Angel Du$t - Rock the Fuck On Forever
*******HIGHEST RECS*******
Rowdy+rapid+punchy enough to claim bonafide hardcore, but opener "Toxic Boombox" winds up somewhat of a tough-guy tease -- granted, they're quite the rigid yellers and mean riffers when they wanna be and shout "fuck you" before a breakdown, but when melodic pop-leans and non-shouted hooks pervade it adds an almost laughably-extrinsic boyish charm; not to mention bring xtra clumps of catchy, a fuckload of fun, and a sort of atypical neatness and innocence. When they vow to make me hurt on, erm, "Hurt You Bad", I assume he means he'll beat me good in soccer next time or something; the barks that fall on chord-changes, simply aggressive aerobic instructions; being addicted to a real bad thing that's gonna take him out, masked by hella-adorable harmonizing. They also whip out a "Twist & Shout" that's terrific and all their own, and a fiery sax for the swan-song. No worries, the tunes don't actually rock the fuck on forever -- 1:35 or so usually does the trick. 8/10
Cough - Still They Pray
Decent if you're lookin' to satisfy that heavy sludge hankering, especially if you want it dragging
and dirty and gradually doleful -- lotsa longanimity necessary to sit through the entirety of this one despite the appreciated occasional migration into softer non-rumbly sectors. Obviously cuz it's leaden as hell, but also there's just not a whole lotta noteworthy justifying the enormity of it; all too handily it begins to blur and/or tilts toward excruciation. The wailing-surfer-dude vox don't particularly help either. Wait a sec, wasn't that the riff from "Sunshine of Your Love"? 5/10 |
Elysia Crampton - Elysia Crampton Presents: Demon City
*******HIGHEST RECS*******
Feels fairly frivolous following last year's four-track mini-epic American Drift, one of the finest half-hours to permeate the ol' earholes in quite some time: this is more rigid, less ambitious, even shorter, rid of a striking spoken-word proem, and heavily constructed around other (albeit consentient) peep's productions. But even when it comes across as clutter or a minimalist getting lucky or a whose-song-is-it-tho scenario, the vivid-weirdo soundscape's got me salivating on the regz -- haunted house piano, simple synth lines, warped synth things, synths that just stab, touches of hip-hop, lots+lots of sinister-yet-screwy etceteras. Also very well could be that I just get a kick outta being incessantly taunted. The parenthetical footnotes are telling: one dedicational to a female revolutionist who was publicly tortured-n-killed as punishment, another simply stamping itself as a "No Drums" version; the latter vital in that despite doing away with all of the peculiarly wonderful percussion it manages to convey heavenly gates openin' up wide/Judgment Day, with zealous reggae horn to boot. The prior vital cuz there's clearly a bit more going on here then just sound-mushing and dem "beats". 8/10
Fear of Men - Fall Forever
For the irrefutable irresistibles check "Island" and "Trauma", but on the whole they carry quite the clout considering the skimpy+secretive setup of plain-n-pleasant femme vox/mech-drums/stringent mood-synths and guitar wringin'. Dark and stark enough to curtail cuteness, too poppy and pretty for morosity, but they do nail an in-between fusion that's consistent and concise to boot. 7/10
Mock Orange - Put the Kid on the Sleepy Horse
*******HIGHEST RECS*******
Going on 20 years versed and bearing that congenital era's fuzzy+melodic rockin' proudly and prosperously -- paired with Ryan Grisham's trebly-n-wounded vox they promptly prompt suggestions of FlamingDinoChunkJuniorSuperLipsIndieness; but with gee-tar licks aplenty alongside pedals that peddle both dirty fire and dreamy elegance, lithe drumming and bass that don't slack neither, buzzy keybs and kept-in-check psych-outs as bonuses, and the willingness+finesse to interrupt a clattery grunge verse with a beautiful banjo-glazed chorus, it's safe to say they've carved their own niche. Unassertive catchiness always helps too, as does having a quintuplet of genuine hits out of ten tracks; even if at least four of 'em are in the first half. 7.5/10
Tegan and Sara - Love You to Death
Hoppin' back on the ol T&S train for the first time since 2007's The Con and hmm -- ya skip a couple albums and suddenly find these once rock-centric-yet-eclectic bedraggled-book-insert-sporting titan-indie-twins have gone full-on gaudy glittery synth-pop, the enormous choruses crying lines like "when it's love it's tough" and "you're fuel to my fire". But "just let me into your heart", "you can't stop desire", some good points there: can't help but slightly scoff at the comparative gloss and transformative transparency, but damn if they don't sell it well. Emotionally genuine even if simplified and stiff, vivacious arrangements and performances though broadly by-the-books, fun as hell at its peak but can get its sad on too. Ten-track concision is a good thing; especially when near all of 'em rock driving multi-hooks that'll stick around fo sho -- albeit some more annoyingly/emptily than others. 6.5/10
Thank You Scientist - Stranger Heads Prevail
Between the clarion vox and histrionics and burnish and questionable collision of horns+strings+prog, the mighty forces of obnox are strong with this one -- it'd be super-superfluous to cite the skill and silly to say it's free of stirring moments, but also damn difficult to declare this ain't an overrefined+overstuffed corn-fest whose fusion is usually unwieldy. Speaking of corn, an excerpt from the (blech) epilogue: "We have so many songs still left to sing / Too many notes for normal folks to understand". From a normal folk to y'all, nah I think I'm good, thanx tho. 5/10
William Tyler - Modern Country
Titled perhaps as a knowing wink towards what just about anyone considers to be the majority of modern country, Tyler+troupe bypass words and corn and airwaves for sprawling-n-spotless instrumentals that combine the alfresco atmospheres of finespun folk and the pacific pensiveness of post-rock. Certainly comely, no doubt all-around dexterous and detailed, rarely gives way to abeyance, but the constant composure has 'em gravitating a bit too close to congenial background music -- see the climactic great unwind's seamless segue in-n-out of Birdville for verification. 6/10
Whitney - Light Upon the Lake
The fixed falsettos and soft-boy civility and 'na-na-na's get red flags a-rising, but through warm folk-pop-venerability and instrumentation that's classy+cultivated but never highflown their charm is rather unavoidable. Effortlessly stuffing a 10-song half-hour this full-a soul and flow and sensibilities, well hey that's pretty nice too. 6.5/10
Young Thug - Slime Season 3
///BRAV-FUCKING-O\\\
Cleanliness+consistency uber-upped from the preceding pair of this slimy series -- as confirmed by the right-away gag-hook of a sky-high fellator being labeled an airhead, cleanliness pertains to production only -- but most notable by far in this installment is the benevolent brevity, second most is the resultant consolidated horsepower. Perhaps he got the "Memo" that 8 tracks in 28 minutes is infinitely more viable than yet another half-good 70+minute hodgepodge, 'specially when all 8 tote a hook that kills, a beat that really tries, and an explosion of personality. And in the midst of the aforementioned airhead and the slime bitch and the tatted+pierced bitch, there's the bonafide ballad for the bitch who's "Worth It", i.e. his fiancee. The Cunning Come-on? "I need a deep throat baby, swallow me." 7/10
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