Hello. This is my first post. Catching up on my music, and listened to a number of albums released this year.
These stink:
Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience (RCA Records). * We waited seven years for this? Twelve songs, none of them shorter than 4 and half minutes (and eight of them six minutes or longer!). Every single one of them outstays its welcome, often after thirty seconds. Timberlake appears to be confusing songwriting with intricate production, and while a couple of the latter (and shorter) songs threaten you with a hook, its all undermined by lack of any discernible melody.
David Bowie - The Next Day (ISO Records). * We waited ten years for this? My problem with artists like David Bowie (and Scott Walker is also guily of this) is that they try to push the boundaries of music by introducing random elements - in Bowie's case with cut-up lyrics and experiments in sound (in Walker's case it tends to be just the experimental sound thing - fist hitting dead pig percussion sounds like ... fist hitting dead pig), that every once in a while produce a step forward in music but mostly produce noise. This album isn't as unlistenable as Timberlake's dire effort but none of it is staying on my ipod, not even the best track, lead single 'Where Are We Now?"
The Strokes - Comedown Machine (Rough Trade Records) ** More varied than its predecessors with Julian Casablancas collaborating more with his band mates than for previous albums. That may not have been a good idea. Some electronic French influences, particularly on 'Welcome to Japan', possibly deriving from Casablancas's appearance on the new Daft Punk album. Kept 'Call it Fate, Call it Karma' on my ipod, the least typical track on the album, combining a falsetto vocal from Casblancas with a jazz guitar. All in all, slightly worse than the last album, which is in keeping with their career trajectory.
These grew on me:
Daft Punk - Random Access Memories (Daft Life) *** The second most hyped album of 2013 so far, after Bowie's, but this has more to it. A move largely away from synthenthisers and electonic gadgets (although Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter appear to have excludedc auto-tune from their definition of "electronic gadgets") and towards real instruments, and a shed load of collaborators, including Chic's Nile Rodgers, Casablancas and Omar Hakim (the drummer for Dire Straits Brothers in Arms and Sting's first solo album The Dream of the Blue Turtles). I am not usually a fan of Pharell Williams's weedy R 'n' B falsetto vocal, but Daft Punk put it to great use on 'Lose Yourself to Dance' and the brilliant lead single 'Get Lucky'. My favourite track though is the 9-minute 'Giorgio by Moroder' which features a monologue by Moroder over which plays a track that is clearly written in homage to him and fellow French 70s electonic legends , Jean-Michel Jarre and Space.
Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork (Matador Records)*** We waited seven years for this? Yeah alright, maybe it was worth it this time. QUOTSA's best album since the classic 2001 Songs for the Deaf . I didn't like 'My God is the Sun' when it was first released as the opening single, but for all its stereotypical heavy-metallic QUOTSA sound, it grew on me. I immediately took to the slower, piano-based 'Vampyre Of Time And Memory' which builds to a slow mellow crescendo. 'Kalopsia' is even mellower ro begin with, and in fact I overlooked it at first, but liked it more on repeat listens, particularly as the heavier guitar riff kicks in. 'I Appear Missing' owes a lot to early Radiohead but had a chorus that is comes from a slow heavy-rock tradition. This album is softer than usual for QUOTSA and risks alienating some fans, but I think it's an interesting and tuneful album.
These stink:
Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience (RCA Records). * We waited seven years for this? Twelve songs, none of them shorter than 4 and half minutes (and eight of them six minutes or longer!). Every single one of them outstays its welcome, often after thirty seconds. Timberlake appears to be confusing songwriting with intricate production, and while a couple of the latter (and shorter) songs threaten you with a hook, its all undermined by lack of any discernible melody. 
David Bowie - The Next Day (ISO Records). * We waited ten years for this? My problem with artists like David Bowie (and Scott Walker is also guily of this) is that they try to push the boundaries of music by introducing random elements - in Bowie's case with cut-up lyrics and experiments in sound (in Walker's case it tends to be just the experimental sound thing - fist hitting dead pig percussion sounds like ... fist hitting dead pig), that every once in a while produce a step forward in music but mostly produce noise. This album isn't as unlistenable as Timberlake's dire effort but none of it is staying on my ipod, not even the best track, lead single 'Where Are We Now?"
This was disappointing: 
The Strokes - Comedown Machine (Rough Trade Records) ** More varied than its predecessors with Julian Casablancas collaborating more with his band mates than for previous albums. That may not have been a good idea. Some electronic French influences, particularly on 'Welcome to Japan', possibly deriving from Casablancas's appearance on the new Daft Punk album. Kept 'Call it Fate, Call it Karma' on my ipod, the least typical track on the album, combining a falsetto vocal from Casblancas with a jazz guitar. All in all, slightly worse than the last album, which is in keeping with their career trajectory. These grew on me:
Daft Punk - Random Access Memories (Daft Life) *** The second most hyped album of 2013 so far, after Bowie's, but this has more to it. A move largely away from synthenthisers and electonic gadgets (although Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter appear to have excludedc auto-tune from their definition of "electronic gadgets") and towards real instruments, and a shed load of collaborators, including Chic's Nile Rodgers, Casablancas and Omar Hakim (the drummer for Dire Straits Brothers in Arms and Sting's first solo album The Dream of the Blue Turtles). I am not usually a fan of Pharell Williams's weedy R 'n' B falsetto vocal, but Daft Punk put it to great use on 'Lose Yourself to Dance' and the brilliant lead single 'Get Lucky'. My favourite track though is the 9-minute 'Giorgio by Moroder' which features a monologue by Moroder over which plays a track that is clearly written in homage to him and fellow French 70s electonic legends , Jean-Michel Jarre and Space. 
Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork (Matador Records)*** We waited seven years for this? Yeah alright, maybe it was worth it this time. QUOTSA's best album since the classic 2001 Songs for the Deaf . I didn't like 'My God is the Sun' when it was first released as the opening single, but for all its stereotypical heavy-metallic QUOTSA sound, it grew on me. I immediately took to the slower, piano-based 'Vampyre Of Time And Memory' which builds to a slow mellow crescendo. 'Kalopsia' is even mellower ro begin with, and in fact I overlooked it at first, but liked it more on repeat listens, particularly as the heavier guitar riff kicks in. 'I Appear Missing' owes a lot to early Radiohead but had a chorus that is comes from a slow heavy-rock tradition. This album is softer than usual for QUOTSA and risks alienating some fans, but I think it's an interesting and tuneful album. 
No comments:
Post a Comment