Short Attention Span Record Reviews Apr 2021

CACTUS – Tightrope
70’s hard rock legends’ strong return. Worth the admission ticket even if it’s just for Carmine Appice’s huge kick drum sound, it’s like he’s hitting a wet blanket with a baseball bat. (7)

CLARK – Playground In A Lake
Veteran electronic musician rebrands himself as neoclassical, the label move from Warp Records to Deutsche Grammophon a strong signifier. (7)

DRY CLEANING – New Long Leg
First Black Country, New Road, now Dry Cleaning – I don’t know when/why post-punk-influenced art rock with vocalists who talk rather than sing became a thing, but it’s a very good thing. (8)

FLOATING POINTS & PHAROAH SANDERS – Promises
Electronica artist enlists 80-year old sax legend and the London Symphony Orchestra for triumphant ambient album. (8)

GENGHIS TRON – Dream Weapon
A very different sound from “Board Up The House”’s synth-led noisefest that had made them cult heroes back in 2008: Grindcore elements set aside, a new singer who goes for a shoegaze-y dreamy approach rather than screaming, a real drummer who adds an organic quality. End result is more synthwave than mathcore but better than Perturbator, Carpenter Brut and all those guys. (8)

GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR – G_d's Pee At State’s End!
More symphonic-punk than post-rock. (7)

NEW MOON JELLY ROLL FREEDOM ROCKERS – New Moon Jelly Roll Freedom Rockers Vol. 2
Just like Vol. 1 released in 2020: The same bunch of sort-of-famous blues, rock, and Americana guys having fun jamming in the studio. (7)

JANET SIMPSON – Safe Distance
An interesting female country rock singer/songwriter, an outsider to the country music establishment who does her own thing – she’s 44 and I believe this is just her first album. RYIL Margo Price, Lucinda Williams, that sort of thing. (7)

TOMAHAWK – Tonic Immobility
One of Patton’s bands but more Jesus Lizard than Faith No More. (8)

MORGAN WADE – Reckless
Add one more to the long list of new, interesting female country rock singer/songwriters. This one’s produced and mentored by Sadler Vaden, Jason Isbell’s guitarist, and she’s got a bit of grit under the nails. (7)