Before the big sportsball exhibitions kick off tonight, wanted to highlight some really good releases that’ve come out in the past week — as well as some solid retrospectives on a few beloved bands/albums. In honor of this evening there are four of them and they cover the past four-plus decades, taking us all the way back to the dawn of Sunshine and the late 70s. So without further ado, let’s jump in the time machine and see where we land.
First stop is the gritty pit that was LA in the late 70s and an article from Pitchfork on one of that era’s key bands, the punkabilly quartet X, in honor of the recent reissue of its debut. It does a good job setting the scene and explaining how the band emerged from (and rebelled against) that landscape before walking you through the first album. Like most trips down memory lane, it’s easy to get lost fixating on the things that seem silly in hindsight (what the fuck was I thinking — turtlenecks AND a ponytail?) — be it the ridiculous names the members adopted (frontman/bassist John Doe, guitarist Billy Zoom, drummer DJ Bonebrake — only frontwoman Exene avoids the eye roll there), the fact the band was mixing rockabilly with punk and still trying to be tough (which is a little like Marty threatening to knife you at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance), or that for some reason the Doors figured heavily in their history (aside from covering that band’s classic “Soul Kitchen” here, keyboardist Ray Manzarek shows up several times on the album and produced several of their albums).
If you focus on those things it’s easy to miss how cool these guys really are — the interplay between Doe and Exene’s voices (which in contrast to the atonal screamers typically in a punk band are really quite good), the ripping solos from Zoom, the breathless bedrock of Bonebrake’s beats. Somehow it all works, and forty years later there’s still no one that sounds like them. Their early albums are consistently solid (Under the Big Black Sun‘s still probably my fave) and I had the pleasure of seeing them live a few years ago and they hadn’t lost a step. Give this cut from the debut a try:
We’ll leave Los Angeles and make our way to Nirvana, via Chicago, as this next band would say, because somehow Wilco’s classic Summerteeth turned 20 recently. (Exhibit 9763 I am OAF) Stereogum does a really good job talking through the album and its creation (as well as its impact) so definitely recommend giving it a read. For those who aren’t familiar with the band or have never listened to this album (which — if this is true, let’s fix both those things immediately) it’s great insight into a great album. I’m actually one of the people who will tell you (“wrongly, but earnestly,” in the author’s words) this is actually the best album Wilco ever made. It’s certainly my favorite. Twenty years later this is still the album of theirs I listen to the most — far and away.
Despite the frictions encountered while making it, the album is filled with beauty — heart-lifting songs one minute, heart-breakers the next — and zero down spots. In terms of quality, that is — the melodies here are absolute killers and Tweedy’s lyrics had never been this honest and open before — but they’d also never been this wrenching. As the article (and Tweedy’s recent biography) explain, both he and the band were not in a great place at this point, and that bleeds through in the songs — there’s a gutshot desperation behind a lot of them, whether covered up with poppy tunes as on “Can’t Stand It” and “I’m Always in Love” or left stark and unvarnished as on “She’s a Jar,” “We’re Just Friends,” and “How to Fight Loneliness.” You can tell this album wasn’t something that was easily acquired — this took and reflected a toll — but that’s what made it so powerful. It felt exactly like the refrain from “A Shot in the Arm” — the ashtray says you’ve been up all night — and it was that brutal, beleaguered vulnerability that drew you in (and still does). This was the first album of theirs I fell in love with and a glimpse of their impending gem Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, which is the one most folks point to as their masterpiece (and don’t get me wrong, it’s amazing), but for me this one’s the pinnacle. See for yourself here:
Next we’ll head back to the west coast and the soggy streets of Seattle to commemorate an unfortunate anniversary, the 25 years since Kurt Cobain’s death. In order to mark that occasion NME ranked every Nirvana song — from the studio albums to the slew of forgettable demos and B-sides from the disappointing With the Lights Out box set — so there’s a lot to get through. (102, to be precise.) I disagree with the author to an extent — I tend to trust artists to put out their best material and am rarely impressed by unreleased tracks (a perspective largely unchanged here), so don’t think Cobain’s every thought/song was borderline genius like he seems to — but he gets it right when it counts and has some interesting context on the classics so is worth a skim. (Note: unless you’re a true believer like him you can skip most of the fluff and tune in once the studio albums start kicking in halfway through.) Unquestioning idolatry aside, I agree with him on two key points — in general In Utero beats out Nevermind (its unbridled power just speaks to me more than the melodic polish of its predecessor these days) and his top pick is also mine (its combo of slow-fast shifts alongside their patented quiet-loud dynamics make it an absolute juggernaut) — so kudos for not going with the knee-jerk votes. See if you agree with us and take a trip to the muddy banks of the Wishka while you read:
Lastly we’ll jet to the home of NME and the land of political upheaval (I should say — non-US based political upheaval), the fabled anarchy in the UK, for the impending return of the underappreciated Doves. (As well as the ten year anniversary of their farewell, Kingdom of Rust.) To celebrate Stereogum ranked the band’s top ten songs, walking you through a bit of the band’s history (and why you should care) first. They do a good job spreading their picks across the band’s four albums, rightly capping it with one from their classic debut, which remains my favorite. (Though I might have picked the title track or “The Man Who Told Everything,” or even the mostly wordless “Firesuite” as emblematic alternates.) As the article describes, these guys always had an epic edge to their songs, one that was transportive and cinematic in its effect, which is why it’s such a shame more folks haven’t heard of them. Glad to hear they’re recording new stuff, though — in the meantime step up to the sampler platter and see whatcha like.
We’ll bring it back to the present and head into overtime with a few quick shots before the buzzer — first the latest single from Kevin Morby’s upcoming album Oh My God. Similar to previous single “No Halo,” this latest one (“Nothing Sacred/All Things Wild”) is another slow-burner devoid of his customary guitar. It still works, though — Morby’s voice is as compelling alone as it is dancing over the six string, so hopefully the rest of the album is as good as these (and his previous albums). Give it a listen here:
We’ll keep things subdued with this one from former Walkmen guitarist Paul Maroon who teams up with Panda Bear (aka Noah Lennox) on the sleepy gem “I Don’t Need a Crowd.” It’s built around a vintage Maroon riff, all lovely reverb and shimmer, and you expect frontman Hamilton to come in like normal (he does, just on a completely different song, the single’s flip side). Lennox holds his own, though, and it’s a pretty affair. No word on a full album or anything else at this point, so we’ll have to enjoy this for now:
Since we’re already mellow, let’s keep the vibe low key with the latest from the Lumineers, whose upcoming album (the aptly named III) is due out this September. Since their last album original member cellist/singer Neyla Pekarek has left, replaced by violinist/singer Lauren Jacobsen, but that hasn’t led to a discernible change in the band’s sound. At least not yet — frontman Wesley Schultz’s voice still draws you in, as do the narrative lyrics (this time about an alcoholic woman named Gloria), so let’s hope things continue once the full album arrives. In the meantime enjoy the first single:
Since we’re on a roll we’ll go with one more downbeat track before picking things up a bit, this one from the ever lovely National and the latest single from their upcoming I am Easy to Find (due out 17 May). This one hearkens back to pre-electronic era Boxer/Alligator offerings and is everything there is to love about these guys — stately sound, poignant lyrics, and just plain pretty. Yet another gem in a long line of em — pop it on and bliss out:
Time’s running short so it’s time to turn up the temperature as we build to the big finish, starting with the latest track from Rooster and Animal, aka the beloved bluesy duo Black Pistol Fire, “Black Halo.” Similar to the recent single from the Keys (who these guys get compared to a lot and I like just as much) there’s nothing special going on — they’re not breaking from what they normally do or tossing in any wrinkles — but like I said for those guys, there’s something to be said for consistency and durability. These days I don’t want wild surprises or trendy new fads (no avocado toast and shocking revelations for me, thanks) — these days I’m quite happy with a bourbon or beer and a plate of steak and potatoes. So if you’re in the same place, check in with our boys and enjoy a little ramble with the Rooster:
We’ll close with a three before time expires, in this case the latest in a flurry of offerings from Vampire Weekend leading to the release of their much-anticipated double album Father of the Bride (due out 3 May). First is the simple, yet infectious “Sunflower,” which aside from a trippy video directed by Jonah Hill (and featuring Jerry Seinfeld in a deli) sports a catchy little riff and frontman Ezra Koenig’s characteristically crazy cadence (“suuuuuUUUUN!FlowER! in tha mooooooooooooooooooooooorning”) that get firmly lodged in your head. Then there’s the more traditional “This Life,” which finds Koenig singing about love and life with his usual earnest splendor. The game winner is the B-side, though, and the almost unbearably pretty “Unbearably White.” Its lyrics about a seemingly stalled relationship are compelling enough, but the real knife in the heart is the song’s riff, which is as pristine and lovely as that field of snow. Give it a listen here:
That’s it for now — until next time, amici… –BS