Going Steady: New Singles Wednesday, March 25th, 2020, Reviewed
All I Want Is You – Allen Toussaint, Zilla Mayes – First heard as a single in 1955, the intensely felt soul singer Zilla Mayes final recording is a horn and piano driven r&b song. The second time it was heard was on Allen’s The Lost Sessions in 2011 that compiles his transitional recordings from the 1950s to the 1960s. The final time we heard it was last Friday, when it was the latest of six singles just posted by the nine years gone New Orleans legend. The single art is a New Orleans postcard and Allen’s calling card… I have no idea what is going on, perhaps a Lost Session part two? We can but hope – A-
The Silent Circle – Barishi – definable sludge for nine minutes with bowels of hell vocals – B-
Atlas – Bicep – bloopy electronica with synth sound effects – C+
Persona Non Grata – Bright Eyes – whoops, I said lower east side, apparently it is all in the WEST village, where Conor spent his 00s getting fucked up, a real blah bummer and what’s worse is the bagpipes don’t work – C-
Martin – Car Seat Headrest – The first single off the upcoming album, “Can’t Cool Me Down”, improved over repeat hearings, but I doubt this guitar strummer shall – B-
Search For Life – Dirty Projectors – low key, acoustic prettiness with lotsa strings – C+
Dream St. – Jackie Lynn – Haley Fohr is a talented singer songwriter from Chicago, and she expands her palette here with Hawaiian strings and the pitter patter of a metronome – B
Sway – Jordana – she has one of those voices that slurs a little to give her a sensual edge to her voice on this romantic singer songwriter song living room pop – B
Future Peg – Man Man – Take Flaming Lips, remove the affectation, add more guitars and some strong side effects and here you are – B-
Bleed All Over – Mark Lanegan – I saw Screaming Trees open for Oasis at Jones Beach back in the day, I loved em as well. Because, really, Mark has that voice, but his Americana rock solo is a drag – C+
Broken Tambourine – Muzz – The class of 2000 (Paul Banks (Interpol), Josh Kaufman (Bonny Light Horseman), and Matt Barrick (Jonathan Fire*Eater/The Walkmen/Fleet Foxes) remind us why the New York scene was stillborn with astonishingly slow mood music – C-
Ninths – NOUS, Christopher Bono – prog classicism with a touch of metal dynamism on the hook – B-
Dolerme – ROSALÍA – Rosalia is on a role and it happens from time to time, just everything she touches is the best. Bad Bunny and J. Balvin are at a similar place and Beyonce was till she made that album with Mr. Beyonce, and Rosalia is simply at the top of the list with her constant pivots between flamenco and Latin Urbano, and this ballad is an acoustic guitar driver heartbreaker as she rails against the man who dumped her – A-
Johnny – Sarah Jarosz – a third of I’m With Her, and terrific at City Winery, this kiss off Americana is nothing special – C+
Sludge – Squid – not sludge at all, fair to middling math rock (which sounds exceedingly like prog by other means) – C+
You Are Not Who I Thought I Was – Sondre Lerche – the man is a power pop machine, and he returns exactly where he was – B-
