Might wanna update this to "turns 25." Cuz maths.
Also, this one is good. I still like aenima and lateralus,but my adoration for this band waned in college due to his attitude towards his fans. Yes, rabid tool fans are cray. But without them, they'd be nothing.
Oh and Deerhunter killed it at Lolla 2009, evening taking jabs at Tool. It was great.
Another stacked week. I have little interest in Wye Oak, they've just never really caught on with me. But the new Hop Along is great. Unknown Mortal Orchestra keep consistent with me - a handful of great songs, but as a whole the album doesn't deliver.
Excited to dive into new Hinds, Mastersystem's debut, Goat Girl, and the Eels return.
That's the beauty of post-punk, as well as the downfall. It can encompass so much. Either way, Iceage has evolved from scrappy Danish punks to full fledged auteurs. And I'm quite happy with the results.
I've heard the whole thing (several times) and at first it was my second favorite of their albums, since Plowing is one of the best post-punk records of the 2010s. Beyondless is inching closer to it's equal, providing something new that I wasn't expecting from them at all. Really wish they were hitting up my area on this tour.
Czarface has gone too long unnoticed. 2015's "Every Hero Needs a Villain" is very good and worth your time. Looking forward to this collab tremendously.
The only positive from the album is that you know somewhere in Detroit Meg White is grinning, acknowledging that she made the right decision to break away from this a-hole.
It's a tremendous, but very predictable misfire.
I love it, but I'm bias as I like everything to come out of that hive mind Preoccupations/Women/Cindy Lee. It's modern post-punk, borrowing from Bauhaus/Echo still, but making it their own. It's so far my AOTY.
Based on the song "I've Hurt Worse" this is not up my alley at all, but that's okay, as I'm all about Preoccupations this week. It's a fantastic record.
Boarding House Reach sucks tho.
I thought this came out last week.....
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Anyway, I really liked the Mount Eerie album, but I'm all over that Hot Snakes record. Way better than I expected it to be. Also the new YLT is good, bit long, and a lot of it blends together, but its enjoyable enough still.
It's for sure a mixed bag. I enjoyed a handful of songs, including the first single Severed, as well as Rusalka, Rusalka / Wild Rushes, but there were some moments that I felt like I was listening to the new Killers album from 2009.
Not a horrible misfire like the last one, and definitely has some merit and replayability. Still not enough to get me to one of their shows again though.
I struggled with this one. It has some really nice grooves but lyrically it was just really goofy to me, particularly "Dog's Mind." I'll keep listening to it but I wasn't impressed on my first listen.
More stoked for Young Fathers, Kraus, and Teenage Wrist.
Whoa calm down there. No one wants to see Lockett leave the band. Just pointing out that they don't normally announce line up changes. Band members have left in the past with barely a mention.
But to be clear, Atlas Sound is Bradford solo. But there's other members of Deerhunter, besides Lockett. So I don't quite get what your point is.
It's probably nothing anyway.
Moses was still in the band as of the last time I saw them live (Jan. 2017).
What scares me is that they are clearly stating it's a line-up change, which they've never formally announced beforehand (like when Josh left pre-Monomania). Makes me think that they are either adding additional members, or they are parting ways with either Bradford (doubtful) or Lockett. If that's the case, that's a sad day.
I love each of the previous Titus records, some more than others. I see them every time they play near my town.
But this is a misfire. Outside of the two singles, there's nothing to come back to here. There are so many cringey moments on this that I can't bare to finish certain tracks. I was open to Stickles taking this in a different direction, and I applaud his efforts. Lyrically it's fine, but the execution of tracks like "Real Talk" are laughably bad, and "Home Alone" is the biggest misstep of Stickles career. We can make excuses, and it doesn't change how I feel about the band - The Monitor, Airing, and Tragedy are all still some of the best punk records you'll find. But this doesn't work. I'll give it a few more listens but after 3, this just doesn't work at all.
Actually, Public Strain is #1 for me. It would look something like this...
1. Public Strain
2. Viet Cong
3. Act of Tenderness
4. Women
5. Preoccupations
6. Malenkost (not sure if this is considered an album or a comp).
But honestly the brain trust with this group of musicians is phenomenal in my book. All of the material is great and even ranking them this way seems like a tremendous disservice to each album.
Not really a "new" release, but this Friday "Act of Tenderness" by Cindy Lee is being reissued for North America. It'll be on streaming services. If you are unfamiliar with Cindy Lee, I have nothing but adoration for the them. In 2011 when Women called it quits, 2 of them formed Viet Cong/Preoccupations, and lead singer Patrick Flegel attempted a few small projects but finally found his calling with Cindy Lee. Flegel is now living as a trans woman, and she performs (yes, I switched pronouns)as Cindy Lee primarily in Canada, but has done a few shows in the US opening for Deerhunter.
Act of Tenderness was released the day after Christmas in 2015, and is one of the most gorgeous records you'll ever listen to. Hauntingly beautiful, it takes you places you didn't know existed. According to the label, more Cindy Lee material is on the way. Act of Tenderness can also be found on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPrbuPYTBLw
I was really pleased with this one. These 3 Things worried me b/c it seemed they were going the direction PIL took after their first few albums - that new wave approach.
As a huge post-punk fan, the only aspects I don't care for is the New Wave (depending on if you consider it a whole new genre or a sub-genre, whatever) approach. Ought have made another great album, and I'm now even more excited to hear these live in a couple of weeks (with Snail Mail!). Great week for music.
I'm just happy to have more music by these guys. Nothing they've done compares to their work in Women, but I'm thankful for both Preoccupations and Cindy Lee. Love all of it. Guitars or no guitars.
There's 4 big ones this week to me - Superchunk, U.S. Girls, Ought, and Car Seat Headrest. I've listened to all 4, and like them all, but What a Time to Be Alive just didn't grab me like I was hoping it would.
Surprisingly, Twin Fantasy re-imagined blew me away. I was a little skeptical, and getting a little tired of CSH, but this album is fantastic. I won't say it's better than the original, since I think they only share a few similarities. But It's one of the best releases of 2018 for sure.
Also, the new Ought is way better than I expected it to be. I was worried after the first single, but they rebounded from that, and in the context of the album all of the singles work. Great week for music.
Note: I do not dislike the Superchunk album, in fact "Erasure" might be SOTY for me, I just wasn't blown away by it like others have said they were. It's a grower I'm sure.
I was in the same boat, until I listened to it yesterday. In the context of the album, the singles work really well. Ultimately it's another solid addition to their discography to me.
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