Tuesday, May 31, 2022

First Listen: New and Missed Music for 27 May

Artist: Bob Vylan
Album: Bob Vylan Presents The Price of Life
Quick Thoughts: As I play a little long weekend catch-up, I tripped up on Bob Vylan and had my mind blown away. This British duo gives a real Public Enemy by way of Rage Against the Machine fronted by Dizzie Rascal sort of thing, and it comes together as loud, angry, and unapologetic. You don't have to agree with them to enjoy what's here, but the whole package from lyrics to presentation demands real attention. I don't see how this won't end up one of my favorites of the year, because it's that good. Drop whatever it is you're doing and listen to this album.
Songs of Note: "Big Man," "He Sold Guns," "Wicked & Bad," "Pretty Songs," "Whatchugonnado?"

Artist: Georgia Harmer
Album: Stay in Touch
Quick Thoughts: It's tricky to take Canadian singer-songwriters and not simply compare them to their predecessors, and it's difficult to listen to Georgia Harmer from time to time and not hear either her aunt, Sarah Harmer, in how she presents a melody, or Kathleen Edwards in how she turns a phrase. Then there are songs like "Headrush" and "All In My Mind" that sound specific and special to her, and before you know it, you realize you're listening to something truly special. This is a great listen that flew under a lot of radars and shouldn't have, because it's one of the better recent releases.
Songs of Note: "Headrush," "All In My Mind," "Just the Feeling"

Artist: Eliza and The Delusionals
Album: Now and Then
Quick Thoughts: I'm a sucker for polished power pop, and Eliza and The Delusionals have brought the heat since their first EP in 2017. Their long-awaited full-length debut delivers on all counts, harkening back to the Letters to Cleo/Veruca Salt vibes from the turn of the century, and it just rocks. Make time for this one.
Songs of Note: "Nothing Yet," "Lonely," "Bed Song," "Save Me"

Artist: Rosie Carney
Album: i wanna feel happy
Quick Thoughts: Rosie Carney's take on Radiohead's The Bends spent a good amount of time in rotation for me during the pandemic year, and this new album shows that some of the bedroom-style instrumentation and airy quality carried over to her original songwriting in all the right ways. "Ceiling" floats away in such a gorgeous way, and "sugar" has a perfect Julien Baker-esque build. I kept being surprised by this album, and I just loved every moment. Check it out.
Songs of Note: "ceiling," "sugar," "time waits for no waiting room"

Of note:

* Melissa Weikart - Here, There (Another great folky listen this week.)
* Wilco - Cruel Country (A solid return to their roots, literally and figuratively.)
* Stars - From Capelton Hill
* Maia Friedman - Under the New Light
* Companion - Second Day of Spring
* PENDANT - Harp
* Rip Room - Alight and Resound
* Cathedral Ceilings - Summer of Misguided Dynamite
* Slow Fawns - Isolation II
* Aaron Turner and Jon Mueller - In the Falls
* Seratones - Love & Algorhythms
* WhoMadeWho - UUUU
* Dehd - Blue Skies
* Heather Woods Broderick - Domes
* Alexia Avina - A Little Older
* Lost Cat - Lost Cat
* Liam Gallagher - C'Mon You Know
* Slang - Cockroach in a Ghost Town
* Steve Earle - Jerry Jeff
* Ada Rook - UGLY DEATH NO REDEMPTION ANGEL CURSE I LOVE YOU
* Kwengface - YPB: The Archive
* Wild Wild Wets - Love Always
* HAAi - Baby, We're Ascending

EPs:

* RudeGRL and Chris Constantinou - Femme Power
* Aquarian - Mutations II: Delicious Intent
* Coco Bryce - a Cherry Riddim
* Los Saints - Welcome to Confusion
* Your Old Droog - Yod Stewart

Live albums/Compilations/Reissues:

* Liam Gallagher - Down By the River Thames

Also out:

* Honeybee - Honeybee

No comments:

Post a Comment