Something New(ish)
Quick hits and grades on fairly new releases
Pet Shop Boys - Nonetheless (Parlophone) Sounding like a reinvigorated duo, like they wanted to kick the can down the late 80’s heyday again just to see if they could, and their knees don’t give out. It remains to be seen how this will stack up lyrically but sonically not a bum track and certain to please all but the biggest cads among their fans, it’s their best album in years…but which years? Probably the best way to settle this is to listen to the pop craft, melodies, wit, and satire and judge for yourself. Really not a bum track, first this then the latest from the Cure…makes me wonder if I stepped out of a time machine. Is this as life changing as Actually or Very? No, but it is among their best albums yet. [Pick hits - “Dancing Star”, “All the Young Dudes”, “New London Boy”] Grade: A-
Geordie Greep - The New Sounds (Rough Trade) Heady albums with styles mixing knotty prog signatures, jazz like textures, crooners, jazz fusion, zappa-esque, tropicalia, and prog rock oh and yeah…Black Midi is dead. Get over that fact. This is an ambitious solo debut with so many styles infused it’s a bit all over the place, lyrically. Appreciate the reach and the technical prowess but lacks a cohesion to wrap it all up. Not something I will revisit, this album, but I really appreciate Geordie’s amazing guitar talent and guts and joie de vivre in this effort and hope there’s a focus on the next album. Can’t wait to hear what’s next. Grade: B
Mount Eerie - Night Palace ( P.W. Eleverum & Sun) As a committed fan of A Crow Looked at Me and After (Live) , and realizing those are polarizing records that are painful and raw and beautiful to immerse in from start to finish. Phil Everum has given us a beautiful large album of 26 tracks and over 80 minutes of large themes and philosophical ideas (existence, time, ecology..etc.) I see it as transition album from maybe the more deeply personal previous art to something broader. The themes that are existentialist at times and move to deeply personal either about love or his creative process, it’s a big album and covers a lot thematically and sonically. The weight of that transition album bogs this one down. It sounds great , and new the production and noises generated fit the songs, it may just need a good edit for me to want to return to it again and try to tie all the disparate parts together. Grade: B