Weekend Music Roundup

 

Welcome to the long weekend. I know the roundup has been occasionally MIA over the past month or so, that because we've been busy with parties and living the vax-life, which I realize is kind of just like 2019, only without all of the Trump-talk. It's like a better version of 2019. This week, I rant about some new releases and some recent pick-ups. Some great stuff on here, so hopefully you have the energy to check out something new. Enjoy.

 

St. Vincent - Daddy's Home: It's been four years since art rock artist's last album and it's been all over the place. This blends all the sounds she's been doing for years, which basically amounts psychedelic soul art pop. Though I've enjoyed her past work, none of it grabbed me the way this one has. This album taps into something that just makes every song sound so perfect. There's a confidence that oozes through the tracks, a 70s Fleetwood Mac sense of decadence mixed with a Trip-Hop coolness. 

Television - Adventure: The iconic NYC's first album, 1977's Marquee Moon is one of my favorite debuts of all time. This, their second album, was released a year later and has been on my want list for ages. Though it's been re-issued, I've always been waiting for an original at a reasonable price, something that isn't an impossible ask. I finally found one and though, as I expected, it's impossible to live up to the first album, it's still quite awesome. They've always done something quite different with the genre than other early art punk bands and create incredible stories with their sounds. It doesn't have the same hint of danger as the debut, but still has the eeriness that I love. 

Manchester Orchestra - The Million Masks of God: This is the seventh album from the Atlanta indie rock band, and their first since 2017. This is one of those bands that I've been following for over fifteen years and can say with confidence that this is their best album in over a decade. It's not that I didn't enjoy the more recent ones, but this one captures some of that vulnerable magic from their earlier work that first drew me to them. It opens with the beautiful "Inaudible," an ethereal hymn to isolation, and then moves into the classic sounding "Angel of Death" and I was hooked.  This album is the perfect example of why, when an artist makes an album that I love, I continue to follow their career. 

Nervous Dater - Call in the Mess: This is the second album from NYC indie band and comes four years after their debut. This has a very 90s indie feel to it, and it opens with the great track "Middle Child." My enjoyment of it definitely stems from a nostalgia feeling. Some songs are better than others, and there's a few that are just too emo pop punk for my taste. "Violent Haiku," "Turn Them Ourselves in the Grave," along with the opening track are personal favorites. 

Richie Havens - Mixed Bag: Released in '67, this was Haven's second album and his commercial breakthrough that landed him at Woodstock which propelled soulful folk artist into the history of rock. I recently picked this up in the 4 for $10 bin at the local shop because there was gap in my collection which hadn't included any Havens. There's some amazing covers on here, with "High Flyin' Bird" and "Eleanor Rigby" being my personal favorites. 

The Raconteurs - Live at Electric Lady: Released last spring, this live event hosted by Jim Jarmusch for the band's top Spotify listeners is a solid set from a band that has always been super professional, comprised of super-talented artists. Along with favorites from their three albums, this also includes a cover of Richard Hell's "Blank Generation" with is pretty phenom. A must have for fans.