Ursa Minor, Nana Grizol

Ursa Minor, Nana Grizol, 2017, :35 

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Another pleasant Spotify discovery!  This band sounds kind of like Mountain Goats, but gay and a little less riled up.  Excellent, earnest songwriting about making one's way in a very uncertain world makes this my cup of tea.  Is this band the next coming of Neutral Milk Hotel?  No.  But it is a more interesting Defiance Ohio.  Favorite tracks: "Mississippi Swells," "T.V. Song," "Tacoma Center 1600," "Window."

Hang, Foxygen

It’s What-the-Hell-is-This-Wednesday! Wherein I listen to something I know absolutely nothing about. 

Hang, Foxygen, 2017, :32 

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 

Grandiose baroque pop with '70s glam rock and Philly soul influences worn on its sleeve in giant glittery rhinestones. Luckily, although the songs themselves are chamber-pop epics full of pomp and theatrics, the album itself is not overlong. Too much of this would get old to me; in "Mrs Adams" and the chorus of "Rise Up," the singer is belting his best Mick Jagger.  And there's also some Bowie in there.  A blender of soul and Bowie and T.Rex is fun, sure, but a little goes a long way.  I prefer the Real Heroes for this kind of material, but they're long-gone.  Favorite tracks: "Upon a Hill," "Avalon."

Feel Your Feelings Fool!, the Regrettes

Currently doing one album for each year, 1960-2020. Today: 2017.

Feel Your Feelings Fool!, the Regrettes, 2017, :46

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Superb throwback punk by sneering feminist band.  Confidence, assured sexuality, and dismissal of what you think about them are all on display.  Buzzy guitars at a breakneck pace, played with a skill that belies their teen years.  Favorite tracks:  "Jukebox Baby," "'Til Tomorrow," "A Living Human Girl."

50 Song Memoir, Magnetic Fields

50 Song Memoir, Magnetic Fields, 2017, 2:30

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

I sort of cheated on this album; I listened to about 1/5 of it a day over several days, not all in one go. I love 69 Love Songs but have found some of the Fields' work to be not as appealing. Some of his albums can be morose or have a sort of sludgy ambiance. But this five-CD box set of a concept album recalls 69 Songs, and not just in its length. A lot of the songs here are as catchy as anything he’s recorded, but even the more measured songs are inviting and intriguing. This is the kind of album that you stop for a while just to think about the song you just heard; by its very concept, each one represents an important moment, a real emotion. There's a lot to unpack. The post-breakup song "Never Again" is so terribly sad: "I won't know what to do / With these houses for you / I’ve built in my head." Of course, with this many songs there are bound to be a few not to your taste. For example, the clanking noise of "The Day I Finally…" grates on me. The other issue I have is Merritt's tendency to hide his vocals, layering them with echo or distortion or just burying them under loud synths. That's fine for some songs, like about learning to play the synthesizer or dancing, but a lot of these lyrics really should be front and center. Favorite tracks: '74: No," "75: My Mama Ain’t," "86: How I Failed Ethics," "93: Me and Fred and Dave and Ted."

Graveyard Whistling, Old 97’s

Graveyard Whistling, Old 97’s, 2017, :41

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

The first repeated act is one of my favorites, the Old 97's.  They're near their best here, rocking and twanging like much younger cowpokes.  This is probably not a true five-star album, but close.  Favorite tracks: "Jesus Loves You" ("He's got the whole word / In His hands / I've got Lone Star / in cans" — brilliant), "Good With God," "Bad Luck Charm."

Ties of Blood and Affection, Jeremy Pinnell / Golden Hits, Roger Miller

Ties of Blood and Affection, Jeremy Pinnell, 2017, :32

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Chosen at random, knowing nothing about it.  I was pleasantly surprised.  Good solid literate country rock.  Favorite tracks: "The Ballad of 1892," "The Way We See Heaven."   

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Golden Hits, Roger Miller, 1965, :22

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Trailers for sale or rent, rooms to let fifty cents.  We all know that one.  I'm bending the rules a bit here, with this greatest hits comp instead of a real album.  But I think Miller is mostly from the singles era, anyway.  Not being familiar with his work outside of "King of the Road," I was surprised to find so many of his songs to be of the novelty genre.  Favorite songs: "King of the Road," "Dang Me," "Chug-a-Lug."

 

Sound Affects, the Jam / Sillion, Johnny Flynn

Sound Affects, The Jam, 1980, :35 

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

I'm pretty familiar with the Jam.  I wasn't moved by this album, although I certainly recognize the greatness.  Maybe this one is just too experimental for me.  For example, "Music for the Last Couple" starts with some not unpleasant noises, then about 40 seconds of silence, then a pretty good song.  Why?  Favorite tracks: "That's Entertainment," "Start!"

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Sillion, Johnny Flynn, 2017, :45 

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

I'm a huge fan of Flynn's masterwork, Alarum.  In comparison this one is kind of sleepy.  The problem is probably me.  This is an introspective, literate album.  It doesn't do to come to a conclusion after one quick listen.  But at an album or two a day, that's all I can give it for now.  Favorite Tracks: "In the Deepest," "Tarp in the Prop."