Short Attention Span Record Reviews November 2017

BELL WITCH – Mirror Reaper
This is doom metal for the real sickos, basically one 84-minute long track that’s heavy like the tombstone under which you’re being buried alive. Amazing artwork. (8)

ENSLAVED – E
The first 2.5 minutes of this sounds like Radiohead. Then you get some proggy black metal, then the second and third tracks have clean vocal parts copy/pasted from Mastodon, then there’s some saxophone too. So it’s either a band trying too hard to impress or a band giving zero fucks, your call. (7)

GRUNTRUCK – Gruntruck
Third album of pioneering Tier-2 Seattle grunge band featuring members of Skin Yard and The Accused, recorded in the 90’s and finally released. A nice piece of nostalgia. (7)

LYDIA LOVELESS – Boy Crazy & Single(s)
The EP that paved the way for the Music Geek’s top album of 2014 now re-issued including three non-album singles and the three best covers you’ll hear this month (Kesha’s “Blind”, Prince’s “I Would Die 4 U” and Elvis Costello’s “Alison”). (8)

MARGO PRICE – All American Made
Very traditional country in the Loretta Lynn/Dolly Parton tradition, the only non-traditional thing about it is the Jack White association. Includes the mandatory Willie Nelson duet and the title track includes a tribute to Tom Petty, most likely recorded before his passing. (7)

NAZORANAI –Beginning To Fall In Line Before Me, So Decorously, The Nature Of All That Must Be Transformed
Avant-garde supergroup consisting of Keiji Haino, Stephen O’Malley and Oren Ambarchi improvising in the black hole between noise, jazz and rock. If you play this loud enough you’ll not only see God, but feel like He just fucked you in the ass. (8)

ROBERT PLANT – Carry Fire
Arabic-flavored drone rock from legendary vocalist. Hats off to Plant, instead of making millions on a Led Zep reunion he chooses to keep his creativity sharp. (8)

ST. VINCENT – Masseduction
Smart pop music for people who think they’re too smart for pop music. (8)

THE PACK A.D. – Dollhouse
Canadian female garage rock duo releases yet another solid album, totally rips off P.J. Harvey’s “Meet Ze Monsta” on title track. (7)

THE USED – The Canyon
This is unheard of: A mediocre second-rate emo band that never mattered or showed much of a promise and has been around for 15 years releases its seventh album and suddenly has a near-masterpiece in its hands. Deep heart-wrenching lyrics, excellent production (Ross Robinson) and songwriting on par with My Chemical Romance. (8)

YELAWOLF – Trial By Fire
Eminem-endorsed Alabaman rapper drops fun southern rock/country-infused fourth album with guest spots by Kid Rock, Wynonna Judd and others. Good for a few spins. (7)

VARIOUS ARTISTS – Sounds Of The Unexpected: Weird & Wacky Instrumentals From Pop’s Final Frontiers
A collection of exotic instrumentals, a cornucopia of surf, rockabilly, Arabica, funk, animal sounds and strange ur-electronica sound FX. (7)