Music for 8/23/17!!! Quantum Tangle, Sudan Archives, ABRA, No Goods

@@@ Quantum Tangle: Shelter as We Go (Coax Records, 2017)  A roots record off this week’s CFUV playlist email.  I’m going to search but I think this is a record by Native Americans.  It has intricate vocals, sometimes what might think of as traditional singing but other than that outside of the lyrics there are no indications of the culture this is emerging out of.  Ah, the search engine has revealed this is music by Inuit folks.  The singers rotate and the musical arrangements do as well.  They range from folk, to slack rock and a cappella.  I really like this tune clipped below.

@@@ Sudan Archives: Sudan Archives EP (Stones Throw, 2017)  Smooth and pumping r&b off this week’s CFUV playlist email.  Thick on the low end with plenty of chopped vocals and half glitch sauce to go over the top.  The second tune brings an African hand drum and some tasty violin playing to go with the snappy percussion and fat bass.  This tune Come Meh Way is hot and clipped below.  I’m on the fourth tune and it’s a pretty hot EP, check it out.  The mash of musical influences is really well done, imho.

@@@ ABRA: BOUNTY (Acid Palace, 2017)  More ambient r&b off this week’s CFUV playlist email.  Big delay washes of sound and a female singer nestled in a well done synth cloud sky.  Somebody manicured these beats and I like their work.  More solid sounds including nice delay work serving up engaging sounds.

@@@ No Goods: Buzzer (Kingfisher Bluez, 2017)  Modern electric blues off this week’s CFUV playlist email.  Well it’s not blues, it’s rock and it’s pretty good with some solid rhythm guitar work and a classic sounding rock singer.  It’s local music, it’s not all epic like the Foo.  I’m down on the Foo, I’m hoping for retirement.  This is in the tradition of the Replacements, ah my hard drive just spit up Cracker, that’s a good sonic reference for these guys.  These gents rock harder but the singer’s voice sounds mighty close.  Solid B+.

YTD recordings listened to: 548
Good music, not recommended for purchase: 295
Not good music: 228

Buys: 8
Honorable Mentions: 6

Possibles: Chris McGregor, Retox, Defeater, Jonwayne, Okkyung Lee, The Ballantynes, Slidhr, The Chewers, Toxic Holocaust, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, Lenguas Largas, The Coral, T.O.M.B., Lozen, Erase Errata, Mastery, Leviathan, Hartley C. White, Weed, Cold Water, Janelle Monae, Luther Dickinson, Graeme Barrett, Fast Asleep, Goldlink, Cavanaugh, Gentleman Surfer, Satoko Fuji, Moken, Juan Atkins, Lantern, Twin Peaks, Djelimady Tounkara, The Oh Sees, Denny Zeitlin, MILF, Unfun, De La Soul, Carl Sagan’s Skate Shoes, Magrudergrind, A Tribe Called Quest, Noname, Gouge Away, Anna Hogberg, Klara Lewis, Krullur, The Lowest Form, Hard Proof, James Brandon Lewis, Yotoco, Jungle Fire, Sandoz, J.I.D., Oddisee, Forro in the Dark, RAM, Fiver, Dona Onete, Succumb Succumb, Gloom, Priests, Propaganda, This is the Kit, Roberto Gonzalez, Integrity, American Lips, Sudan Archives

Music for 8/22/17!!! Miley Cyrus, Crystal Eyes, Thy Art is Murder, Baka Not Nice

@@@ Miley Cyrus: Younger Now (RCA, 2017)  Cleaned up, re-Disneyed Miley Cyrus needs to maker her Lamborghini payment so she’s back for the masses.  Let us see what she and her marketing team have come up with.  She’s got a greaser rockabilly look on the cover and her first line is ‘I feel like I just woke up’ she’s on about ‘no one’s stays the same’.  It’s a pretty simple pop rock arrangement with acoustic guitar and a few electro details thrown in for good measure.  She keeps singing ‘what goes up must come down’ and I’m at the point I get to with a lot of pop songs where there are meanings that are hinted at but mostly it is evocative word salad.  Miley is hinting at some sort of rebirth/change yada yada yada, let’s move on.

@@@ Crystal Eyes: The Female Imagination (Sweetie Pie, 2017)  Some female fronted classic guitar indie off an old CFUV weekly playlist email.  Reverbed vocals and a slack Velvet Underground manner of rocking.  Let’s peep a bit more but I don’t usually go for this sound/energy.  The second tune has a wee bit more energy but it’s not a full spanking to be sure.

@@@ Thy Art is Murder: Dear Desolation (Nuclear Blast, 2017)  Some tightly manicured and aggressive metal from former CIA case officers off the Apple Music metal section.  I’m feeling the guitarist, he’s all amped up on Red Bull and whatnot.  The singer is right at the line that divides hardcore singers and barnyard animals and I hope the drummer has proper health insurance as he’s hitting that double kick so frequently his leg might fall off.  Ah my leg!! I like this third tune (clipped below) which is a piquant blend of some classic metal guitar riffing, tasty thrash drumming and a full metal beatdown.  The production is super pristine so that changes the listening experience but these guys bring it.

@@@ Baka Not Nice: Live Up to My Name (Warner Bros, 2017)  A gangster ballad off the A-list hip hop.  Mr. Not Nice is not really very nice and he appears to be extensively involved with shooting other folks.  The arrangement is pretty trippy and the synths are used more percussively than melodically which it makes for a funkier and weirder listening experience.  I like the snare sound they got on the drum machine.  Mr. Not Nice drinks Henny when he’s shooting at the range as it helps his aim out on the streets when he’s been drinking.  You get the idea.

YTD recordings listened to: 544
Good music, not recommended for purchase: 293
Not good music: 227

Buys: 8
Honorable Mentions: 6

Possibles: Chris McGregor, Retox, Defeater, Jonwayne, Okkyung Lee, The Ballantynes, Slidhr, The Chewers, Toxic Holocaust, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, Lenguas Largas, The Coral, T.O.M.B., Lozen, Erase Errata, Mastery, Leviathan, Hartley C. White, Weed, Cold Water, Janelle Monae, Luther Dickinson, Graeme Barrett, Fast Asleep, Goldlink, Cavanaugh, Gentleman Surfer, Satoko Fuji, Moken, Juan Atkins, Lantern, Twin Peaks, Djelimady Tounkara, The Oh Sees, Denny Zeitlin, MILF, Unfun, De La Soul, Carl Sagan’s Skate Shoes, Magrudergrind, A Tribe Called Quest, Noname, Gouge Away, Anna Hogberg, Klara Lewis, Krullur, The Lowest Form, Hard Proof, James Brandon Lewis, Yotoco, Jungle Fire, Sandoz, J.I.D., Oddisee, Forro in the Dark, RAM, Fiver, Dona Onete, Succumb Succumb, Gloom, Priests, Propaganda, This is the Kit, Roberto Gonzalez, Integrity, American Lips

Music for 8/21/17!!! Susanne Sundfor, Rafiki Jazz, Pablo Moses

@@@ Susanne Sundfor: Undercover (Bella Union, 2017)  Piano singer/songwriter from an upcoming full length.  I got to this from a Line of Best Fit email so the publicity machine is getting some ‘buzz’ ahead of the full length.  This is between the slight roughness of Regina Spector and the abstraction of Fiona Apple with a pube of Beyonce oversinging.  It’s not solo piano but it’s not full band.  Oh she’s peaking around 3 minutes and it’s a cheesy female multilayered vocal comet shooting across the stereo field.  I think I felt like I had a vagina for just a minute, that’s so great.

@@@ Rafiki Jazz: Har Dam Sahara (Riverboat Records, 2017)  Mellow string playing and a pretty epic female African singer on the opening track of this record that I got to via the WRIR weekly playlist email.  The second track brings in the band but it’s still pretty mellow with hand drum playing and the string playing tight and all right but not rocking.

@@@ Pablo Moses: The Itinuation (Grounded Music, 2017)  The full roots reggae explosion on this record I got to via WRIR.  Mad conscious lyrics with a singer that sounds a lot like the singer from Burning Spear.  Oy, I’m spacing on his name.  Full horn section, percussion, female background singers.  I think I prefer the sound and the roughness of the old school roots reggae but this is a heartfelt effort and if you prefer the more polished modern roots sound this will work great for you.

YTD recordings listened to: 540
Good music, not recommended for purchase: 291
Not good music: 225

Buys: 8
Honorable Mentions: 6

Possibles: Chris McGregor, Retox, Defeater, Jonwayne, Okkyung Lee, The Ballantynes, Slidhr, The Chewers, Toxic Holocaust, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, Lenguas Largas, The Coral, T.O.M.B., Lozen, Erase Errata, Mastery, Leviathan, Hartley C. White, Weed, Cold Water, Janelle Monae, Luther Dickinson, Graeme Barrett, Fast Asleep, Goldlink, Cavanaugh, Gentleman Surfer, Satoko Fuji, Moken, Juan Atkins, Lantern, Twin Peaks, Djelimady Tounkara, The Oh Sees, Denny Zeitlin, MILF, Unfun, De La Soul, Carl Sagan’s Skate Shoes, Magrudergrind, A Tribe Called Quest, Noname, Gouge Away, Anna Hogberg, Klara Lewis, Krullur, The Lowest Form, Hard Proof, James Brandon Lewis, Yotoco, Jungle Fire, Sandoz, J.I.D., Oddisee, Forro in the Dark, RAM, Fiver, Dona Onete, Succumb Succumb, Gloom, Priests, Propaganda, This is the Kit, Roberto Gonzalez, Integrity, American Lips

Music for 8/16/17!!! American Lips, Soft Dov, Bleachers, Marshmello

@@@ American Lips: Kiss the Void (Ancient Fashion, 2017)  Elvis Costello type New Wave punk I got to via this week’s CFUV playlist email.  These guys have a nerdy angular thread but they have solid brisk energy with catchy vocal melodies.  I hate the term power pop or pop punk but this applies to the 10 songs here clocking in at 22 minutes.  A solid balance of sweetness to muscle and I will check the whole record when I have the time.

@@@ Soft Dov: Massacre Through Seduction (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions, 2017)  Some punk metal off this week’s CFUV email.  The singer is somewhere in the psych/hardcore area though he sings which is quite an occurrence these days in metal.  They have a spastic punky drummer but they’re classified as a metal band.  It’s loud, it’s aggressive, I won’t be a bitch about it.  I would use nihilistic Iggy Pop photo-punk as a touchstone for this record.  Check it out.

@@@  Bleachers: Gone Now (RCA,  2017)  Jack Antonoff’s side project.  He writes tunes for a lot of headline empty head singers.  This is supposed to be an ode to American suburban rock and this first tune is inspired by Bruce Springsteen.  It sports earnest vocals and a long rock build.  However, the rocking is extremely flaccid.  I mean flaccid enough that some Cialis should be sprinkled over this track to firm it up.  All cheese, no angst.  The second tune is blue eyed soul track and I’m not sure who inspired it.  Oh shit, he’s trying to rock a Prince 1999 vibe.  I’m sorry but this is a war crime!!  Fucking shameful pimp job.  I had to hit the stop button I can’t abide by this music as it is a shameful bite job and poorly done at that.  Check out the Prince clone below.

@@@ Marshmallo: Science (RCA, 2017)  A mellow, quasi-loverboy mainstream r&b single off the Apple Music best of the week.  Oh wait take that back as he gets medium EDM funk on after the intro.  I can’t tell if he’s singing ‘I found peace in your body’ or ‘I found peace in the violence’  Maybe because dude is wearing that giant marshmallow helmet/mask/hat.  Yo take that shit off in the studio so I can hear what you’re on about.  The sounds are fairly bittersweet for a mainstream tune.  Usually it’s bubble gum and Xanax for all those involved but he’s trying for something else here.  I thought the word salad quotient was pretty high, I’m really not sure what this is about.

YTD recordings listened to: 533
Good music, not recommended for purchase: 287
Not good music: 222

Buys: 8
Honorable Mentions: 6

Possibles: Chris McGregor, Retox, Defeater, Jonwayne, Okkyung Lee, The Ballantynes, Slidhr, The Chewers, Toxic Holocaust, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, Lenguas Largas, The Coral, T.O.M.B., Lozen, Erase Errata, Mastery, Leviathan, Hartley C. White, Weed, Cold Water, Janelle Monae, Luther Dickinson, Graeme Barrett, Fast Asleep, Goldlink, Cavanaugh, Gentleman Surfer, Satoko Fuji, Moken, Juan Atkins, Lantern, Twin Peaks, Djelimady Tounkara, The Oh Sees, Denny Zeitlin, MILF, Unfun, De La Soul, Carl Sagan’s Skate Shoes, Magrudergrind, A Tribe Called Quest, Noname, Gouge Away, Anna Hogberg, Klara Lewis, Krullur, The Lowest Form, Hard Proof, James Brandon Lewis, Yotoco, Jungle Fire, Sandoz, J.I.D., Oddisee, Forro in the Dark, RAM, Fiver, Dona Onete, Succumb Succumb, Gloom, Priests, Propaganda, This is the Kit, Roberto Gonzalez, Integrity, American Lips

Music for 8/11/17!!! Whitney K., Whitehorse, Pink, The National

@@@ Whitney K: When the Party’s Over (Egg Paper Factory, 2017)  Some super laid-back roots music off this week’s CFUV playlist email.  Imma thinking there was some purple drank up in that studio or the coffee was running low.  This first tune has multiple guitars, a pulsing bass, and no beats.  The singer has made his appearance and he’s mad slack.  The first two tunes I dig the electric guitar playing but when the acoustic dirge starts up on the third track Imma movin’ on.  Oh that was just the intro as the full band comes in and they get a little Crazy Horse-y on this jam.  I like it all right.

@@@ White Horse: Panther in the Dollhouse (Six Shooter, 2017)  Super smooth electro-rock off this week’s CFUV playlist email.  A male and female singer going together, a rock guitarist, super smooth background vocals and arena rock drums.  The second tune gets a bit funkier with a nice, sparse baseline but then it explodes into a big mainstream rock chorus.  It’s Radiohead without the angst and the slick production doesn’t super work for me.

@@@ Pink: What About Us? (RCA, 2017)  I have fondness for Pink but I’m not sure this tune is going to work for me.  Cheesy ass lyrics and epic reverb patches that explode into a four on the floor EDM What About Us vocal hook?    What about us?  What about all the plans that ended in disaster?  What about love?  What about trust?  I’m guessing this is about somebody who leaves their family.  I checked around the web and this is referred to as an empowering tune so it functions at many levels.  Not for me but others I guess.

@@@ The National: Carin at the Liquor Store (4AD, 2017)  I think I dislike The National almost as much as Wilco.  This pre-release single is a Nick Cave wannabe but with less misery and more epic-ness.  My main problem is that of faux sophistication as these guys sound as if they feel themselves to be exquisitely unique artistes but I hear a pretty standard arena indie band that is too predictable to be focused on not much except moving units.  Now streaming units not actual plastic/metal discs.

YTD recordings listened to: 521
Good music, not recommended for purchase: 282
Not good music: 217

Buys: 8
Honorable Mentions: 6

Possibles: Chris McGregor, Retox, Defeater, Jonwayne, Okkyung Lee, The Ballantynes, Slidhr, The Chewers, Toxic Holocaust, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, Lenguas Largas, The Coral, T.O.M.B., Lozen, Erase Errata, Mastery, Leviathan, Hartley C. White, Weed, Cold Water, Janelle Monae, Luther Dickinson, Graeme Barrett, Fast Asleep, Goldlink, Cavanaugh, Gentleman Surfer, Satoko Fuji, Moken, Juan Atkins, Lantern, Twin Peaks, Djelimady Tounkara, The Oh Sees, Denny Zeitlin, MILF, Unfun, De La Soul, Carl Sagan’s Skate Shoes, Magrudergrind, A Tribe Called Quest, Noname, Gouge Away, Anna Hogberg, Klara Lewis, Krullur, The Lowest Form, Hard Proof, James Brandon Lewis, Yotoco, Jungle Fire, Sandoz, J.I.D., Oddisee, Forro in the Dark, RAM, Fiver, Dona Onete, Succumb Succumb, Gloom, Priests, Propaganda, This is the Kit, Roberto Gonzalez, Integrity

Music for 8/15/17!!! Jackie Venson, Queens of the Stone Age, White Poppy, Limp Wrist

@@@ Jackie Venson: Flying (Self-released, 2017) I got to this single by a female Austin musician via a music publicist.  It’s an interesting mash of blues rock and New Age lyrics/melody.  It’s more updated hippie lyrics about being conscious rather than straight New Age business but the more important question is whether she’s going to take a shred on the guitar.  She takes a short one but I wish she had aired it out more but that’s just me.  Interesting mash.

@@@ Queens of the Stone Age: The Evil Has Landed (Matador, 2017)  A riff rock pre-release off an upcoming full length banger.  I haven’t felt anything by this outfit for a bit but this has some nice pop.  It’s a fairly lengthy circular riff but there’s a pretty nice but brief shred about a third of the way through this hefty 6 minute single.  I don’t hear the phrase ‘the evil has landed’ so that’s a bit odd as in this age of Trumpy the title appeared possibly political.  I don’t think it’s unfair or bitchy to think they might have made this shorter or split it into 2 to 3 songs.

@@@ White Poppy: The Pink Haze of Love (Self-released, 2017)  A dreamy indie record that is #1 at high quality Vancouver radio station CFUV.  Layered vocals, arpeggiated clean electric guitar sounds sort of a vaginal Beach Boys.  Faded and bittersweet.  I’m on the fourth tune and boy are they sticking with the formula.  No drums, a lot of guitar tracks, a lot of vocal tracks and no drummer.  Dream all day except if you’re driving.

@@@ Limp Wrist: Limp Wrist (La Vida Es Un Mas Discos, 2016)  I’m going to have to Google these guys but Imma guessing this is some queer punk.  It don’t take a super high IQ with song titles like Fake Fags and a band called Limp Wrist.  Whew I got that right, I’m not too bright but that wasn’t too challenging.  These are buzzy nuggets of old school hardcore with super high energy, a ton of power chords and some relentless mic screaming.  It looks like this is a re-issue of a 2008 EP — no difference to me just trying get the facts out there as we don’t need more fake news.  I think they have a new record so if you’re feeling the urge get on with it.  Excellent energy and they really bring the hardcore.  Also off the CFUV weekly playlist email.

YTD recordings listened to: 529
Good music, not recommended for purchase: 286
Not good music: 220

Buys: 8
Honorable Mentions: 6

Possibles: Chris McGregor, Retox, Defeater, Jonwayne, Okkyung Lee, The Ballantynes, Slidhr, The Chewers, Toxic Holocaust, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, Lenguas Largas, The Coral, T.O.M.B., Lozen, Erase Errata, Mastery, Leviathan, Hartley C. White, Weed, Cold Water, Janelle Monae, Luther Dickinson, Graeme Barrett, Fast Asleep, Goldlink, Cavanaugh, Gentleman Surfer, Satoko Fuji, Moken, Juan Atkins, Lantern, Twin Peaks, Djelimady Tounkara, The Oh Sees, Denny Zeitlin, MILF, Unfun, De La Soul, Carl Sagan’s Skate Shoes, Magrudergrind, A Tribe Called Quest, Noname, Gouge Away, Anna Hogberg, Klara Lewis, Krullur, The Lowest Form, Hard Proof, James Brandon Lewis, Yotoco, Jungle Fire, Sandoz, J.I.D., Oddisee, Forro in the Dark, RAM, Fiver, Dona Onete, Succumb Succumb, Gloom, Priests, Propaganda, This is the Kit, Roberto Gonzalez, Integrity

Music for 8/10/17!!! Warm Digits, Caroline Says, Naomi Punk

@@@ Warm Digits: Wireless World (Memphis Industries, 2017)  Some pumpin’ ’80s synth rock with dashes of New Age.  Oh they are cranking the tempo and it’s getting more like an austere krautrock with some edge to it.  There’s a big prog rock synth solo on this first track so this has a lot of influences to it.  Oy, they’re into a nerdy funk vibe on this second track, its a poo poo platter of sub genres yo.  I’ve sample about half this record and it is a mix of nerd music, funky white boy business, and upbeat New Age threads.  Unique for sure.

@@@  Caroline Says: 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can’t Be Wrong (New West, 2017)  This and the record above from this week’s All Music notable release email.  The first tune opens up intimately with some arpeggiated guitar and melancholic close mic singing.  The second tune gets into some ’80s rock — oh that guitar sound, I hate that guitar sound and that smooth vocal thing.  Ah well.  They’re back to the mopey, faded Beach Boys indie thing on the third tune so it looks set to bounce around between these two sonic formulas.

@@@ Naomi Punk: Yellow (Captured Tracks, 2017)  74 minutes of indie also off the All Music weekly.  The first tune is an ambient looped thing but I don’t know if that’s to whet your palette or that’s how it’s gonna go.  The guitars and drums have showed up by the third tune but ambient elements remained and it’s sort of a meandering and messy cloud of sound they have going on (which is fine).  These are millennial hipsters getting their freak on.  It’s a kind of punk for sure.  It’s not super aggressive or guitar driven but the attitude is there.

YTD recordings listened to: 517
Good music, not recommended for purchase: 279
Not good music: 216

Buys: 8
Honorable Mentions: 6

Possibles: Chris McGregor, Retox, Defeater, Jonwayne, Okkyung Lee, The Ballantynes, Slidhr, The Chewers, Toxic Holocaust, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, Lenguas Largas, The Coral, T.O.M.B., Lozen, Erase Errata, Mastery, Leviathan, Hartley C. White, Weed, Cold Water, Janelle Monae, Luther Dickinson, Graeme Barrett, Fast Asleep, Goldlink, Cavanaugh, Gentleman Surfer, Satoko Fuji, Moken, Juan Atkins, Lantern, Twin Peaks, Djelimady Tounkara, The Oh Sees, Denny Zeitlin, MILF, Unfun, De La Soul, Carl Sagan’s Skate Shoes, Magrudergrind, A Tribe Called Quest, Noname, Gouge Away, Anna Hogberg, Klara Lewis, Krullur, The Lowest Form, Hard Proof, James Brandon Lewis, Yotoco, Jungle Fire, Sandoz, J.I.D., Oddisee, Forro in the Dark, RAM, Fiver, Dona Onete, Succumb Succumb, Gloom, Priests, Propaganda, This is the Kit, Roberto Gonzalez, Integrity