I heard "Trust" on YT and the symphonics and video were typically brilliant. This is also superb, especially in its measured, technically proficient yet celebratory versatility. MLC and Mills are so very complimentary and their harmonizing is addictive even. I am finding continuous joy in the little surprises, a work of expansive range. It highlights their affective transparency, social justice and creativity while shedding none of the delightful hooks/melodies we have come to deeply adore.
From the declarative, optimistic and infectious "All That I've Got," which announces the soulfulness of Mitten with a thump, the listener should clue in they're in for a treat. "742," Similar Senses," Solitary Moves" all sparkle, but so sweet "Calvacade" and infectious "You're a Runner" send this work to the heights of sonic rapture. Incredible beats.
Such an incredibly rich, developed and sophisticated first album. Neither too preening nor unstructured, it's anything but a sophomoric sounding work. Propellant HBK sets the mood for the album, whose high points are SD, SS, OAR, LIU and HL (get the picture?). But it is the truly sublime 'WAFF' that reveals the potential of these artists. All tunes showcase inspired/skillful guitar work & vocals, solid bass and amazing drums. Brilliant first album.
Extra-strength indie tunes that resist getting stale. But don't let the sweet voice, tight band & instantly addictive hooks hypnotize you. Lyrically, Ava is sending out an intelligent self-affirmative message of mental health wellness/autonomy, with lyrics like "I don't need your permission to speak my mind but if I did I'd be lying." 'Angry' and 'no good' may stand out yet all have their charms. Here's to crayon covers and dancing to the beat of your own song (oh and NiceTry's).
The Pitchfork rev. did not do this brave album justice. It ascends to the sublime, whether as ecclesiastic curses or by profane charms. Behind the impossibly upbeat, yet unsettling, 'Satan Made a Mansion' lies a ubiquitous shadow of a restless, thinly "buried past," though not quite fatal. "Eyes prettier than suicide" and the mindfulness of "how you think" in the titular bookend-however entombed by despair and pain-reassures that while ghosts may haunt, agency is ours and with it transcendence.
Cothran presents discomfiting lyricism and couples it with music that is marvelously textured. There is courageous honesty and artistic genius on display here, as in 'Her Sinking Sun,' and a prodigiously gifted mind, offered in the jubilant 'Lindsey,' metronomic 'Whatevering' and the heartrending 'Eva Angelina.' But while Cothran's compelling earnestness in disclosing the effects of contemporary dysphoria is jarring, it does inspire truth to power, and shows why artists are so necessary.
No one can accuse Stratton of terseness; his vivid lyricism (WYLYHD, ATTOTS) evokes reminiscence and substance (RF), even at times unto the "afterlight." Frenetic arpeggios (esp. on the baroque 'IFWLE') are moderated by subdued pieces like TRF. There are standout moments on P-E which benefit from collaborators, but the high-point is the 7+ minutes of the orchestral 'YD' that ascends with the aid of slow building viola, cello, violin and erupts to a Jimmy Page inspired, bliss of overdrive.
Damien Jurado's thematic concept linking three releases is original and worthy of note as is the standard of quality found therein, but if Exit 353, an early single, from the concluding installment of the trilogy is any indication of what's to come from this artist when the album is released in its entirety-wow! On 353, Jurado's experimentation is rewarded and perfectly propels the listener into a time when the protagonist is "alone" but the resultant affective beauty is collectively shared.
Sonically/thematically sublime. Soulfulness is right off apparent w/ 'SUPERMOON'. In smooth 'N.O.T,' echoes of Sade's 'Slave Song', a delightful irony follows, one that amplifies a too image-obsessed and self-conscious world w/o authentic relationships where "everyone could do w/o me." 'You' manages to capture the frustration of a social appendage, when the demure savant is overlooked. But textured 'Berlin' offers Crutchfield the optimal platform. Phenomenal percussion throughout.
Lively, jubilant rock colored with multiple over-driven but not tedious guitary goodness. The entire album is consistently strong; Low Litas provide that wall of subdued creamy noise and couple it with dreamy vocal harmonies. Makes for some sweet sonic satisfaction throughout. Standouts: Closer, LtR, SS, OBE, New Kills, GO and the brilliant Never which the band really kicks it at 2:21 in.
So delighted that Angel is finding that "hard won acceptance" that she sought and hope that her future path is one of authenticity. This work is one marked by melodious but not overwrought emotion, striking an intuitive balance of warmth and skill.
Awaited the release with some anticipation and it's been worth it. The rapturous "Lowlife" resulted in embedding an earworm since I heard it on CBC. Lyrics like "the right dreams were wrong" (on NB), or "blue blood falling from my eyes"(ND) juxtapose illusory materialism and the cosmetic w/ the substantive, which is apropos in this dysphoric era. Paired w/ gifted producer J.Lasek (The Besnard Lakes), ctznshp's ATTTS (just like DL) are singular for coordinated melody & ass-kicking power.
Hayman deserves praise on so many levels. What powerful and touching songs which inspire agency-completely brilliant and oh-so needed globally. His prodigious and substantive efforts have resurrected both wisdom borne of oppression and the resistance of progenitors who sacrificed for communal wellness. Not remarkable at all how this work resonates today and retains its poignant and merited relevance. The Voice of Toil is genius!
Heard Mission Bells on public radio (hooray for pr) and was delighted. Very strong songwriting but the way their incredibly complimentary voices interact and are set off by the very tight backing band is superb. One can hope that they will get together for more collaborations.
From the reverberating humanism of 'Buddy', where a kindred soul is not merely shelter but "a home," turning up 7" is like being with a comforting, non-judging confidant. Addicting 'Snow Fences', pines for what lies beyond the immediate but shows how sublime that mode can be. 'Basement's doleful mourning for a former love, but yet reassures since "can't get it out of my mind . . . meant to me" illustrates how we carry those indelible moments within. While "Say" is just ... perfect.
Everyone likes to "read a novel" and especially one authored by an artist on form. It proves a flight-like journey, taking place at day break with Mr. Bashi at the helm all while the "new day" dawns upon the Earth.
Bashi on form producing opiate-strength addictive synth-pop that could be at home in an arena in the late 70s or on your headphones while chilling out.
I so love this song.
Bashi here captures the paradox of self and other, the contrast between wanting and retaining, between union and independence, between love and war. Ah, but the sustained, focused texture throughout!
Here is a masterpiece by an artist whose cultural relevancy will and should grow over time.
Time reveals substance over the ephemeral and here it reveals a work by a master artist hitting his aesthetic stride. Jurado's second album in his trilogy, a paradoxical "tale of an individual who has had to disappear from society in order to discover some universal truths" is full of quirky imagery, nuanced hooks and poignant lyricism. While the neo-evangelical Jericho Road may not appeal to all, the album on the whole is charming.
Favorite Tracks: Metallic Cloud, Silver Malcolm
Brilliant. If you've the time, here's an existential journey into a "world of fading memories." Is he indicating that the real world is now hyper-medicated/lifeless, where art/feeling have been undermined by soulless business-things, deadened like zombies and incapable of being of touched or touching? Could Fantasia be beyond the real, a lyrical utopia of imagery which ascends w/music? Is this projection or Bashi's vision? Bashi knows, I don't care.
PS-'String Quartet Live' version's sublime.
