Short Attention Span Record Reviews, Mar 25 Vol. III

BAMBARA – Birthmarks
Is there such a thing as cinematic post-punk goth? (8)

HOLLY COLE – Dark Moon
My favorite jazz singer is back with her beautiful husky voice and wonderful interpretations of some classics you might have heard before from Fred Astaire, Gil Evans, Audrey Hepburn, Dionne Warwick, Elvis Presley, Peggy Lee etc. plus some quirkier choices. (8)

LUCY DACUS – Forever Is A Feeling
The first solo album by a member of boygenius after 2023’s triumph is a bit hit-and-miss, with arrangements leaning more towards pop than rock (even Taylor Swift springs to mind) and lyrics that sometimes read like a horny highschooler’s attempts at poetry. (7)

DEAFHEAVEN – Lonely People With Power
They bring the metal back and it’s a triumph – you still have shoegaze-y guitars pop up here and there but this is their heaviest record in at least a decade, reminiscent in places of second-wave Norwegian black metal like Emperor and Enslaved, and they seem to be at the peak of their songwriting powers. (8)

KINKY FRIEDMAN – Poet Of Motel 6
I first got to know Friedman (R.I.P.) as a humorist from pieces in National Lampoon magazine, then I discovered his detective novels, and had no idea about his music career even though it preceded his writing career (probably because at the time I had no interest in country music whatsoever). His presumably final album is the most country-sounding album you’ve ever heard, but what sets him apart is of course the pen – scaling down the humor this time and replacing it with touching ruminations on life and death while avoiding (or subverting) the genre’s cliches. (7)

JIM GHEDI – Wasteland
Rooted in the traditional folk sounds of the British isles but given an experimental twist, this one will certainly appeal to people who liked Lankum’s masterpiece from 2023. (8)

EIKO ISHIBASHI – Antigone
Japanese avant-garde artist better known from her collaborations with people like Jim O’Rourke and Merzbow and from scoring films for Ryūsuke Hamaguchi goes back to her “pop” roots. Of course in this case “pop” means Scott Walker and Joni Mitchell, not Taylor Swift. (8)

ALISON KRAUSS & UNION STATION – Arcadia
Krauss has a successful solo career and works with Robert Plant but The Union Station are a whole different ballgame, to a large extent thanks to Jerry Douglas’ dobro playing.  New guitarist Russell Moore adds some great harmonies and the occasional lead vocal on what will probably prove to be the best Bluegrass album of 2025. (8)

MASTERS OF REALITY – The Archer
I’ve always loved Chris Goss, the first new music in 16 years breaks away from the heavy riffing of the past but it’s just as fun. (8)

PERFUME GENIUS – Glory
I admit I haven’t been paying much attention to this guy over the past 15 years and I really don’t know why, but “Glory” is a glorious album, toying with the tropes of indie rock, classic rock, and pop and coming up with something altogether original. (8)