Friday 31 January 2020

Short Attention Span Record Reviews, February 2020


ALGIERS – There Is No Year
Not sure if “gospel punk” is a genre since there’s probably only one band doing it, but Algiers have already reached album #3 and it’s their darkest one. (7)

AOIFE NESSA FRANCES – Land Of No Junction

Irish psychedelic folk singer-songwriter on promising 60’s throwback debut. (7)

BEACH SLANG – The Deadbeat Bang Of Heartbreak City

Nobody embodies the true, hopelessly and unrealistically romantic spirit of rock ‘n’ roll in 2020 like James Alex, and nobody can beat his heartbroken/drunk gutter poetry except perhaps Craig Finn. (8)

BOHREN & DER CLUB OF GORE – Patchouli Blue

Noir, cinematic jazz for after hours listening. (8)

BONNY LIGHT HORSEMAN – Bonny Light Horseman

An indie folk supergroup of sorts, they sound like an unplugged Grateful Dead without the boring jamming. (8)

COLIN STETSON – Color Out Of Space (Original Soundtrack)

Sax and violins for a horror movie based on a story by HP Lovecraft and starring Nicolas Cage. (7)

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS – The Unraveling

Politically charged heartland rock from one of the best bands around. (8)

EMINEM – Music To Be Murdered By

I suspect that people who get upset at Eminem are the grandchildren of people who were getting upset at Lenny Bruce. Political correctness is killing art, and if rapping is an art form then Eminem is its fuckin’ Michelangelo – “Music To Be Murdered By” is not his Sistine Chapel ceiling, but it’s still a Michelangelo. (8)

EZRA FURMAN – Sex Education (Original Soundtrack)

Soundtrack to Netflix show about teenage angst, featuring new songs plus tracks from previous Furman albums. Furman is one of the top songwriters in the rock game right now, so check this out. But, dear Ezra: The plural of “octopus” is “octopuses”, not “octopi”. (8)

GILL LANDRY – Skeleton At The Banquet

Sad songs make me happy, and Landry’s rugged baritone makes the songs sadder and me happier. (8)

JORN – Heavy Rock Radio II: Executing the Classics

Jorn Lande ventures slightly outside his comfort zone on this new collection of covers – in addition to the expected 80’s Bryan Adams-Foreigner-Deep Purple-Dio karaoke he does so well, he also competently tries his hand at AOR transformations of tunes by Don Henley, Bob Dylan and Peter Gabriel. A pleasant listen, as always. (7)

TERRY ALLEN & THE PANHANDLE MYSTERY BAND – Just Like Moby Dick

If you thought all country songs were about truckers, beers and broken hearts, think again: Allen, another Guy Clark disciple like Steve Earle and Rodney Crowell, sings about Houdini’s existential crisis, Brecht characters, and the circus coming to a vampire-infested town. Features a Texan all-star band. (8)

THE HADEN TRIPLETS – The Family Songbook

The three daughters of legendary jazz bassist Charlie Haden release fantastic album touching upon Americana, country, jazz and folk. The vocal harmonies are out of this world. (8)

THE LEGENDARY SHACK SHAKERS – Live From Sun Studio

Available on streaming platforms, color vinyl or limited edition 180-gram black vinyl, this is a show celebrating the hell-raising Kentucky band’s 25th anniversary. RYIL the Reverend Horton Heat and other lunatic rednecks. (8)

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