Category: Album Reviews

Posted in Album Reviews

Robert Forster – Inferno (2019)

Posted on by Michael

In a never-ending cycle of collecting music, I bought the five-disc album collection from The Go-Betweens based solely on their reputation.  Even though this is now the sixth album of Robert Forster music that I have in my (online) collection, this is the first one I’ve ever listened to. Inferno is the man’s seventh solo album and is a noted favourite of Andy Greenwald’s.  

Forster looks dapper with a great outlook on life, subtly uplifting and spiritual. “I know what it’s like to be ignored forgotten” he sings on “Remain” where the lyrics recall James Clear’s lessons of doing great work in obscurity.  To a flamenco tune, “Life Has Turned A Page” sees a family growing old where the breezy “I’ll Look After You” focuses on supporting each other in a relationship.  “Inferno (Brisbane in the Summer)” is a fiery track about the increasing heat in Australia that is burning up the country. 

After the youthful punk energy of Fontaines D.C., coming to this album is a complete 180.  “The Morning” is a reflection on waking up to the warming sun after a scary dream, both grateful and reflective.  At five minutes, last track “One Bird In The Sky” is almost epic about “eat only what I eat and breathe what I breathe”.  Clocking in at 35 minutes, Forster has created a musical short story collection about growing older and accepting who you are in this ridiculous world.

8.5/10

Posted in Album Reviews

Fontaines D.C. – Dogrel (2019)

Posted on by Michael

A commenter on Fontaines D.C.’s youtube page wondered if someone over the age of 50 could be into this new band and go see them.  It’s a true comment and one that I’m sure lots of older fans are feeling about their debut album, Dogrel.  It’s been quite a few years, maybe even going back to The Libertines that rock listeners could get swept up in the joy of discovering not just a new band but also one to believe in.  The young Dublin band came together through a love of novels and poetry but fuel that into music that is a mix of rock, punk, and indie.

One of the notable calling cards of the band is the deadpan sung/talked vocals of Grian Chattan that emphasis his Irish accent. Behind Chattan, there is heat brought in singles “Hurricane Laughter”, “Chequeless Reckless” and “Boys In A Better Land”.  “Roy’s Tune” is a softer touch to the band’s sound whereas “Liberty Belle” celebrates violence with a Ramones like stomp.  Every tune here stands on its own and in Dogrel, Fontaines D.C. have released a landmark debut.

9/10

Posted in Album Reviews

The National – I Am Easy To Find (2019)

Posted on by Michael

There is a lot to unpack when reviewing the new album from The National.  I Am Easy To Find is the follow-up to 2017’s Sleep Well Beast and it’s music is featured in short movie from director Mike Mills with several female singers appearing on the album such as Lisa Hannigan and Sharon Van Etten.  Mills is named as a co-producer on the album became a de-facto member of the group during the recording.

First single “You Had Your Soul With You” leads off the album with disorienting drums and electronics before the noise falls away with Gail Anne Dorsey singing, “you have no idea how hard I died when you left”.  “Quiet Light” is a more typical track from the band with just Matt Berninger singing and it’s added orchestration. “Oblivions” deals with the trials and tribulations of marriage with Mina Tindle offering a counterpoint to Berninger’s ruminations. Fourth single “Rylan” has been kicking around for a few years and  is another classic sounding track from the band that adds electronics and is (nearly) anthemic.

It is telling that the title track is one of the best songs but features a lyric Guided By Voices which is the part that sticks though Berninger’s low rumbling voice beneath Kate Stables’ singing “I’m still waiting for you every night with ticker tape” is great.  At 64 minutes, there are several moments that are professionally done yet just flat out dull.  It was recently noted on Steven Hyden’s twitter feed from fans that several of the new songs sound amazing live.  It is easy to imagine tracks like “Where Is Her Head” would light up a crowd.  At times the electronic bits and orchestration of Aaron and Bryce Dessner blunts the excitement and takes away from the excellent drumming of Bryan Devendorf.  While the music is mostly quite beautiful, too often it blends into the background.

7/10

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Huey Lewis and the News – Collected (2017)

Posted on by Michael

When writing reviews for this website, we mostly try to be unbiased and just listen to the music but at times that can be hard to do.  In this case it may be darn near impossible. Huey Lewis and the News was the first band that I loved that was not influenced by my parents or brothers.  They were the first band that I considered mine as no one else in the family particularily cared.  Lots of others in North America cared as the band sold albums by the boatload throughout the 80s.  Universal in the Netherlands has been releasing these three disc collections for a few years.  The first two discs focus on the hits with the third being devoted to odds, sods and rarities. 

The first disc here covers the band’s self titled debut released in 1980 through 1986’s Fore!.  A whopping 8 tracks are taken from the band’s first two albums including their first top 10 hit, “Do You Believe In Love”.  Six tracks are taken from the band’s smash hit album, Sports, that sold 7 million copies in the US alone.  Rock music is celebrated on the “Heart of Rock n Roll”, a cover of “Heart and Soul” and “I Want a New Drug” where Lewis features his famous red suit in the video were all over pop rock radio in 1984 and form the core of this disc. “Power of Love” and “Back in Time” from the Back to the Future OST bridge to the tracks from Fore!.  Somehow Bruce Hornsby co-write “Jacob’s Ladder” was a #1 single in 1987 while “Hip To Be Square” is one of their liveliest numbers. (9/10)

Disc two continues with tracks from Fore! Before moving to 1988’s Small World.  Like a lot of bands the singles being released start to be on the slower side but “Perfect World” is one of the bands more memorable hits post Fore!. Social conscience starts to creep into the tracks on singles “Small World” and “Simple as That”. Blue collar tales of struggle take over lyrics about clubs and relationships from a few years earlier.  The blue eyed soul of “(She’s) Some Kind of Wonderful” and “But It’s Alright” add a shot of adrenaline to the mix with the latter being a particular highlight.  These tracks make a case for the band being the best bar band you’ll ever hear.  Lewis’ raspy yet soulful voice is pleasing and the band effortlessly move from rock to soul and back again. (7.5/10)

Part of the band started out as Clover back in the early 70s and backed Elvis Costello for his first album, My Aim Is True, before moving back to San Francisco and forming Huey Lewis and the American Express with members of Soundhole.  Songs from that era appear including oddball disco track “Excodisco”.  Elsewhere a cover of The Beatles’ “Oh Darling” is here before remixes of several hits from the golden age.  (7/10)  Dropping a few early tracks from disc 1 and adding the better tracks from disc 2 would more than satisfy most fans.  Those Huey fans wanting a deeper dive will be rewarded with several gems that appeared after the mid 80s heyday.   

Collected – 8/10

Posted in Album Reviews

Vampire Weekend – Father of the Bride (2019)

Posted on by Michael

One of my favourite things about any new Vampire Weekend release, is the savage critique that Jim DeRogatis from Sound Opinions levels at it.  While I generally don’t agree with much he says about the band, it is an amusing counterpoint to the near ecstatic reviews the band is used to.  On Father of the Bride, this is no different. With producer and multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij no longer in the band but appearing here, it’s virtually an Ezra Koenig solo effort.  And what an effort.

Once again, the band chose to work with Modern Vampires of the City in demand producer, Ariel Rechtshaid.  Danielle Haim appears throughout the album most notably on the country sounding first track, “Hold You Now” and on what could be a lost Fleetwood Mac number from the 70s, “We Belong Together”. First single, “Harmony Hall” is the standout track from the first half of the album.  Alluding to hate speech appearing in universities, the mostly acoustic verses give way to nice piano bits in the chorus where Koenig makes the, “I don’t want to live like this, but I don’t want to die” lyric sound like an anthem.

Sharing the same name as a Charlie Puth track, “How Long”, has a slinky bassline that powers the music with a killer chorus that could easily be mistaken for the latest slick pop singer on hit radio.  One of the hardest songs here, “Sympathy”, with a vocal that sounds similar to Paul Simon, starts a run of music that is one of the best of the year.  “Stranger” also shares certain Paul Simon vocal influences but this time in a more upbeat, cheerful track.  Coming in at just over two minutes, “Sunflower” and its longer cousin “Flower Moon” both feature Steve Lacy from the band The Internet. “Sunflower” is the strongest of several shorter tracks that appear while the latter has a spoken vocal possibly influenced by Lou Reed.

Coming at eighteen tracks, there are a few slower moments like “Big Blue” that doesn’t leave much of a mark over it’s two minutes and “My Mistake” suffers the same fate. This is minor quibbles on an album that has several runs of great songs.  Coming into summer, this is definitely one to have on for long road trips and days at the beach.  Regardless of what either Sound Opinion guy says, this is one of the best releases thus far of 2019.

9/10