In the midst of running everyone down memory lane last time I didn’t get to share any current obsessions (mainly as I knew less than a tenth of you would even get to the end) so in honor of making it to the Elite Eight this weekend, thought I’d pop in with a comparable number of modern loves captivating my ear holes. First up comes a track from Mitski’s most recent album, her seventh, last year’s The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We. It made a bunch of folks’ year end lists and while the album hasn’t knocked me over, the opening track certainly did. It’s this lovely, subdued little thing until it explodes with this technicolor choir that rattles the heavens at the end, which is really unexpected and gave me chills the first few times I heard it. (I had a similar reaction to the title track off Waxahatchee’s new one, which she saves for her closer — but more on her in moment.) It’s an excellent way to start the album, though it sets an almost impossible bar for everything that follows, one they largely fail to clear (in my eyes, at least). I really enjoy this one, though. Give it a spin here:
We’ll move to the aforementioned Ms Katie now and her latest album, Tiger’s Blood, which came out this week. It’s her sixth overall — her first since 2020’s excellent Saint Cloud, which landed at #8 on my year end list — and it stays in the same sonic vein as that one. Same producer (Brad Cook), same incisive, introspective lyrics, same warm, country-flecked vibe. And while that one was something of a surprise (Ms Katie’s always had a sharp eye and sharper tongue, writing from an extremely vulnerable, yet honest, place, but the overt country flourishes were a bit atypical compared to earlier outings), this time she settles deeper into that comfortable world like a well-worn pair of slippers after a hot bath. She’s joined by a few friends — Spencer Tweedy’s her drummer now, for one — but it’s singer/guitarist MJ Lenderman who’s the real revelation here. He was brought in to sing this one, the lead single, and apparently the impact was so obvious he stayed for an additional three. His unusual phrasings as he harmonizes with Ms Katie don’t make sense on paper, but in practice work perfectly, and his four songs form the backbone of the album and are among its best songs. None moreso than that first one, which has been stuck in my head for weeks now. (Although that aforementioned title track, which also gave the ‘Gum author chills, is coming close.) Check out another gem of a love song from Ms Katie, “Right Back To It,” here:
We’ll leave the country and its vibe behind for a moment (don’t worry, we’ll be back for both shortly) and jump across the pond for the latest from the enigmatic UK singer/songwriter TomMcRae. He’s back with his ninth overall and his first in seven years (2017’s Ah, the World! Oh, the World!) and while that one found him dabbling a bit more with world music influences (the Graceland style vibe that showed up on several songs), this one has him almost fully immersing himself in it as he goes all Aznavour. That’s because for some reason he decided to record a mostly French album — both in language and co-conspirators (at least 11 French musicians guest with him here), which is a far more unexpected turn than Ms Katie embracing country. (She was never shy about her southern roots, but I never picked up any Gallic glimmers to McRae’s work…) I honestly thought I’d skipped to the wrong album at first — but then you hear McRae’s unmistakable voice and know you’re in the right place, whether he’s speaking your language or not. It takes some getting used to — mainly because I don’t speak French (one of my many, many failings), so the songs’ meanings are opaque — but musically it’s well made and enjoyable. McRae does throw us dim-witted pagan Anglophones a few bones with some English-based tunes, one of which is another characteristically lovely love bomb that will leave you weak in the knees. Talented as he is with his embrace of other styles and languages, this is what I first fell in love with him for, the dark, beautiful, and mournful, and this is another great example — just plaintive piano, heartbreaking/broken lyrics, and another glittering duet. Give “Lover’s Souvenir” a spin here:
We’ll stay in the UK and shift slightly north to the land of my ancestral Scots for yet another surprise, this time the return of a member of one of my overall faves after nearly six years away. Said member is Billy Kennedy, former guitarist for the much beloved Frightened Rabbit, which broke up after the heartbreaking suicide of frontman Scott Hutchison in 2018. (I’ve written about his passing several times over the years and can’t believe it’s only been six years…) In the aftermath of that horrible event Kennedy, like several of his bandmates, took a long time away to heal and figure out what he wanted to do with his life. Kennedy decided he wanted to get trained as a well-being practitioner (aside from losing Scott, he’d also struggled with mental health issues of his own), but recently decided to reenter the music world. He started writing and recording some songs, the first of which came out a month or two ago, and it’s a lovely little tune sung to another, scarcely more than Kennedy, his acoustic, and his aching, accented heart. (“I can’t retract the words I said to you. I think about them most…days go by so slow when you’re not there…”) There’s word he’s working on a full album, but even if he just graces us with this one it’s great to see one of the lads back in the limelight. Check out his return here:
We’ll bounce back to the States and another pair of twinned tunes, this time for a duo of southern(ish) songs that’ve been spinning on repeat lately. The first is from the Queen Bee who released her massively hyped/awaited Cowboy Carter album yesterday and while it’s really not a country album (there are definitely country elements, but it strikes me more as an artist playing with the pieces rather than creating a true “by the numbers” rendition of their own, similar to Kanye playing with soul samples or house beats back in the day — you’d never describe those albums as true “soul” or “house” albums as they, like this, are their own things…) it’s still got some pretty catchy tunes. “Sweet Honey Buckiin,” which chops up the Patsy Cline classic “I Fall to Pieces” before galloping down a number of different roads, is an exciting ride (“look at that horse, look at that horse, look at that HORSE...”), but my current fave is the lead single (and much more traditional) “Texas Hold ‘Em.” It’s got the finger-picked intro (which is reminiscent of Madonna’s similar ride to the rodeo 20-odd years ago, “Don’t Tell Me”), the primal thumping footstomp beat, and the irresistible earworm refrain with its “CHOOS!” and demand to meet her on the dancefloor in the most Queen Bee way possible. It’s super catchy and one of the rare true “country” tracks among the 27 — I’ll take it, though, just like she says. (To the floor, in my least b#$ch fashion…) Enjoy it here:
The back half to this buddy film is a more traditional country artist, Tyler Childers, and a song that’s already been covered by a ton of artists and hailed as a modern classic. I came to it courtesy of Josiah and the Bonnevilles who included their version of it on their aptly named Country Covers album that came out last year. I’d liked it on the album, but it wasn’t til I saw frontman Josiah Leming play it in concert this week, just him and his acoustic, that it really grabbed me by the ears. So much so that when I got home I couldn’t get the chorus out of my head (“well it’s just two hours to get there babe, I can make it back in ’bout an hour or so…”) and kept thinking about how half the crowd was singing along like they’d been doing so for years. As a result I decided to track down the original and found that while Childers wrote the song, he’s never actually formally recorded it himself — and apparently never will (at least in the studio). For whatever reason he’s decided to let others do the singing for him — aside from the occasional live version he does, one of which is this incredible version he did a few years back. I’m not sure who he’s harmonizing with or what the circumstances are for the show, but by the time he gets to the closing refrain I’m almost laid out on the floor every time. (“Every back road had a memory and every memory held your name…”) Beautiful, heartbreaking stuff — give it a listen here:
We’ll close with a less emotionally devastating duo and a pair of tracks from some long-time faves. The first comes from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and their recently released Black Tape EP, which sports a quartet of tunes recorded at the same time as their last album, 2018’s Wrong Creatures. It actually came out at the same time as that album, buried as a cassette in that one’s box set, but only made it to the majority of us once it hit the streaming services a month or so ago. Similar to that album it’s a bit hit or miss, but the ones that work do so nicely, as with the opening “Bad Rabbit,” which is vintage BRMC. It loads up on the fuzz blasted guitars and thundering beat, but really shifts into overdrive as the song changes tempo time after time, slowing to a sinister crawl before blasting off again like that titular hare and taking you along for the ride. It’s a really good track, well suited for cranking up with the windows down. Check it out here:
Last but not least comes the long awaited return of the Orwells who dropped their latest album, Friendly Fire, on Christmas, which made the day that much better for fans like yours truly. It’s the band’s fifth and it finds them still in the same lounge act vibe they first debuted on their fourth album, 2019’s self-titled (and released) outing, but adds in a bunch of new flourishes that sound crazy on paper (acoustic guitar? PIANO?!?) yet still somehow work. Now this is another band I’ve written about a lot over the years — most recently surrounding the allegations that broke them up and caused them to self-release these last two albums, as their label (and seemingly everyone) dropped them. The band has been quiet the past few years, but they’re on the road again now, having done a west coast and now east coast tour — as well as a brief trip through the midwest, though notably NOT playing in the one place you’d most expect them to — here — as it’s both where they’re from and the largest place IN the midwest — so part of me wonders whether they’re blacklisted here and unable to play. I almost rented a car to go see them in Milwaukee, but backed out at the last minute (the price and having tickets to a separate show that night sealing the deal), though I went back and forth about it until the very last minute. (I REALLY want to see them play this new stuff live to see how it fits with their older, more raucous fare.) I’m hoping they’re just tuning up for a grand reunion back home soon, but time will tell. In the meantime I’ll keep enjoying the new album — different though it is from their earlier stuff — and tracks like this one, which are catchy in their own right. Give it a listen here:
That’s it for now — until next time, amici…
–BS