Short Attention Span Record Reviews, Mar 26 Vol. II

THE BLACK CROWES – A Pound Of Feathers
Stones-ey, AC/DC-ey, and with Hammond organs and female backing vocals providing a Stax-ey feel, this is the Crowes in top form. Get down! (8)

THE DELINES – The Set Up
Let’s call this Americana Noir, shall we? (8)

LAMB OF GOD – Into Oblivion
Probably their strongest album since they moved from Roadrunner to Nuclear Blast over a decade ago: Killer riffs, Randy Blythe in top form, and some very welcome noise-rock influences that make this sound like Pantera channeling Jesus Lizard. (8)

THE MESSTHETICS & JAMES BRANDON LEWIS – Deface the Currency
A fantastic quartet operating where free jazz and post-punk intersect, this one features a post-bop sax player, a guitar shredder, and Fugazi’s rhythm section. Their debut almost made The List in 2024, the follow-up is probably even better. (8)

MITSKI – Nothing’s About To Happen To Me
Like a gothless Lana Del Rey, or Taylor Swift for adults. (8)

REIGNING SOUND – Time Bomb High School (2002, reissue)
Reissue of a hidden garage rock/power pop gem. Like early Stones before Jagger/Richards started writing their own songs, even though these guys wrote their own stuff. There’s an inevitable hint of Big Star here too since they were from Memphis. (8)

TANYA TAGAQ – Saputjiji
Canadian Inuit (what we used to call “Eskimo” before it became politically incorrect) multidisciplinary artist (musician, actress, writer…) releases anti-war album and it’s really intense, like Diamanda Galas produced by Trent Reznor when he was still a cokehead. (8) 

TINARIWEN – Hoggar
Desert blues pioneers return with a sound that’s a bit more intimate, like friends jamming on a cool night around a campfire in the Sahara. (8)

TOP JIMMY AND THE RHYTHM PIGS – Pigus Drunkus Maximus (1987, reissue)
Peers of The Blasters, Lone Justice, X, and Los Lobos back in the 80’s, these guys were a big attraction on the Los Angeles club scene, drawing fans like David Lee Roth and Tom Waits to their performances. Their only album, a gritty old-school underground drunken rock ‘n’ roll affair, has been out of print for decades, so here’s your chance to glimpse at a universe that existed parallel to hair metal. (8)

WITCHCRAFT – A Sinner's Child
5-track EP following last year’s excellent album, this blends all facets of the band – from the doomy opener to acoustic acid folk to “poppier” tunes like the title track. (8)

VARIOUS ARTISTS – Help (2)
A great star-studded compilation album to benefit the War Child charity, recorded over a week at Abbey Road Studios. High-profile contributors offering unreleased originals or interesting covers include Arctic Monkeys, Damon Albarn, Depeche Mode, Fontaines DC, Pulp, Olivia Rodrigo etc., but it’s Arooj Aftab and Beth Gibbons who shine the brightest, making “Lilac Wine” (you probably know Jeff Buckley’s version) and The Velvet Underground’s “Sunday Morning” respectively their own. (9)