tinged Americana
I guess after they shafted the entire world last year by cancelling his show entirely during the rainstorm, they decided to make it especially difficult to see him this year since everyone will go to this stage as he is the only thing playing during this hour. Cool Cool Cool.
7:30
Pony Up
Ole 60: Unpolished southern rock with a country tilt
Showdeo
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Southern rock kings (or at least their name)
Sorry, Ole 60. You drew the short straw here for sure, as I plan to yell along with all of the best hits from Skynyrd.
