Annie Taylor- Sweet Mortality (2020)
Posted by KB on 10/28/2020 to
Reviews In Brief
If you went by appearances you would think country rock but there is nary a twang song in the bunch. Annie Taylor's "Sweet Mortality" will remind of the Bangles with more garage. It's trippy and bass forward but quite accessible and poppy. It's an easy listen musically and lyrically. Taylor creates a nice groove with songs that build energetically with edgy accents, muted and layered vocals and fun guitar solos. There is nothing on SM that hasn't been packaged and performed before. SM is a grower. It won't hook at first but you'll pull it out after awhile and say 'why don't I listen to this more'. Sometimes its nice to have just a nice rock album that is pleasing to all.
Get CD, or Get Digital
Favorite Songs: Mr. Motivator, Anxiety, Model Village, Ne Touche Pas Moi, A Hymn
Get CD, or Get Digital
(0) Comments
Idles- Ultra Mono (2020)
Posted by KB on 10/21/2020 to
Reviews In Brief
Edited on 9/30/25
"Ultra Mono" is a jack hammer to your face. It's hard beats, loud noise and a battering ram bass and guitar assault from a band not happy with what is going on in our world but optimistic that things will turn around. It's candid, sarcastic and urgent. It's about love, acceptance and an FU to those who are assholes. It's the protest album of the year. Many will find it a difficult listen but anyone who gets through the first couple cuts will find it hard to abort it. "Ultra Mono" is an atomic mosh pit, a speeding ticket that becomes a crash, an alarm clock than spews shrapnel. Think the Hives with anger issues, but about social ills that we can all fix. Pique your interest? Hopefully I did.
••••
••••
Favorite Songs: Mr. Motivator, Anxiety, Carcinogenic, Ne Touche Pas Moi, A Hymn
Daniel Romano's Outfit- How Ill Thy World Is Ordered (2020)
Posted by KB on 10/20/2020 to
Reviews In Brief
Romano has a voice that can be startling but once you get past that you will hear the creative, interesting pop-rock with a big sound and overwhelming guitar blasts. There are countless influences woven into Romano's songs (too many to list) and it would be easy to rattle off a dozen but none are prevalent which shows how well he blends these styles into his own sound. The songs could comfortably fit into the folk-rock or psychedelic 60s or the early 90s power pop depending look at them. Two minor gripes- the Sgt Pepper style blurps which don't add anything to the songs and that Joys Too Often Hollow 1 and 2 are consecutive but on different sides of the vinyl which makes it feel like an 8track. In any case, I guarantee the more you listen the more this album will beckon you to listen even more.
Get CD, or Get Digital
Favorite Songs: A Rat Without A Tale, A Secret Still To Be Betrayed, Green Eye-Shade, Never Yet In Love, Drugged Vinegar
Get CD, or Get Digital
El Ten Eleven- Tautology (2020)
Posted by KB on 10/12/2020 to
Reviews In Brief
El Eleven didn't subscribe to the less-is-more mantra when they released "Tautology". This tight, two man, bass led and effects heavy band can prog-rock-riff with the best of them, but on the three LP "Tautology" they seemed to put everything they were working on it instead of just the best bits. Because of that the album does feel quite bloated. Dead give away is the ten minute opening song Entropy, which is one of the stronger ones. El Ten Eleven is best when they are banging through structured, dynamic ideas. You can hear it when they are. On the 'nuanced' songs (i.e. Lassitude) they feel as if they weren't sure what the purpose or goal was. Some songs start with good meat only to continue to regurgitate the same theme over and over. "Tautology" had the makings to be an all engaging, interesting album, and there is some truly good stuff here, but to achieve that they needed to pare down the less fleshed out ideas.
Get CD
Favorite Songs: Morale Dynamite, Entropy
Get CD
Frankie and the Witch Fingers- Monsters Eating People Eating Monsters (2020)
Posted by KB on 10/9/2020 to
Reviews In Brief
The best word I can use to describe "Monsters Eating People Eating Monsters" is freakout. The music, the cover and liner notes all exemplify freakout. "MEPEM" is wild abandon driven by pounding bass, pyrotechnic guitar, squawking horns, avante-garde - jam band mentality and jungle beats. Oh and good ol' hard rock. There is Thee Oh Sees (now just Oh Sees) entwined with early Santana with Sun Ra. Basically "MEPEM" is slightly bat-shit crazy. Which is its charm. "MEPEM" is best listened to in one sitting as the songs play off each other and allow the listener to meld logically into the cacophony making sense of the recording.
Get CD
Favorite Songs: Where's Your Reality, Michaeldose, Simulator, Cavehead
Get CD
Elizabeth Cook- Aftermath (2020)
Posted by KB on 10/6/2020 to
Reviews In Brief
Sirius/XM Outlaw Country DJ Elizabeth Cook is a country music historian while also an accomplished country music artist. The majority of her recording catalogue lies in the more traditional 70's country style but on "Aftermath" she goes for full gloss and mass appeal and in my opinion she did it well without totally selling herself out. Cook pushes "Aftermath" to the ledge of Carrie Underwood pop country (Bones) without completely falling in. All the pieces are there; big arena beats, rap cadence singing, acoustic guitar intros and subtle twang to get the country ambience. She pulls the listener toward radio friendly country just to tweak the formula enough to add a rock hook or sassy lyrics that are intelligent and introspective. Non-country fans will not warm to this but pop fans will and those of us not in the pop country camp will tolerate the wink that way and be all in.
Get CD, or Get Digital
Favorite Songs: Half Hanged Mary,Thick Georgia Woman, Two Chords and A Lie
Get CD, or Get Digital
