La Vendetta… È Un Piatto Che Va Servito – Adolescents – This claims to be hardcore but it isn’t, it is early punk hard rock with everything that implies, meaning speed, accuracy, and straight up melodies that catch you every song. Maybe because they date back to 1980. Bring it on, indeed – A-
When People Grow, People Go – Blacklisted – Philly hardcore outfit, good singer, great drummer – B
A Flourish And A Spell – The Districts – Indie pop band and not bad but the songs are a little hit and miss, for every gorgeous and vibrant “Peaches” there is an embryonic “Suburban Spell” – B
Rising – The Dreaming – This would be a disappointment if I liked Stabbing Westward more, two founding members of that hard rock outfit are here. It sounds like Soundgarden with heavier beats but not as enticing as you might think – C+
I Love You, Honeybear – Father Misty – If there were more songs as good as “The Night Josh Tillman Came To Our Apt”, I might buy into this folkie who has some of the songwriting story skills of a Jason Isbell. Still, I wonder if this guy literally knows what a malapropism is? The egocentric mistake is typical of this overrated lightweight – C+
Fifty Shades of Gray Soundtrack – Various Artists – A terrible neo soul cum (sic) new r&b piece of extended lousy tracks, except for the Weeknd and the Beyonce remix – D+
Blackbirds – Gretchen Peters – This Nashville songwriter has been around for twenty years so she absolutely knows her way around a song, and the songs here are all pretty good. But her voice is ordinary and her band standard issue – C+
Let The Good Times Roll – JD McPherson – If the sine qua non of rockabilly revival is Dave and Phil Alvin, this ain’t that. But once you’ve stopped wishing it rocked harder, you’ll appreciate the effort any way – B
A Year With 13 Moons – Jeffre Cantu-Landesman – electronic dreamscape ambient instrumentals, very nice but then what? Sell it to MOMA for their Matisse exhibition’s background music? – B
Notes – Johan Agebjorn – Norwegian new ageism – B-
Live From Crush Palace – Karen O – “Ooo” sounds better live than the recorded version and everything here reminds you that Karen O is a major artist trying to get back on the charts… but not trying very hard and happy to let her inner singer songwriter shine through. Nice voice as well and I sincerely regret not going to see this show when it played here – B+
V – Knifight – A pretty big week for hard rock, this is an intense beauty of an album, tough riffs and strong grooves even though I am not crazy about the lead singers voice it will probably grow on me. From Austin, Texas, and I bet they’re sick of playing SXSW – B+
R.N.I.C. Re-visited – Lil Snupe – Shot and killed last year, Lil Snupe was good enough for Meek Mill to sign after hearing his mixtape once. The kid was a world class rapper, his flow absolutely doubtless. This first and last album of his career is taste of what he was capable of. Lil Snupe was 18 years old – B+
Whiskey On My Breath – Love And Theft – Impressive songwriting skills and singing from this country trio singing odes and also death songs to alcohol – B+
Mixtape Of The Open Road – Martin Seton – Martin may not be the most popular singer songwriter of all time but he is a true rarity: year by year, song by song, album by album he either stays in place or gets better and better. This is just an excellent album, it will come and go but it is hard to fault this witty, literate, interesting, committed guy -ALBUM OF THE WEEK – A
Beneath California – Retox – An extremely good hardcore effort. In a good week for hard rock, these guys don’t disappear under the weight of excellence and this is a toxic, tempo switching triumph – B+
Tomorrow Is My Time – Rhiannon Giddens – I never believed in Carolina Chocolate Drops or the New Basement Tapes, though I was always impressed by Rhiannon’s voice. Now here she is covering Patsy Cline, which makes her either pathetic or perfect and she is perfect. Just about brilliant covers of song after song but a special nod to Nina Simone’s “Black Is The Color” where Rhiannon rewrote some of the lyric! I wish the playing was a touch funkier but I wish a lot of things – A-
Into Colour – Rumer – At first listen I was a little shocked at how close this sounded to its 1960s Bacharach-David influences. Yeah, it is so strange and soooo good – B+
Ten Love Songs – Suzanne Sundfor – Norwegian singer songwriter with pretty fragile songs but sturdy melodies – B
Believer – Trent Dabbs – This is the guy who wrote a song called “Me And God” without embarrassing himself. On first listen this country Americana guy doesn’t hit that height but he has a lovely voice and this is a powerful collection – B+
War On Women – War On Women – Baltimore hard rock, pretty darn good as well like Be Your Own Pet if they’d survived – B+
