Album Review- Black Pistol Fire

When I was a teenager, we lived in the country and a main outlet for music for me was Canada’s MuchMusic. Yes, the easy explanation was Canada’s MTV but due to Canadian content laws, there was a lot of homegrown music. There were some great bands I discovered and they fill the spectrum of hitting fame in US to being nearly completely obscure here (Crash Test Dummies, Barenaked Ladies, The Pursuit of Happiness, Tragically Hip, Blue Rodeo, Moist, Northern Pikes, Grapes of Wrath and many many more) Now over two decades later, one of my sources for new music is also Canadian- and that is the alt-rock and alt-country channels on SiriusXM. Which of course, I find hilarious since they are listed as ‘Canadian’ like it’s a genre like jazz or R&B or Country or Opera. In any case, a band that gets quite a bit of AirPlay there that has caught my ears is the Austin based (via Canada) band Black Pistol Fire. Which like the bands I mentioned above, surprise me that they aren’t huge here. (Some other artists that I have been turned on to are The Beaches and Dan Mangan). The band that immediately springs to mind is the Black Keys. It’s that same mix of garage punk and Southern rock. (Oddly though they seem perfectly post-Auerbach, besides the Black Keys you can probably draw lines to the Black Pumas, not that far away in their ability to make a noise like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and this is probably a stretch but the similar aspects of the Black Crowes is close enough for the Black superfecta.) They do seem an obvious choice for the current American alt rock scene (the Arctic Monkeys comes up repeatedly in comparison in reviews, the vocals for sure. Queens of the Stone Age as well and the Kings of Leon if more in spirit than execution). Yet they probably could easily fit in this slightly more mature folk rock/blues rock group of recent-year bands like Nathaniel Ratliff and the Night Sweats, Kaleo and the Record Company. You could probably make an argument that they’re too polished, but the talent is there. Their success in Canada is no joke, but with radio being what it is, I’m not sure what a breakthrough looks like for this band in America. But this is a pretty solid alt rock record - perfect for radio but a rewarding listen. One can only imagine that the band is on a trajectory to break American radio, but such things are never guaranteed. In any case, this is a record that should be heard if Modern Day FM Rock Radio is your thing. 2021 - Black Hill/ Round Hill

Album Review- The Specials

I rate 2019’s Specials reunion album Encore highly. It got mixed reviews (the three-star review on Allmusic qualifies it for inclusion on my ‘underappreciated’ list.). While a reunion album can sometimes start off with excitement vibes (the Damned’s “Evil Spirits” for example), I think Encore really stands up as a standout record. Covid changed plans for millions, and so the Specials follow up was not what it was supposed to be. Instead, the band decided to do an album of covers with a focus on protest songs, and specifically staying away from Dylan and Lennon and Guthrie for more obscure choices. But even then, Protest Songs 1924-2012 is not an expected album. The Specials have largely been defined by their debut album and that is a sound that is absent here. After that initial shock, one realizes that the listener should move on. Terry Hall expanded his sound in Fun Boy Three and the Colourfield and artists change and grow. Secondly, the band’s core is Hall, Lynval Golding and Horace Panter. In a world of dubious reunion lineups, no doubt this is the core of the Specials. The album’s concept recalls Chumbawamba’s English Rebel Songs 1381-1984 but that album was quite different from anything else- largely a capella or at least minimal in instrumentation and largely pre-19th Century. Most of the Specials’ selections tend to the obscure, even if the artists referenced are not- Staples Singers, Leonard Cohen, Talking Heads, Big Bill Broonzy, Frank Zappa, Rod McCuen, and Bob Marley, for example. I suppose that the criticism of lead single Freedom Highway holds for the album. A poppy sound throughout with a lack of gravitas. On Everybody Knows, the band mimics Cohen to little positive or negative effect (and from the reviews I read, no one is particularly fond of the original either, which I strongly disagree with. I love the original). Black Brown and White is strong and would have fit on Encore. It is a bit sing-songy, but like the best songs here, it sticks in the listener’s ear. It should be no surprise that the song’s biggest impact is pushing the listener to Broonzy’s original. Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Us Around is one of the stronger song - bridging 60s protest and gospel and modern sensibility, though the a capella song may recall the Housemartins more than punk rock. The album has a couple of more highlights. - My Next Door Neighbor which is almost old time late 50s Jump Blues and Soldiers Who Want to Be Heroes- which is an anti-war song that could have been written in 1971 (as it was) or 2007 or 1917 for that matter and these songs are probably the closest the band gets to Chumbawamba’s agit-prop non- traditional pop. Critics don’t generally like (or at least “get”) the former, but somehow it works. The latter is perhaps more shocking 50 years later -saved by two things- released in perhaps the height of anti-war sentiment in the US and written by Rod McKuen, as strong tunessmith as anyone. The album ends with “Get Up Stand Up”. Now, I would warn most artists to avoid Marley (and Dylan and Bowie), but I doubt I will find too much criticism on this cover. The band brings it to a crawl and Golding performs the lyrics in such a way, the listener is hanging on his every word. For those who are diehard fans of that first Specials record, I would be remiss not to mention that Neville Staple has continued a solo career that is largely grounded in 2-Tone style ska for Cleopatra Records. He has a new record as well, which isn’t particularly boundary breaking but worth a listen if you fit the description of the listener above.

Album Review- Duran Duran

I could probably write a book about Duran Duran and my fandom, but perhaps I should keep it simple here.

I really dug 2007s Red Carpet Massacre- a mostly ballyhooed collaboration between the band and a group of hit artists like Justin Timberlake and Timbaland. Three albums later, my first thought on Future Past is that it is Duran Duran trying to modernize their sound. Then I realized for all the highs and lows, DD has always tried to meet the times with whatever new material that they have.

Having said that, the plaudits that go with the new album are good evidence of the band nailing that connection here.

One can’t help but notice the cameos here- Giorgio Moroder, Mark Ronson, Tove Lo, longtime Bowie sideman Mike Garson and the Japanese rock band Chai.

Of course, guests don’t make an album like this (not that these aren’t generally inspired additions) but I think there are a couple things worth noting. British DJ/Remixer Erol Alkan seems to be credited as main producer here with the band and he undoubtedly knows what to do with them.

The other is Blur’s Graham Coxon filling in the guitarist role that had been Andy Taylor’s ( and later Warren Cuccurullo’s). I think that is a welcome addition whereas the band split out duties over multiple guitarists last album.

I think it works because it fits the band, whereas recent attempts sound like the band “trying” to sound contemporary.

I think the best place to start analyzing is “More Joy”. The song combines elements of early oughts House, Shonen Knife style punk, 80s synth, 70s glam stomp and maybe even a bit of 90s Parklife. It is at once, almost so over the top that it is preposterous, and at the other, a realization that it works. “Tonight United” follows a same pattern and is a highlight because of the simplicity - anthemic pop. It is the sound of a band that sounds like they are living in a music video- which fittingly is the sound who recorded Girls on Film and Rio.

“Anniversary” is another track that sounds like a single and would slip in unnoticed on a Duran greatest hits disc.

It’s the same formula that they use when they slow things down on Nothing Less with its repetitive effect. There’s no bum tracks here though the collaborations you expect the most of (the hit singer Tove Lo and Aladdin Sane’s keyboardist Garson aren’t bad, but I find the two songs generally unremarkable). Critics and fans tend to be harshest on the Ivorian Doll collaboration rap-infused Hammerhead but I think it fits in place nicely.

Still, to its benefit, LeBon’s vocals are strong, as is John Taylor’s bass work and it seems like you can draw a straight line from the Arcadia album 35+ years earlier. Coxon as guitarist is a difference maker as well.

Duran Duran albums at this point reminds me of Blondie- a combination of trying to catch the past while eyeing modern pop charts. The album credits filled with guests all over the musical spectrum. Like the last Blondie album (and unlike the last couple of Duran albums) there seems to be someone in control steering the ship. Then you add the fact that everyone sounds like they are having a blast.

Ironically, the reasons people might not like this record are those given for not liking the original Nagel-and-yachts Fab 5, which is mindless synth pop. But on Future Past, mindless synth pop sounds like the bands choice and fans are likely to love it.

Album Review- Jubilee by Japanese Breakfast

You know I constantly make fun of the more popular Indie Music review sites. At the end of the year, their Best Of lists nearly all match. That doesn’t happen when my friends do the same. That’s because these sites don’t want to be left out of their popularity contest. But, of course, sometimes they do get things right, and when Jubilee by Japanese Breakfast gets put on those lists this year, well, she/they will definitely deserve it. Also typical of the music industry, JB has been nominated by the Grammys as best new artist (5 years and 2 albums after their debut). In any case, I will make a case that “Paprika” is the best song of the year. While I don’t think another song on the record hits that mark (surely an impossibility anyway) it’s a good album that really hits my buttons. Think of dream pop like Alvvays mixed with Beach House and a touch of confessional rock a la Mitski with even a bit of baroque pop, similar to say, Beirut. “Be Sweet” is probably as close as a hit as one gets in the fragmented radio world of today. It’s hard not to ponder how big it really might have been in an atmosphere 15-20 years ago. If “Be Sweet” is too commercially tinged for people brought in by “Paprika”, then “ Kokomo, IN” swings the listener back, and “Slide Tackle” straddles a line between the poles While one can find room for criticism - it’s perhaps too short (under the rather standard 40 minutes) and as is often the case, front loaded with strong songs but a weak back half-it is an album that deserves the many plaudits soon headed this way, and will still be an enjoyable listen years from now when Pitchfork et al., have moved on to the next thing.

Album Review- Limbo by Clan of Xymox

I’ve spent some time talking about A Clan of Xymox, the long running dark wave band led by Ronny Moorings and last year’s Spider on the Wall album. Limbo is the newest album and the follow up to last year's Spider on the Wall. In some ways, it is better in that musically, this is a great beginning to end listen, recalling late 80s dark wave and the early 00s dark wave revival. That absolutely presses all my right buttons. But the album lacks the variety and ambition of its predecessor, so while it’s a great listen, it’s not a particularly memorable one. Vocals are pushed into the background in preference of atmosphere. Ironically, I think the albums theme works against it. Five years ago, dystopian themes might propel a dark wave album like this. But with titles like “Lockdown”, “Big Brother”, “Brave New World” and even yes, “Dystopia”, the track listing sounds at worst, like a loony conspiracy theorist, and at best, unimaginative. Still, this far into their career, CoX have nothing left to prove, and it’s unlikely Limbo will be many people’s introduction to the band (though if it is, it’s a very accessible one). But for an audience accustomed to Xymox and their musical descendants, this is a pretty good genre-style record.

Album Review- Prince

 Everyone knows the legend. Prince has an endless amount of music that has never been released. I will say I have been very happy with Piano and Microphone 1983, Originals and Welcome 2 America and at this point, I would be pleased with one new Prince album a year for the next half century, which seems possible.

Now, although we picture some lost treasure lode, we know all about lost tracks, right? There are rarely classics that never left the shelf. What we may find is some extra songs from an artist’s fertile period (“Scarlet” by the Stones comes to mind). But the process of discovery is exciting.

I would add that even if there is a stigma around otherwise half-baked songs, there probably shouldn’t be. While not considered in serious discussions, I am a huge fan of Bob Marley’s “Iron Lion Zion” and the Beatles “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love”

21st Century Prince isn’t particularly fruitful. Not his fault, of course. Almost every artist with that many albums has used their bag of tricks. Expectations are too high for reality. It is bad enough that we want it to be as good as Dirty Mind or Sign O The Times or Purple Rain, but also as good as Stankonia or Let Love Rule or The ArchAndroid

Like Bowie and Lou Reed, we as fans almost immediately realized how hard we were on the artist, and would give anything for even a new three star album of material. Pitchfork recently did a feature where they re-reviewed albums (an exercise that made me like them less than more) and they bumped up 3121.

I’m not quick to name any 21st Century Prince as essential, but you may already know I particularly love his Plectrum Electrum collaboration with 3rd Eye Girl. I also rate Musicology over the slightly more loved 3121 as towards the top of the Prince album list.

Welcome 2 America gets big points for feeling like a record that Prince would write in 2021. Although, the idea of a theme is a bit overplayed in reviews, it does generally feel like what one would imagine Prince writing circa Black Lives Matter, George Floyd and related news headlines.

So we can quickly mark that this isn’t as good as his 80s albums and not as good as his 90s albums, but W2A is better than most of his recent output.

I think a point in favor is that this seems to be shaped with the purpose of an album. A bit of conventional wisdom is that the album was recorded with Tal Wilkenfield with a power trio in mind, but when she couldn’t tour to support, it was shelved.

I’m not sure how much to credit Wilkenfield or Morris Hayes, but I tended to think even though Prince could do everything on his own, he often sounded more inspired when working with collaborators. Nor do I know what shape the tapes were when Hayes got them, though the sound is contemporary and full, surely this is at least partially to his credit.

I suspect the parts make the whole better. The opener is what you might expect to set the theme, followed by Running Game and Born 2 Die -none of which might stand up as singles but coalesce as a strong political statement. All three song mostly spoken as much sung, Born 2 Die is the apex of this three song start- a bit more light jazz than you might hope for, at least at this point, Prince has your attention.

The album continues the next two tracks with its vibe with Prince sharing center stage with his three NPG singers. Hot Summer is too short to reach Classic Single status as well but it’s got the right feeling.

At this point, the album peaks with one of Prince’s strongest late-career songs Stand Up and B Strong. Like another late classic Anotherlove, this song ironically is a cover. As many great original songs as Prince wrote in his long career, at the end he knew how to find a great song and make it his (as others had done to his songs).

While one might not be surprised that Prince covered a Minneapolis artist, picking what is basically a Bon Jovi-esque anthem from a band’s ninth album is an unlikely pick, he (and quite frankly the band) really make it something transcendent (the original song is better than my description makes it out to be, but it pales in comparison).

The album’s back end is less notable, even if the songs are catchy, they don’t necessarily stand out. Despite critics claiming otherwise, the social thread does manage to flow through the entire record. These songs do fit in, though, which goes to recommending the album.

As someone who anticipated every new Prince album and usually felt slight disappointments, Welcome 2 America ultimately is on the list of better albums in the latter part of his career. I would to think Prince would be happy with it.