Singles Reviews: March 2021
Text
bu Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 2021
Note that these reviews are alphabetical, not listed in a “ratings” order.
Adrian
Younge
“Revolutionize”
Jazz
is Dead
Younge
takes a few different styles and successfully mixes them together.
The song starts a bit like The First Poets, arguably the first –
and I believe best – political rap groups, with sharp lyrics over
atonal music. This flows into a 1970s style rhythm and sound of bands
like the O’Jays, but with a sharper tone and a jazzy piano thrown
in (amusingly ironic considering the name of the label that put this
out). The lyrics the first part are a bit drowned out by the noise in
the mix, but the message still comes through, especially on a second
listen. This is the right time for this strong imagery by musician,
composer, producer, and ex-Law Professor Younge, considering what is
going on across America with the re-rise of a culture of hate of the
“Other.”.
Amiture
“Touch”
Dots
Per Inch Records
I hear a lot of people being nostalgic for the British-pop music of the 1980s. Most of that, I don’t understand. It was all synthetic beats, nonsense lyrics, and downer messaging. If you are one of those, you are going to love Jack Whitescarver’s output as much as I did not. The music is such a throwback to the ‘80s that I almost immediately glossed over and wanted to go turn on a garage band (perhaps the Tryfles or the Outta Place?) or some Heartbreakers (JT, not TP) to cleanse my palate. Please, if the ‘80s were your thing, you’re probably going to love this, and you should give a listen. It comes from their debut album, The Beach.
Arms
of Kismet
“Potter’s
Field”
Wampus
Multimedia
I
have been listening to AoK for a few releases now and have always
enjoyed them. So, why should this be any different? The ballad here
is light and airy in tone, with an almost dreamlike rock of the
cradle in the breeze. It has a ‘60s garage tone, without the
farfisa, relying on a triple time waltz of schmaltz. It’s not as
zoned out as some meditation music, due to its razor sharpness buzz,
but I found it soothing and quite beautiful. There is a lot thrown in
there, from harmonious and soaring choruses to the electronic
sounding reading near the end (apparently, it is taken from the final
comments of Louis XVI as he was to be executed). Definitely worth a
listen if you like garage influences with a modern car in the
structure.-
Ashley
Monroe
“Drive”
Mountainrose
Sparrow/Thirty Tigers
Off
her fifth studio album, Rosegold,
this single is a modern, overproduced pop ballad. It brings nothing
new to the table. Don’t get me wrong, Monroe has a good voice, as
far as I can tell; I have no idea if it is autotuned, but this is the
kind of sound (not that ridiculous T. Pain electronic tone) I find
with a lot of modern recordings, which I try to avoid as much as
possible. Being off her nearly half-dozenth full release, I am going
to assume she has a following, and my opinion hopefully will not
matter a hill of beans, but this is the kind of material that lead to
why I stopped listening to country. If this is the style of material
she is releasing, I don’t need to hear more, but wish her well.
Haunted
Shed
“Umami
Bomb”
Strolling
Bones Records
Athens,
GA, has always been a den of quirky musicians, from R.E.M. and Pylon
to Love Tractor. Haunted Shed, led by Etienne de Rocher, certainly
has an unusual, almost electronic psychedelic sound. In fact, they
remind me of a more modernized version of bands that came off of the
International Artists label in Texas, especially like Red Krayola’s
The
Parable of Arable Land:
a lot of noisy sounds with electronic eccentricities and standard
instruments as well, with a high studio magic. The lyrics are
extremely hard to make out. This isn’t casual composition you can
necessarily dance to, but it is nicely subversive while still keeping
some rhythmic elements to it. I must say, by the time the song ended,
I was definitely getting into it all.
Manolo
Redondo
“Try”
Violette
Records
Redondo
is from the Alps, but lives in Paris. Despite that he sings in
perfect English for those who feel more comfortable. He has a casual,
singer-songwriter style, with just a whiff of a pop feel (in this
case a good thing). Written as an aftermath of road trips in places
like Paris, Mexico and the Mojave Desert, his tunes are poetic
soundtracks to movement and life, as well as, indicated by the title,
trying your best. It has a sweet tone with an almost melancholy
underbelly of hopefulness. This is from his EP, The
Lost and Found.
Mason
Lively
“Happy
Home”
www.masonlively.com/
From
the slide guitar in the opening musical phrase, there is no question
that this is deep cowboy-boots-Stetson-hat country. At a slow ballad
pace and a nice classic nasal twang, Lively keeps up the tradition of
a 1980s stye before it gave way to a pop influence. Lively presents
us with a marital (or at least co-habitation) break-up with a blues
riff and soaring chorus to give us a tale of heartbreak. Like I said,
classic country. Luckily, he’s got the chops for it. Personally, I
kinda stop listening to country in the 1980s when it developed a pop
fusion, but this harkening back makes me reminiscent for some good
ol’ boys (and girls) sitting around with gee-tars, howling at the
moon in love pangs. Don’t read this wrong, it is a powerful song
that belies a sound that is both a throwback and with a new twist,
with a bridge that echoes a bit like it came off a Jim Croce record.
This is from his eponymous second album.
Megan
Wyler
“The
Calling”
Nowever
Records
This
is Megan Wyler’s first release in seven years, having started a
family and focusing in on that. Her voice is superb in this liquid
ballad about “a kind of dark exploration around the disorientation
of loss and where that takes you,” she has said. There is a strong
rhythm that flows though the song with her voice lilting over it,
moving up and down the scale smoothly. The tone reminds me of the
style of Claudine Longet (sans
accent), with a slight whisper, but the song builds to a surprising
and stirring climax with Matt Sweeney’s guitar swelling and a bit
dissonant as a counterpoint to the sorrowful sound up till then. It’s
a beautiful piece.
Sloping
“Raft”
Sound
as Language
From
the album Completed
Songs,
JJ Posway (Scooterbabe) presents a singer-songwriter introspective
and moody ballad piece with acoustic guitar for melody and overdubs
for harmony. I have listened to a couple of other songs off the
album, and this the better one. Light and airy, with more than a hint
of navel-gazing, Posway slides through the song on a field of gloss,
like skating on a pond under the moonlight. The song is very
listenable, with a twinkle in the eye. If I got it right, the song is
about not wanting his partner to feel bad if he dies (unless I
misheard the soft-spoken lyrics), but even with the slow pace, it is
not moribund.
Tom
Jones
“No
Hole in My Head”
S-Curve
Records/BMG
He
may be getting’ up there (a couple of songs from his new album,
Surrounded
By Time,
include “I’m Growing Old” and “Lazarus Man”), but even
after all these years, Jones does not fail to both surprise and
stretch as an artist to make himself relevant. The song shows
defiance, anger, and positing that, well, Tom’s the
man.
I love the chorus of “There’s no hole in my head / Too bad!).
It’s all about personhood and the willingness to stand up for
yourself. Best Jones song I’ve heard in a while. The album also
sounds interesting, which includes covers by Dylan (“One More Cup
of Coffee”), Cat Stevens (“Popstar”) and the classic “Windmills
of Your Mind.”
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