LIL NAS X AND A BUNCH OF OTHER STUFF: Music Reviews, 6/26/19
The time has come.
If you're not familiar with the story, Lil Nas X licensed a beat off a Scottish Soundcloud DJ for $50 (that samples Nine Inch Nails), made it into a country/hip-hop hybrid meme song, it got big enough on TikTok to chart, the Nashville Country music establishment didn't think it was "Country" enough so Billboard removed it from the chart, Lil Nas X's camp got Billy Ray Cyrus to hop on the remix, the song shot immediately to #1 on the Hot 100, and it's been there for 11 weeks. It has become the biggest source of thinkpiece fuel in the music blogosphere in 2019, and it is fucking everywhere on the radio. Now that I'm having to hear a radio on the way to work, I hear it at least once every weekday.
But until now, this has been the only song officially released by Lil Nas X. There were some demos on Soundcloud, but most people have been waiting for an official album or EP. Well, wait no longer because the day has finally arrived.
What will it sound like? Will it be any good? Will it feel rushed? Will it just be generic trap and bow to trends? Or will it be something unexpected? Let's find out:
Lil Nas X "7" *** and 7/8
For the record, I do prefer the Billy Ray Cyrus version of the song and holy shit does that feel weird to say. When "Achy Breaky Heart" was out, this man was the bane of my existence. I've spent most of my life downright loathing country music, and he was one of the worst examples: ubiquitous, redneck and earwormy too. Weird Al doing a parody about how overplayed it got softened the blow over time, but still...woof. If younger me knew I was enjoying Billy Ray Cyrus, he'd suspect pod people were involved.
Anyway, "Old Town Road" is, despite its basic nature and stock lyrics, catchy as fuck. I'm still only sort of sick of it despite hearing it a hundred times. I still like it a lot. I hope it breaks "Despacito" and "One Sweet Day"'s tie of 16 weeks at number one. Fuck it. And yes, Billy Ray Cyrus adds to the song. The chorus sounds fuller now, the whistle at the end is a nice touch and a third verse fills it out to make it sound complete.
Okay, that's all well and good. That's what got us in the door. Now, what does the rest of 7 sound like? Well, a lot of things, actually. A lot of disparate elements that make for an interesting ride. Let's go track by track:
"Panini" has interesting color to it. I really like the synth line and the chorus sounds magic in that bittersweet way I'm a sucker for. The lyrics are...lacking, but I don't find them too distracting. It's also only 1:48, so I'm not sure what to make of it after one listen.
"F9mily" is an electronic alternative rock song. All hip hop pretense has been discarded and we've got moody yet punky guitar chords, a driving rock beat and...look, this guy's not gonna win any poet laureate credentials, okay? But though the lyrics are simplistic, they work. The vibe is important above all else.
"Kick It" is something that would be kind of interchangeable with anything else on a hip hop station right now...except...there's a saxophone cutting in and out like they're having this conversation outside a jazz club or something, and halfway in live drums (which weren't on the rock song, but here we are) kick in and that is a welcome surprise. It elevates it above whatever random Drake song I just heard on the shuttle today.
"Rodeo" is the first indication of a willingness to continue the country/hip-hop fusion and out of fucking nowhere completely unannounced is Cardi B adding a needed dose of punch and attitude. The lyrics in the verses are kind of...douchey seems too strong, but they're kind of...seedy. Yeah, that's it. Seedy. The narrator isn't somebody I'd necessarily hang around with, but it paints a decent picture of the character.
"Bring U Down" is a dark pop rock song. I feel like this EP is drawing inspiration from early to mid 2000's garage rock or something. But then "C7osure (You Like)" is a friggin' lo-fi track, complete with heavy vinyl static, but replaces a warbling stutter beat for a simplistic yet faster than normal disco rhythm (four on the floor, but the hi-hat on the syncopation). I really dig the vocal harmony in the song and the sentiment of the conclusion:
The last track is the original Billy Ray Cyrus-less version of "Old Town Road", essentially as a bonus track. All in all this EP impresses me. I liked every song, some of them quite a bit. And to answer the question from the opening: No. This doesn't feel rushed or forced. Lil Nas X goes in quite a few different directions on 7 and all of them ended up working for me. I hope this catches on, because I really want to see what Lil Nas X has in store for years to come.
So, you may have noticed Billy Ray Cyrus played a part in this. Well, he actually released an album a few weeks back, so I figured "Why the hell not?" Aside from Hellyeah (and that barely counts since they're from a genre I like), I haven't reviewed much from outside my comfort zone this year. I've forgone the old process of reviewing hot-take style (mostly) and listen to the whole thing instead of the iTunes previews like I used to do (and can't anymore cuz R.I.P. iTunes). So since a) I've listened to 123 albums from 2019 already and b) there's still 31 on my list to check out with another 12 (that I know about) on the horizon, I haven't had a lot of time or will to review albums that I don't want to listen to. But hey, Billy Ray acquitted himself nicely on "Old Town Road". Maybe he isn't terrible now. How bad could it be, right?
Billy Ray Cyrus "The SnakeDoctor Circus" * and 1/2
Yes, SnakeDoctor is one word. Don't ask me why.
The lyrics on "Guns, Gold & Guitars" are weird and don't really work; the insistence on forcing chickens into the metaphor (which wasn't really clear even on second listen what the metaphor was...) something about Navy Seals whipping out Telecasters and...I dunno. The lyrics are certainly something. The song has a deep baritone undercurrent in the pedal steel and lead vocal, paired with soulful backup singers. Probably the best thing on the album.
"The Reckoning" is a twangy folk song that I think is taking a dig at the Trump administration. He makes mention of Hispanic disenfranchisement, Colin Kaepernick's protest, corporate greed and "the new clown of the apocalypse stabbing the truth as he slides onto the stage". Musically it's a dime a dozen, but lyrically it's on point.
"Barely Enough" and "Goddess Of Democracy" seem like badly executed Bruce Springsteen knockoffs. If I wanted to hear that, I'd review "Western Stars" (Oooooh...). The singing on "I Think Your Time's Come" is really bad. The lyrics don't help much either, even though I agree with them that warmongering is bad. "The Blood Of The Devil" is a listless, rootsy ballad that doesn't really go anywhere. By the time I hit "Angel In My Pocket" I gave up on this album having anything else to offer. I dutifully listened to "Take It Easy Greazy" but got nothing out of it.
"I've Been Around" however has a really cool melancholy mode to it that elevates it beyond a whispy nothing of an acoustic ballad and makes it redeemable. What's more is this blue note hits on the word "found", as in "I've been lost; I've been found". Is that the sad part? Interesting choice.
One thing I realized listening to this album is I think I've hated country for so long because it feels like badly done Southern Rock most of the time. And modern country seems like badly done pop and trap, so eh, more of the same. When it has grit and soul to it and plays to its unique traits, it can be done well ("Guns, Gold & Guitars", "The Reckoning" and "I've Been Around"). When it relies on tropes, twang and folksiness to carry it through it sounds like stale ass and I tune out.
And while we're on the subject of the Cyrus family, Billy Ray's daughter Miley just dropped a new EP and a two song single (the latter under her character's name from the Black Mirror episode she was just in). So why don't we make this a triple main event! You wanna talk about someone who has a wildly diverse discography look no further than Miley freaking Cyrus. She was a Disney Channel character who tried to edge into early Obama administration adult pop, came back with a twerk-tastrophe that made her a household name, followed that up with a double album of stupefyingly horrid psychedelic music backed by The Flaming Lips, then did a country album and now...
Miley Cyrus "SHE IS COMING" * and 1/2
...what the fuck are we doing here?
"Mother's Daughter" certainly sounds like a real song if you don't actually listen to the words. That's probably meaner than it needs to be. It's...honestly not the worst attempt at a pop song; the singing is decent enough, the bass gives it enough teeth to go with the drums. But "Unholy" is lame. It's self-defeating in its attempt to be edgy, then to subvert its own edginess by saying "So what? So's everyone else" when talking about how drunk, high and/or unholy she is. It winds up being about nothing and highlighting its own emptiness instead of subverting it.
"D.R.E.A.M." is better. It's still a little try-hardish with lyrics about poppin' Molly, but it succeeds where "Unholy" failed because it owns it. "Drugs Rule Everything Around Me" is the acronym. Then Ghostface Killa says some shit that doesn't connect at all and then...
Rupal just gets nasty? Okay, I'm with it. Miley raps slightly better than Debby Harry on "Rapture", but "Cattitude" is...duuuuumb so it winds up working in a weird way? Not something I'd listen to on the reg, but it's amusing enough that I can't hate it.
"Party Up The Street" is not good, in fact it barely held my attention until Miley makes an explosion noise with her mouth before the last chorus and I got a chuckle out of it. It's endearing in fits and starts, but yikes the singing is off key. I like the strings on the outro, but this song could have been a lot better if the two singers weren't so sour together.
"The Most" is actually pretty good. All of a sudden Miley's on a track where her voice works for once, it has lyrics I believe, the music isn't awe-inspiring but it definitely makes the mood. I wouldn't mind hearing it again.
So, we'll just pretend for now the "SHE" in the title of "SHE IS COMING" is Ashley O and segue into:
Ashley O (aka Miley Cyrus) "On A Roll" [single] *
Ever want to hear a pop/trap version of "Head Like A Hole" by Nine Inch Nails with the words changed to an anthem of positivity? Nah, me neither. Shit is weak. (What is it with this family getting tangentially involved with Nine Inch Nails lately?)
"Right Where I Belong" is actually a much better track, sounding like a modernized version of what Lady Gaga was doing on Artpop. Best song on either Miley release.
Still hungry for more? Good. Because the reviews just keep on coming!
Truth Club "Not An Exit" * and 3/4
Super disappointing album. The song that put Truth Club on my radar was "Student Housing", and it is this dark, melancholic indie rock-scape bursting with energy barely contained in its subtler moments, then thrusting into prominence at just the right times. It's frantic, it's angular, it's weird, it's jazzy, it's extremely my shit.
The REST of the album however is the kind of music that expends all of its energy to convince you it's not trying, only to feel like bullshit because you know they had to try really hard to get that lazy. Lots of sloppy playing, lo-fi, slurred almost but not quite out of key singing (that's the tell right there; if they really didn't give a fuck there would be no melody)...The only other two songs worth a shit on here are the title track and if I'm being the most altruistic 503c in the universe "Tethering" is listenable at best. This could have been so much more, but they want to sound sleepy. What a waste.
Miya Folick "Premonitions" ****
Vocally reminiscent of Paula Cole. As far as 80's pastiche synth-tastic indie music goes, this is on the well done side. "Cost Your Love" definitely stood out. "Stock Image" was good too. "Leave The Party" reminds me of St. Vincent and David Byrne's collab album, but if Train had written the first draft of the lyrics (kind of dumb and banal, but they took out the worst lines, y'know?) "Stop Talking" is pretty fun in a bouncy way. Then "Deadbody" hit and a passion and ferocity I didn't see coming took over.
It crystallized this album for me and made me pay real attention. It made me think about what I'd already heard and made me want to listen again. It made it real. And it definitely benefited the follow-up track "Baby Girl", which might have been too whispy for me in another context, but now the emotional core of it resonated with me. "Deadbody" tuned me to the right frequency whereas before I was just to the side of it. Parallel, maybe even touching it, but not quite getting the message. The closer "What We've Made" is the Lagrange point between Tori Amos, Kate Bush and St. Vincent. The influences are readily apparent, but the lyrics are from somewhere else.
This album takes awhile for you to be made aware of its full scope, but once you get there you may find you don't want to leave.
The Heavy "Sons" * and 1/2
There's no way around it: This shit is wack. It's energetic and its imitation of genre tropes gone by is spot on, but it sounds like a 30-minute car commercial. It's gritty rock and roll soul with the grit traded for slick production, but that's not even it really. It's that the sound itself has been so co-opted by advertising that you cannot distinguish the two. And it's killed the music. When I first heard The Heavy's debut in 2013 I thought it was kind of neat. They really haven't deviated from that at all, but the culture has shifted. I don't want a Kia Sorento. It doesn't matter how good they play, how much went into writing, how much soul you deliver...if this sound is your target, you're gonna sound like Target. (It also doesn't help most of these songs are basically the same save for the last two; just thought I'd...elbow these poor saps while they're down.)
Cave In "Final Transmission" *** and 1/2
Is it weird I'd put this second or third behind Jupiter in Cave In's discography? It is, but that's the sort of thing you're supposed to phrase as a question, so just roll with it.
I was never a fan of the band's screamy period, so after only liking a song or three from Until Your Heart Stops I never even listened to their debut. Creative Eclipses had two songs I liked, Jupiter is good all the way through but I have to be in the mood for it, Tides Of Tomorrow was decent but harder to remember, Antenna is only useful through "Seafrost", Perfect Pitch Black was the demos of a band trying to do two things at once and succeeding at neither, Planets Of Old had one and a half decent songs on it, and the less said about White Silence the better. Somehow these pre-production demos turned into an album because of the untimely death of Caleb Scofield have become one of Cave In's most solid releases.
It makes me wonder what they would have sounded like had they been seen through to their full fruition. Most ideas on Final Transmission are simple, some of which don't even have a B riff (just the one), like they hadn't put the twists and turns in there yet. But even in their proto-state, the songs on this album wind up being the space rock we've come to know and expect out of Cave in. (There's even a nod to the old guard, with the final track being a yell fest for the fuckers who want "Until Your Heart Stops: The Next Generation".)
These songs were recorded between late 2017-early 2018, with the title track/intro being Caleb's last message to the band, a solo performance of a song idea e-mailed to them to work on later. A later that never came because of an unfortunate accident. If this is the note Caleb Scofield's musical legacy has to go out on, it's a pretty damn good one.
Eat Your Heart Out "Florescence" ** and 1/4
If you're looking for mid-2000's pop emo with a vocalist that can actually sing, this will hit the spot. It's not 100% my jam, and by track 3 I was like "Okay, I get the point," but it's well put together. It's gets the job done.
Whew! That's a lot to take in. It's been that kind of year on the music front, and sonic agony and ecstasy will continue to deluge from the heavens as long as streaming exists. It's just how it be now. Hope you enjoyed the reviews, hope you heard about something you like and I hope you like the new look of the blog! It'd been three years and I felt like it needed a fresh coat of paint. So until we meet again, peace be with you.
If you're not familiar with the story, Lil Nas X licensed a beat off a Scottish Soundcloud DJ for $50 (that samples Nine Inch Nails), made it into a country/hip-hop hybrid meme song, it got big enough on TikTok to chart, the Nashville Country music establishment didn't think it was "Country" enough so Billboard removed it from the chart, Lil Nas X's camp got Billy Ray Cyrus to hop on the remix, the song shot immediately to #1 on the Hot 100, and it's been there for 11 weeks. It has become the biggest source of thinkpiece fuel in the music blogosphere in 2019, and it is fucking everywhere on the radio. Now that I'm having to hear a radio on the way to work, I hear it at least once every weekday.
But until now, this has been the only song officially released by Lil Nas X. There were some demos on Soundcloud, but most people have been waiting for an official album or EP. Well, wait no longer because the day has finally arrived.
What will it sound like? Will it be any good? Will it feel rushed? Will it just be generic trap and bow to trends? Or will it be something unexpected? Let's find out:
Lil Nas X "7" *** and 7/8
For the record, I do prefer the Billy Ray Cyrus version of the song and holy shit does that feel weird to say. When "Achy Breaky Heart" was out, this man was the bane of my existence. I've spent most of my life downright loathing country music, and he was one of the worst examples: ubiquitous, redneck and earwormy too. Weird Al doing a parody about how overplayed it got softened the blow over time, but still...woof. If younger me knew I was enjoying Billy Ray Cyrus, he'd suspect pod people were involved.
Anyway, "Old Town Road" is, despite its basic nature and stock lyrics, catchy as fuck. I'm still only sort of sick of it despite hearing it a hundred times. I still like it a lot. I hope it breaks "Despacito" and "One Sweet Day"'s tie of 16 weeks at number one. Fuck it. And yes, Billy Ray Cyrus adds to the song. The chorus sounds fuller now, the whistle at the end is a nice touch and a third verse fills it out to make it sound complete.
Okay, that's all well and good. That's what got us in the door. Now, what does the rest of 7 sound like? Well, a lot of things, actually. A lot of disparate elements that make for an interesting ride. Let's go track by track:
"Panini" has interesting color to it. I really like the synth line and the chorus sounds magic in that bittersweet way I'm a sucker for. The lyrics are...lacking, but I don't find them too distracting. It's also only 1:48, so I'm not sure what to make of it after one listen.
"F9mily" is an electronic alternative rock song. All hip hop pretense has been discarded and we've got moody yet punky guitar chords, a driving rock beat and...look, this guy's not gonna win any poet laureate credentials, okay? But though the lyrics are simplistic, they work. The vibe is important above all else.
"Kick It" is something that would be kind of interchangeable with anything else on a hip hop station right now...except...there's a saxophone cutting in and out like they're having this conversation outside a jazz club or something, and halfway in live drums (which weren't on the rock song, but here we are) kick in and that is a welcome surprise. It elevates it above whatever random Drake song I just heard on the shuttle today.
"Rodeo" is the first indication of a willingness to continue the country/hip-hop fusion and out of fucking nowhere completely unannounced is Cardi B adding a needed dose of punch and attitude. The lyrics in the verses are kind of...douchey seems too strong, but they're kind of...seedy. Yeah, that's it. Seedy. The narrator isn't somebody I'd necessarily hang around with, but it paints a decent picture of the character.
"Bring U Down" is a dark pop rock song. I feel like this EP is drawing inspiration from early to mid 2000's garage rock or something. But then "C7osure (You Like)" is a friggin' lo-fi track, complete with heavy vinyl static, but replaces a warbling stutter beat for a simplistic yet faster than normal disco rhythm (four on the floor, but the hi-hat on the syncopation). I really dig the vocal harmony in the song and the sentiment of the conclusion:
"Pack my past up in the back, oh, let my future take ahold
This is what I gotta do, can't be regrettin' when I'm old"
The last track is the original Billy Ray Cyrus-less version of "Old Town Road", essentially as a bonus track. All in all this EP impresses me. I liked every song, some of them quite a bit. And to answer the question from the opening: No. This doesn't feel rushed or forced. Lil Nas X goes in quite a few different directions on 7 and all of them ended up working for me. I hope this catches on, because I really want to see what Lil Nas X has in store for years to come.
So, you may have noticed Billy Ray Cyrus played a part in this. Well, he actually released an album a few weeks back, so I figured "Why the hell not?" Aside from Hellyeah (and that barely counts since they're from a genre I like), I haven't reviewed much from outside my comfort zone this year. I've forgone the old process of reviewing hot-take style (mostly) and listen to the whole thing instead of the iTunes previews like I used to do (and can't anymore cuz R.I.P. iTunes). So since a) I've listened to 123 albums from 2019 already and b) there's still 31 on my list to check out with another 12 (that I know about) on the horizon, I haven't had a lot of time or will to review albums that I don't want to listen to. But hey, Billy Ray acquitted himself nicely on "Old Town Road". Maybe he isn't terrible now. How bad could it be, right?
Billy Ray Cyrus "The SnakeDoctor Circus" * and 1/2
Yes, SnakeDoctor is one word. Don't ask me why.
The lyrics on "Guns, Gold & Guitars" are weird and don't really work; the insistence on forcing chickens into the metaphor (which wasn't really clear even on second listen what the metaphor was...) something about Navy Seals whipping out Telecasters and...I dunno. The lyrics are certainly something. The song has a deep baritone undercurrent in the pedal steel and lead vocal, paired with soulful backup singers. Probably the best thing on the album.
"The Reckoning" is a twangy folk song that I think is taking a dig at the Trump administration. He makes mention of Hispanic disenfranchisement, Colin Kaepernick's protest, corporate greed and "the new clown of the apocalypse stabbing the truth as he slides onto the stage". Musically it's a dime a dozen, but lyrically it's on point.
"Barely Enough" and "Goddess Of Democracy" seem like badly executed Bruce Springsteen knockoffs. If I wanted to hear that, I'd review "Western Stars" (Oooooh...). The singing on "I Think Your Time's Come" is really bad. The lyrics don't help much either, even though I agree with them that warmongering is bad. "The Blood Of The Devil" is a listless, rootsy ballad that doesn't really go anywhere. By the time I hit "Angel In My Pocket" I gave up on this album having anything else to offer. I dutifully listened to "Take It Easy Greazy" but got nothing out of it.
"I've Been Around" however has a really cool melancholy mode to it that elevates it beyond a whispy nothing of an acoustic ballad and makes it redeemable. What's more is this blue note hits on the word "found", as in "I've been lost; I've been found". Is that the sad part? Interesting choice.
One thing I realized listening to this album is I think I've hated country for so long because it feels like badly done Southern Rock most of the time. And modern country seems like badly done pop and trap, so eh, more of the same. When it has grit and soul to it and plays to its unique traits, it can be done well ("Guns, Gold & Guitars", "The Reckoning" and "I've Been Around"). When it relies on tropes, twang and folksiness to carry it through it sounds like stale ass and I tune out.
And while we're on the subject of the Cyrus family, Billy Ray's daughter Miley just dropped a new EP and a two song single (the latter under her character's name from the Black Mirror episode she was just in). So why don't we make this a triple main event! You wanna talk about someone who has a wildly diverse discography look no further than Miley freaking Cyrus. She was a Disney Channel character who tried to edge into early Obama administration adult pop, came back with a twerk-tastrophe that made her a household name, followed that up with a double album of stupefyingly horrid psychedelic music backed by The Flaming Lips, then did a country album and now...
Miley Cyrus "SHE IS COMING" * and 1/2
...what the fuck are we doing here?
"Mother's Daughter" certainly sounds like a real song if you don't actually listen to the words. That's probably meaner than it needs to be. It's...honestly not the worst attempt at a pop song; the singing is decent enough, the bass gives it enough teeth to go with the drums. But "Unholy" is lame. It's self-defeating in its attempt to be edgy, then to subvert its own edginess by saying "So what? So's everyone else" when talking about how drunk, high and/or unholy she is. It winds up being about nothing and highlighting its own emptiness instead of subverting it.
"D.R.E.A.M." is better. It's still a little try-hardish with lyrics about poppin' Molly, but it succeeds where "Unholy" failed because it owns it. "Drugs Rule Everything Around Me" is the acronym. Then Ghostface Killa says some shit that doesn't connect at all and then...
Rupal just gets nasty? Okay, I'm with it. Miley raps slightly better than Debby Harry on "Rapture", but "Cattitude" is...duuuuumb so it winds up working in a weird way? Not something I'd listen to on the reg, but it's amusing enough that I can't hate it.
"Party Up The Street" is not good, in fact it barely held my attention until Miley makes an explosion noise with her mouth before the last chorus and I got a chuckle out of it. It's endearing in fits and starts, but yikes the singing is off key. I like the strings on the outro, but this song could have been a lot better if the two singers weren't so sour together.
"The Most" is actually pretty good. All of a sudden Miley's on a track where her voice works for once, it has lyrics I believe, the music isn't awe-inspiring but it definitely makes the mood. I wouldn't mind hearing it again.
So, we'll just pretend for now the "SHE" in the title of "SHE IS COMING" is Ashley O and segue into:
Ashley O (aka Miley Cyrus) "On A Roll" [single] *
Ever want to hear a pop/trap version of "Head Like A Hole" by Nine Inch Nails with the words changed to an anthem of positivity? Nah, me neither. Shit is weak. (What is it with this family getting tangentially involved with Nine Inch Nails lately?)
"Right Where I Belong" is actually a much better track, sounding like a modernized version of what Lady Gaga was doing on Artpop. Best song on either Miley release.
Still hungry for more? Good. Because the reviews just keep on coming!
Truth Club "Not An Exit" * and 3/4
Super disappointing album. The song that put Truth Club on my radar was "Student Housing", and it is this dark, melancholic indie rock-scape bursting with energy barely contained in its subtler moments, then thrusting into prominence at just the right times. It's frantic, it's angular, it's weird, it's jazzy, it's extremely my shit.
The REST of the album however is the kind of music that expends all of its energy to convince you it's not trying, only to feel like bullshit because you know they had to try really hard to get that lazy. Lots of sloppy playing, lo-fi, slurred almost but not quite out of key singing (that's the tell right there; if they really didn't give a fuck there would be no melody)...The only other two songs worth a shit on here are the title track and if I'm being the most altruistic 503c in the universe "Tethering" is listenable at best. This could have been so much more, but they want to sound sleepy. What a waste.
Miya Folick "Premonitions" ****
Vocally reminiscent of Paula Cole. As far as 80's pastiche synth-tastic indie music goes, this is on the well done side. "Cost Your Love" definitely stood out. "Stock Image" was good too. "Leave The Party" reminds me of St. Vincent and David Byrne's collab album, but if Train had written the first draft of the lyrics (kind of dumb and banal, but they took out the worst lines, y'know?) "Stop Talking" is pretty fun in a bouncy way. Then "Deadbody" hit and a passion and ferocity I didn't see coming took over.
It crystallized this album for me and made me pay real attention. It made me think about what I'd already heard and made me want to listen again. It made it real. And it definitely benefited the follow-up track "Baby Girl", which might have been too whispy for me in another context, but now the emotional core of it resonated with me. "Deadbody" tuned me to the right frequency whereas before I was just to the side of it. Parallel, maybe even touching it, but not quite getting the message. The closer "What We've Made" is the Lagrange point between Tori Amos, Kate Bush and St. Vincent. The influences are readily apparent, but the lyrics are from somewhere else.
This album takes awhile for you to be made aware of its full scope, but once you get there you may find you don't want to leave.
The Heavy "Sons" * and 1/2
There's no way around it: This shit is wack. It's energetic and its imitation of genre tropes gone by is spot on, but it sounds like a 30-minute car commercial. It's gritty rock and roll soul with the grit traded for slick production, but that's not even it really. It's that the sound itself has been so co-opted by advertising that you cannot distinguish the two. And it's killed the music. When I first heard The Heavy's debut in 2013 I thought it was kind of neat. They really haven't deviated from that at all, but the culture has shifted. I don't want a Kia Sorento. It doesn't matter how good they play, how much went into writing, how much soul you deliver...if this sound is your target, you're gonna sound like Target. (It also doesn't help most of these songs are basically the same save for the last two; just thought I'd...elbow these poor saps while they're down.)
Cave In "Final Transmission" *** and 1/2
Is it weird I'd put this second or third behind Jupiter in Cave In's discography? It is, but that's the sort of thing you're supposed to phrase as a question, so just roll with it.
I was never a fan of the band's screamy period, so after only liking a song or three from Until Your Heart Stops I never even listened to their debut. Creative Eclipses had two songs I liked, Jupiter is good all the way through but I have to be in the mood for it, Tides Of Tomorrow was decent but harder to remember, Antenna is only useful through "Seafrost", Perfect Pitch Black was the demos of a band trying to do two things at once and succeeding at neither, Planets Of Old had one and a half decent songs on it, and the less said about White Silence the better. Somehow these pre-production demos turned into an album because of the untimely death of Caleb Scofield have become one of Cave In's most solid releases.
It makes me wonder what they would have sounded like had they been seen through to their full fruition. Most ideas on Final Transmission are simple, some of which don't even have a B riff (just the one), like they hadn't put the twists and turns in there yet. But even in their proto-state, the songs on this album wind up being the space rock we've come to know and expect out of Cave in. (There's even a nod to the old guard, with the final track being a yell fest for the fuckers who want "Until Your Heart Stops: The Next Generation".)
These songs were recorded between late 2017-early 2018, with the title track/intro being Caleb's last message to the band, a solo performance of a song idea e-mailed to them to work on later. A later that never came because of an unfortunate accident. If this is the note Caleb Scofield's musical legacy has to go out on, it's a pretty damn good one.
Eat Your Heart Out "Florescence" ** and 1/4
If you're looking for mid-2000's pop emo with a vocalist that can actually sing, this will hit the spot. It's not 100% my jam, and by track 3 I was like "Okay, I get the point," but it's well put together. It's gets the job done.
Whew! That's a lot to take in. It's been that kind of year on the music front, and sonic agony and ecstasy will continue to deluge from the heavens as long as streaming exists. It's just how it be now. Hope you enjoyed the reviews, hope you heard about something you like and I hope you like the new look of the blog! It'd been three years and I felt like it needed a fresh coat of paint. So until we meet again, peace be with you.
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