Short Attention Span Record Reviews, August 2019 - Summer Holiday Edition

THE HEAVIER STUFF

GORILLA – Treecreeper
Under-the-radar Brit fuzz/psych/stone rockers sharing a frontman with the slightly better known Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell return with their first full-length after 12 years. RYIL Blue Cheer and Motorhead, and you should definitely check out their 2001 debut, it rules. (7)

HIGH ON FIRE – Bat Salad EP
Record Store Day 2019 release featuring one new instrumental track plus Celtic Frost and Bad Brains covers, now available on streaming services. Now that I think of it, “Celtic Frost meets Bad Brains” is as good a description of High On Fire as any. (8)

LINGUA IGNOTA – Caligula
This is really fucked up, like Diamanda Galas fronting an unholy amalgam of Current 93 and Godflesh. Hard to listen to, yet essential. (8)

ROSALIE CUNNINGHAM – Rosalie Cunningham
Purson frontwoman releases stunning debut solo album and makes the competition (Jex Thoth, Jess & The Ancient Ones, Uncle Acid, Sabbath Assembly etc.) sound like clueless hippies. (8)

SLIPKNOT – We Are Not Your Kind
You’ll have to wait until the next batch of reviews, I haven’t had a chance to listen to it properly yet. (-)

SOUNDGARDEN – Live From The Artist’s Den
One of very few 90’s heroes I regret never getting to see live. I miss that guy. (8)

TORCHE – Admission
One of the most interesting metal bands around, combining sludgy riffs with sunny vocal melodies. Their fifth album sounds simultaneously heavier/harder and richer/warmer than previous efforts, no mean feat. (8)

VOLBEAT – Rewind, Replay, Rebound
Emphasis on the arena rock with a few jokey rockabilly interludes. The Neil Fallon duet “Die To Live” is the best thing here, because Neil Fallon. (7)


THE OTHER STUFF

CHRIS GANTRY – Nashtlantis
Outlaw country singer/songwriter in his 70’s you’ve probably never heard of as he disappeared from Nashville 40 years ago. This comeback album is just him and his guitar and the occasional flourish of cello or synth, but boy can this guy write a song! A must-hear if you enjoy listening to master storytellers. (8)

FASTBALL – All The Pain Money Can Buy (20th Anniversary Edition)
It’s been 20 years since the best pop song of the last 20 years was released, you should hear this album if it’s just for “The Way”. (8 for the album, 11 for the single)

KYLE CRAFT – Showboat Honey
Southern boy influenced by 70’s British glam rock on his third, strong album. RYIL Mott The Hoople, Be Bop Deluxe, Ziggy-era Bowie. (8)

PARTCH – Sonata Dementia
An otherworldly orchestra performing music composed by legendary cult figure Harry Partch, a major influence on latter day Tom Waits, played on weird instruments created by Partch himself, some of which utilize his own 43-tone scale. Listen to this only if you think “Trout Mask Replica” is the best album of all time. (7)

PURPLE MOUNTAINS – Purple Mountains
Indie-rock recluse behind Gen X cult icons Silver Jews returns after a long silence, creates an album about fucking up everything you’ve ever started, gets great reviews, then dies just before going out on tour to support it. Oh, the irony. (8)

THE BIRD AND THE BEE – Interpreting The Masters, Volume 2: A Tribute To Van Halen
The idea of a guitarless Van Halen tribute album sounds ludicrous, especially since it includes a cover of “Eruption” (for piano!), but this is simply poptastic! (8)

TYLER CHILDERS – Country Squire
A great collection of honky-tonk country tunes by Sturgill Simpson protégé. (8)

TY SEGALL – First Taste
Modern-day guitar hero releases guitarless album, and it doesn’t suck. (7)

VARIOUS ARTISTS – Hallelujah: The Songs of Leonard Cohen
Tribute album collecting previously released covers of Cohen songs, so you’ve probably already heard the most iconic versions included herein (e.g. Jeff Buckley totally owning “Hallelujah”, Nina Simone’s “Suzanne”…). Everyone has their favorites of course and you can’t please everyone, but personally I’d have included Concrete Blonde’s “Everybody Knows” over Barb Jungr’s version, REM’s “First We Take Manhattan” over Joe Cocker’s version and so on. (8)