Short Attention Span Record Reviews, September 2019 Vol. II

ALICE COOPER – Breadcrumbs EP
Alice pays tribute to his hometown Detroit with a couple of songs of his own (“Go Man Go” rules!) plus some covers (Bob Seger, MC5, Suzi Quatro, Mitch Ryder). It sounds very Detroit and it’s Alice at his rawest and best in decades. (8)

BRITTANY HOWARD – Jaime
Alabama Shakes leader goes solo and expands her sonic palette beyond her band’s vintage soul-rock, experimenting with Prince-like funk and D’Angelo neo-soul. The result is a minor triumph. (8)

CHELSEA WOLFE – Birth Of Violence
Contemporary goth icon Wolfe moves away from her metal influences and focuses on her folky side this time around. Still RYIL black clothes, black nail polish, dyed black hair, black metal, black mood. (7)

EXHORDER – Mourn The Southern Skies
A third studio album comes 27 years after the second one and who would’ve thought, it’s probably the best thrash metal album of the year. (8)

GHOST – Seven Inches Of Satanic Panic
Single including two new songs with a distinctly late-60’s non-metal flavor, courtesy of a Farfisa organ sound. (7)

HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER – Terms Of Surrender
If your definition of “Americana” is a melting pot of folk, country, soul and soft rock, then this album’s for you. (7)

LAST CRACK – The Up Rising
A third studio album comes 28 years after the second one and who would’ve thought, it’s probably the best prog metal album of the year (Tool are not prog metal, they are their own genre). (8)

MIKE PATTON & JEAN-CLAUDE VANNIER – Corpse Flower
Two very creative provocateurs from different eras collaborate on this album which could justifiably be described as Mr. Bungle meets Serge Gainsbourg (Vannier made a number of albums with Gainsbourg in the 70’s). It’s really fun in a very disturbing way. (8)

NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS – Up And Rolling
Rock royalty brothers Luther & Cody Dickinson are known for their competent southern blues rock and their tenth album doesn’t sonically deviate from the formula, even though it’s a concept album of sorts. Guests include Jason Isbell, Mavis Staples etc. (7)

RUBINOOS – From Home
A smart album by tier-2 power-pop veterans. You know the drill: Jangly guitars, sweet vocal harmonies and a bit of a rock bite, what people often call “Beatlesque”. Lyrics are better than expected, literate and often entertaining. (7)

THE HU – The Gereg
The main reason I decided to give this Mongolian metal band that uses traditional instruments a listen is for an opportunity to say how disappointed I am that they didn’t call their album “The Hu Sell Out”, or “The Hu by Numbers”, or “Hu Are You”, or (even better!) “Quadrophenia”. Oh well, they can still salvage this by calling the follow-up “Hu’s Next”. (7)