Chromatics - Arms Slither Away 7'' (K, 2002)

Chromatics
Arms Slither Away 7''
K
2002

Rating: 5.5 appetizing grease fires out of 10

This might technically be the glossy, coke-hazed, electro-pop group Chromatics, but outside of the name you'd never guess it.  Instead, you've got a noisy indie rock band who clearly hadn't discovered or couldn't afford synthesizers yet.  Neither the title track or the b-side "Skill Fall" are bad, they're just not what you're expecting if you came in only knowing their modern incarnation, nor are the songs good enough to overcome those expectations.  This will eventually get filed away into my seven inch bins, and then at some point in the future I'll forget what it is, pull it out expecting catchy electro-pop, and go through this all over again. 

Superchunk - What A Time To Be Alive (Acoustic) 7'' (Merge, 2018)

Superchunk
What A Time To Be Alive (Acoustic) 7''
Merge
2018

Rating: Yes.  Softly.  

Superchunk loves to release a new seven inch on Record Store Day, and this year it's a pair of acoustic versions of tracks from their latest record "What A Time To Be Alive."  It's on clear vinyl and "limited" to 1500, which doesn't seem all that limited to me, but whatever.  Other than the title track they also perform my favorite song from that record, "Erasure," minus the Stephin Merritt backing vocals but apparently still with the Katie Crutchfield ones (I guess she had more time to stick around the recording studio).  If you're a fan of their new record or the band in general this is kind of a no brainer, obviously it's great. 

Conan Neutron & The Secret Friends / Quivers - Split 7'' (Seismic Wave Entertainment, 2018)

Conan Neutron & The Secret Friends / Quivers
Split 7''
Seismic Wave Entertainment
2018

Rating: 7 beautiful ballerinas out of 10

This is a double dose of friend rock for me - both bands feature dudes I've known for nearly two decades now (it makes me feel really old to say that).  Don't hold that against them though - this is still a damn fine pair of catchy songs worth lending your ear to.  

This is actually the second entry in series (out of four so far) where Conan Neutron & The Secret Friends release a split seven inch with them on the a-side and a different band on the flip.  Their track "Hate Secretary"is guitar rock, very catchy and melodic.  A lot of what Conan did in the past (specifically Replicator) would get compared to Shellac, but this material is closer to Foo Fighters-esque heavy alternative than anything to which Steve Albini would lend an aluminum guitar.  It's very sing-along-able.  That's a word right?

The b-side "Master Of Dirt" is from Quivers, a San Francisco band full of dudes from other bands - most notably a couple of cats from Charmless, and my pal Colin from Ex-Boyfriends (and a bunch of other bands).  To no surprise if you've listened to any of those groups this is very Superchunk influenced, and I'm not just saying that because I know Colin loves them almost as much as I do.  Colin has always had an ear for hooks.

Both of these songs would fit in great on any indie rock comp from the mid-to-late nineties.  Given these guys are basically as old as me or not far off, that's not really surprising. 

Tracyanne & Danny - Tracyanne & Danny (Merge, 2018)

Tracyanne & Danny

Tracyanne & Danny
Merge
2018

Rating: 8 focused camels out of 10

I truly can’t imagine anyone having anything bad to say about this Tracyanne & Danny record…it’s the musical equivalent of purring cat in your lap on a cozy Sunday afternoon.  Tracyanne is the golden-voiced Tracyanne Campbell of twee pop superstars Camera Obscura, a group whose future has been in limbo since the tragic death of keyboardist Carey Lander – wherein we must note, as if it needs to be said, fuck cancer.  I’ve been a Camera Obscura fan since they came on the scene in the early 2000s, and I would probably buy a record of Tracyanne singing CSPAN transcripts, so my love of this was pretty close to certain.  The only wildcard was the other half of the duo, Danny Coughlan of Crybaby, a band/performer I knew not a single damn thing about.  Tracyanne still dominates the vocals (or at least it feels that way), but Danny adds a nice counter-balance with his deep, smooth tones; he also knows his range, and doesn’t try to do too much thinking he can musically keep up with her.  Honestly, this isn’t terribly different from the sixties twee vibes  of Camera Obscura in their later years…just with more male vocals really.  If you’re a sensitive person at all, good luck not tearing up a little bit listening to the country-tinged “Alabama,” their tribute to Lander…I’m not even a lyric person usually, but this one really hits me right in the feels.  

David Bowie ‎– Welcome To The Blackout (Live London '78) (Parlophone, 2018)

David Bowie
Welcome To The Blackout (Live London '78)
Parlophone
2018

Rating:  It's fuckin' Bowie.

This review will be brief, because there is absolutely no reason to review the actual music...again, it's fuckin' David Bowie.  What I am here to note is how good the sound quality is - this is in the upper echelon of clean, well-mixed live recordings I've ever heard.  This is always a huge issue with live albums, so I just wanted to put that out there for those on the fence or wondering if they should drop the cash for this triple disc Record Store Day "exclusive" (I can't find an actual number of these pressed, but my guess is it's not actually that exclusive because they would be really stupid to limit this one, or not do a second pressing).  

Side note: this was recorded later in the same 1978 tour that another famous Bowie live album, "Stage," was recorded.  Why release two live records from the same tour?  When it sounds this good, why not.  If money is no object, pick up "Welcome To The Blackout" - though you can usually grab "Stage" for a sawbuck so just get both...because it's fuckin' Bowie.  

The New Pornographers - High Ticket Attractions 7'' (Concord, 2017)

The New Pornographers
High Ticket Attractions 7''
Concord
2017

Rating: 7 fancy door cyborgs out of 10

Another promo seven inch I snagged on the cheap, this one promoting the 2017 album from the New Pornographers, "Whiteout Conditions."  The A-side is the perfectly cromulent "High Ticket Attractions," which sounds exactly like a New Pornographers song should - shiny, poppy, bright, full, other adjectives.  I suppose the B-side is what makes this promo a keeper - a non-album track, specifically a cover of the Jigsaw song "Sky High."  Leave it to a pack of Canadians to cover Jigsaw of all bands. 

Las Rosas - Tax Man 7'' (Greenway, 2018)

Las Rosas
Tax Man 7''
Greenway
2018

Rating: 6 pneumonia games out of 10

Grabbed this one-sided flexi seven inch off a free table at a local record store, it would appear Las Rosas (or their label Greenway) released it as a Record Store Day giveaway to promote their new full-length "Shadow By Your Side."  Nothing special but certainly worth the price - based on this one song they sorta have a clean garage rock vibe, maybe a little too over-produced for my tastes, but not bad.  I'd like to hear the full record to form a final opinion though. 

Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks - Sparkle Hard (Matador, 2018)

Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks

Sparkle Hard

Matador

2018

Rating: 7 dried-out highlighters out of 10

It’s still completely lost on me what the difference is between Stephen Malkmus versus Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks, but this new record “Sparkle Hard” is the latter.  It’s very Jicky obviously!  Regardless of title, with Stephen’s voice and song-writing style it’s always going to sound like an extension of Pavement.  A pig is still just a bacon machine even if it wears a dress and dates a frog.  After a few years paying only middling attention, I really got into 2014’s “Wig Out At Jagbags,” and was subsequently quite looking forward to this one.  In three words: I’m digging it.  Does “I’m” count as only one word?  Anyways, while still operating in the well-established pocket he has created for himself these past few decades, “Sparkle Hard” feels…mellower, more mature even?  In this case ”mature” really just means there are some strings and not as many guitar solos and one song sounds a little country (that song is “Refute,” but it’s not as country as Pavement’s “Range Life”).  There are more keys/synths here than I remember him employing in the past, but that could be more my faulty memory than an actual stylistic change. 

I’m trying to imagine a Malkmus fan seeking out & reading this (or any) other review of “Sparkle Hard,” his eighth solo record after five Pavement releases, and trying to decide whether or not they might give this new release a chance…I can’t imagine this person exists.  These people already know how you feel about this man and his art.  If you’re not a fan, this ain’t changing your mind – he’s as Malkmus-y as ever.  And if you have no idea who he is, maybe you’re super young or you just woke from a nearly thirty year coma – just go buy “Slanted & Enchanted” and branch out from there.  

Nocturnal Projections - Complete Studio Recordings (Dais, 2018)

Nocturnal Projections
Complete Studio Recordings
Dais
2018

Rating: 8 big brother fiddles out of 10

Happening upon the “Complete Studio Recordings” by Nocturnal Projections has been one of the best random finds I’ve had in quite some time.  Sitting in my cubicle every day I listen to a lot of music in my search of anything good – some is garbage, most is forgettable mediocrity, but it’s all worth it when you find a gem like this.  I liked it so much that after listening to three songs or so I went online and immediately ordered the vinyl from Dais, not wanting to chance missing out on this terrific slice of vintage post-punk.  What I know here could fit in a thimble, and available at the label website in a little more detail – the band is from New Zealand, existing just a couple of years in the early eighties.   The group make-up is a pair of brothers and a couple of their friends, they record a few singles that never really made it off the island, played some gigs locally, and that was it.  Some of the members went on to be in other influential NZ groups such as This Kind Of Punishment and the Cakekitchen.  The result are goddamn spectacular: the Joy Division/Wire comparison is undeniable, but this band was a little poppier and had a much more consistently driving sound than those British contemporaries.  The second song “Isn’t That Strange” is worth the price of admission alone, but the whole damn release is gold from start to finish 36 minutes later.  Dais also released a live/rarities comp called “Inmates In Images” that I’m dying to hear as well.   HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. 

Damien Jurado - The Horizon Just Laughed (Secretly Canadian, 2018)

Damien Jurado
The Horizon Just Laughed
Secretly Canadian
2018

Rating: 7.5 one-armed workout partners out of 10

The opening song “Allocate” off of this new Damien Jurado record sounds just like “Summer Breeze” by Seals & Crofts.  This means “Summer Breeze” gets stuck in my head every time I listen to this record…as opposed to the rest of my life, when that song is just stuck in my head only most of the time.  I’m not complaining, for the record – everyone knows “Summer Breeze” is one of the greatest songs of all time by any measure. 

I’ve been thinking about this review for a few days now, and I’ve kinda been struggling on what to say about “The Horizon Just Laughed” - other than I like it a lot.  It finds Jurado in his usual mellow, pensive mood, but the songs have just-so-slightly shifted from folk to soft rock a lot of the time (he even ends up in full tropicalia on “Marvin Kaplan,” and “Dear Thomas Wolfe” sounds like Lambchop is backing him).  The first half of the album is especially strong, some of the best work he’s ever done.  It’s also helped that I’ve done all of my listening through headphones…outside of seeing him live in a church-like setting (which I’ve managed a couple of times), it might be the only proper way to ingest his music.  I always like the man’s output, but it’s when I get to really sit with the music with limited distractions my feelings bump up from like to love.  I suppose this is typically true with the quieter artists, but the point remains. 

Damien Jurado has been around a long time, doing more or less the same thing.  It would be easy to ignore the work he’s doing – there are certainly records of his I haven’t done due diligence on – but give this one a chance.  It really pays off if you let it sit with you.

Oh, and go listen to his song ”Ohio” from a number of years ago – it’s only one of the best songs ever written. 

Courtney Barnett - Tell Me How You Really Feel (Mom + Pop, 2018)

Courtney Barnett
Tell Me How You Really Feel
Mom + Pop
2018

Rating: 7.5 stale chocolate pies out of 10

No jinx here, Courtney Barnett has followed up her excellent solo debut “Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit” with an equally good sophomore response.  This makes me happy for a number of reasons:

1.     It’s nice to finally be high on the new record of an artist I haven’t been listening to for half my life or longer - which has been the case so far in 2018.  Superchunk, Hot Snakes, and the Sea & Cake have made my favorite albums of the year (so far), and all combined I’ve been listening to these three bands for 67 years.  By contrast, I’ve only known Courtney Barnett for 2 or 3 (I got into her first record a little late). 

2.     I’m glad to enjoy music by someone I would call a “popular” artist.  I mean, she’s not Beyonce popular, but she definitely has a certain cache – she’s been on Austin City Limits, Saturday Night Live, and a bunch of late night shows.  I’m often befuddled at what people see in acts that reach this level of cultural relevance, but not so with Barnett – the catchy, effortless songs she writes have a way of worming their way into your head.  There are a few others like Future Islands, War On Drugs, and Wilco that I love that have also reached this same level of success, but just like the bands mentioned in the first bullet point, I’ve been with those groups for a long time. 

3.     It’s always nice to find a new female artist I can really get behind.  I don’t mean that to be as sexist as it sounds, but ratio-wise there are just so many more male bands/performers out there, and I can be rather picky.  I’m more than aware of how much I listen to (mostly straight & white) dudes, but at the same time you can’t just make yourself like something for demographic reasons – you like the music or you don’t at the end of the day.  Luckily, digging Courtney Barnett comes real easy. 

 

The third through fifth songs (“Charity,” “Need A Little Time,” “Nameless, Faceless”) on this record are the strongest work Barnett has ever achieved IMO, and collectively cover all of the different styles you’d likely run into over the course of one of her records – the pop song, the slow song, and the rocker (in that order).  I keep going back and listening to this section over and over and over, it’s so goddamn good.  “Charity” in particular is a front-runner for one of my top songs of the year.    

Häxxan - The Magnificent Planet Of Alien Vampiro II (Slovenly, 2018)

Häxxan
The Magnificent Planet Of Alien Vampiro II
Slovenly
2018

Rating: 7 scheduled bathroom breaks out of 10

Based on the band name I expected Häxxan to be metal; based on the album name and cover art, I expected bedroom indie pop…so basically I had no idea what this was going to sound like.  I fixed this by, you know, listening to the album - and in reality it’s jangly, slightly sloppy  garage punk - from Israel!  I’m never surprised when a band from Canada or the UK or even Scandinavia sounds like something that a band that lives right down the road from me might make, but when the group is from halfway around the globe for some reason it seems much more impressive!  I know with the internet everything is as  local as you want it to be…get off my ass, if I find it interesting and intriguing so be it.  That said, ultimately all that matters is that the music is good; in this case, I’m definitely feeling it.  “Jeff Casanova” sounds so much like Jeff The Brotherhood it might as well be a cover song…or maybe, based on the song’s name, it’s intended as a love letter to the Tennessee duo.  Other songs like “Circle Of Quantum” and “Nothing Ever Changes” also come close to a JTB comparison, and that’s totally fine with me to be honest because JTB are great.  The rest of this record is a decent listen - poppy, quirky garage jams that sound like they’re from kids who grew up on Thee Oh Sees and Parquet Courts (or at least the same bands that influenced Thee Oh Sees and Parquet Courts). 

The Sea And Cake - Any Day (Thrill Jockey, 2018)

The Sea And Cake
Any Day
Thrill Jockey
2018

Rating: 8.5 expired boxes of fried chicken out of 10

In the least surprising news ever department, all of my favorite records so far in 2018 are by bands I’ve been listening to for two decades or more.  Is it because the new music sucks?  Maybe a little bit, but I’m sure that’s mostly just the crusty old dude inside of me talking.  Is it because all these groups I’ve loved forever are still going strong, putting out some of the best music of their careers?  This seems like the biggest reason for me…most of these groups used to break up after a short run of a few records, never to be heard from again.  Now they either stay together forever, or get back together for shits and giggles (and money) and remember how fun it was to play together in the first place. 

The Sea And Cake are one of those bands that have been going strong since the mid-nineties, though they’ve always worked (and toured) at their own pace.  It’s been six years since their previous album “Runner,” their longest break, but multiple years between releases is not unusual.  With “Any Day,” it seems like that long break might have reset the group back to their early years stylistically – the electronic/synth elements that had been infiltrating their songs over the past 10-15 years is almost totally gone, giving us an album that sounds like it could be the companion of 1995’s “The Biz,” my all-time favorite release (amid a large catalog of very strong output).  Between Sam Prekop’s breathy vocals and Archer Prewitt’s jazzy guitar lines, the group’s music is some of the most easily identifiable in the business…it rests like a warm blanket on an old nostalgic jackass like me.  “Cover The Mountain,” “Day Moon,” and “Circle” are as strong as anything they’ve written since the mid-nineties, and there isn’t a weak spot to be found anywhere on “Any Day.” 

I’m pretty jacked I get to see these old dudes live in a few days when they pass through town on tour – it’s not often you say this about a band with a catalog this long that you’ve been listening to for two decades, but I’m really excited to hear the Sea And Cake perform these new songs live.  If that’s not a testimony to the quality of the new material, I don’t know what is.    

Leon Bridges - Good Thing (Columbia, 2018)

Leon Bridges
Good Thing
Columbia
2018

Rating: 6 terminated water intake systems out of 10

There is nothing wrong with this new album from Leon Bridges, “Good Thing” - it’s just not the Leon Bridges record I wanted.  His debut, “Coming Home,” was a nearly flawless throwback to the golden era of soul, the soul I grew up listening to and still love over all other music of its ilk.  It was an untouchable homage to the classic R&B sound of the sixties and seventies, and I listened to the shit out of it – more so than any soul record released in the last 30-40 years (or whenever those classic Sade releases came out).  Sadly, Mr. Bridges decided to go a more modern route this time - it’s still not really like what you hear on the radio these days, but much more in that ballpark than his first record.  “Good Thing” is more of a nineties Brand New Heavies/jazzy version of soul, and for what it is, it’s pretty damn good; it just isn’t what it was.  I obviously don’t begrudge the man, an artist grows and the fans don’t get to pick the direction, but you can certainly be disappointed in the results.   You still get some hints of his old sound in album opener “Bet Ain’t Worth The Hand” and “Mrs.”, which are just enough of a taste to remind you of what could have been, but isn’t. 

Beach House - 7 (Sub Pop, 2018)

Beach House
7
Sub Pop
2018
 
Rating: 6.5 altered page collations out of 10
 
I've never been a Beach House fan.  I've never hated them by any means either, they were just one of those perfectly tolerable bands playing perfectly tolerable music.  I always thought of them as a cut-rate Cocteau Twins for today's kids - which sounds dismissive on my part, but honestly there ain't nothing wrong with being compared to the Cocteau Twins because they are rad.  I saw Beach House live once at a local festival and between the low, blue lights and an immense amount of fog machine smoke, you might as well have been listening at home, because you couldn't see shit.  Much like their recordings, it didn't move the needle much for me. 
 
This new record of theirs, "7," is totally fine though.  This may be on me more than any change out of the band - I'm now spending my days sitting in a cubicle, and it's definitely possible that the best way to enjoy Beach House is through headphones.  If I wanted to get all scientific I'd go back and revisit their first six releases (that's why they named this one "7," get it?!?) and see if this office setting changes my mind on those as well...but I'm probably not going to do that.  Or hell, maybe it's not me at all and instead "7" is just an outstanding record that outshines it's predecessors, and I chose the exact right time to listen to Beach House again.

"Dive" is the stand-out track, and probably the most upbeat one on the record.  I like it best when they get upbeat.