The Early Bird: Top New Recorded Releases 12-2-22 – 12-8-22 Reviewed
459 songs. 26 hours
That’s how many tracks are on three box sets released today from Paul McCartney, Elvis Presley, and The Beach Boys. If you listened to all three box sets in procession it would take you forever and there is nothing to be done about it.
Oddly, I had panned Paul’s collection of all his singles, The 7″ Singles, before I heard it as pointless but I was wrong, it forwards you hours of songs in order of release date, both A and B sides, the physical box set has picture sleeves with all the singles (and who even does that anymore?) and the singles while they don’t quite show growth they do show change and illuminates his unreal skills with a single (caveat emptor: personally, I knew around two thirds just by song name) (Grade: A+). 1972 was a better year for Elvis Presley than it was for the Beach Boys, the Boys had gone from cool to weird and whimsical, this didn’t need a box set when we still don’t have one for The Beach Boys Love You though the 1972 live at Carnegie Hall ain’t bad (Grade: C+), Presley got a movie out of Live On Tour when it was first released, the 1972 was his final truly undeniable tour and here it is expanded with four complete concerts and a rehearsal abum (Grade: A-).
Still on albums, I reviewed Yemi Alade’s brilliantly named EP African Baddie earlier today (here) (Grade: A), and the top Hyper-Pop practioners, the duo 100 Gecs, return with Snake Eyes, three songs of helium dreamed, electronic practised featuring Skrillex on one track of Snake Eyes (Grade; A-).
Over at singles, Mr. Rihanna aka A$AP Rocky returns with a song from the November 202 video game Need For Speed Unbound, but “Shittin’ Me” is a little on the lazy side (Grade: B-), nothing fancy on Metallica’s first release in two years but none the worse for being straight up hard rock on “Lux Æterna” (Grade: B+), Dej Loaf’s third single from her upcoming album, “PIOMF” is a brooding R&B confessional (Grade: B). Storefront Church is the electronic immersion Lukas Frank and his new song is gorgeous electronic hunter and even Phoebe Bridgers can’t menace “Words” (Grade: B+), it sounds on paper like a disastrous concept, but the addition of nerve jangling string from the Czech National Symphony and pouncing horns on a wonderful recherchez “X Gon’ Gon Give It to Ya” (Grade: B+)
Snake Eyes – 100 Gecs – A-
Shittin’ Me – A$AP Rocky – B-
PIOMF -DeJ Loaf – B
X Gon’ Gon Give It to Ya – Re-Recorded – Orchestral Version – DMX, Czech National Symphony – B+
Live On Tour Elvis Presley – A-
Lux Æterna – Metallica – B+
The 7” Singles – Paul McCartney – A+
Words – Storefront Church, Phoebe Bridgers – B
Sail On Sailor – 1972 (Super Deluxe) – The Beach Boys – C+
African Baddie EP – Yemi Alade – A
