Short Attention Span Record Reviews, Jul 24

DAVE ALVIN & JIMMIE DALE GILMORE – TexiCali
Ex-Blasters guitar-slinger joins forces with legendary “hippie country singer” on a competent mix of bluesy country rock originals and covers. (8)

JULIE CHRISTMAS – Ridiculous And Full Of Blood
The Queen, possibly the inventor, of Bjorkcore is back, and it's a welcome return. (8)

THE DECEMBERISTS – As It Ever Was So It Will Be Again
An excellent proggy folk-rock album including a few left turns such as the 19+ minute epic closing track that starts all jangly, then transforms to Pink Floyd, and ends up metal. (8)  

JOHN GRANT – The Art Of The Lie
Funky and poppy on the outside but sad and angry on the inside, this is one of Grant’s better albums. (8)

HUUN-HUUR-TU, CARMEN RIZZO & DHANI HARRISON - Dreamers In The Field
A mesmerizing album of Tuvan throat singing featuring a Western-style new age-y production, with a little help from their friend Dhani (George’s son). (8)

NOMEANSNO – Wrong (Reissue)
A masterpiece from 1989 by the best band you’ve never heard of, punk at heart but jazz at brain and metal at testicles. Now reissued on red vinyl. (10)

RED KROSS – RED KROSS
Power pop veterans are in top form this year, rawking out on a bunch of catchy tunes that sound like 1969 The Who reinterpreted with the enthusiasm of 2023 The Lemon Twigs (who seem to have modeled themselves after Red Kross anyway). (8)

RICH RUTH – Water Still Flows
A fantastic ambient/prog/doom/jazz instrumental record, which I’ll just call “SunnO))) Ra” as a shortcut. (8)

SUMAC – The Healer
Uneasy listening and heavy as fuck, it does reward the most patient of metalheads in the end. (8)

LINDA THOMPSON – Proxy Music
Better known as a singer of someone else’s songs (her then husband Richard’s) on some of the best folk-rock records of all time and having lost her voice to a rare neurological disorder, Thompson turns the tables by writing some great folk-rock songs for others to sing. Her own children, John Grant (singing about being in love with a man called John Grant on a song titled “John Grant”), an assortment of Wainwrights, and others are happy to do the job. (8)

Short Attention Span Record Reviews, Jun 24

THE LOUDER STUFF

BEATEN TO DEATH – Sunrise Over Rigor Mortis
If you ever wished Kvelertak played grindcore… (8)

BIG SPECIAL – Postindustrial Hometown Blues
If I tell you that this is synth-based post-punk from the UK with lots of spoken word vocals you’ll immediately assume it’s a Sleaford Mods rip-off, but these guys have their own thing going. For starters Joe Hicklin can actually sing where required, and Big Special are grimier, sounding like Birmingham where they come from. An excellent debut. (8)

ULCERATE – Cutting The Throat Of God
“Brutal and melodic” might sound like an oxymoron, but this is precisely what this death metal band pulls off on their new album which is more streamlined and less chaotic than previous efforts. (8)

UMBRA VITAE – Light Of Death
Converge’s Jacob Bannon goes full-on death metal, along with members of The Red Chord and Job For A Cowboy. Kurt Ballou produces, of course. Absolutely brutal and one of the best extreme metal albums released in 2024. (8)


THE OTHER STUFF

AROOJ AFTAB – Night Reign
Dark and beautiful folk-jazz mainly sung in Urdu, Grammy winner Aftab’s new album is probably her best. Essential after-dark listening. (8)

BONNY LIGHT HORSEMAN – Keep Me In Your Mind / See You Free
Folk supergroup of sorts record their third album in an Irish pub. It’s a double album so it could’ve taken a bit of a trimming down, but it still sounds timeless and haunting. (8)

DANA GILLESPIE – First Love
She’s 75 now and better known as a blues singer, but in the early 70’s Gillespie was the hottest girl in London and had a promising rock career derailed by record label bullshit. You can read all about that stuff in her saucy memoir, but for now listen to this collection of interesting “rock cabaret”-style versions of songs by artists ranging from David Bowie to Lana Del Rey, a project that could be right up the alley of her contemporary, Marianne Faithfull. Marc Almond duets on Cohen’s “Dance Me To The End Of Love”. (8)

LANDLESS – Luireach
Lankum opened the door for us and now we’re discovering seriously amazing Irish folk music practically every month. (8)

MINT MILE – Rough Rider
The main attraction for me was the closing track “I Hope It’s Different”, a collaboration of the band with Nina Nastasia who holds a special place in my heart. Led by a guy from indie rockers Silkworm, Mint Mile actually specialize in the kind of alt-country Songs:Ohia’s Jason Molina had become known for (and actually share a drummer with that band). It’s not pretty, but it rocks. (8)

WILLIE NELSON – The Border
May he live forever, releasing excellent country records. The title track, a Rodney Crowell cover, is a masterpiece. (8)

NIAMH REGAN – Come As You Are
RIYL Laura Marling, which means RIYL Joni Mitchell. (7)

JOANA SERRAT – Big Wave
A pleasant throwback to the early 90’s, as if someone attempted a mash-up of My Bloody Valentine’s “Loveless” and The Cocteau Twins’ “Heaven Or Las Vegas”. (8)

RICHARD THOMPSON – Ship To Shore
At 75 years young Thompson can still run circles around every guitar shredder out there, and he can still write a mean tune. The new one doesn’t rock as hard as 2018’s “13 Rivers”, focusing instead on his folk-rock side. But it’s just as good, and that one made The List. (8)

TRÁ PHÁIDÍN – An 424
Another great record from Ireland, these guys take folk and filter it through a kraut/prog/post-rock filter, not dissimilar to early Tortoise. Only available on Bandcamp, I think. (8)