Since forming in 2015, Big Thief have been busy with their latest, Double Infinity being their sixth studio album. This also follows up singer Adrianne Lenker’s excellent solo album from last year, Bright Future. Songs such lead track “Incomprehensible” and the meandering “No Fear” layer on effects on top of very good indie rock songs. “Los Angeles” keeps driving but in a laidback way, singing about the city where “the ocean is bright and blue”, “Words” adds fuzzy guitar to the sound.
The ten verses of the title track rollout easily before the album closes with three very good tracks including “Grandmother” that features the vocalizing of Larraji and the repeated lines of “Happy With You”. The band’s first without original bassist Max Oleartchik is an easy album to listen to, drifts along while also pulling up some weeds in its crystal waters.
After extensively touring the Veckatimest album, Grizzly Bear took time off before regrouping to work on their fifth studio album, Shields. The band reconvened in Marfa, Texas before scrapping those sessions and starting again at singer Ed Droste’s family’s house in Cape Cod with bassist Chris Taylor once again producing. The foursome created an album that was a bit more raw and in your face than previous efforts. First track and single, “Sleeping Ute” is dramatic with crashing guitars and drums and “Half Gate” gets darker, more sinister as it wears on.
On several tracks, it’s the drumming of Christopher Bear that really stands out. His work on “Speak in Rounds” stands out amongst in the intricate guitar work, and the rhythm section really lock in during the excellent “A Simple Answer”. Both Ed Droste and fellow singer Daniel Rossen both have their moments among the album’s 10 tracks. A true collaborative effort, Shields was the band’s highest charting album in the US (#7) and is another excellent piece of work.
Closing the chapter on the Erotica/SEX book era, Madonna continued into the 90s with a gaggle of co-songwriters/producers/arrangers on 1994’s Bedtime Stories. Initially working with producer Shep Pettibone, Madonna decided to move in an R+B/New Jack Swing direction with several producers including mega producers Babyface, Dallas Austin, and Brit Nelle Hooper.
The album starts off promising with “Survival” a decent track with this new sound before the acoustic guitar driven single, “Secret” appears. A simple but effective beat creates a groove and while the chorus is also simple, the “mmmm, something’s coming over me” was easy for 20 somethings to sing on a drunken dancefloor. However, the nifty bass work from Meshell Ndegeocello cannot save the inane lyrics of “I’d Rather Be Your Lover”, better is the pop fun of “Don’t Stop”
Nellee Hooper lays down laid back grooves on several tracks including “Sanctuary” that contains a Herbie Hancock sample. Intriguingly, Bjork co-writes “Bedtime Story”, a throbbing beat that sees Madonna’s vocals float over top. The song points to the future sound that Madonna will carry on with on the Ray of Light album.
The two other single released from Bedtime Stories are “Human Nature” and “Take a Bow”. The former is a response to the backlash that followed the SEX book. The slinky number barely scraped into the US top 50. Far better is album closer, “Take a Bow”. A true collaboration with Babyface sees them co-write/producer together where he also handles the background vocals.
The bittersweet ballad sees Madonna say goodbye to a relationship where she’s “always been in love with you” before the stinging lyric “the show is over say goodbye” appears a few lines later. The lush production makes the song one of Madonna’s very best on an album that is warmer in sound than Erotica but doesn’t have enough truly great songs on it to make it a really good album. A 30th Anniversary edition is due for release in late November.
In the last year, all the big Britpop bands have released albums and/or performed massive concerts – Oasis, blur, and Pulp have all participated. Suede is the next band up from that early 90s period and in interviews to promote their newest album, Antidepressants, singer Brett Anderson has called out his peers and remarked that his band’s return is a continuation of releasing new and vital music; not a nostalgia act.
First song and single, “Disintegrate” is indeed vital. A throbbing beat creates a dark tension with hard hitting guitars on a track that Anderson has called a “dark celebration of your own demise” as he sings – “come down and disintegrate with me”. The drumming of Simon Gilbert is a highlight throughout, particularly on songs like “The Sound And The Summer” and tribute to Anderson’s son on “Sweet Kid”. The title track sees Anderson talk/sing like Fontaines D.C. when he says, “I’m on antidepressants, I just lie awake”.
There is a dark theme running throughout the album but still moves beyond the shadows. “Dancing With The Europeans” is a melodically catchy song and “Trance State” adds synths effects for more atmosphere. There is a warmth to the slower “June Rain”. While Anderson needlessly calls out other bands that are performing far bigger shows, Antidepressants is another solid release from the band well into their second phase.
The premier singing group to come out of the Motown label and one of the greatest groups of the 1960s, The Supremes success is blistering. Led by singer Diana Ross and with main songwriting team of Brian Holland-Lamont Dozier-Edward Holland Jr writing for them, the trio scored a staggering 12 #1 hit songs in the US. Released in 2005, Gold is a two-disc album containing all the hit singles plus a few B-sides and album tracks in near chronological order but with a few changes.
Most of the hits are on the first disc that covers the main period of the trio that also included back-up singers Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson. “Where Did Our Love Go” was their first number one single, you can hear the yearning in Ross’ vocals over a stomping beat, the chorus doesn’t appear until after the fourth verse. The horns light up “Baby Love” where Ross pleads, “Don’t throw our love away/Please don’t do me this way”. A strut and quiet confidence shines through on “Come See About Me” where Ross pushes everyone away as she waits for her boy to “come see about me”.
Perhaps the greatest 1-2 punch on any greatest hits album comes towards the end of disc one, starting with the much covered, “You Keep Me Hanging On”. A staggering song from the Holland-Dozier-Holland team with Ross expressing quiet fury and anger over a pitter-patter beat, where the back-up vocalists shine as well. Ross cuts through with the line – “why don’t you be a man about it/and set me free?”. This is followed up with the influential drumbeat of “You Can’t Hurry Love”. An expressive vocal as the woman waits for her man – yearning but in a happy, chirpy way. Both songs are highlights of music that came out in the 60s.
Disc two is where changes really start to happen. It opens with the very good “Reflections” single, the first to be credited to Diana Ross and the Supremes and their last release with the mighty Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team. Their last number one single appears next in “Someday We’ll Be Together”, the song only features Diana Ross on the track and unusually has producer Johnny Bristol heard shouting instructions on how to sing the song. Another terrific song whose vocals sound like they could have appeared on an R+B track from the 90s.
Leaving behind the usual love songs – “Love Child” was an earlier #1 single written by The Clan, a team of writers at Motown. The tracks talks of the main character growing up in a broken home and not wanting to follow up in those footsteps. This was later followed up by the single, “I’m Livin’ In Shame” where the woman leaves home, moves away to college and tries to erase the embarrassment of her well intentioned Mother while growing up. The group returns to their roots with “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” sung with The Temptations, Ross’ vocals mixing with Eddie Kendricks is pure honey on the #2 hit.
Further line-up changes in the 70s including Diana Ross leaving the group for a successful solo career and Florence Ballard no longer in the band. New member Jean Terrell takes over the lead vocals on the upbeat groover “Stoned Love” – it’s a banger! Other late period highlights include the Smokey Robinson written “Floy Joy” and “Nathan Jones” that sees the new trio singing in unison. “Up the Ladder to the Roof” hit the top ten with Terrell back on lead vocals, the pop funk is a cool track with some religious overtones.
It is certainly the massive hit singles that are the most ear catching in The Supremes catalogue but there are a few other tracks that are worth further inspection. “Run, Run, Run” barely scraped into the top 100 but sounds like a long lost Northern Soul floor filler with it’s banging piano. More commercially successful is the top ten hit, “Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart” that is another one for the dancefloor. Surprisingly only hitting #5 in the US, “My World Is Empty Without You” is more somber, and hits a bit deeper than some of their other songs, the more elegant womanly version of The Rolling Stones “Paint It Black”.
Having already written about many of the 40 songs on the Gold album, it still leaves out several #1 hit songs. Special mention to the legendary Mary Wilson who kept The Supremes going for so long and was its longest serving member through their many changes. The powerful group has inspired countless girl groups, rock bands, and pop acts. It is impossible to say enough about their status in the world of music in a short blog post. Music simply doesn’t get better than this.
The Light Appears 