Shakedown Social

evilchiliDaisy the Great - The Rubber Teeth Talk Origin: Brooklyn <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/TastingNotes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TastingNotes</a>: Mazzy Star, Veruca Salt, Tegan and SaraOn their third full length, the duo of Mina and Kelley complete their inevitable metamorphosis from precious low-fi indie goofballs to 90s MTV alternative rockers. The clever word play and close-sung harmonic curveballs are still here, but it's clear they're not writing for their bedroom or alternative theatre spaces: this is a proper rock record. Lead single Ballerina was a statement; a 90s fuzzed out rocker ready to be talked over by Beavis and Butthead. Fully half the record follows this model: the guitars are louder, the choruses bigger, the production intentionally rough and unfinished. The more relaxed moments lean into surrealist lyrics inspired by literal and figurative dreams; Swinging began as hallucinations from an overdose of laughing gas.I wake up at 4AM these days, I've got lot on my mind Like what's the point of a body if I'll never be a ballerina?My favourite track is Lady Exhausted, with its surrealist imagery, unpredictable structure and metric modulations; it sounds as much like The Else-era TMBG as anyone. It's mostly an indie-disco romp except when the tempo screeches to a halt for a bit of psychadelic droning, before climaxing in a full choir of overdubbed vocals repeating the refrain:Please somebody tell somebody what's going on The days of the months of the years are all goneI have written before that I miss the unfiltered too-clever rawness of their earliest work, and I do, but The Rubber Teeth Talk is a fine record and more successful than their sophomore record from 2022.Here's Ballerina; you can find the album on Qobuz, but maddeningly not Bandcamp.<a href="https://youtu.be/2bCAQ9rSCM8?si=NqpSRhbOSTj6IGPm" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/2bCAQ9rSCM8?si=NqpSRhbOSTj6IGPm</a>

evilchiliJonathan Something - One More Lonesome Cowboy Song Origin: Connecticut <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/TastingNotes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TastingNotes</a>: James Taylor, Jim Croce, the American Analog SetJonathan Something's first record, Outlandish Poetica, opened with a kitchen sink freak folk fever dream about getting mugged by Larry Bird and the 1986 All-Star team.I never really recovered. But that was 2018, and he's steadfastly refused to repeat himself ever since. Records 2 and 3 were off-kilter romps through 60s garage and 80s horror movie synth soundtracks, respectively, and while I liked the sophomore effort, Cannibal House didn't resonate for me. So now we have One More Lonesome Cowboy Song, and if you were, as I was, expecting some alt-country weirdness, well? No, not really. Instead we get something strongly evoking 70s singer-songwriters filtered through modern, reverb-drenched production. It's a bit like St. Vincent's Daddy's Home in that way, although it doesn't make the same mistake of falling into pastiche.Dancer in the Sky in particular is striking -- a droning slow burn equal parts Pink Floyd and American Analog Set but with strong, evocative lyrics:trinity had found her way out of the clouds when she was shot downnow she falls to the ground laughing riding on the breeze for miles above the trees and the salted seasshe lets the wing that bleeds remind herthat she's a dancer in the sky high above the eye she flies...Before I Go is ostensibly a cowboy song about being a cowboy but it's a 12 bar blues plucked on arpeggiated dueling acoustic guitars over hammond organ harmonies and a laid back rhythm section. It's not very country. It's country like wearing fringe and a Stetson in the East Village is country? The record is also only 35 minutes long and contains the single, Gasoline, twice. They're not different versions, or remixes, or alternate takes. I get the sense Mr. Something is not especially interested in following the rules.Anyway these are great songs and worth a listen or three, but I'm not sure this is going to be the breakout hit?<a href="https://jonathansomething.bandcamp.com/album/one-more-lonesome-cowboy-song" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://jonathansomething.bandcamp.com/album/one-more-lonesome-cowboy-song</a><a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/NowPlaying" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#NowPlaying</a>

evilchiliArrested Development - Adult Contemporary Hip Hop Origin: Atlanta <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/TastingNotes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TastingNotes</a>: Common, Jurassic 5, People Under the StairsJuly 4's most welcome surprise was a new Arrested Development record. They've always felt like a summer groove to me so I was delighted to see Adult Contemporary Hip Hop drop, and giving my first listen on headphones outside in the shade feels very right.Hip Hop is a big place anymore, and my favourite records of the year so far are very contemporary; Yugen Blakrok and Billy Woods are pushing the music forward, and though Aesop Rock has been around even longer than Arrested Development his record is sonically and lyrically adventurous, full of modern technique. By comparison, Adult Contemporary Hip Hop feels classical, almost timeless. The production from Speech and Configa is vintage hip-hop -- rare groove and global soul samples over headbobbin boom-bap beats. Lyrically we're in familiar territory too: conscious rap, setups and punchlines, flowers for the true ones, celebration of black culture, and optimism for the future. No surprises, no weird left turns, and no features outside the AD family; in a year full of old heads with new joints, this is music by old heads for old heads, and everything you want from the Arrested Development collective.The vibe is mostly chill (Pack It Up) but thoughtful, full of respect for those that came before and reflecting on the state of the world (Mil Town Soldier). When the crew does go full on rappin rappin (My Job Ain't Done, Original), they aren't afraid to remind you of their pedigree, their awards and influence, though AD are too relaxed to really flex. But mostly they're just having an excellent time making music, and I am here for it. Highly recommended.Also extended family BeeTaylor has got killer flow. I'm gonna have to see where else she can be found!<a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/HipHop" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#HipHop</a> <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/NowPlaying" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#NowPlaying</a><a href="https://officialarresteddevelopment.bandcamp.com/album/adult-contemporary-hip-hop" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://officialarresteddevelopment.bandcamp.com/album/adult-contemporary-hip-hop</a>

evilchilitalking about a record talking about violence, racism, horror

evilchiliBen Caplan - The Flood Origin: Halifax <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/TastingNotes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TastingNotes</a>: Tom Waits, Kurt Weil, Denis CuniotBen Caplan has never been a musician comfortable repeating himself. His music has been as eclectic and varied as his influences, wandering through jazz, singer/songwriters, cabaret, klezmer, and folk music from Acadian to American roots to Eastern European traditions of all kinds. But if he has a default mode, it might be murdering pianos and eating microphones in a pop cabaret style, frequently in Frygish or Phrygian. So the album's opening title track is vintage Caplan: an angry lament for a degenerate world growled, spit, and howled through his incredible vocal range. It is at once angry and defiant, sad and hopeful. So too the closer, The Oracle, a German beer hall waltz sing-along at the gallows:The future's uncertain Except for the ending There's no return address For the prayers we've been sendingThe great ship is sinking The air's full of fear And the map is on fire And no one can steerThe heavens will roar the mountains will rumble There's no way to know When the cookie will crumbleBut since that night I've known that until my death I will praise you with every last one of my breathsBetween them are a svelte 24 minutes of melancholia, yearning, love, and a heart open and flowering. I especially like the Main Thing, a towering, wailing heart's prayer.There is also a lot more synth on this record than previous efforts; it feels like a bit more studio experimentation went into The Flood, giving it a full, rounded sound that I really dig. This is a fine, fine record and it's going to live in rotation a long time. <a href="https://store.bencaplan.ca/album/the-flood" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://store.bencaplan.ca/album/the-flood</a><a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/NowPlaying" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#NowPlaying</a>

evilchiliSuzanne Vega - Flying With Angels Origin: Brooklyn via Galway <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/TastingNotes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TastingNotes</a>: Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Lou Reed, Carole KingFlying With Angels, Vega's first record of new material since the very excellent Queen of Pentacles in 2014, is immediately recognizable: 10 tracks of nuanced, earnest songwriting presenting a rogue's gallery of characters with a unifying through-line. In this case, struggle: these are songs of unrequited love, of social anxiety, of partings, and of the power of standing together. Sonically too it is immediately recognizable: simple, clear arrangements with just enough harmonic cleverness to surprise. I really like the title track, with its shimmering, tense verses, stanky chromaticism and malleted tom toms. We've definitely heard this kind of thing before especially on 9 Objects of Desire, but the album's closest antecedent is probably 99. 9? The biggest surprises are the excellent Rats, as close to NYC punk rock she's likely to get, the Achtung Babyesque Witch, with its cryptic lyrics and simmering rage, and the Barry White revival Love Thief, which proves Vega can turn her pen to any style she cares to explore.If you're already a fan, you're going to love this record like a postcard from an old friend. If you only know Tom's Diner, this is a great place to begin!<a href="https://youtu.be/xmTU5qzIA48?si=5S0LRv3pCAmxuDQ2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/xmTU5qzIA48?si=5S0LRv3pCAmxuDQ2</a><a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/NowPlaying" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#NowPlaying</a>

evilchiliWhatever the Weather - Whatever the Weather II Origin: London <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/TastingNotes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TastingNotes</a>: Matmos, Boards of Canada, Mt. KimbieLorraine James returns with a second volume of her ambient work, Whatever the Weather. The first dropped in 2022 and was my introduction to her and her work; it knocked my socks off, so my expectations are high for WtWII.Her approach on this record is seemingly unchanged from the first: predominantly hardware bleeps and bloops very much in the tradition of early 90s ambient techno noodlers cut up and collaged with field recordings. Beats emerge and then disappear, as on the excellent 20°C, swirling over a warm, round bass anchor. The floating stillness of these tracks are often disturbed by bursts of static from broken speakers, or a snatch of voyeuristic conversation, or a cell phone vibrator, or half-composed melodies, like pebbles rippling a pond. It creates interest without tension; you never feel unmoored with a Whatever the Weather track. Even 11°C (Intermittent Rain), the album's glitchiest, most insistent, and 9°C, the most unsettled, never become teeth-clenching. There's a serenity that persists beneath the frantic cut-ups of static, children's voices, and high-pitched oscillations. Album closer 12°C is the most active, a full-throated chorus of Vangelis synth voicings over an honest-to-goodness groove that collapses into improvised acoustic guitar noodling before slinking away. Musically we're mostly hanging out in minor keys; lots of suspended voicings with moments of diminished surprise and dissonance. Many tracks, like 26°C, employ my favourite ambient trick of forgoing the root entirely, giving the piece a weightless, infinite feeling.James guides us through a series of shy, unlabelled emotional vignettes on WtWII; the music is evocative but provides few sign-posts, asking more of its listener than, say, Hammock's hammering catharsis or afx's anxiety explosions. It makes me feel some kind of way, but I'm not always sure just how. Overall this is a warmer record than its predecessor, more grounded, maybe more inviting? I like it a lot, and I suspect it will be in heavy rotation this year.<a href="https://whateva.bandcamp.com/album/whatever-the-weather-ii" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://whateva.bandcamp.com/album/whatever-the-weather-ii</a>

evilchiliJapanese Breakfast - For Melancholy Brunettes (and Sad Women) Origin: Philadelphia, PA <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/TastingNotes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TastingNotes</a>: Kate Bush, Chris Isaak, FeistIt was at the start of the third track, Honey Water, where I thought, "Oh, we're really going somewhere different." jbrekkie's fourth record isn't a complete reinvention -- these are still sad songs about loss and loneliness with a classic pop feel sung in Zauner's unmistakable constricted, nasal delivery -- but there is a maximalist quality to the production that makes this easily the biggest sound of her career. I assume much of this is credit due to producer Blake Mills, but this is the first Japanese Breakfast that sounds as full as the material deserves. The logic sessions must be massive there are so many layers, overdubs, doubling and tripling of parts, big stacks of sou HOLY SHIT THAT'S THE DUDE (sorry i just realized that odd warbly falsetto she's dueting with on Men in Bars is Jeff Bridges)While still on brand, the songs are playful, almost experimental in their construction. Album opener Here is Someone sparkles with gamelan, mandolin, recorder, acoustic guitars, and truly massive, bassy synths. It's a 3 minute arpeggiated soundscape, nearly formless but still structured. Orlando in Love hangs out on a single chord from start to finish. Little Girl would work fine as an acoustic number but gets the full synth treatment; it reminds me a lot of the work she did on the Sable soundtrack actually. Winter in LA is a Motown revival, complete with castanets and timpani stings, but the drop happens *on the fadeout*, as if to say "Look we all know how Spector would do this, let's not wallow." Magic Mountain builds from a simple acoustic guitar vamp to a riot of strings, percussion, bells, and what I think is a distorted cello?Like all Japanese Breakfast records this is a whole mood and I'm not going to be in the mood every day, but when I am, there's nothing better. Highly recommended.<a href="https://michellezauner.bandcamp.com/album/for-melancholy-brunettes-sad-women" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://michellezauner.bandcamp.com/album/for-melancholy-brunettes-sad-women</a>

evilchilire: <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/introduction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#introduction</a> You see before you a middle-aged white male standing over six feet. He has a scraggly chin beard trimmed on the jaw line, wavy brown hair pulled back into a pony tail, and hazel eyes behind frankly ridiculous black, wide-rimmed eyeglasses. He's dressed like a twelve year-old in baggy jeans, hoodie, Beths t-shirt, and a KEXP beanie. A laptop bag is on his shoulder and overpriced headphones are around his neck. He's trying to look nonchalant as you approach but you can't shake the feeling he'd rather be listening to <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/music" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#music</a> than engaging face to face."I help admin linernotes.club, the premiere fediverse destination for music lovers who nod knowingly at each other from across the room when that song comes on but probably won't ever introduce themselves," he says, unprompted. That was weird. Then: "Oh, that was weird. Sorry. Uh, say, have you heard the new Sloan record? I've got it right here..." So hey, I'm evilchili. I am cis/het and use he/him pronouns. I mostly toot about music, because it brings me joy, and I believe joy is an act of resistance. When I go looking for new music I post about it on <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/CrateDigging" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#CrateDigging</a>. When I listen to it, I post <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/TastingNotes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TastingNotes</a>. Sometimes I do long threads about an artist's discography, like <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/TMBGTime" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TMBGTime</a>. I'm not here for politics, shitposting, or irony. If you toot or boost that stuff that's cool but I won't be following. Nazi punks fuck off. AI, crypto, techbro punks too. Usually all the same punk.I run a <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/dnd" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#dnd</a> homebrew game called <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/deadsands" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#deadsands</a>. I do post occasionally about that. I make <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/resin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#resin</a> <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/dice" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#dice</a> and toot about it on <a href="https://mastodon.art/@dicefail" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@dicefail</a>. I've been working in tech for over 30 years and getting ready to start my second act. I'm married, have twin boys, and an old, blind, stupid, sweet Greyhound named Rufus (after mssr. Wainwright). Ask me anything!

evilchiliPacifica - Freak Scene Origin: Buenos Aires <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/TastingNotes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TastingNotes</a>: Sloan, Wet Leg, ElasticaAnother of my recent finds during a crate digging session, Pacifica is an Argentinian duo that gained notoriety pretty quickly with a series of well-received covers on YouTube. They formed a band two months after meeting and two months after that they went viral.Freak Scene is their first record and floats across multiple shoals and eddies of indie rock, with a grounding in 70s rock and power pop: The fuzzy, crunchy bass and vocals remind me very much of Elastica, especially on the killer Anita. Big choruses, indie cool, catchy melodies, the occasional synth, a bit of cowbell... what's not to love? Here's hoping rapid success doesn't cause them to implode!<a href="https://pacificabanda.bandcamp.com/album/freak-scene" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://pacificabanda.bandcamp.com/album/freak-scene</a><a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/NowPlaying" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#NowPlaying</a>

evilchiliNora Brown - Long Time to be Gone Origin: Brooklyn <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/TastingNotes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TastingNotes</a>: Béla Fleck, Roscoe Holcomb, Abigail WashburnAfter more than 30 years building the modern internet, most days I feel like the best way to move us all forward is to burn the whole thing down. But without the internet I would never have heard Nora Brown. So I guess it can't be all bad.Brown is a Brooklyn teenager playing old time Appalachian music with a sophistication and soulfulness that instantly captivates. Long Time to be Gone is her 3rd album. I have no connection to this music and can't speak to its place in the tradition, but the performances here are beautifully understated. As Billy Strings sells out arenas with music searching for bluegrass's future, and Molly Tuttle sets fretboards on fire with the best pickers alive, Nora Brown plays music of the 1880s on a banjo from the 1880s with an assured but quiet reverence. It is clear she loves this music deeply.This may be a weird comparison but if you like goth music for its deep catharsis of loss and loneliness, you should give some time to mountain music. Listening to these records is centering. Peaceful.<a href="https://youtu.be/qj_LkwXiAoM?si=V-uJdLPUlcQOrFO2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/qj_LkwXiAoM?si=V-uJdLPUlcQOrFO2</a><a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/NowPlaying" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#NowPlaying</a> <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/folk" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#folk</a>

evilchiliSpent the bandcamp gift card I received on some back catalog things I've been meaning to get, including Subsonic Eye's Nature of Things and three records from Rainbow Girls including the expanded Rolling Dumpster Fire and Other Stories, American Dream, and the pandemic-era live-from-lockdown While We Wait.I rounded it out with a few 2024 records that I missed or which landed in December:Saint Etienne - The Night Aphex Twin - Music From The Merch Desk (2016 - 2023) Fin del Mundo - Hicimos crecer un bosque Peach Fuzz - Peach Fuzz Magdalena Bay - Imaginal Disk <a href="https://mstdn.social/@Veryan_Music" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@Veryan_Music</a> - Paper Hearts EPExpect <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/TastingNotes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TastingNotes</a> in the days to come!

evilchiliThe Lemon Twigs - A Dream is All We Know Origin: Brooklyn <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/TastingNotes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TastingNotes</a>: The Beatles, The Monkees, The Beach BoysThere is a moment at 2:53 of My Golden Years where Brian D'Addario does a tom fill on beat 1 that made me shout out loud the first time I heard it. It's perfect. It makes my heart sing. And the whole of A Dream Is All We Know is *full* of these moments. The quoting of Big Ben on Church Bells. The vocal blend on "the one I was dreaming of" in In the Eyes of the Girl. The snare hits before the first chorus of How Can I Love You More?. And the horn stabs on How Can I Love You More? And that descending chromatic harmony on the chorus of How Can I Love You More?. Fuck me what a tune.If you haven't heard the Lemon Twigs before, they are the brothers D'Addario, multi-instrumentalists, songwriters, producers, and lovers of all things old and analogue. ADIAWK is their fourth record, and an unabashed pastiche of 60s pop, their influences very much on their sleeves: George Martin strings, tambourines, hand claps, Brian Wilson harmonies, Gretch guitars. The record is a time capsule in reverse.So blatant are these stylistic choices, in fact, that the record could easily have ended up an insufferable, pretentious hipster indulgence. And perhaps there is something of that in the wanton disregard for modern sensibilities, but listen: the songwriting and arrangements are SO FUCKING GOOD. The harmonic complexity of songs like Church Bells, Peppermint Roses, and I Should Have Known From the Start is handled with such deftness it makes them feel simple, even inevitable. Easy to just vibe to, until you think "Hang on, how many key changes did we just do?" And then you realize that every melody on this record has a vocal counter melody, is frequently doubled by harpsichord or piano, the counterpoint itself doubled by bells or mandolin, and the voicings all stack into crazy jazz chords full of extensions and suspensions. And there's not a hint of irony: this is earnest, galaxy-brain composition. The album closes with Rock On (Over and Over), maybe the simplest tune given what has come before, but imagine a Beach Boys feature on the Beatles' white album.A Dream is All We Know is my <a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/AOTY" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#AOTY</a> 2024, the best Lemon Twigs record by some distance, and a perfect 10. It may not be your immediate jam but you should really, really give it a shot.

evilchilievilchili's album of the year 2024 (long)!

evilchiliLauren Mayberry - Vicious Creature Origin: Scotland Tasting Notes: St. Vincent, Peter Gabriel, Fiona AppleLauren Mayberry is sick of your shit. The title "Vicious Creature" you could imagine being something hurled at a woman by a man in response to not taking that shit, and this record the response to that imagined event. I made that up, but it feels true. The record is explicitly an attempt to process the indignities heaped upon her for having the audacity to be a woman in the music business, to be a woman on the internet, to be a woman. And she speaks in small words to make sure even the shitbirds get it:You can keep your body I just want your place in the worldI change shapes 'til I get what I want from you It's your game, now you're mad that I learned the rulesVicious Creature is a tight 40min of thoroughly modern art-pop, an unapologetic self-portrait that plays obvious homage to her influences. To my ears it really, really sounds like MASSEDUCTION, especially the anthemic, sneering fuck you that is Sorry, Etc and the spacious synths of Mantra.But Mayberry and co. have given us a fair few stadium bangers, too: songs like Crocodile Tears, which recalls Us-era Peter Gabriel, and the very singable Sunday Best with its Phil Collins drums and handclap breakdown. Mayberry clearly knows her business, and her business is making thousands of people share moments of wild abandon. This is not a CHRVCHES record, but her influence on the band's songwriting is even more obvious now.The most personal and most arresting moments are the quiet ones: Oh, Mother and the album closer Are You Awake? are beautiful and vulnerable. She could definitely do more in this style.I really like this record! It doesn't reach the same heights of songwriting as cited influence Fiona Apple, or traffic in the funkiness of St. Vincent, but of you like either of them I suspect you'll dig Vicious Creature.<a href="https://youtu.be/bBmn2TWCP_Q?si=YpAKVnd_xo20WsSv" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/bBmn2TWCP_Q?si=YpAKVnd_xo20WsSv</a><a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/TastingNotes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TastingNotes</a>

evilchiliBut wait! There's more! Fred again.. - USB (Volume 1) Origin: London Tasting Notes: Moby, Groove Armada, Son LuxFred *also* released USB (Volume 1) earlier this year, a singles compilation of tracks he's dropped over the last few years. This record is instantly more appealing to me than Ten Days, being more specifically geared towards delivering sumptuous, bass-loving club bangers and therefore participatory rather than aloof. The sub-bass is pumping, the grooves are deep, the breakdowns satisfying. The tracks are allowed to develop, each one a journey through anticipation to payoff. This is excellent, booty-shaking modern house of the type that first put mr again on my radar. I even like one of the Skrillex collaborations! _Baby again.._ is a bass candy banger. (The other, Rumble, isn't as successful).It's not likely to change anyone's mind about Fred again..'s prowess as a producer, but I am furiously headbobbing in the car waiting for my son, so I call it a win.<a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/TastingNotes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TastingNotes</a>

evilchiliFred again.. - ten days Origin: London Tasting Notes: Moby, Orbital, Talvin Singh Fred again.. 's featurrific record from earlier this year sees the titular Fred not messing with the formula either in subject matter or style, but inviting all his cool friends to you know, come over, maybe play a bit, make some sounds, just jam? Sampha, SOAK, Skrillex, Four Tet, Joy Anonymous, Anderson .Paak, Emmylou Harris(!): they all make an appearance, but most of these tracks feel so loose as to be maybe unfinished, as if edited down from some extended home studio faffing about. It's clear from the PR that these ten days are intimate references to meaningful moments in time for Fred. When it works, this can be powerful and welcoming to the listener, an invitation to a shared humanity. But it's not really working for me here. The songs are insular, closed; their emotional core seemingly for Fred and Fred alone. Nothing wrong with that, but it doesn't make for a compelling listen. The .Paak collab _places to be_ is the clear standout here, but the live version posted to YouTube is much preferable, full of joy and abandon. And the little drop in _adore u_ is great, but it only lasts 4 bars! There's an amazing 12" here, somewhere, and I bet he plays the shit out of it when DJing, but it's never given the space to breathe.So. Moments of brilliance, certainly,but emotionally distant and ultimately unmoving. Check that live session tho:<a href="https://youtu.be/0bVFEOb39vk?si=HkjLMhLnsXQbGk-2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/0bVFEOb39vk?si=HkjLMhLnsXQbGk-2</a><a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/TastingNotes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TastingNotes</a>

evilchiliCheekface - It's Sorted Origin: Los Angeles Tasting Notes: Cake, Talking Heads, They Might Be GiantsAmerica's Neighbourhood Band dropped this record back in January and somehow it escaped my notice. It's a banger! If you like Cheekface already, It's Sorted is more of what you love -- groovy, funny, sarcastic, and very very singable hooks. If you don't know Cheekface this is a fine record to hear first: ten more new wavey songs about how everything is stupid and sucks, basically, but fuck it let's dance I guess?It's Sorted does not mess with the formula. Most songs have mostly spoken word verses over 2 bar vamps with giant choruses. Several riffs are two notes; the bass rarely touches beat 4. Here and there we get a bit of layered percussion and backing vocals to spice it up, the odd guitar solo, a bit of trumpet. But Cheekface isn't overthinking it and you shouldn't either. It's a vibe. A black, bleak hellscape of late stage capitalism vibes. Turn it up and grin like a madperson.And if I'm never going to be alone Here in my community neighborhood home I just want to be popular to watch In the movie you put on from the camera on the porch<a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/NowPlaying" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#NowPlaying</a><a href="https://cheekface.bandcamp.com/album/its-sorted" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://cheekface.bandcamp.com/album/its-sorted</a><a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/TastingNotes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TastingNotes</a>

evilchiliThe Coward Brothers - The Coward Brothers Origin: Nashville, New York Tasting Notes: Lou Reed, Tom Waits, Charley PrideElvis Costello and T-Bone Burnett are the Coward Brothers, a fictional musical and songwriting partnership, and the topic of the radio play The True Story of the Coward Brothers. This record collects the original music the pair recorded for the play: 20 tracks of idiosyncratic Americana, blues, country, and rock and roll. At its best this record sounds variously like Costello's forays into American roots music (Smoke Ring Angel, Like Licorice) and late-period Tom Waits (Birkenhead Girl). But we're kind of all over the place here; the pair are clearly having a great time just wandering past the signposts of 20th century American music. Unfortunately the results are uneven, with frequently excellent musicianship and creative production let down by cringey, awkward lyrics. "Eating ice chrome at the spaceball game / between the China Reds and the New World Braves?" "I don't want your Lyndon Johnson?" really?Costello's voice is thin, now, an uncontrolled warbling rasp that frankly could use some production help; songs like Lotta Love are tough to listen to. Elsewhere he dabbles with Dylanesque sing-talking, forgoing melody entirely: Pure Bubblegum is a couplet barf of nonsense. T-Bone acquits himself well enough on the mic, though he was never a favorite singer of mine.These songs may work better in context of the play, but as a standalone listening experience there isn't much here beyond some interesting production and instrumentation that would encourage me to listen again, and plenty I would avoid outright.<a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/NowPlaying" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#NowPlaying</a><a href="https://elviscostello.bandcamp.com/album/the-coward-brothers" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://elviscostello.bandcamp.com/album/the-coward-brothers</a><a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/TastingNotes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TastingNotes</a>

evilchiliGirl Scout - Headache Origin: Stockholm Tasting Notes: the Beths, Alvvays, the Breeders I am so happy to have discovered this four piece rock band from Sweden this year. 2024's Headache EP is their third, and it gives me huge the Beths vibes. If you know how I feel about the Beths, you know this is a big deal for me.The record is aptly named; five explosive songs about being frustrated, hurt, worried for, and let down by people. It opens with Desert Island Movies, an irritated complaint about friends that suck now:And they all know things about wine now But the bottle always tastes like ass Thirty five fucking dollars To make it feel like they are upper class Noses pressed into the glassHoney is a heartfelt plea to a friend to dump a toxic relationship; the title track is about being alone, exhausted by everyone around you. The record closes with I'm So Sorry, a Dear John letter with singer Emma Jansson repeatedly crying "I'm So Sorry!" over massive guitars.These are excellent songs with giant choruses and more hooks than velcro. The standout for me is the INSTANT STANK FACE riff of I Just Wanted You To Know which demands unsafe listening volumes:<a href="https://youtu.be/HZhpHUEX2VI?si=FVbR5NdzBpca7rz0" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/HZhpHUEX2VI?si=FVbR5NdzBpca7rz0</a><a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/NowPlaying" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#NowPlaying</a><a href="https://girlscouttheband.bandcamp.com/album/headache" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://girlscouttheband.bandcamp.com/album/headache</a><a href="https://linernotes.club/tags/TastingNotes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TastingNotes</a>

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