Musiquarium Music Reviews 2020

Table Of Contents:

Charli xcx – how i’m feeling now

Charli makes a DIY pandemic album.

Recorded in a matter of weeks during Covid lockdown, how i’m feeling now was a reflection of the times we were living in during the pandemic. The album was made with input from both fans and producers, providing Charli with some contact with the outside world during the lonesome writing and recording sessions.

pink diamond is a surprisingly heavy way to start to the album, with it’s industrial synths, but then again, Charli is known for experimenting and pushing boundaries more than most pop stars are willing to. forever is a romantic earworm. claws would be annoying if anyone else made it, but Charli has become a master of taste and does all the right things to make it work. e

enemy sounds both modern and 80s. i finally understand is one of Charli’s best songs yet. c2.0 is a remake of Click, from Charli’s 2019 self-titled album. anthem is ripe for raves. The final track, visions, starts off innocuously enough, but then it ends with chaotic synths, reminiscent of the first track, and could be mistaken for something by Aphex Twin or Daft Punk.

This is pop music with an experimental edge that goes to show that Charli xcx can blend pop and experimentalism better than any of her contemporaries. I usually dislike most pop music, but this shit hits.

★★★★★

Deftones – Ohms

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Deftones gets really heavy again.

Deftones found their footing again after the loss of bassist Chi Cheng, rising from the ashes with the brilliant one-two of Diamond Eyes and Koi No Yokan in the early 2010s. Then, the band (relatively) fumbled on the less than adored Gore, which although underrated, was seen as a step down from the heights of its predecessors. Guitarist Stephen Carpenter and singer Chino Moreno were at odds, which resulted in a lighter than usual affair, along with production that didn’t pack the usual punch.

This time, Stephen Carpenter’s presence is easily felt. Ohms is perhaps the heaviest the band has sounded since their eponymous album, which can be attributed in part to Terry Date returning as producer (he produced the band’s first four albums), but that’s not to say the album is all loud noise.

Genesis sets the tone with a near minute long synth intro, before pummelling power chords come in. Ceremony and Urantia are both powered by groovy verses and strong choruses. Error is sexy and dissonant. The ending of The Spell Of Mathematics is a slow release of tension.

Pompeji is the resident pretty song on the album and has a ambient outro. This Link Is Dead is one of the heaviest tracks here. Radiant City shreds. Headless blends heavy guitars and dreamy atmospherics. The title track has some of Carpenter’s best riffs. And Chino Moreno sounds blissful as always.

Deftones continue to age like wine, as evident by such a strong album 25 years into their career. There’s nothing I didn’t like about this album.

★★★★★

The Flaming Lips – American Head

Wayne Coyne reminisces about growing up in America.

On The Flaming Lips’ 16th album, which arrived only one year after 2019’s Mick Jones narrated concept album, King’s Mouth: Music And Songs, frontman/vocalist Wayne Coyne revisits his past, focusing on his upbringing in 1970s America. The album exudes both shades of nostalgia and pain, with several songs detailling Coyne’s early experiences taking drugs with his older brothers (Mother I’ve Taken LSD, At The Movies On Quaaludes, You And Me Sellin’ Weed).

Watching The Lightbugs Glow and God And The Policeman are both notable for featuring vocals from Kacey Musgraves.

American Head is perhaps The Flaming Lips’ most grounded and organic-sounding record, foregoing much of the musical darkness of their past several works. The record exhibits plenty of piano and acoustic guitars, and the entire vibe of the record gives it a unique place in the band’s discography.

It’s not groundbreaking and innovative like The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots were, but it’s an exceptional record for having been released 36 years after their self-titled debut EP.

★★★★

The Killers – Imploding The Mirage

The Killers drop an optimistic album during the pandemic.

Following the lukewarm reception of 2017’s Wonderful Wonderful, Imploding The Mirage finds the Las Vegas band back on the horse with a good, but not great album.

My Own Soul’s Warning sounds like a Bruce Springsteen track (an artist that frontman Brandon Flowers blatantly wears on his sleeve), but is still one of the band’s best songs in years. Caution features a guitar solo from Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham. Dying Breed samples the drums from CAN’s Moonshake. K.D. Lang and Weyes Blood also appear.

Overall, it’s not quite a comeback album, but Imploding The Mirage is much more inspired than the band’s past 3 albums.

★★★½

Pearl Jam – Gigaton

Pearl Jam makes their worst album yet.

Who Ever Said is a forgettable opener. The band tries something new on songs like Dance Of The Clairvoyants by adding synths, but it doesn’t quite fit their style. Superblood Wolfmoon is pretty embarrassing and one of the worst songs they’ve ever made. The rest of the songs are a boring slog.

★★

Run The Jewels – RTJ4

RTJ makes its most political album yet.

After pumping out the first three critically acclaimed Run The Jewels albums between 2013-2016, the duo took a longer than usual break, not returning again until 2020, when America was in shambles. There was the Covid pandemic, the George Floyd incident and the imminent presidential election. Suffice to say, El-P and Killer Mike and lots to say.

yankee and the brave (ep. 4) attacks the listener with its pounding bass drum. ooh la la makes creative use of a sample from a line from a Gang Starr song, showing how creative sampling can be when you aren’t being lazy. out of sight is a whole lotta fun. holy calamafuck and goonies vs. E.T. are two of the bands most experimental tracks so far and showcase the brilliant production work of El-P. The Ground Below samples Gang Of Four’s Ether, and will hopefully lead listeners to their classic 1979 album Entertainment!

Zach De La Rocha (Rage Against The Machine) appears again (on JU$T), after having been featured on the last two albums. Josh Homme (Queens Of The Stone Age) also features on pulling the pin, alongside Mavis Staples.

This album might just be even better than Run The Jewels 2, which many consider to be their best work.

★★★★★

The Smashing Pumpkins – Cyr

The Smashing Pumpkins release a double album of synthpop slop.

Following Shiny And Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun. (a contender for most pretentious title of all time), the album that saw the reunion of Billy Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlin and James Iha, comes an abandonment of everything from that album; an embrace of synthpop.

Some twenty odd years ago, The Smashing Pumpkins had already taken a left-turn into synthpop territory with 1998’s Adore, an album that, while bold, was ultimately a step down from the band’s first three albums. It did contain classics like Ava Adore and Perfect, but wasn’t as successful of a reinvention as, say, KID A was for Radiohead.

This time around, things fare even worse, mainly due to Billy Corgan’s vocals, which are ageing like milk. A lot of the songs here sound like cheesy 80s synthpop and when the songs don’t sound outdated, they are hindered by Corgan’s voice.

There’s just simply too much music here and it’s not engaging or interesting enough to warrant one’s attention for 80 minutes.

★★

The Strokes – The New Abnormal

The Strokes win critical acclaim for the first time in over 15 years.

The Strokes hadn’t released anything since 2016, which was just a mediocre three song EP. Their last proper studio LP was 2013’s Comedown Machine, which many fans were disappointed with (though it’s definitely underrated). But, even before that album, the previous two were also seen as disappointments, when compared to their landmark debut and its nearly-as-good follow up.

By the mid 2010’s, vocalist Julian Casablancas had started another band called The Voidz (great band), and released two albums that garnered much better reviews than the Strokes had been getting, especially on 2018’s Virtue. At this point, it seemed like Casablancas was going to put more of his creative talents and best ideas into The Voidz.

But, The New Abnormal proves that theory wrong. Julian Casablanca’s rejuvenated creativity after two excellent Voidz albums carried over into his work with his original band.

The Adults Are Talking is a career highlight and is easily the best song they’ve made since the first two records. Why Are Sundays So Depressing makes use of some nice rotary guitar. Bad Decisions and Eternal Summer interpolate different 80s songs, which is not a trend I’m thrilled about, but those songs still manage to avoid my glare. The synth-heavy At The Door and Ode To The Mets are both wonderful ballads, with some of Casablancas best vocal performances.

Overall, one of the band’s top three records for sure, possibly even their second best after the timeless Is This It.

Trivia: The New Abnormal won Best Rock Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.

★★★★★

Tame Impala – The Slow Rush

Kevin Parker reflects on time.

Five long years after Kevin Parker’s 2015 crossover hit, Currents, which sent him straight into the stratosphere, becoming one of the most in demand and popular producers of today, comes a juxtaposition of an album that’s simultaneously personal and danceable: The Slow Rush.

This album has been divisive and criticized for straying too far from the Tame Impala of a decade ago, though additional listens will reveal an equally intricate and layered album, which seems like an obvious progression from Currents (and it’s not like that album didn’t already showcase Parker’s penchant for pop).

Kevin Parkers has always shown his vulnerable side through his lyrics, but this album seems even more to the bone than ever before, with every song grappling with the concept of time and change in one way or another. This is evident in seven of the album’s twelve songs having references to time in the title.

One More Year starts the album with a song of hope. Compared to Let It Happen, which opened Currents like you were on the come-up of a trip, One More Year is the listener riding the peak. Instant Destiny finds Parker dealing with inpulsive love. Borderline is a bonafide disco hit, complete with yacht rock elements and harpsichord. The album version differs from the single that was released in 2019.

On Posthumous Forgiveness, Kevin comes to terms with his late father and learns to forgive him for not supporting his music career during his father’s life. Breathe Deeper is a beautiful piano-led song, accompanied by tasty basslines and an extended outro. Tomorrow’s Dust has delicate acoustic guitar arpeggios. On Track is this album’s Eventually and is just as powerful.

Lost In Yesterday deals with being stuck in the past. Is It True is funky as fuck. It Might Be Time is an introspective look on growing older and seeing your friends and those around you change. Glimmer is a short house instrumental. One More Hour closes the album on a climactic and sentimental note.

Don’t be fooled by the pop tendencies on display here. This is still a very psychedelic album that should appeal to fans of Innerspeaker and Lonerism, but particularly Currents. The production is absolute ear candy and you can tell that Parker obsessed over this for a while.

A completely misunderstood album that didn’t get much fan appreciation as it deserved, but in time, I think it will considered a masterpiece, that’s acknowledged as being just as amazing as the first 3 Tame Impala records.

This record came out in February 2020, slightly before the Covid pandemic had started, it will always seem like a soundtrack to that point in our history to me. In hindsight, I’m glad that myself and others had such a brilliant album to distract ourselves with during a time of uncertainty and anxiety.

A master class in psychedelic pop.

★★★★★

The White Stripes – My Sister Thanks You And I Thank You: The White Stripes Greatest Hits

The legendary duo finally releases a career retrospective.

The White Stripes released 6 incredible albums between 1999 and 2007, producing hit song after hit song and being amongst the leaders of the rock revival of the 2000s.

In the digital age, compilations may not serve the same purpose they once served, but I’m always fascinated to see an artist’s own curation of what they consider to be their most essential recordings. The White Stripes are also a band that had no bad albums and a rather short career, so you’re getting nothing but gold here. Every song is a zinger.

All of the big singles are here: The Big Three Killed My Baby, Hello Operator, Hotel Yorba, Fell In Love With A Girl, Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground, Seven Nation Army, The Hardest Button To Button, I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself, Blue Orchid, My Doorbell, The Denial Twist, Conquest and Icky Thump… All classics.

There are also some of the band’s best deep cuts, like Apple Blossom, Astro, Death Letter, I Think I Smell A Rat, Screwdriver, I Fought Piranhas and Ball & Biscuit. There are also a couple of non-album songs: the early single Let’s Shake Hands and the duo’s excellent cover of Dolly Parton’s Jolene.

It would have been nice to see some more rarities, but at 82 minutes, there would be no memory left on a single CD. Considering that none of the runtime is wasted, this is pretty much the greatest single disc White Stripes greatest hits package you could ask for.

★★★★★

FIN

Britain Chambers

The Musiquarium