Singles Round-up, April 7

At The Drive-In | “Hostage Stamps”
Third single from in·ter a·li·a is less arena-ready and radio-friendly than previous ones, and is also the strongest by keeping the nervous, itchy guitar and tense rhythm section. Meanwhile, Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s lyrics continue to be so dense, they’re practically word salad: “Slid down the bank, choking on sherm/ A new tactile cremation attested/ To opaque spurs, contemplative Mayhem keeps us together”. You get used to ignoring what he’s saying after a while anyway when the music is this good.

Mutoid Man | “Melt Your Mind”
Mutoid Man is a lotta fuckin’ fun and just as on their debut LP, “Melt Your Mind” is heavy, psychedelic, spastic, and catchy. Actually, it’s the catcheist thing Stephen Brodsky has written since Cave In’s “Anchor”. Add oddball lyrics about not letting stress get to you (I think), and you’ve got a real winner here.

Gorillaz feat. Pusha T and Mavis Staples | “Let Me Out”
Fatalism envelops the paranoid production here, including a typically great Pusha T where he sounds like a cornered animal (“Tell me there’s a heaven in the sky where there is peace/ But until then, I keep my piece in arm’s reach”). It’s been a long wait for Gorillaz’s return, and Humanz is shaping up to be their (his?) best record yet.

Kevin Gates | “What If”
I guess prison makes every rapper a naval-gazer; naturally, then, Kevin Gates uses a a hazy trap beat that interpolates Joan Osbourne’s “One of Us” in an attempt to explain his lifestyle with his ear candy, sing-songy flow. But this is KG we’re talking about, so he imagines that if God were one of us, he’d be “making calls to the plug like one of us”.  The song is a tad cartoon-y, yes, but any KG is better than no KG.

DREAMCAR | “Born To Lie”
“Born” is the second single from a supergroup comprised of the members of No Doubt not named Gwen with Davey Havok in her place. Much like “Kill for Candy,” this is so ’80s, the 7” comes with coke residue. Havok’s goth-drenched kabuki theater posturing (“I watch you tearing the place apart/ Tell me if you see my heart”) is perfect for the dark crevices of new wave. Talk about playing to your strengths. Think The Cure if they decided to rip off Erasure and you’re close.

Singles Round-up, March 10

Pallbearer | “I Saw The End”
Both this and previous single “Thorns” from Heartless are under seven minutes, suggesting the doom metal quartet might have taken a (relatively) radio-friendly turn. They still retain what makes them great, though: Spiraling leads over “Tokyo-destroying downstrokes and cannon-fire percussion” and vocals that express sorrow better than films. Look for these guys to go 3-for-3 when Heartless drops.

Mastodon | “Andromeda”
This is more like it. “Andromeda” is closer to classic Mastodon (read: more metal) than the previous two offerings from Emperor of Sand, including a riff that drunkenly lurches around the rhythm section. The song also features some prog elements from their first couple of records in the bridge, suggesting this record is a return to their early days, as well as being their most varied to date. Time is apparently a main theme of Sand, and it’s fitting because these guys sound ageless.

Fastball |”I Will Never Let You Down”
The guys in Fastball – Tony Scalzo in particular – have always been underrated songwriters, so it should come as no surprise that “Let You Down” has a smart, if repetitive, arrangement. Its aww shucks lyrics (“It may sound funny, I don’t have lots of money/ But I will never let you down”) and hummable melody are pretty standard fare for Fastball, but the song is certainly better than expected from a band that peaked 20 years ago. Call this a win.

Fleet Foxes | “Third of May / Ōdaigahara”
FF’s first release in six years is nine minutes, most of which exist in a near-perpetual climactic swell. Its California sun-kissed – production, vocals and all – is like everything else they’ve done. As to whether “Third” needs to be this length, that depends on how much you like the self-indulgent side of FF.

Obituary | “A Lesson in Vengeance”
These guys, much like Cannibal Corpse, haven’t changed their approach at all in 30 years. The groovy swaying riffs and Chuck Schuldiner-borrowed snarled vocals are intact after all this time, and that throwback ’90s metal reverb production just adds to the evil atmosphere. Why fix what ain’t broke?

Nicki Minaj, Drake, Lil Wayne | “No Frauds”
The first thing you notice about this Young Money group cut is that the order of artists goes best to worst. Battle Nicki responds to Rema Ma and kills it (“Sheneneh, you a fraud committin’ perjury/ I got before-and-after pictures of your surgery/ Rah took you to her doc, but you don’t look like Rah/ Left the operating table, still look like ‘nah'”) over swirling ice-cold synths. Meanwhile, Drake does his Drake thing of borrowing whatever is currently popular in rap, and Wayne brings up the rear with a phoned-in effort (“Blunt be tight as biker shorts, twisted like some handlebars”). Despite only one of three rappers actually trying, that effort alone saves this song.

Lorde | “Liability”
After the anthemic “Green Light,” Lorde follows up with a sparse piano ballad featuring some blunt self-criticism (“The truth is I am a toy that people enjoy/ ‘Til all of the tricks don’t work anymore”) and a tumbling vocal melody that adds to the doubtful nature of the track. Lorde may have let mainstream ideas slip into her work, but that isn’t preventing her from making great music.

311 | “Too Much To Think”
It’s 311. You know what this sounds like before you hear it: music played on the beach while sipping on a Corona and making sure your tribal arm band is in full view of the hottie next to you.

Singles Round-up, March 3

Warbringer | “Shellfire”
Warbringer are one of the few rethrash bands getting it right, and songs like this are why. The band claims this is the fastest song in their catalogue, and it’s hard to argue. This motherfucker sprints from the outset. Even with the atmospheric break in the middle, this is nonstop redlining madness. They don’t fuck with their death metal-tinged thrash formula often enough, but this is fun anyhow.

White Reaper | “The World’s Best American Band”
Until now, White Reaper’s basically been a garage punk Cars. It seems now they’ve embraced more of the standard classic rock radio rotation: If you’ve wondered what White Reaper doing a Grand Funk impression would sound like, here’s your answer. Based on this and previous single “Judy French,” it sounds as if The World’s Best American Band might sonically follow “Ohh (Yeah)” from the band’s debut EP (which I enjoyed). This is easily the most pop-flavored (and most produced) song they’ve ever released.

John Frum | “Presage of Emptiness”
Debut single from the prog-metal supergroup. The band consists of the former vocalist for The Faceless, DEP’s bassist, John Zorn’s guitarist, and Intensus’s drummer. It’s got everything you’d expect: lurching liquid bass, tech-death riffs that’ll knock you on your ass, tumbling drums, and ’90s death metal vocals. Also, the solo is flashy without devolving into guitar wankery (thankfully). Given its members, I’m curious to see what else this band has to offer.

Lorde | “Green Light”
Lorde’s comeback single contains the lyrics, “But I hear sounds in my mind/ Brand new sounds in my mind”, and apparently those sounds are a mish-mash of club EDM synths. This is sugary to be sure, but this is Lorde so it’s oddball-sugary. Yet, none of this stops “Green Light” from being fantastic, and it’s easily the most anthemic (musically, anyway) song of her career. If you’re gonna borrow from Top 40, this is how you do it.

Bush | “The Beat of Your Heart”
Bush’s last single was boring and largely forgettable; this is slightly better. The melody is an improvement and the chorus actually works, but this isn’t anywhere near the quality of their early work. Meanwhile, Gavin Rossdale sounds like he’s bored with Bush; given their last few records, I don’t blame him. This would fit perfectly right in between Matcbox 20 and Ed Sheeran on an adult contemporary station. Pass.

Coldplay | “Hypnotised”
Nope. Guess again.

Best Fit album review, vol 9

Soundgarden are set to reissue their recently-remixed debut LP, Ultramega OK, next Friday. I wrote a few words about it and the bonus material that comes with.

The TL;DR version of my review is: Ultramega is simply, well, ok when judged on its own merits. It is best viewed through the prism of being a hint at what would emerge in the ’90s. Oh, and the new mix is fantastic.

Singles Round-up, February 24

Lana Del Rey | “Love”
Her comeback single is about as LDR as you can get: a sweeping, cinematic arrangment; left-of-center, yet relatable, thoughts on life (“Look at you kids with your vintage music/ Comin’ through satellites while cruisin'”); dreamily hushed singing; and a me-against-the-world urgency. Basically, you’ll know before you hear this if you’re gonna like it. And you should, as it might be the best thing she’s ever done. Hell, that bridge alone is worth the price of admisson.

Spoon | “Can I Sit Next To You”
Given the title track and this new one, Hot Thoughts looks to be Spoon’s funkiest album to date. It’s an interesting shift, as their last record had some of the most beautiful music of their career. But as I’ve said before, no songwriter can do more with less than Britt Daniel so it all works out. Spoon have few weak songs in their catalogue – every great band does – but this ain’t one of ’em. I once called Spoon “maddeningly consistent”, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

At The Drive-In | “Incurably Innocent”
17 years later, they haven’t lost the ability to write and play arena-ready post-hardcore. Similarly, Cedric Bixler-Zavala is still using technology-as-metapor as a jumping-off point; thankfully, it isn’t impenetrable here: “A blank tape that couldn’t remember/ But you can never erase the hurt”. Much like previous single “Governed By Contagions,” “Innocent” is closer to Relationship of Command than Acrobatic Tenement in sound and structure, so don’t expect anything too wild or too raw from the forthcoming in•ter a•li•a LP.

The Chainsmokers & Coldplay | “Something Just Like This”
Kudos to this pairing for creating what might be 2017’s most numbingly milquetoast EDM pop single. The Chainsmokers continue to cynically mine the Top 40 for ideas (even recycling their own), and Chris Martin continues to draw from his seemingly inexhaustible well of lyrical vapidity. None of this, however, will stop its preordained success. Ugh.

Arca | “Piel”
You know going in that this is gonna be weird. “Piel” (Spanish for ‘skin’) is eerie as fuck, especially that vocal melody. No one makes music quite as mood-perfect as Arca, and no one can soundtrack a nightmare quite as effectively, either. How many producers can make a song that’s fascinating during the day and terrifying at night?

Seether | “Let You Down”
The lead single from the post-grunge stalwarts’ seventh* album sticks with Isolate and Medicate‘s return to their heavy side of the 2000’s (especially the bridge). The seasick swaying riff is memorable enough and the melody works, but the title alone indicates they have no desire to swim in uncharted waters for any meaningful amount of time, musically or lyrically. Call it a wash, I guess.

Art of Anarchy | “No Surrender”
Fact: any guitar-based music Scott Stapp sings over will never not have at least a passing resemblance to Creed. So, here we are with Stapp replacing the late Scott Weiland for AoA’s (likely heavier) sophomore LP. On the one hand, he seems more interested in the project than Weiland did. On the other, it’s Scott Stapp fronting a WJJO-approved rock band. Meh.

Gucci Mane & Nicki Minaj | “Make Love”
Oh, what a joy this song is. You got classic battle rap Nicki trading bars with singsong Gucci over a sub-zero Casio trap beat. It’s hard to pick a favorite line, but here are two of the best: “She ain’t eatin’ but I swear she got some bum-ass taste/ Text her man like, ‘Dawg, how that bum ass taste?’/ Pay your rent! And stay in your bum-ass place” (Nicki), and “Damn, who colder than me?/ You think he colder than me?/ You more bipolar than me” (Gucci). More of this, please.

 

*It’s actually their sixth album, but Disclaimer II is counted as it own thing for some reason.