Short Attention Span Record Reviews, Mar 2021

JULIEN BAKER – Little Oblivions
This year’s Phoebe Bridgers. (8)

BLANCK MASS – In Ferneaux
Blanck Mass’ electronic music, a combination of noise, EDM and industrial, is known to be aggressive and loud, but this time around it’s more ambient. (7)

NICK CAVE & WARREN ELLIS – Carnage
It’s mind-boggling how this guy can release consistently great work throughout a 40+ year career, his face deserves a spot on rock’s Mount Rushmore next to the Bob Dylans and Neil Youngs of this world. This one bites harder than the last couple of minimalistic Bad Seeds albums in terms of instrumentation and texture. (9)

ALICE COOPER – Detroit Stories
Building upon 2019’s “Breadcrumbs” EP, Alice pays tribute to his Detroit roots with some solid hard rockin’ garage punk and soul. Bob Ezrin produces, members of the MC5 and Grand Funk Railroad guest. Rocks pretty hard for a 73-year old! (7)

DEATH BY UNGA BUNGA – Heavy Male Insecurity
Classic 90’s high-energy rock ‘n’ roll Norwegian style (e.g. Gluecifer, Turbo Negro) infused with some pop-punk silliness. (8)

DJANGO DJANGO – Glowing in the Dark
Their best album to date, a fantastic, catchy and very danceable new wave/art rock/disco hybrid. (8)

THE HOLD STEADY – Open Door Policy
The Rock band (with a capital “R”) that OWNED the 00’s is back with their best album since 2008’s “Stay Positive”. I love this. (8)

MAXIMO PARK – Nature Always Wins
7th album for the Northern England indie rockers, and probably their best one since that PERFECT 2005 debut. (8)

MELVINS – Working With God
If you look beyond the silliness and jokes (e.g. opening the album with the Beach Boys’ “I Get Around” re-imagined as “I Fuck Around”, not one but two tracks titled “Fuck You”, etc.), you’ll find a cornucopia of ass-kicking metal riffs that would make Mastodon green with envy. It’s certainly a top-10 Melvins album, no mean feat considering they’ve probably released more than 30 to date (nobody’s counting, not even the band themselves). (8)    

MOUSE ON MARS – AAI
An electronic music experiment utilizing artificial intelligence both as a theme and as a tool, easier to admire than to enjoy. (6)

WILLIE NELSON – That’s Life
Willie Nelson does Frank Sinatra tribute, how can this NOT be good? Certainly better than Bob Dylan’s “Shadows In the Night”. (8)

TINDERSTICKS – Distractions
Sparser and more repetitive/hypnotic than the usual lush cinematic Tindersticks sound, half the songs on “Distractions” are terrific, the other half annoying. ((9 + 5)/2 = 7)