On various message boards, one constant thread is the struggle to follow new music while keeping up with ever growing physical and digital collections. It’s easier to keep up with a sliver of a niche than try to be everywhere but what fun is that? Meghan Remy’s cleverly named U.S Girls project is one of those that passed us by when she signed to 4AD in 2015 after 4 studio albums. The Illinois born, Toronto based artist’s second release on that prestige label caught our ear after hearing the excellent Citizen Kane inspired single “Rosebud” and In A Poem Unlimited started getting rave reviews.
Third track on the album, “M.A.H” (Mad As Hell) is a mix of 70s Blondie disco with Gwen Stefani vocals. A closer listen to the lyrics reveal a critical look at Barack Obama’s presidency. In this time of the left railing against Trump, it’s a curious throw back look to the Democratic hero. The aforementioned “Rosebud” is laid back R&B dance music with electronic strings striking throughout. “Incidental Boogie” is a vicious track about an abusive relationship set to distorted guitar over a terrific groove. “Poem” maybe the catchiest techno dance track about capitalism to come out this year.
The music that Remy creates on In A Poem Unlimited is extraordinary and the lyrics are uncompromising. “Pearly Gates” describes seducing St Peter “I opened my gates wide and St Peter came inside” and wonders how heaven can be safe if it’s run by men…? “Rage of Plastics” is about becoming infertile while working in a manufacturing plant. The pop sheen throughout gives a door to the political lyrics and while these will be anthems to some, it will make a hard listen for others.
7.5/10
Since 2015, the release schedule for the band Beach House has been many. Depression Cherry and Thank Your Lucky Stars appeared within a few weeks of each in 2015 and this was followed up with a B-side and rarities collection last year. 7 is the Baltimore band’s latest release. For this listener, having those two 2015 releases come out so quickly muddied the waters and it was hard to commit to either.
On October 2nd, 2017 the world was saddened to learn that American rocker Tom Petty had passed away due to an accidental overdose of prescription pain medication. The surprising news came as Petty and the Heartbreakers had just wrapped up tour of the US that ended a week before his death. In recent years there have been two remastered vinyl box sets released of the band’s music but none of this on CD. With the first set hovering in the $300 range, to tide us over before investigating the early Petty records to add to our meagre Petty collection, we instead opted for the more economical Greatest Hits set.
One of the first must check out albums that came out in 2018 was from the Swedish sisters Johanna and Klara Soderberg in First Aid Kit. After their debut in 2010, the sisters continued to grow with their last two albums. 2014’s The Lion’s Roar had several great singles and 2016’s Stay Gold capitalized on that success by making their sound a bit slicker but not quite crossing over to pure pop.
British music icons, Pet Shop Boys, have been recording music for more than 30 years together. Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe released their first album Please way back in 1986. Preceded by the single “Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)” the year before that withered on the charts before disappearing, the duo returned with the classic techno pop single “
The Light Appears 