Kacey Musgraves – star-crossed (2021)
The last time listeners heard from Kacey Musgraves she had just married her husband and released the critically acclaimed galactic country album, Golden Hour. Fast forward a few years later and newly divorced, Musgraves has released star-crossed. An album whose theme is one of a “modern tragedy”. Co-produced and written with the same Golden Hour team of Ian Fitchuck and Daniel Tashian, star-crossed is a well crafted album of modern country that adds soul and R+B to the mix.
A flamenco style acoustic guitar is heard on the title track, one that describes a relationship like listening to an audio play where Musgraves “moved out of the home we made and gave you back your name”. Flashbacks abound on songs like “Good Wife” that rewinds the relationship story and adds a dose of soul in the chorus. “Camera Roll” sees Musgraves looking back at old photos but not wanting to delete them. A theme of wishing things were different pops up several times including on the acoustic lead “Angel” but on tracks like “Justified”, Musgraves turns the tables that she acted the way she did based on the circumstances.
star-crossed is a finely tuned album for dopamine pop hits but there is a little something in each track that makes it standout. It’s only a handful of songs, like third single “Simple Times” that sound like they were tailor written to be a radio hit which ends up sounding like many other artists. It’s on tracks like the slinky R+B of “Breadwinner” and the jazz flute solo of “There Is A Light” that really sets Musgraves apart. The album closes with the Spanish language classic, “Gracias a la Vida” where the team adds scratchy record effects to make it sound like it was released in the 1960s. While it will be hard to top the success of Golden Hour, on star-crossed Kacey Musgraves continues to experiment while not forgetting her pop country roots.
8.5/10
…living is just a series of mistakes…
Nine Perfect Strangers (theme song)
Belle & Sebastian – What To Look For In Summer (2020)
2020 was a strange year for musicians who instead of hitting the road were instead stuck at home making meditation videos. In lieu of touring, Belle & Sebastian released live album, What To Look For In Summer. The tracks were taken from the band’s 2019 world tour and their Boaty Weekender cruise that they organized and headlined. The double album covers songs from the band’s debut Tigermilk through to the EP collection How to Solve Our Human Problems.
The first disc lifts off with crowd favourite “Dirty Dream #2” and 2003 single “Step Into My Office, Baby”. “Seeing Other People” humorously gets introduced by singer/bandleader Stuart Murdoch as an exploration of “early sexual politics of some of the members of Belle & Sebastian”. An electric guitar riff powers “Wrapped Up In Books” before the first disc closes with highlight “Funny Little Frog” from The Life Pursuit album that gets several whoops from the crowd and terrific backing vocals.
Disc two starts with a couple tracks from breakthrough album If You’re Feeling Sinister including a haunting take on the title track. Ex-bandmember Isobel Campbell gets a shout out at the beginning of early album track “My Wandering Days Are Over”. The disco gets turned up on “Stay Loose” and the funk turned out on the bass heavy “Poor Boy” with Murdoch and Sarah Martin sharing vocal duties. The disc closes with several classic tracks including “The Boy With the Arab Strap” before Martin brings her best vocal take on penultimate track “I Didn’t See It Coming”.
All fans will have quibbles with some of the track selections but such is the enduring legacy of Belle & Sebastian that virtually all 23 of these tracks could be swapped for others with little dip in quality. The charm, humour, and musicianship of the band all shine throughout. While nothing will beat an in-person night with Belle & Sebastian, this double disc is sure to delight fans as they wait for the next tour.
8/10
The Light Appears 