If someone were to ask me, free of any context, if I generally like Metallica, I would say “yes.” There’s no denying that they are one of the most successful metal acts of all time, and thanks to my college freshman-year roommate I went through a spell where I was really into them. Now, however, they aren’t one of my favorite bands, but occasionally “Battery” or “Blackened,” or even “Fuel” goes down very well. Yet over the past decade, for a band that built their reputation on aggression and speed, the San Francisco thrashers have felt strangely inert.
Continue reading On “72 Seasons” Metallica Show That Metal is a Young Man’s GameCategory Archives: Music Review
The Mars Volta Return with a Self-Titled Album, Which Is Good Yet Still Disappointing
In the midst of the cosmic stew that we call the universe, the unexpected occurs all of the time. In the best music, as in life, sometimes forces zig when they are supposed to zag. While the result is sometimes difficult to accept, revealing the big picture makes it all seem inevitable.
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“Henki” Presents an Oddball Fantasy from Richard Dawson & Circle
It’s very uncommon nowadays to find a music release that is genuinely different from anything that has come before. Or at least, find music that is different enough from what’s around that it feels fresh. Henki, by a collaboration between English folk singer Richard Dawson and Finnish rock band Circle, is just such a release.
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Mastodon Consolidate Their Powers on the Expansive “Hushed and Grim”
No one doubts that Atlanta’s Mastodon is one of the best and biggest metal bands on the current scene. They have consistently put out engaging and complex music for their entire career, music that manages to be at once brutal, melodic, and thematically cohesive. However their past few studio releases have slowly shifted away from the bludgeoning aggression that made their initial run so gripping, towards a more mainstream sound that can fit (maybe, slightly) on the radio. Don’t get me wrong – it’s not bad stuff. Like I said, Mastodon is one of the best metal bands going, and their recent stuff is no exception. It just hasn’t been as heavy as the first half of their career.
Last year, the band released the compilation Medium Rarities, which rounded up unreleased tracks and stray live cuts from throughout their career. The included material is much more of a piece with their early stuff than the polished constructions of late. In a word, it’s raw. This made me wonder if the band was turning back to their roots, getting in touch with the aggression that made them belles of the headbanger’s ball.
This brings us to Hushed and Grim, their newest LP – a double album, no less. Inspired by the death of their longtime manager from cancer, it is a rumination on death and remembrance. Mastodon is no stranger to concept albums; in fact, almost every record they’ve ever put out has a unifying theme. They’ve never done one that’s so long, however, but all in all the double album format gives them time to stretch out, incorporate almost every facet of themselves, and put together a fantastic return to form.
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Courtney Barnett Winds Her Way to Acceptance On “Things Take Time, Take Time”
Since her stellar 2015 debut, Aussie indie rocker Courtney Barnett has staked out her territory in a very specific sound. Her lyrics are rambling observations about the minutiae of everyday life and her delivery is conversational; yet the songs are greater than the sum of their parts. Over alternatingly ragged and lackadaisical guitar, she perfectly encapsulates the feeling of aimlessness and self-doubt, zooming in on the very real emotions that can be found within the minutiae. Her first album, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit caught fire in the indie rock world. Its lead singles “Pedestrian at Best” and “Elevator Operator” are the best encapsulations of what makes her approach so fresh. There really isn’t any posing or pretensions – it’s just her, and she’s welcome.
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On “I Don’t Live Here Anymore,” The War On Drugs Get Comfortable
The best War On Drugs records blur together. The songs, while quality on their own, form a tapestry of sound that couches Adam Granduciel’s vocals in pillowy keyboard, grooving drums, and building guitar that stretch out to emotional transcendence. The Philadelphia five-piece’s last two albums, 2014’s Lost in the Dream and 2017’s A Deeper Understanding, got a lot of positive press in rock circles, and rightly so. They were deep explorations that perfectly encapsulated their respective titles. A Deeper Understanding, especially, was one of the best records of its year.
The War On Drugs’ latest release, 2021’s I Don’t Live Here Anymore, is quite a different beast. Gone are the lengthy guitar and saxophone explorations, as the band turns its energy toward producing a tight set of self-contained songs. They sound confident and comfortable, but perhaps could have used a bit more fire. The War On Drugs have always borrowed from the sounds of Eighties album rock, but here they really lean into it. Most noticeably, they use a drum machine half the time. I’m not sure what drummer Charlie Hall feels about this, but let’s just say it makes much of the music sound tepid. The synths, processed guitar, and thin percussion make it seems like they are going for a Phil Collins vibe.
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No Filter In Jacksonville
In July 2019, I had the privilege of seeing The Rolling Stones in concert as part of their No Filter tour. Now in 2021, concerts seem to be a distant memory, so I dusted off my write-up of the experience and am presenting it here in full. Hopefully it captures a bit of the live music experience that is so lacking from our current situation. Moreso, however, it provided me the oppurtunity to reflect on the meaning of going to a concert at all. I also wrote it as an homage to Hunter S. Thompson, the doctor of gonzo journalism. The piece’s writing, like the events that inspired it, were quite fun.
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Biggest Disappointments of 2020
Sometimes life gives you lemons. Life gave us orchards worth in 2020, but as I detailed earlier this week, we also got lots of great music. Inevitably, we also got a few musical lemons.
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Best of 2020
What a year was 2020. Suffice it to say, it sucked. Between environmental disasters, political and civil unrest, celebrity deaths….and oh yes, a global pandemic that has kept us fearful for our health in quarantined lockdown and caused a massive economic downturn….there was a lot to handle. Things did not go the way I envisioned them to at the start, and I join most everyone across the world in celebrating its end.
At the same time, 2020 was an A+ year for new music. Musicians are people too, and as they reacted to the same issues that we all faced, they responded as only artists can – by making art. Music seemed more vital this year than in the past several; I think that we needed it more. Isolated from our loved ones, stressed, and fearful, we turned to media for entertainment and consolation. It both took our mind off of the darkness and gave us an outlet to consider and vent our frustrations. Through lyrics and sounds, music performed its most ancient and sacred magic to bring us together and help us transcend this year of disappointments. For that, I’m ever grateful.
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Kid Cudi Brings It All Home On ‘Man On the Moon III: The Chosen’
It’s been a long trip through the woods for hip-hop artist Kid Cudi. Or, rather, a long trip to the outer reaches of space and back. Hitting the scene with this 2008 mixtape A Kid Named Cudi, he staked out his place as a new kind of rapper – one less concerned about braggadocio and materialism and more into exploring the inner spaces of his mind. On new record Man On the Moon III: The Chosen, Cudi comes back in a big way, reminding us all why we value his voice so much in the first place.
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Then Play On 