TALK ABOUT MUSIC
JAN/FEB 2018 NEW MUSIC ROUND UP!
I've been too busy to write any formal reviews here lately, so instead I've decided to give you very quick, spur of the moment ramblings about what new music releases of 2018 have taken my interest (or not) so far!
I still get a lot of friends and readers asking me for music recommendations and my thoughts, which I find really lovely and inspiring, so hopefully this will help guide your ears to some new sounds!
JANUARY 2018
SHAME
SONGS OF PRAISE
Dead Oceans
Alternative Rock, Post Punk.
Listening Format: CD
This is the debut album
from a new British Alt Rock band. So immediately I assumed they would
be part of the generic wave of “Indie Landfill” bands that keep
cropping up, think of Amazons, Sundara Karma, Blossoms, that kinda
bullshit. This album got a 5 star review in NME magazine, so I was
pretty sure this would be awful... However I was pleasantly
surprised. Shame are not quite one of these generic, run of the mill,
churned out from a conveyor belt “Indie” Rock bands. Shame have a
strong Post-Punk leaning and can belt out some pretty agro screams
and angular riffs when they want to. The main problem with this album
was they don't carry that energy for the entire ride. There is one
track that just sounds like The Courteeners and there was one track
that was a blatant rip off of Happy Monday's 'Kinky Afro'. But for the
most part this was a decent listen, not anything great, but the band
show some potential and there are a few good tunes here and there.
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JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE
MAN OF THE WOODS
RCA
Pop, R&B.
Listening Format: CD
So I'm that kinda guy
who actually enjoys Justin Timberlake's albums. His debut album 'Justified' was a pretty solid Pop R&B album. The follow up had
some innovative production for the time, but especially his previous
album 'The 20/20 Experience', I thought was great, listened to it loads
when it first came out and it holds up. Grand production, epic
songwriting, plenty of Funk, groove, amazing vocal performances, and
I feel like Timbaland, who became a bit out of favour at the time,
proved he still had the chops on production.
It's safe to say
that JT is one of the more consistent Pop artists out there who
manages to appeal to audiences outside of that, and there was a lot
of anticipation for this to be good. Sadly this album is just riddled
with problems. The biggest one is that it sounds very dated, the
production is really bland and not as adventurous as I would have
hoped. I mean this thing has Dubstep breakdowns on it. Who in 2018
wants to hear Dubstep? Even Justin's vocals and lyrics here have
fallen along the wayside, I'm just not feeling the same passion and
versatility of previous projects. I remember I got about halfway
through the album and I was thinking, “come on, there has to be a
generic Trap beat coming up soon”, and then BAM, one of the most
lazy and unmemorable Trap beats with a guest rapper just stumbled in
from the ether, because of course, EVERY Pop/R&B album now HAS to
have a Trap beat and a guest rapper. Even the album cover is lame, I
mean it just doesn't suit the aesthetic of the music. It looks like
an Iron & Wine album sleeve. People thought JT might venture into
acoustic/country territory with this album, and considering how bland
and unmemorable the R&B cuts are on here, I kind of wish he had
done! The whole album just feels safe, bland, passionless, such a
wasted opportunity for JT here.
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TRIBULATION
DOWN BELOW
Century Media
Gothic Metal.
Listening Format: CD
I don't know too much
about Tribulation, but this is an interesting Swedish Heavy Metal
release. This band have toured with fellow mysterious Swedes Ghost
and in some ways they run in a similar style, but diminishing that
grand theatrical, operatic style, and writing tunes a bit more gritty
and down to earth. There is a strong Goth Rock vibe and even some
slight touches of 80s Post Punk influence in the riffs, and some nods
to classic Heavy Metal. The vocals are raspy and vampirish. I fairly
enjoyed this album but I feel like the tunes and production were a
little bit too set in stone. They've clearly established a sound, but
rarely venture out of their comfort zone, so after a while it was
kinda like, this is cool, but yeah I get it now, let's move on yeah.
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MACHINE HEAD
CATHARSIS
Nuclear Blast
Groove Metal, Nu-Metal.
Listening Format: NOPE!
I don't really have a
big quarrel with Machine Head. I think they are decent. 'Burn My
Eyes', 'Through the Ashes of Empires', 'The Blackening'... All albums I've
enjoyed listened to. The band put on a good live show, but I've never
been super into them or had strong opinions.
'Catharsis' has
reached legendary status based on the huge wave of negative reviews
based towards it, with claims the band have gone back to the Nu-Metal
well that plagued albums such as 'The Burning Red' and 'Supercharger'. I
listened to all the promo singles from this album, in particular 'Bastards' was... Horrifying... Like I bet Machine Head's first ever
demo recording sounded far more accomplished... Such barren
production, lifeless guitar playing, cringe-worthy lyrics and a
laughably bad vocal performance...
Anyhoo the twist ending of
this new Machine Head album is that, I'm not going to listen to it or review it. This
thing is 75 minutes long and based on the singles I've listened to...
I don't wanna hear it! I just have better things to do with my time
than to subject myself to 75 minutes of THIS! So I'm not going to
listen to it or review it. Simples. Get fucked.
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NILS FRAHM
ALL MELODY
Erased Tapes
Ambient, Minimalism, Electronic.
Listening Format: CD
Ambient and Electronic
composer/producer Nils Frahm returns. This guy puts out a lot of
releases, soundtracks and stuff. I kind of like the way he lives in
his own little bubble. Erased Tapes Records have faith in him to just
put out whatever he wants and do his own thing and I like that. I don't
follow all of his works but I like to dive in and out. This is a
pretty good effort, combining minimal Ambient with some more epic and
lively modulated synthesizer parts. It's a very fragile album with
plenty of really quiet, almost silent moments throughout, but yeah
always keen to hear a good Ambient release, so worth exploring.
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THE GO! TEAM
SEMICIRCLE
Memphis Industries
Indie Electronic, Alternative Hip Hop.
Listening Format: CD
The Go! Team are back
and it made me think that this band have a really unique and
unmistakable sound. The way they combine samples and live instruments
is really special. Nobody else out there sounds like this band, and
it made me think, why aren't they a bigger deal? Their debut
album was a bit of a storm when it came out, it got heaps of critical
praise, and tracks were used in adverts and films, but then the hype
bubble burst. All of their follow up albums sound kind of the same in
approach including this one, but they are always unmistakably THE GO! TEAM! This album isn't terribly exciting or different, but you know,
It's the Go! Team! This band should have been a bigger deal and just
aren't for some reason!
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TY SEGALL & FREEDOM BAND
FREEDOM'S GOBLIN
Drag City
Glam Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Garage Rock.
Listening Format: CD
Ty Segall is always an interesting fellow to follow (hey that rolls of the tongue real nice) and he puts out a release like every year. His vocals and persona have had a lot of comparisons to T-Rex/Marc Bolan in the past and with this new album pushing further into a 70s Glam Rock inspired sound, it will only cement that comparison further.
This album has some pretty awesome moments, especially the vintage production sound. It sounds very, very nostalgic, like he listened to a bunch of Slade, T-Rex, The Sweet and 'Aladdin Sane' era Bowie. The cover version of Hot Chocolate's 'Every 1's a Winner' is fantastically charming. The main problem with this album is that it sounds like he recorded a bunch of tracks and just threw them together onto a CD. This thing is a very disjointed 75 minutes long, and it felt like Ty Segall had no plan or album flow in mind when he put this release together. It feels more like a third party compilation or Spotify playlist. Not his strongest release, but this dude is always pretty interesting!
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THE SOFT MOON
CRIMINAL
Sacred Bones
Industrial Rock, Electronic.
Listening Format: CD
THIS GUY SOUNDS EXACTLY LIKE NINE INCH NAILS!!! I'm serious, it's like The Soft Moon just wants to imitate all the cliches of Trent Reznor's vocal styles, his angsty lyrics, even some of the NIN signatures. But it's just worse, and uninspired. It even sounds like new NIN, like it reminded me of 'Add Violence' or 'The Slip'. I just don't understand why someone would put so much effort and time into trying to sound this unoriginal, and yet not be in a tribute band... Baffling!
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NIGHTMARES ON WAX
SHAPE THE FUTURE
Warp Records
Downtempo, Alternative Hip Hop.
Listening Format: CD
Nightmares On Wax is one of the longest serving acts on one of my all time favourite record labels Warp Records, but I just don't know about his recent material. It sounds like Nightmares On Wax just hasn't left the early 90s, and his sound lacks anything relevant or cutting edge today. When you're working in the realm of Hip Hop and Electronic music it can be hard not to keep up. As per usual, this NOW album is very, very chill and pleasant, but it just feels very out of place, dated and nothing about it really grabbed me or interested me. For an album called 'Shape the Future' it sure does sound very nostalgic.
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GLASSJAW
MATERIAL CONTROL
Century Media
Post Hardcore, Alternative Metal.
Listening Format: Digital & CD
Technically this was released digitally first near the end of 2017, but the physical release came out in January and I'm a fan of physical music so I'm going to talk about it here. This is the first Glassjaw album since 2002, and in a complete antithesis to Brand New's mellow comeback record, Glassjaw have come out fighting with their most ferocious record yet. The production has a strong Deftones vibe to it, and the guitars are noisy and jarring. Daryl Palumbo's vocals are sounding really versatile and inspired here. The band sound really pissed off and it suits them well. The biggest problem with this record is that it feels more like a glorified EP. A lot of tracks rest in the 2/3 minute mark and feel too underwritten. There is certainly nothing remotely resembling the grand majesty of 'Ape Dos Mil' on here. I feel like just a bit more versatility and variety would have served this record a bit better. The title track in particular is just a bunch of nothingness. But the album as a whole is still very enjoyable, full of fiery performances and it's one of the better comeback records I've heard recently!
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CORROSION OF CONFORMITY
NO CROSS NO CROWN
Nuclear Blast
Stoner Metal, Sludge Metal.
Listening Format: CD
So the big talking point about this album is that Pepper Keenan is back on guitar. Whilst 'No Cross No Crown' does absolutely NOTHING fresh or new, or even beyond the cliche, I still really, really enjoyed listening. It's more of a Stoner Metal record with quite a few Grungey riffs and even some nods to Soundgarden. There is even a freakin' Queen cover at the end and it sounds good! Even though the riffs are exactly what you would expect, I just feel like there is enough passion and fire in the performances to make this thing convincing. They still sound like genre pioneers and play like they mean it, and they're having a good time playing these songs.
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PORTAL
ION
Profound Lore
Blackened Death Metal, Technical Metal.
Listening Format: Digital
Portal do for Death Metal what Deathspell Omega do for Black Metal. They absolutely have their own spin on the genre, constructing impossibly complex and atmospheric tunes. Portal play with so much dissonance, weird time signatures and fiddly guitar work that it almost makes me feel sick just listening. The production is very raw and grimey too. It's a little bit like Gorguts but even more avant garde. It took me a few spins to really get into this record. I first listened on Spotify through my TV speakers and everything sounded really flat, but when I had a proper listen on my beefy headphones, the depth of the sound really came through a lot better. I like this record mostly for it's atmosphere, it's the kind of album you just sort of go with and lose yourself in. If you try and concentrate too hard, it kinda hurts your brain! I'm not the biggest Death Metal fan so I always appreciate it when bands try to really think outside of the box and approach the genre in a completely different way to the norm. Portal, I tip my hat to thee!
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ALBUM OF THE MONTH!!!
PROFLIGATE
SOMEWHERE ELSE
Wharf Cat
Electronic, Industrial.
Listening Format: CD
Really, really enjoyed this album. Profligate conjures up these cold, minimalist environments of sound, as if he is playing inside a freezing cold old meat locker or warehouse. Though routed in Industrial tinged Electronica, there is a strong shoegazy vibe in the production. The vocals are very washed out and there are layers of blurry synths and percussion. The vibes are strong here, and Profligate successfully invites you into his own little world, achieving grand results through surprisingly sparse productions. Maybe it's like if Kevin Shields made an Industrial album, I dunno!
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FEBRUARY 2018
DEMONOMANCY
POISONED ATONEMENT
Invictus
Blackened Death Metal
Listening Format: Digital
I had no expectations going into this and I still have trouble pronouncing the name. But this Italian Death Metal trio have made a pretty bangin' album full of dense production full of bottom end, with decent lashings of atmosphere and a blackened tone to their Death Metal riffs. The album has a bit of a concept of critiquing religion in the lyrics and track titles. Since I'm not a huge Death Metal fan I was pleasantly surprised!
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FRANZ FERDINAND
ALWAYS ASCENDING
Domino
Alternative Rock, Post Punk.
Listening Format: CD
WHERE'S THE GUITARZ AT!?!
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KEIJI HAINO & SUMAC
AMERICAN DOLLAR BILL - KEEP LOOKING SIDEWAYS, YOU'RE TOO HIDEOUS TO LOOK AT FACE ON
Thrill Jockey
Noise Rock, Free Improv.
Listening Format: Digital
I think SUMAC fans will really have their mind blown by this record, hopefully in a positive way, but some will be bewilder. This long, dense, chaotic album largely leaves the Sludge Metal realm that SUMAC usually inhabit, instead creating very lengthy dirges of freely improvised jamming of full on Noise Rock. Cult Avant Garde Noise composer Keiji Haino provides the vocals here, rambling free form like a Japanese Mark E Smith. Much of this album is incredibly dense, lively, ragged and loosely structured, like trying to disassemble a dizzying array of tangled wires for an hour. In it's strongest moments, the album has a very Twin Peaks-ish nightmarish feel, full of tension and darkness. I really, really dug it, but don't necessarily approach this thing as a SUMAC record.
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CONJURER
MIRE
Holy Roar
Sludge Metal, Death Metal
Listening Format: Digital
Conjurer have really dazzled with their debut EP and their insanely visceral live shows. Full length debut 'Mire' manages to keep the wild performances but tighten up the song structures a little bit. Conjurer draw from many influences of Extreme Metal, whether it be Sludge, Doom, Death, Black, Grind, it all sort of weaves in and out of one sphere, constantly changing up in direction. With this album, Conjurer manage to take all these wild influences and make them more tangible, with a better sense of flow and direction. Conjurer are a band who sound absolutely massive, and will flatten you with their colossal brutality.
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ALBUM OF THE MONTH!!!
FEVER RAY
PLUNGE
Rabid / Mute
Art Pop, Electronic
Listening Format: CD
Okay technically the digital release came out in late 2017, but the CD and Vinyl have just been released now, and physical music takes the win for me! Swedish vocalist and Electronic musician Fever Ray is one half of The Knife, who sadly disbanded a couple of years back. I feel like 'Plunge' almost could have been a The Knife release. It definitely picks up where 'Shaking the Habitual' left off in terms of sonics. Those jarring, pounding beats are back and the wobbly, mangled synth sounds that made that record are here. But in this record's favour, things are a bit tighter and more restrained. I felt like The Knife's final album went too far off the deep end at points. 'Plunge' is a much tighter record that holds up really well with repeat listens. In particular the very strange and sexually charged lyrics become more prominent with repeat listens. Fever Ray's vocals are absolutely wild and majestic across this entire thing. There is definitely a bit of a Peaches vibe going on here. It's almost like her own take on a contemporary Pop R&B record, but so much weirder and more exciting. For those that might miss The Knife, rest assured Fever Ray is carrying on that flame and putting her own stamp on it too.
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