Short Attention Span Record Reviews, May 2019

THE HEAVIER STUFF

ARCH/MATHEOS – Winter Ethereal
Even though I’m a huge Matheos/Fates Warning fan I have to say this one sounds a bit forced – almost as if the main purpose of the occasional weird prog-metal time signature is to accommodate Arch’s verbosity and awkward phrasing. (7)

BAD RELIGION – Age Of Unreason
I love Bad Religion, one of my favorite punk bands ever, but this is not one of their best albums – it starts out really strong but somewhat deflates towards the end. They can still kick the ass of 99% of all other punk bands though. (7)

BIBLE OF THE DEVIL – Feel It
No surprises, just the expected Maiden/Lizzy worship with slightly off-key vocals. (6)

DUB TRIO – The Shape Of Dub To Come
Best known as frequent Mike Patton collaborators Dub Trio return with their first album in eight years, a metal/dub-reggae hybrid featuring special guest vocalists Buzz (Melvins), Troy (Mastodon) and Meshell Ndegeocello. (7)

ENFORCER – Zenith
They’ve got the hooks, they’ve got the mustache, all they need now is a stupid “human pyramid with mouths open” promo photoshoot and the metamorphosis into “Blackout”-era Scorpions will be complete. (7)

GRAND MAGUS – Wolf God
Heavy metal the way it should be, epic and catchy at the same time in the time-honored tradition of 80’s Manowar and Dio. (8)

L7 – Scatter The Rats
Grunge runners-up return after a 19-year hiatus. “Scatter The Rats” is OK for a brief nostalgia trip if you were there in the 90’s, but will be totally forgotten within a couple of months. (6)

MARISSA NADLER & STEPHEN BRODSKY – Droneflower
Gothic folk chanteuse teams up with hardcore/metal guitarist. Includes a cover of Guns’n’Roses’ “Estranged” because, apparently, Nadler likes dolphins. Recommended if you like black clothes and tons of reverb. And dolphins. (7)

PELICAN – Nighttime Stories
Do you remember post-metal? Do you remember Hydra Head? Do you miss that stuff? (7)

SABBATH ASSEMBLY – A Letter Of Red
Prog/occult rockers return with their most “pop” album to date, i.e. with shorter songs and catchier melodies, trying to recreate the 70’s but ending up with a very 2011 sound. (7)

VAURA – Sables
Members of Kayo Dot, Gorguts, Dysrhythmia, Tombs etc. explore their inner Depeche Mode/The Cure. I fucking hate Depeche Mode and the Cure. (6)

VARIOUS ARTISTS – Brown Acid: the Eighth Trip
This is a great compilation series if you’re into obscure late 60’s / early 70’s hard rock and proto-metal, and its eighth instalment will introduce you to painstakingly discovered total unknowns like White Rock, Luke & the Apostles, Bartos Brothers Band and Moloch. (6 for the actual music, 11 for the concept and the effort)


THE OTHER STUFF

ALTIN GUN – Gece
What this Dutch/Turkish combo plays is supposed to be a tribute to the Turkish psychedelia of the early 70’s (yes, early 70’s Turkish psychedelia was a thing). I’m sorry, but to my ears it sounds too much like the Greek skyladika I grew up to hate. (5)

BIG THIEF – U.F.O.F.
It’s a charming little folk record but come on Pitchfork, 9.2/10? No way. (7.7)

BILLY JOEL – Greatest Hits Vol. 1 & 2
Sony Music re-releases, re-masters, re-packages etc. this one every few years, they just did it again and for good reason, if you need a masterclass in PERFECT songwriting then look no further. (10)

CAROLINE SPENCE – Mint Condition
An excellent country album by a very talented young woman who sounds like Dolly Parton, Sheryl Crow, Tom Petty and various Pistol Annies all rolled into one. (8)

CRAIG FINN – I Need A New War
The Hold Steady totally owned the 00’s. This is their leader’s fourth, and best, solo album – more subdued and quiet than his band’s output, but his storytelling just keeps getting better and better with each song packing more punch than a Bukowski novel. Seriously, if you can’t get into these songs you have no heart. (8)

DREAM SYNDICATE – These Times
Reimagined for the 21st Century, Steve Wynn’s band release their second post-reunion album and it sounds nothing like the previous one, so it’s exactly what you’d expect from the Dream Syndicate. Psychedelic and motorik at times, Beatles-y and REM-y and jangly at others, it’s a pure delight. (8)

FELICE BROTHERS – Undress
American rootsy folk rock quartet enhances its sound and goes political. Some of these tunes wouldn’t feel out of place on a Springsteen set. (7)

JOSH RITTER – Fever Breaks
With Jason Isbell at the helm as producer and Isbell’s band The 400 Unit providing the back-up, comparisons will be inevitable. (7)

MEAT BEAT MANIFESTO – Opaque Couche
Electronic music pioneers and important influence to everyone from Massive Attack to Nine Inch Nails return with a strong album titled after the world’s ugliest color and sounding quite 90’s-ish. (7)

LILA DOWNS – Al Chile
Mexican singer with otherworldly voice capabilities covers Manu Chao, invites guests like Norah Jones, and sings about immigration, injustice, politics, and cooking. Not her best album, still really good. (7)

LIZZO – Cuz I Love You
She can sing, she can rap, she can dance, she can even play the flute, and she can certainly join Janelle Monae and a couple of other multitalented black female artists on the list of possible heirs to Prince’s throne. (8)

RHIANNON GIDDENS WITH FRANCESCO TURRISI – There Is No Other
After releasing a magnificent album with folk supergroup Our Native Daughters, Giddens returns just two months later with a Mediterranean-flavored masterpiece working with Italian multi-instrumentalist Turrisi, and it looks like she might end up having two spots on 2019’s end-year List. (9)

VINTAGE TROUBLE – Chapter II, EP II
A further move towards a smoother sound, still influenced by their 60’s heroes like Otis Redding but with some of the dirt cleaned up. (7)