Musiquarium Music Reviews 2021

Table Of Contents:

Black Country, New Road – For The First Time

A fascinating new art rock band emerges from Cambridge.

Though the album cover may not suggest it, this album is actually quite dark and heavy, with it’s blend of post-punk, post-rock, math rock and jazz.

The suitably-titled Instrumental begins the album with a chaotic, jazzy exhibition; like a marching band playing to the apocalypse. Athens, France begins with a nervous, angular guitar riff and concludes with smooth, soulful playing. Science Fair is driven by a neurotic anxiety, the fear that something is about to explode and then finally does.

Sunglasses is the albums longest track, slowly building up to its climax. Track X is the album’s most gentle piece, with backing vocals from bassist Tyler Hyde. Opus is a fitting ending to the album, and makes you want to restart and re-listen front to back.

BCNR’s expert musicianship is notable across the entire album, with the entire septet daring to take the listener to interesting places and in unexpected directions. This album could easily be called pretentious, but it isn’t. It’s just really fucking amazing.

For The First Time is one of the best debuts in years.

★★★★★

black midi – Cavalcade

black midi progresses their style.

On black midi’s sophomore album, the prog group expands upon the sonic palette set by their 2019 debut, Schlagenheim, and gets jazzier.

The album starts off with John L (L as in 50), which musically sounds somewhat like a spiritual successor to King Crimson’s 1974 track The Great Deceiver, and is a chaotic opener. Marlene Dietrich has the band slow things down, with some sensual jazz and lyrics about the titular actress/singer.

Chondromalacia Patella and Slow are two tracks straight out of the Frank Zappa handbook, and would probably have made him proud, had he been around to hear them. Hogwash and Balderdash is another track of absolute madness, followed by the calmer acoustic guitars of Ascending Forth.

A fantastic follow-up to their debut, which adds more flavour to a recipe that was already strong to begin with.

★★★★½

Foo Fighters – Medicine At Midnight

Foo Fighters release their biggest dud yet.

After releasing two mediocre albums in a row, Sonic Highways and Concrete And Gold, the Foos were due for a comeback. Wasting Light (their last good album) was already a decade old and Dave Grohl & Co. were in danger of being well past their prime.

So, what did the band decide to do? Harken back to their early days and make something heavy and impassioned? Nope. They went in an even more commercial direction, and made a lame-ass dance rock record, devoid of any substance.

Making A Fire features Dave Grohl’s daughter Violet and is as likely to start a fire as a bucket of water is. Cloudspotter is a — uh — “funky” rocker that feels more like a midlife crisis. The only thing missing is a pair of Crocs. Waiting On A War is a schmaltzy, overproduced ballad. Shame Shame and No Son Of Mine are two of the (marginally) better songs, but still lightyears away from any of the band’s best songs.

Easily Foo Fighters’ worst album yet and a laughable attempt at doing something new. It feels like Dave Grohl has absolutely nothing to say. He has it all and when life is perfect, there’s not much to inspire art.

Sadly, this was drummer Taylor Hawkin’s last album before his death.

★

Iron Maiden – Senjutsu

Iron Maiden continues to make reliable music late into their career.

Iron Maiden is one of those classic metal bands that still releases strong music in their older years. Other than a few missteps in the 1990s, they haven’t really put out anything bad. Sure, not even the best albums of their 2000s renaissance can top anything from the 80s, but their rekindled relationship with vocalist Bruce Dickinson has yielded very positive results.

Singles, The Writing On The Wall and Stratego proved that the band still has their mojo. The band also continues with making 10+ minute long compositions (Death Of The Celts, The Parchment, Hell On Earth), which have been mainstays since the 2010s.

Another solid Iron Maiden album for the ageing legends.

★★★½

JPEGMAFIA – LP!

JPEGMAFIA MAKES TWO VERSIONS OF THE SAME ALBUM!

JPEGMAFIA’s fourth album was released in two editions: an ‘online’ edition for streaming platforms and an ‘offline’ edition for download. There is a slight variation in the tracklist, along with certain songs having alternate titles, but as I listened to the ‘offline’ version, that’s the one this is about.

LP! is a major improvement over JPEGMAFIA’s last two albums, which were often weighed down by their experimental production and loose song structuring. At times, the mixing can still be a mess and the songs can feel unfinished and loud, but generally, this feels like an evolution of Peggy’s skills as a producer.

This is one of the highest ranked albums of the 2020s, and while I may not agree with that, it’s certainly a solid effort and Peggy’s best album yet.

★★★★

Kanye West – DONDA

Kanye West releases a 2 hour long, nonsecular, gospel rap opus dedicated to his mother.

Following 2019’s disappointing (but over-hated) JESUS IS KING, which disappointed many fans for replacing/rewriting the beloved, leaked Yandhi, and for its focus on religious themes (while abstaining from cursing), came a grand slam of an album (as opposed to JIK’s relative bunt).

DONDA (named after Kanye’s late mother; his guiding light) is an album full of spirituality and love, and although some songs may not fit in the overall context/theme of the album, the album still mostly achieves its goal as an homage to his mother (including voice recordings of her) and would have made her proud as a mother.

Following up a 27 minute long album with a hour and a half long album (2+ hours for the deluxe edition, which may as well be the definitive version, despite its inferior sequencing) seemed quite generous, but how much of it would be filler? Unsurprisingly, not much of it.

This album is home to some of Kanye’s best songs, and despite the hate that the press gave the album (which seemed more targeted at Kanye West, his views and his collaborators, than the music itself), this album is actually another crown jewel in Kanye’s musical canon.

Jail opens the album with a lonesome guitar riff, verses from Kanye and a post-retirement JAY-Z, and a tasteful drum fill only appearing at the very end of the song. God Breathed sounds like the 808s track Say You Will put through a Yeezus filter, with an extended droning outro. Off The Grid and Praise God are both wildly successful immersions into trap. Hurricane sees The Weeknd returning after a feature on the 2016 Life Of Pablo track, FML.

Believe What I Say samples Kanye’s hero Lauren Hill, and was one of the first songs teased for the album, back in 2020. Come To Life is perhaps the most touching song in the entire Kanye oeuvre, with songs like Moon, No Child Left Behind and the gospel-led 24 all providing additional shots of emotion and faith.

Jesus Lord is a soulful epic, which samples a recording of Larry Hoover Jr., pleading for his father (and ex Chicago crime boss) to be released from prison, who had since become a born again Christian and is yet to meet his grandkids.

Then there’s still Ok Ok (a shot at deritvative new age rappers), New Again, Pure Souls, Remote Control, Heaven And Hell, Lord I Need You and Keep My Spirit Alive… An absolute beast of an album, with no shortage of gems.

The deluxe edition of the album includes the Andre 3000 featuring Life Of The Party, with one of the best verses about mothers and a welcome return to rapping, after years of radio silence. It is one of Kanye’s greatest songs ever and one that any detractor would struggle to dislike.

My only criticism with this album is to do with some of the bloat. Kanye has always been good at maintaining a pulse throughout lengthy projects like The College Dropout, Late Registration and The Life Of Pablo, but I found the Pt. 2 songs are all superfluous additions. And Tell The Vision is extremely misplaced. However, there’s still about 25 enjoyable songs on this album, and for a project this long, it’s quite incredible that the album doesn’t really overstay its welcome. Had those aforementioned songs been removed, it could be marginally better, but the inclusion of said songs can be seen as part of its charm, thus I am not detracting points here.

This album is sitting at a 53/100 on Metacritic, which is absolutely insulting and is further proof that many modern music journalists have their judgements clouded when it comes to separating the art from the artist.

★★★★★

The Killers – Pressure Machine

The Killers make a concept album about rural Utah life and the opioid crisis, and craft their most artistic album yet.

In the mid naughts, songs like Somebody Told Me, Mr. Brightside and When You Were Young were inescapable. The Killers were massive and were the next big thing in alt rock, with crossover success into pop.

But then came 2008’s Day & Age, which was a huge step down in quality and verged too far into schmaltzy pop territory. It took four years for a follow-up, Battle Born, which was a Springsteen-worn-too-much-on-the-sleeve snooze-fest. When Wonderful Wonderful came out in 2017, it didn’t really win me over either, despite containing some of the best songs they’ve put out since Sam’s Town (The Man, Wonderful Wonderful, Tyson vs. Douglas, Run For Cover). The other half of that album was typical of post-2007 era Killers, where it seemed like Brandon Flowers was trying to appeal to teenage girls with sappy ballads more than anything.

Three years later, Imploding The Mirage came out. and though I wasn’t enamoured with that album, it felt like they were on the righ track and it had some solid tracks like My Own Soul’s Warning, Caution and Dying Breed. Not even a year later, they already announced a new album: Pressure Machine.

And what an album it was. It was the most consistent, artistic, though-out, well-produced, most passionate project that Brandon Flowers had ever written. Made with analogue recording equipment, there’s a warmth and authenticity to this album, and although it may mirror Brandon Flowers’ hero Bruce Springsteen on Nebraska in its execution, it’s very much a different vibe than that album. It also incorporates full arrangements, and is not just acoustic guitars, although it utilizes them more than ever within the band’s repertoire.

Most songs on the album begin with spoken word introductions from various small town folks, talking about things ranging from the impacts on society of opioid addictions, going hunting and people getting run over on train tracks. It adds a conceptual narrative through the album, and shows how Flowers wasn’t going for accessibility, and wasn’t afraid to detail serious topics.

West Hills sees Brandon Flowers sing his heart out, resulting in a crescendo that displays the sort of passion that was poured into this album. The title track is an ode to Flowers’ youth. In The Car Outside is one of my favourite Killers songs ever, making use of some incredibly tasty synths over top of electric drums. In fact, that’s one of my favourite things about this record; it’s primarily a heartland rock album, but they still find a few places to add electronic elements, without making it seem jarring or inappropriate.

This album won be over as a fan beyond the first two records, and has made The Killers a band that I look forward to hearing more new music from. Bravo, Brandon Flowers.

★★★★½

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – B-Sides & Rarities Part II

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds release a treasure trove of later era non-album tracks in this second volume of b-sides and rarities.

The follow-up to 2005’s B-Sides & Rarities Part I, this collection focuses on recordings made between 2006-2019, ranging in sound from the straightforward rock of Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! to the ambient, electronic tones of Push The Sky Away, Skeleton Tree and Ghosteen.

Needle Boy, Lightning Bolts and Animal X are some of the band’s earlier examples of electronics, preceding their mid to late 2010s works and are all very interesting. Free To Walk features Debbie Harry of Blondie. Opium Eyes would have fit nicely on Push The Sky Away. A few early versions of songs from Skeleton Tree and Ghosteen appear and give insight into the progress and changes that the song went through.

A rather fascinating collection of b-sides and curios that showcases how dynamic and ever-evolving The Bad Seeds truly are.

★★★★

Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – Carnage

Nick Cave & Warren Ellis make an album during the pandemic without the other Bad Seeds.

Recorded by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis during lockdown, Carnage may not be a Bad Seeds album, but it still has lots in common with the few albums that preceded it, where ambience and texture are key.

Hand Of God let’s listeners know that this album won’t be far removed from the past few Bad Seeds albums. The title track sounds melancholic, but hopeful. White Elephant is quite the scorcher of a song, and is absolutely incendiary as the song progresses along. Old Time sounds a bit Radiohead-esque.

Although it’s not a Bad Seeds album, it has still made its way into the band’s setlist, with Carnage and White Elephant being played on their 2024 tour. And let me tell you, they were phenomenal in a live setting, making use of gospel singers.

★★★★

Royal Blood – Typhoons

The drum + bass rock duo put on their dancing shoes.

Following their sophomore album, How Did We Get So Dark, which did little to distinguish itself from their debut, Royal Blood change their sound up on Typhoons, going into a dance-oriented direction.

I saw Royal Blood open up for Queens Of The Stone Age on their Villains tour in 2018; the album in which it was supporting was produced by Mark Ronson and took the band in a dancier direction. It seems as though that influence had rubbed off on Royal Blood, allowing them to tweak their formula for their next record.

Trouble’s Coming is easily the duo’s best song (alongside their debut single, Out Of The Black) and shows a successful injection of dance elements into their drum and bass sound. Tracks like Oblivion, Limbo and the title track all do this dance sound well too, as does much of the album.

Josh Homme (of the aforementioned Queens Of The Stone Age) produces Boilermaker (which has a notably different production style from the other tracks, but still fits the overall theme), as well as the bonus tracks, Space and King. The closing song, All We Have Is Now is just piano and vocals and feels quite misplaced.

I think I enjoy this album more than a lot of other people did, though it’s still no classic. I find the drum and bass combo limited in scope, but this is still some decent meat and potatoes modern rock. It is more interesting than its predecessor and more of a success than a failure.

★★★½

St. Vincent – Daddy’s Home

Annie Clark goes back to the 1970s.

Named after the fact that Annie Clark’s father had recently been released from prison after having been convicted of conspiracy, fraud and money laundering near the beginning of St. Vincent’s career, Daddy’s Home finds the artful singer going back to the 1970s; a time when lounge pop, funk and soul were in their prime. If St. Vincent is this generation’s female David Bowie, then this is her Young Americans era. And like that album, it’s also a minor drop in quality.

After producing her album, Masseduction, Jack Antonoff is back in the producer’s chair, and like it, this one sounds just as pristine.

Pay Your Way In Pain is a lot of fun with it’s fuzzy synths. The title track features some really wonderful whiskey-throat screams from Annie (you just have to listen to see what I mean) and Live In The Dream has a mellow psychedelic vibe that builds up to a Pink Floyd-like guitar solo, and then a gentle release.

As for criticisms, the whole album is a bit samey and not quite as exciting or dynamic as albums like Strange Mercy or St. Vincent, but Daddy’s Home is still a worthy reinvention.

Definitely one of Annie Clark’s sexiest eras though.

Trivia: Daddy’s Home won Best Alternative Music Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.

★★★½

Steven Wilson – THE FUTURE BITES

Steven Wilson releases a pop album that parodies pop albums… And just ends up sounding like a bad pop album.

I’m all for Steven Wilson experimenting with new sounds and even going in a more pop-leaning direction, like what he did on To The Bone or past songs like Postcard and Hand Cannot Erase, but this was just a flat-out failure.

Nearly every track has these neo-soul backing vocals that overtake Steven Wilson’s own singing, to the point that it doesn’t even sound like he’s doing anything vocally. It honestly ruins songs like EMINENT SLEAZE and PERSONAL SHOPPER. If it were on one song, I’d be more forgiving, but it’s across the entire fucking album.

SELF is an embarrassing opener. MAN OF THE PEOPLE is okay, until you realize it pretty much rips of Pink Floyd’s Welcome To The Machine and seeing as they are arguably Wilson’s holy grail band, there is no way he wasn’t aware of such blatant imitation. KING GHOST is held back by Wilson’s whiney and abysmal falsetto. PERSONAL SHOPPER is probably the best song here, but is ruined by those aforementioned “backing” vocals and the spoken word Elton John section.

How Steven Wilson though this album was a good idea is beyond me. Easily the worst thing he’s ever done since Porcupine Tree’s debut, On The Sunday Of Life (another crap-fest of an album). The difference, is that he released that album at the start of his career. By now, we know just what Wilson is capable of, having released several great albums. And sure, this song has great production for the most part, but it is ruined by everything else, tainting any form of enjoyment possible.

The first and last tracks are basically just an intro and outro, leaving only 7 tracks. Of these, there were 5 that had already been released as singles, none of which were particularly well-liked. A major disappointment from an artist who seldom drops to this level of quality. Despite the many flaws, the production can be nice during some instrumental sections.

A low point for the career of Steven Wilson.

★½

Weezer – OK Human

Weezer makes an album with strings.

Coming out during the pandemic, OK Human is a pleasant and upbeat album that seems designed to help battle the winter lockdown blues. All the songs on here are accompanied by a string section and it actually sounds quite nice.

All My Favourite Things is a decent opener, if not a little bit too twee and saccharine. Grapes Of Wrath is an ode to the Audible version of John Steinbeck’s classic novel. Numbers is a song for those who dread mathematics.

The album still indulges in the pop tendencies that the band has refused to shed since Weezer (Green Album), but it’s easily one of their best post-90s works and wins them back some dignity and respect… Until their next album reversed that only a few months later.

★★★½

Weezer – Van Weezer

Weezer wastes a great album title on this collection of lacklustre garbage.

When Weezer announced Van Weezer, I was foolish to believe that the band would sidestep the usual pop vomit that they’ve been spewing out for two decades with a love letter to metal music. Considering that the gatefold to their debut, Weezer (Blue Album), showed a poster of Judas Priest’s British Steel, along with the chunky power chords of their early works, metal music was a big influence on Weezer’s metallic power pop.

The band had just released OK Human to the best reviews they’ve gotten in years (though it was far from great), but it signalled some hope for the future of the band.

How I was wrong. This album was an utter embarrassment and easily one of Weezer’s five worst albums (there are a lot of those).

Hero sounds like the kind of pop punk song you’d hear in some long-forgotten 2000s teen comedy. All The Good Ones could have been on Pacific Daydream (which is not a compliment). Blue Dream rips off Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train, defecating and pissing all over it in the process.

The only song that didn’t make me want to punch Rivers Cuomo in the face was Precious Metal Girl, only because it reminded me faintly of Butterfly, one of the most beautiful songs of the 90s, back when Cuomo wrote from the heart and not from the wallet. How he went from writing The Blue Album and Pinkerton to this is shameful and pathetic.

Leave it to Weezer to ruin a nod to Van Halen.

★

FIN

Britain Chambers

The Musiquarium

Musiquarium Music Reviews 2021