Brief Encounters: New Albums 6-3-22 – 6-9-22 Reviewed

You Can’t Kill Me – 070 Shake – women performing neo-r&b exploded a coupla years ago lead by Solange with first lieutenants NoName, SZA and H.E.R., 070 Shake has a similar vibe here, but more electronic and weird while never removing the light from the consistently attractive songs – A-

Inside Problems – Andrew Bird – it isn’t bad singer songwriter but his arching egotism keeps on veering into pretension, a pity because he has always been a good at the job if a little too arty – B-

My Bestfriend’s House – Blue Hawaii – first rate dance pop and the remixes are fine disco – B

AGUILERA – Christina Aguilera – the genie in a bottle star will always be the not J Lo with a lot more talent and a great voice, here she goes Spanish language with a straight up reggaeton set (ps: the genie reference wasn’t entirely random, listen to “Ya Llegué” – B+

Welcome 2 Club XIII – Drive-By Truckers – let me teach you something: you owe no loyalty to even your favorite bands, the nature of the beast finds a huge drop off in quality over 20 years (even the Beatles would have sucked at some point), this is an alright piece of 60s rock and bother – C+

Off Cuts – Frou Frou, Imogen Heap, Guy Sigsworth – Heap you know from her song with Taylor Swift and her work on the Harry Potter play, Frou Frou is a name you see dropped on some interesting remixes, together they are scolding ambient , better as the songs emerge – C+

Versions of Modern Performance – Horsegirl – youthful yet obvious post punk from Chicago – B-

Saturn Child – Lil Tracey – trap beats added to autotuned vocals in a set of love and drug semi-bangers – B

Dear Scott – Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band – After punk there was post-punk and New Wave, and also a quiet melodiousness coming out from the green fields of England, including the brilliant Pale Fountains. Micheal Head headed Pale Fountains and on his newest album has not lost the touch for pastoral beauty – A-

Madness – POLIÇA – gothy electronic pop best onthe remixes – B-

Twelve Carat Toothache – Post Malone – The sign post here is the entirely remarkable “Love/Hate Letter To Alcohol” with no less than Robin Peckhold (Fleet Foxes) on a brilliantly arranged Americana rethinking as hip style r&b on an echoey translucence, when Malone performed it on SNL, it brought down the house and on record it is airy and closeted, like a field that merges into a forest. It is the best song on TCT but not the favorite, the favorite should be the Gunna featured “I Cannot Be (A Sadder Song)” and it sounds like angels in the middle of a nightmare. This is the growing Austin Malone’s portion of life (he is about to become a father) and his gun collection makes him a relation to Kid Rock without the Southern bell whistles and Trumpisms, rather an update on cultural addition by subtraction. It works phenomenally on what is Post’s best album to date – ALBUM OF THE WEEK – A

Prince and The Revolution: Live (2022 Remaster) – Prince – from the end of the reign in 1985, Prince was sick of performing the album, cut the humongous tour short but filmed and recorded a show in Syracuse. It has been bootlegged for decades but nothing can beat this perfect sounding, top of the food chain, Prince at his best masterpiece. Now let’s find the DVD… – A

Juno (Deluxe) – Remi Wolf – a coupla live tracks added to an exceptional 2021 album of indie pop rock with a side of electronics, it isn’t gooey and exists as a form of play soul – B+

Strange Craft – Rubber Oh – from Newcastle, England, quasi experimental art pop – B-

Scared To Dance – Skids – The outskirts of New Wave and New Pop and Postcard Records style Scotland will raise again, this is their 1979 debut with the same 2005 B sides included. The Jobson and Adamson chemistry was pretty excellent – B+

I Am The Moon: I. Crescent – Tedeschi Trucks Band – A four-part album series housing more than two hours of music and two dozen songs inspired by an ancient Persian poem? With an accompanying film for each section…. what a bunch of egotistical morons, and if the first album is anything to go by, a mistake though not a complete one. The Mike Mattison composed “Fall In” is a wonderful and the first four minutes of “Pasaquan”. Otherwise, it is sub-Phish – C

What a Waster / I Get Along (Live at the ICA 3.6.02) – The Libertines – the twenty year anniversary of the best English band since at least Blur. The Libertines were stymied from the US because they were in constant trouble due to drugs, and because they were so very English. A huge pity and if you don’t remember let this remind you – A

Growing Up – The Linda Lindas – melodic pop punk from the all girl teen (ages range from 11 – 17) with hooks aplenty and youth to burn – B+

Finally, New – They Hate Change – Tampa boy, indie rap, perfect samples, acute rappers who are much better than you can believe. THV have been at it since 2017, but the way rappers learn their craft, and they have learnt it on this thriller. One of the best rap albums of the year – A-

Life In Plastic – Tom Aspaul – disco by boy toy vibe – B-

Stranger Things: Soundtrack from the Netflix Series, Season 4 – Various Artists – from the overrated TV series, this is a pretty good 70s-80s hits plus the resurrection of “Running Up The Hill” – B+

20 Years: The Greatest Hits (Deluxe) – Will Young – middle of the road, stuck in an elevator for ever hell on earth from the UK, who can keep it – D