2019 pt. 3

Angel Bat Dawid - The Oracle

ABD rides the line between mystic and putterer -- the haunting titular weeps of "What Shall I Tell My Children Who Are Black?" eventually stumblin' into a static mumblin' of the same crucial query, space-airy noodle jazz that can near transcendence yet is content with abruptly ending when "it's good enough" or supplying sadistic improv for a quarter-hour. So take joy in the little things -- bass throbs, a free spirit, the pretty vs. raw, the crackle, the anxiety, that air, memories of playing the recorder in 4th grade. Answer to aforementioned crucial query comes two trackzz later: "We Are Starzz". 7/10

Black Dresses - Thank You

*******HIGHEST RECS*******

///BRAV-FUCKING-O\\\

A cute/abrasive combo so caustic+booming it damns Sleigh Bells to hell, adolescent anguish and detached affectations so outrageous they're firmly make-or-break or both -- if you can stomach the blare-n-character the hard part is not hearing a gimmick. But this duo's raspy shrieky wail-fests are so unprecedented and pure, sonics in fact a rather genius gathering of industrial and pop that don't care much for levels or forgiveness, amateur innocence that's silly and hooky yet seriously searing. Check the grotesque "Wasteisolation" for scuzz-validator, "Wheel of Fortune" for true dream chorus within a nightmare, "Look Away" for guaranteed mosh pit/rave. See vox interruptions for a therapy session, having a laugh, hacking up a lung, turning up the volume. What speaks more to you: "All I see is dog shit / Yeah I know it's hopeless" or "All I know is nothing's gonna be alright"? 8/10

Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next

*******HIGHEST RECS*******

Most captivating perhaps is that for a singer of Grande's stature it's so, well, hers. No frills, no fuss, no bombastic guest pandering, not pored over, vaguely personal while preserving that ol pop-star ambiguity. Can't say I'm emotionally invested in her ability/alacrity to buy anything or beckon others' boyfriends, but I laud her forward vulnerability and lack of bullshit. Even with a horrifying concert bombing and suddenly deceased ex-boo fresh under her belt, such "baggage" always just lies under the surface, never subject to harping or detail or direct reference. Which some may call commercial+cautious; I lean more towards poised+professional. And right: full listen is a cohesive breeze, each song specific, a voice that dazzles without overdoing it, steady pop mastery. Faves of which abolish sham smiles and spell out a space agency's acronym to transmit that this star needs some space. 8/10

Saor - Forgotten Paths

*******HIGHEST RECS*******

Wish it wasn't as copious on the voiceless patches, plus I do tend to get wary at the implementation of precious piano and predictable posi post-y buildups in my black metal; or most anything for that matter. But its overall mixture of ferocity+epic is difficult to deny -- lush and all-enveloping, massive and roaring, violin+flute straight outta the magic forest, acoustic mattering, windswept mountain-demon growls getting along with softies. The folksy input in particular is pretty top notch, and when this is firing on all cylinders it's truly a beautiful thing. Then for a finale it takes up near 5 out of near 39 total minutes dwelling on crashing waves and elegant bleh. 8/10

Sun Kil Moon - I Also Want to Die in New Orleans

I first listened to this new Sun Kil Moon album last week at work, around 9:15 a.m. You see, I start every day at work by listening to a new album I've never listened to. On this day that album was the new Sun Kil Moon. I thought to myself, man, it seems like yesterday I was listening to that last Sun Kil Moon album. It was really about four months ago, but when you hear two separate 90-minute drawls by the same guy four months apart it can feel like the dullest of deja vu. I work in a warehouse. I pick orders, pick up things and put them on pallets, then wrap the pallets up and put them on a truck. I also take pallets with things on them off of trucks, the same way I put them on: with a pallet jack. 

When putting pallets onto trucks, it's important to stack them in particular patterns, otherwise they might shift and fall and get wrecked. One time in 2013 I watched a trucker open the back door of his truck only to have the stuff fall all over him. I never want to be the guy that makes that happen to someone, so I always try to load the pallets properly. But hey I'm sure it's happened to someone whose truck I personally loaded; and whether it was my fault or the driver's abrupt braking/bad driving, wherever you are, that poor guy, I am sooooo sorrrrry.

I thought about texting a friend about how depressed I was about this Sun Kil Moon album, but then I remembered I don't have any friends who have really listened to Sun Kil Moon, they'd probably text something back like "who's Sun Kil Moon?" or "Sun Kil Who?" or "is that the Benji guy?", so I didn't text any friends about this Sun Kil Moon album. After finishing an order I stared out the dock door into the outside world while sipping hot black coffee and eating an overripe Chiquita banana. In the midst of wholesale who-cares and cringey and and well-meaning mutter ramble, he deployed the Obama-deported-people-too argument and it almost made me wish he'd return to how Europeans only wear tight clothes or the time he ate some lamb with salt on it. 

For lunch I took Route 5 to Hazard Avenue and went to a Chipotle, about three miles from where I work. On the drive I was listening to Opeth's 'Orchid', which was a breath of fresh air to my ears after listening to that new Sun Kil Moon. Not that Orchid is my favorite album or anything, I dunno, it was just a breath of fresh air after listening to that fvckin' new Sun Kill Moon. At Chipotle I got a sofritas bowl. I used to get carnitas, but me and my girl went veg recently and the sofritas are pretty good. Along with the sofritas in the bowl I got black beans, brown rice, corn, lettuce, hot salsa, and the guacamole, which costs extra. 

The cashier said "that'll be $9.31" and I handed her a $20 bill. She opened the drawer, put it in, and accidentally shut it before taking the change out. She seemed flustered, and I guess the change amount had disappeared from the screen, so she asked me how much change I should be getting back. I could've told her the truth, I could've lied and said I gave her a hundred so that'll be $90.69 plz. Instead I said, "You want me to count this change? What do I look like, a change counter? You're the cashier and your job is to count the change. I was once a cashier, and I counted change then, but now I work in the warehouse and I don't wanna count any change." She looked pissed but held her tongue, I apologized and told her she owed me $10.69 which was the correct change. She gave me the change and I took my bowl. If I were Mark Kozelek, I might've thought she had a thing for me.

I sat inside the Chipotle and ate my sofritas bowl, thinking about my friends and Obama and that trucker who had the stuff fall over him and my girl. And as I scooped the last bit of beans, the new Sun Kil Moon album came to a close. I reflected briefly, and reckoned my favorite bits might be when he imitates a dog after his butt gets whacked and when he imitates a maid he insulted while punching himself. I took my last bite of the beans, put my plastic fork and empty bowl in the trash, walked to my car, and drove back to work.

Goodnight, 11:48 P.M., March 19th 2019, Easthampton. ~*~meh~*~

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Ladytron - Ladytron 6.5/10

LOFT - Ell Oh Eff Tea Too Oh Won Ate 5.5/10

Sunwatchers - Illegal Moves 7/10

Adia Victoria - Silences 6/10

Weezer - Weezer (The Black Album) ~*~meh~*~