3x3 New listens noted. Recommendations appreciated!
U2 – Rattle & Hum: And we’ve arrived in U2’s last output of their best decade. Unfortunately they went out with a bloated mess. That’s not to say this album doesn’t have its moments, it’s just that those moments either come in the form of live renditions of well-established classics or a handful of 8/10 tracks. The biggest problem with R&H is just how unnatural it comes off. A majority of it sounds forced which means it sounds cheesy/lame. I suppose the album gave way to Achtung Baby, but a release in the vein of Under a Blood Red Sky would have been preferred. Favorite Tracks: “Angel of Harlem”, “Heartland”, “All I Want is You” 6/10
Future Islands – On The Water: A considerable improvement on In Evening Air, which is high praise considering how good that album is. Future Islands was able to expand their sound into a more atmospheric and grand one, which almost makes it sound like a U2-esque brand of synthpop, but with the emotional vocals only Sam Herring can deliver. I think this album balances slow/powerful songs and danceable tracks with ease and without jarring transitions. Almost forgot how much I enjoyed this album! Favorite Tracks: “Close To None”, “Before the Bridge”, “On the Water”, “Balance” and the underrated “Where I Found You” 8.5/10
The Smiths – The Queen is Dead: After the inconsistent Meat Is Murder, we come to the band’s strongest output. Morrissey’s wit is as strong as ever on this one, and Marr’s composition is close to perfect. The album does lack a central theme, but the use of shorter songs makes that a non-issue, because they make themselves enjoyable from the jump. The run starting with “Cemetry Gates” and ending with the ultimate penultimate track “There is a Light..” is probably their strongest run of songs on any release of theirs. The best of 1986! 9/10
Bon Iver – Bon Iver: The most welcomed relisten this week. This is a very special album and features some incredible variation song-to-song. This is probably the main reason I prefer it over For Emma. Each track features a sound of its own but stays within the theme of the record. The contrast between two of my favorites “Wash.” and “Calgary” is stark, but neither feel out of place. The only track that does is the closer, but I’ve grown to tolerate it. 9.5/10
New Listens:
Kate Bush – Hounds of Love: I know this is an essential, and I had heard a select few of the tracks featured on this album, but I’m glad that I’ve listened all the way through. Tracks 1-5 make for one hell of an opening to an album capped off by the album’s peak “Cloudbusting”. What transpires next is an idea that is great in concept and good in execution. I think parts of the “9th Wave” falter, but the overall feeling isn’t lost. Favorite Tracks: “Cloudbusting”, “Hounds of Love”, “The Big Sky”, “Running Up that Hill” 8/10
J Cole – 2014 Forest Hills Drive: I’ve had this one in my library for a while, but never got around to giving it a proper listen, but this week rectified that mistake. Cole’s message may not be as grand as To Pimp a Butterfly, but his personal approach to songwriting makes for some nice moments (and some cringey lyrics). I think the sequence from “GOMD” to “Love Yourz” is particularly strong, and each song features a style all its own. I will say the closer is a bit much, but the intent is cool, and he even says it’s the album’s credits, so skip it. Favorite Tracks: “No Role Modelz”, “Apparently”, “Love Yourz”, “Wet Dreamz” 7.5/10
Jeremih – Late Nights: Low point of the week. I’m not really an R&B fan, but I heard and enjoyed “oui” considerably, so I gave this one a shot. Just wasn’t feeling it. I suppose going in expecting 15 versions of that song was wrong, but I didn’t expect a boring and overly vulgar mess like this (which is saying a lot from someone who loves TLoP). “If weeee tried that we could beeeee somewhere in the four to fiiiives” I tried. 4.5/10
