The Music of 2025 So Far Featuring Samia

 I Heard That Noise by quickly, quickly

I Am Digital, I Am Divine by Erin LeCount

10 by SAULT

Bloodless by Samia

This is Samia's 3rd album.  I liked her last album ok and ended up with one of the tracks, "Mad at Me," being one of my go-to songs of 2023.  This album has a different feel to me, and I like it a bit better.  Maybe it's just being influenced by how her last album grew on me as the year progressed, but I found myself enjoying this album.

This album feels like something that was made in someone's apartment with friends as it has a very intimate feel to it with interesting lyrics and good hooks throughout.  It's a real blend of sounds but somehow it all seems to fit together.  

If you are looking for some indie sounding pop that has a bit of a downer vibe to it, then give this a listen.  

The Music of 2025 So Far Featuring Japanese Breakfast

Tell Dem It's Sunny by Greentea Peng

Midwest Rock & Roll by Ryan Hurd

The Music of Tori and the Muses by Tori Amos

For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) by Japanese Breakfast

A new band to me this is their fourth album in 9 years.  Japanese Breakfast is the solo project of Michelle Zauner who was in the band Little Big League when she split out to do her own thing.  It is a 10 track album that is very consistent and engaging.  I was immediately drawn into the music and the vibe of the album.  I was reading a bit about their music and they talked about the 80's influences, but this particular album feels very 2000's to me.  I hear the song Mega Circuit and I can't help but think of late 2000's Neko Case for instance.  

I am curious to go back and listen to some of her earlier music.  If you are in the mood for a very indie sounding pop/rock album that has a bit of a downer vibe to it then give this a listen.  If you are in the right frame of mind I think someone could really connect with this album.  

The Music of 2025 So Far Featuring The Weeknd

Inferno Ascendant by Neural Forge Innovations

 

Hurry Up Tomorrow by The Weeknd

This is The Weeknd's 6th album since releasing his first in 2013.  Four of those albums made it to number 1 on the US charts, the other two made it to number 2.  He has been extremely successful and when you put this album on you immediately know it's The Weeknd.  He has a sound.  A sound that works very well for him and he sticks with it.  There is variation in the sound, slight changes, enough to make it not get repetitive, but definitely a sound.  

As much as a part of me wants to knock this album for it sounding so The Weeknd, I can't because it's a consistently solid album.  No bad tracks, a few that really are hard to turn off and that gets us to a place where it's featured here on the Heath Post.

The one thing about The Weeknd that I find interesting is his ever dark moods.   He makes electronic, R&B infused music that has a dark edge to it always.  This particular album is 22 tracks and according to The Weeknd closes out a trilogy of albums with his last two:  After Hours (2020) and Dawn FM (2022).  I will admit I was unaware that the first two albums were connected and certainly didn't know this was the finale of a trilogy.  He has also said this may be his last album.  

If you like The Weeknd, definitely give the album a listen.  If you've never heard him before, well maybe should start with After Hours and do the trilogy.  I have to admit now I'm curious to try and connect these albums.  

 

 

The Music of 2025 So Far Featuring Max McNown

 Lower by Benjamin Booker

 

Salt River by Sam Amidon

 

Night Driving by Max McNown

 

 

Max McNown is an Oregon born Nashville based country artist.  I enjoyed this album.  His second and two albums in two years.  It's nice to be reminded that even in Nashville someone can write music about more than God, whiskey, and trucks.  It's also nice to hear someone not overproduce an album, something else I wasn't sure they could do in Nashville anymore.  

OK enough cracking on Nashville.  What makes this album is the fact that McNown is a good vocalist who is writing thoughtful and personal songs.  The album has a consistent vibe and a good feel to it.  It falls more into the pop country genre than anything else, much like Taylor Swift when she was country I would say.  

This would be a good album to play when taking a night drive.  You could either sing along with it or have it in the background while talking with a friend.  All in all a solid album. 

The Music of 2025 So Far Featuring FKA twigs

11100011 by Asian Glow 

4URMIND by Splitter

The Human Fear by Franz Ferdinand

Perverts by Ethel Cain

Anchor Chains, Plane Motors & Train Whistles by Skydaddy

EUSEXUA by FKA twigs

          Explicit Language

In many ways I think that currently FKA twigs is one of the most interesting musical acts out there.  She's experimental, she's mixing performance art with her music, she's playing around with pop, there is a lot going on.  I always go into listening to a new album from her with a bit of skepticism.  On a 12 track album there is a chance she'll have 3 really good tracks, but then be so experimental with the rest that I end up cooling on the album as a whole.  She is someone who I would label as an artist first, but it has served her well as she's a good artist and she has grown in popularity.  

EUSXUA is an interesting album.  It combines all those components I discussed having some of the most pop moments I've ever heard from her.  It's 11 tracks and there is consistency in the vibe and the sound of the album.  Twigs can be an abstract lyricist and so if you want to get to the meaning of the album or some songs it does take some time and thought.  She has moments that are not abstract and of course in many ways these are the songs I'm most drawn to, like Perfect Stranger a complete rip off of early 00's Kylie Minogue.  

FKA twigs is now 37 years old and I would say her age really shows in this album.  What she is exploring on the album I find to be things that I could have related to very well in my late 30's.  You are still young enough that you want to have moments where you feel lost in the moment at a club, you are old enough that you have regrets about how you handled yourself when you were younger, there are relationships you've had that weren't so good for you, there is a frustration with still feeling so young when you feel like you should be old enough to be different.  

FKA twigs is never going to make it an easy journey, but I do think it is worth it with this album as I think it's the best work she's done.  There is something to all 11 tracks on the album.  I find that there are times I get frustrated with the experimentation of her music, but I accept that this is part of doing business with FKA twigs.  

If you want to take a deep dive into some modern music that is also playing around with some old influences then give this album a listen.  

Best Album of 2024

 The following albums made my end of the year top albums list.  

How Do You Sleep At Night by Teezo Touchdown

     This was the first album that I really got into this year.  I was hooked with the opening lines of the first song.   

Someone stopped me and said, "Hey dude, have you seen the new Spider-Man?"
I said, "Not yet, been really, really busy
But I promise I'ma see it when I can"
Life is a movie, bet you can't find bootlegged on someone's Reddit

I found the album to be playful and fun lyrically and experimental and effective musically.  

 

Eternal Sunshine by Ariana Grande

     I don't know much about Ariana Grande, but I think of her as a pop star and this album is the perfect pop star album.  Lots of good very catchy songs.  You can put this album on and really enjoy it.  Great to run to, walk to, drive to just all around a solid R&B pop album.  

 

Willis, Carper, Leigh by Wonder Women of Country

     It's just six songs, but it's such a fun album.  You know it's going to be a good experience when the opening song has yodeling.  

 

Empathogen by Willow

     This was the first album that really made me sit up and pay attention to it this year.  It's experimental and interesting.  It has so much energy it's hard to turn away from.  I really didn't know much about Willow, but I would highly recommend checking this album.  Especially if you like experimental jazz pop :).  Probably the most interesting album of the year and I'm really curious to see where Willow will go with her music after this album.  

 

12 Notes by Alec Benjamin

     I liked Alec Benjamin's last album and I thought this one was better while my daughter thought it was worse.   I get it, it's way more mainstream and pop than his last album and that fits me but not her.  At times he can be a bit too playful with his approach, but it's a very solid singer songwriter pop album.  

Promised Land by Vintage Culture

     Like I said in my review of this album it's very solid, just a bit long.  It's one of those albums that I hold at this level just because it is so consistent.    

 

Hit Me Hard and Soft by Billie Eillish

      Her third album, this is easily her best album for me.  As much as I liked her first album I just think this album feels so much more confident in what it wants to be.  Lyrically she's never been better than she is here and her vocals and arrangements with her brother are great. One of my favorite lyrical moments in the year are on the song "Wildflower."

I'd never ask who was better
'Cause she couldn't be
More different from me
Happy and free in leather

What Happened to the Heart by Aurora

     Another solid album from Aurora.  For me it was a little to all over the place and inconsistent but still plenty of good moments to pull from.  

 

The Great Impersonator by Halsey

     There is a lot to this album, but in the end it's a solid set of songs by someone who I really enjoy as an artist.  As a fan I found it fit into her body of work very well.  I really found some of the things she was doing with her lyrics and choices to be quite smart, but that's who she is to me.  

 

Evergreen by Soccer Mommy

     I just wrote about this album and how solid it is.  The only problem this album had really was that it didn't have those one or two real standout songs.  Otherwise it's a beautiful album.  I could see coming back to this one in 10 years and saying this has held up very well and is a 4 star album.  

 

And my Album of the Year!!

Me Again by Sasha Alex Sloan

     In a year where there seemed to be a lot of very personal music being made I found this one to be the best of the bunch.  Lyrically it's so solid and consistent.  Vocally, she's never sounded better and musically it really nails the vibe so consistently through the album.  

     I'm so impressed with the range of topics she takes on in this album and all very well.  

Tracks

1. Me Again:  Ever been caught it a really bad situation in your life where everything is so out of whack that you just don't feel like yourself?  You just want life to be normal again?  That's what this song is about.  

2. Cowboys Cry:  A song for those of us who feel so sad when things don't seem to be going our way.  Just a reminder that's it's OK to cry.  

3. Kids:  A song about her mom and the realization that her mom is beginning to rely on her for help just like she's always relied on her mom.  

4. Glad You Did:  A song about someone caught in an abusive relationship and her desire to see that person to get out of it.  It's a sad and haunting song that really nails it.  

5. Oxygen Mask:  A song about someone you love but they don't love themselves and just how hard that can be on a relationship.  

6. Highlights:  A song about a parent who was never there when their child needed them.  

7. Falling Out of Like:  A little song about two people who are together but they are no longer really together because they just don't really like each other any more.  

8. Tiny's Song:  A song to a lost pet.  It's a heart breaker and so good.  

9. Deep:  A song about not letting the little things in life getting you down.  

10. Only You Can:  A song about dealing with someone who has an addiction problem.  

11. Don't Laugh I'll Cry:  A song about a person who has a hard time showing their real emotions about things.  

12. Good Enough:  A song about a woman who is killing herself because she doesn't believe she's thin enough, pretty enough, etc.  

13. Picked First:  I'll just include the lyrics for this one.  

Took the first flight I could get home
Checked into the front desk
Walked up to your floor
Shared a couple bites of cheesecake
Talked about the summers
We spent on your porch

And you were trying not to cry for me
And I was trying not to cry for you
Yeah, you really, really were the best
But you left way too soon

Oh, dear, I miss you all the time
I wish we never said goodbye
Like daisies in the dirt
The most beautiful flowers
Always get picked first

We were sitting in the silence
Listening to voices over the TV
I was staring out the window
Holding onto your hand, didn't wanna leave

You were trying not to cry for me
And I was trying not to cry for you
Yeah, you really, really were the best
But you left way too soon

Oh, dear, I miss you all the time
I wish we never said goodbye
Like daisies in the dirt
The most beautiful flowers
Always get picked first
Oh, dear, you left me way too fast
I wish they saved the best for last
Like daisies in the dirt
The most beautiful flowers
Always get picked first

You were trying not to cry for me, mm
And I was trying not to cry for you

2024 Music At the End: Featuring Soccer Mommy

14 Minutes by Dominic Fike

Chromakopia by Tyler, the Creator

Explicit Language

Beyond Shadowland by Six by Six

Sentimental by Carlita

Negative Spaces by Poppy

Bouquet by Gwen Stefani

9 Sad Symphonies by Kate Nash

Only God Was Above Us by Vampire Weekend

Evergreen by Soccer Mommy

I liked Soccer Mommy's last two albums, but this is easily the best album she's made.  It reminds me a lot of the album Blind by The Sundays.  It's very low key but very consistent with these little melodic hooks that draw you into each song.  Lyrically she's always been interesting, but again I think this is her best work.  

If you haven't given Soccer Mommy a chance, give this album a listen.  Like I said it's solid through the entire album.  There wasn't any one song that really grabbed me to listen to over and over, but I never tired of listening to the album from start to finish.  If you're looking for a good low key album to put on while you take a drive around the country looking at the snow with a friend or spouse, this would work.  

2024 Music So Far: Featuring Halsey

Harlequin by Lady Gaga

Songs From a Thousand Frames of Mind by Kate Bollinger

The Great Impersonator by Halsey

    Explicit Language

There is a term out there these days, "main character syndrome."  You probably get the idea without me having to lay it out. I would argue that most artists these days live in the main character world with their music, but Halsey is an artist who is especially tied to this phenomenon I believe.  

Usually the term is used in a negative way, but I'm not so sure it applies these days to musicians, since like I said most of them live in that world.  Halsey is an artist I have found interesting since I first discovered her for how she can look at her own life, choices, relationships, etc. and analyze them in a way that I find very relatable and honest.  

Since her last album, which was mostly about her dealing with becoming a mom, she has been through cancer treatment and facing the reality that she may not survive very long.  For someone who has always been so self reflective, this has had an almost magnifying effect.  

If you've listened to Halsey over these past few albums you would understand then that her move would be to see herself as nothing more than a fraud an impersonator you might say.  Not only in her art but in her life.  

There is a slight concept here to the album.  Each song is representative of a musical artist she believes she tends to imitate.  In some cases it works better than others, but at the end of the day it's another solid album from Halsey who continues to look at herself with such a critical eye.  

Personally I can connect with Halsey in this because I tend to do the same, as I believe most of us do.  It's just that most of us don't share those deep insights with total strangers.  

Here is the list of tracks and who they relate to.  One thing to note not all the songs are made to sound like the artist in question, but rather to be about the artist in question and how her life tends to mimic theirs.  The first song is a good example of this. 

1. The Only Living Girl in LA, Marilyn Monroe

2. Ego, Delores O'Riordan

3. Dog Years, PJ Harvey

4. Letter to God (1974), Cher

5. Panic Attack, Stevie Nicks

6. The End, Joni Mitchell

7. I Believe in Magic, Linda Rondstadt

8. Letter to God (1983), Bruce Springsteen

9. Hometown, Dolly Parton

10. I Never Loved You, Kate Bush

11. Darwinism, David Bowie

12. Lonely is the Muse, Amy Lee

13. Arsonist, Fiona Apple

14. Life of the Spider, Tori Amos

15. Hurt Feelings, Halsey

16. Lucky, Britney Spears

17. Letter to God (1998), Aaliyah

18. The Great Impersonator, Bjork

To promote the album she made a picture of her impersonating each one of the artists.  They are pretty good if you have Instagram check them out.  I'll link one of them below.  If you like Halsey then I would say give this a listen I think you'll like it. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by halsey (@iamhalsey)

 

2024 Music So Far: Featuring Sasha Alex Sloan

Woodland by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings

Sometimes the Morning is Different by Family Stereo

Smoke & Fiction by X

What Happened to the Beach? by Declan McKenna

Me Again by Sasha Alex Sloan

I discovered Sasha Alex Sloan back in 2022 along with Alec Benjamin and introduced both artists to my daughter.  Back in the summer she saw where Alec Benjamin and Sasha Alex Sloan were performing back to back in Seattle in October and wanted to buy tickets with her money.  So this last month she and I flew to Seattle and went to back to back concerts on a Saturday and Sunday night.  

Since this is a review of this Sasha Alex Sloan album I'll just say she was fantastic live.  It was a small venue and instead of a warm up act they had karaoke, which was a lot of fun.  With that said what about this album.  

It is a pretty dark album.  Not angry dark but dark in the sense that she is obviously dealing with some tough issues in her life.  She managed to write an album around all of these emotions.  What drew me to her in 2022 are on full display on this album.  She is a very good singer, but an exceptional songwriter.  On I Blame the World there was a sense of humor along with her darker moments, but here the humor is really gone.  It's 13 songs, but only 39 minutes long so falls right into the sweet spot for me on album length and there isn't any wasted space.  

If you are feeling the need to be introspective then this would be a good album to put on.  Like I said it's dark but not in a negative way.  We have a song like "Highlights" on here, the video I linked above.  That song deals with a parent who is not around except when things are good.  Then there is "Kids" a song about a parent who was always there and now it's the child's turn to be there for the parent.  We have relationships where things are good, where things are falling apart.  There is a lot happening here and it's all very thoughtful and well put together. 

2024 Music So Far: Featuring Aurora

 Room for You by Ber

The Secret of Us by Gracie Abrams

Crash by Kehlani

In the Light and Shadows by Camylio

Unbroke by Sara Evans

Faith of a Mustard Seed by Mustard

Made By These Moments by The Red Clay Strays

Blonde by Tigerlily Gold

Super.Sexy.Heartbreak by Mary Spender

What Happened to the Heart by Aurora

At 16 songs and over an hour of music, this is getting into double album territory.  Personally, I think this should have been cut back to at most 12 songs and then done a deluxe version of 16 for the hard-core fans, but still, it's a solid album.  

Aurora is an interesting artist.  She's playing off of much music from the past, but she definitely has her own spin on things, and it works.  I had a good time listening to this album and never got bored with it.  With 16 tracks she's playing around with a lot of different sounds and some experimental stuff.

I don't think it all works, but it's still a solid album.  If you like Aurora definitely check it out.  If you don't know her music, then I'd say listen to the first 5 songs and see what. you think.  

2024 Music So Far: Featuring Billie Eilish

Brat by Charli XCX

Unprecedented Sh!t by Ani DiFranco

Hit Me Hard and Soft by Billie Eilish

The biggest problem I had with Eilish's second album was that it dealt too much with her angst about being a star.  A song here or there on that topic is fine, but it felt like that whole album revolved around her stardom and I found that a bit tiring.  

On this, her third album, she is off of that topic and focusing more on her personal life and in particular love and relationships.  The opening track "Skinny" had me a bit worried as it was dealing with her views of herself in relation to how she is viewed in social media, but even in this song I think she did a good job of connecting it back to herself in a way that works.  She then jumps into a song called "Lunch" which is the first thing I've heard from her that deals with desire in a way that really works.  Musically, lyrically it's a fun song and I felt like from there we were off in a new and different direction which I enjoyed.  

We even get a nice romantic song on this album with "Birds of a Feather."  A nice dance pop number.  And then we end with a sad song, "Blue" that has the line "I thought we were the same, birds of a feather, now I'm ashamed."

The thing about Eilish is that she is a very good writer when it comes to feelings, relationship, etc.  With that being the focus of this album, I found it to work very well.  She is a bit of an abstract writer, but she's also been embracing being more direct at times and the mix I feel like works well on this album.  

At 22 she still isn't at the usual peak.  I'll be interested to see where she goes on her next album.  The album definitely has a mood and there are a few oddball tracks that don't really fit the vibe to me but all in all it's a solid album and we are reminded what a great vocalist Eilish is a what a smart songwriter she can be.  

2024 Music So Far: Featuring Vintage Culture

POST HUMAN: NeX GEn by Bring Me the Horizon

Model by Wallows

Lemon Cars by Coi Leray

Explicit Language

Promised Land by Vintage Culture

Vintage Culture is the project of DJ Lukas Ruiz Hespanhol.  It's the second album he's put out and I found this to be a solid listen.  The only real problem with this album is that it is too long at 16 tracks.  Really should have been a 10 to 12 track album and it would have felt much tighter.  No real bad tracks, but when you get to 16 tracks it is hard not to hit some lulls, especially on a DJ based albums that is really just a collection of songs.

That being said there is a vibe that carries through the entire album, so it does feel connected in that sense, but still at some point it starts to feel a bit long.  There isn't anything really original in the sound here and in fact he's borrowing heavily at times from The Weeknd.  

I would say each year I listen to maybe 4 or 5 of these DJ based albums and for the most part I find them to be fairly consistent.  All I'm looking for is a good collection of songs that have a good beat and can be used as part of a dance party, or workout mix, and this album succeeds at that.  

It's also nice in that there isn't explicit language on this album, so you can throw it on in the background and not worry about the language.  This of course means you can play it when you are cleaning the house, and it works for that purpose.  Not one my wife would go for, but if it's just me and the kids it could be a good one.  

2024 Music So Far: Featuring Willow and Alec Benjamin

Cowboy Carter by Beyonce

The Tortured Poets Department by Taylor Swift

Rebel by Anne Wilson

Damascus by Elvie Shane

Your Day Will Come by Chanel Beads

Radical Optimism by Dua Lipa

Empathogen by Willow

The daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith I would have assumed Willow would be a traditional artist of some sort, but she is never going to be accused of that.  This is her 7th studio album since 2015, when she was 15 years old.  Her influences seem to come from artists like Kate Bush, Bjork, Tori Amos, Sinead O'Connor, and FKA Twigs.  

My favorite track on the album is "Symptom of Life" which has a piano opening that screams Kate Bush, then follows the song which feels like it was structured by Tori Amos.  It's a fun and interesting album.  She's still only 23 and still growing as an artist.  It will be interesting to see what she does with her next album.  She has a very interesting voice and an obvious vocal performance talent.  

Maybe this will be the peak of her powers and if so she has created a solid album.  If you want to get the feel for where art rock is in 2024 I would say this is a good listen.  I'm going to write something up about the Apple 100 best albums list soon.  One area that is greatly underrated there is the art rock scene.  An area of music that has always been very critical to influence the next generation.  

12 Notes by Alec Benjamin

If you follow my daughter's you tube channel you would know that she is a huge Alec Benjamin fan, so I'm prejudiced to like him, especially since I'm the one who introduced him to her.  That being said this is another solid album from Benjamin and a good listen.   

The key to his music is similar to many singer songwriters, it's his lyrics.  He has an interesting and playful tone about things which I really find enjoyable to listen to.  As a singer he has a good voice and understands how to write for himself.  

If you are cleaning up the house this weekend and want an album to throw on I would say this is a good pick.  My son enjoys this album too, so it's good to find something that everyone in the family enjoys listening to while we clean.  Well not sure you can count my wife in on that, she'll tolerate it.  

2024 Music So Far featuring Wonder Women of Country

Bleachers by Bleachers 

Visions by Norah Jones

Willis, Carper, Leigh (EP) by Wonder Women of Country

OK let's be honest you had me at Kelly Willis, but that being said I found this EP to be a lot of fun.  Certainly, the best country album I've heard this year.  Wonder Women of Country is made up of Kelly Willis, Melissa Carper, and Brennen Leigh.  Carper is an upright bass player who found a music home in Austin Texas with her band the Carper Family.  She has also had a couple of solo albums.  Leigh is a now Nashville based artist who came out of North Dakota.  She has a few solo albums as well.  Not sure how the three got together, though Willis has been a part of the Austin music scene now for quite some time.  

The album is a six song EP with each artist providing 2 tracks that they wrote and sang.  There isn't a bad song on the album, and they made it all fit together in a way that sounds connected.  

2024 Music So Far featuring Ariana Grande

Prelude to Ecstasy by The Last Dinner Party

Lonely Dancers by Conan Gray

Pretty by Artemas

Venus by Zara Larsson

American Romance by Michael Marcagi

What Now by Brittany Howard

Club Shy by Shygirl

Two Star & The Dream Police by Mk.gee

Eternal Sunshine by Ariana Grande

This is the first Ariana Grande album I've listened to since her 2018 album Sweetener.  It's like someone read my last review and said let's make a straight pop album that uses her vocal talents to the best of her ability.  Of course she's put out other albums since that 2018 release, but still this feels right on for where she should be as an artist.  It has the perfect vibe and carries it through the whole album.  Also, it's only 13 tracks with the first being an intro track and there is an interlude track, so it's right at the sweet spot in terms of length.  Could easily drop those two and you have a nice tight 11 track album.  

As I told my daughter, who was surprised how much I liked the album, it hits me right in my sweet spot.  Heavily influenced by the early 90's dance pop sound I so love, it does a great job of modernizing that sound.  

It doesn't have a bad song on it and stays true to the vibe and sound for the full album.  So nice when an artist creates an album and not just a collection of songs.  If you are looking for some solid pop music to help you get through the day, then give this album a listen.  If you were listening on vinyl I would say side A is the stronger side, but I'd still turn the album over to listen to side B.    

2024 Music So Far featuring Teezo Touchdown

Chapter & Verse by Gabby Barrett

Paisley Dreams by The Game

Explicit Language

American Dream by Savage

Explicit Language

Saviors by Green Day

Chicago (EP) by Ekkstacy

The People Who Aren't There Anymore by Future Islands

How Do You Sleep At Night?  With You by Teezo Touchdown

I'm not sure what is going on with the nails in the video, or in general with Teezo Touchdown, I haven't taken time to understand.  But I find this album very interesting.  It's this very odd mix of emo punk and rap.  I guess that's the best way to put it.  I find it interesting.  This is his debut album and he's old at 32 for a new artist.  But it's a very good debut.

The first thing that caught my attention were the lyrics.  The opening line to the opening song caught my attention.  Layered on top of a Green Dayish lick is him talking saying, "Someone stopped me and said, 'Hey dude, have you seen the new Spider-Man?' I said, 'Not yet, been really, really busy, but I promise I'ma see it when I can.'"  For some reason this really struck me.  It sounded so 80's punk.  Punk like The Dead Milkmen punk.  I was wandering around the Salt Lake City airport killing time waiting for my flight and thought, this sounds fun.  I liked the sound.  The lyrics were fun and thought this could be interesting.  Then I hit two songs that really got my attention, "Impossible" and "Neighborhood."  Thoughtful songs where again I found the lyrics to be smart and really liked the vibe of the music. At that point I was hooked.  This album has been in my rotation now for a few weeks and I really like it.  

It's funny listening to this album there are so many influences flying around I'm not sure where it all connects.  I will say though if alternative music still existed like it did back in the 80's I think this would be right there getting play on campus radio stations.  If you want to know what the alternative scene sounds like today, I would say give this album a listen. 

Album Review: Air Supply

It is 1980, and here are some nice-looking Australian soft-rock explorers, gazing back into the future from which they came. What is that pyramid? What is that font? And why are these people calling themselves, “Air Supply”? 

Oh, I just dropped the needle, and now I know. The first song is the title track, and for two verses and a bridge, it is simply a breathy and pleasant confection happily destined for all of the forthcoming elevators of our lives. But wait! what is that? It is Russell Hitchcock's brilliant and deadly laser falsetto, and he is severing our heads from our bodies. We are writhing. We are obliterated. Three and a half minutes later, Air Supply is piling all of our carcasses back on the spaceship that they rode in on and battening down for their return trip to Then. We are pelts from a hunting expedition across space and time. We are gloriously and forever Lost In Love; it is a cookbook.

The rest of the record? It’s OK. If you’re here today to read this, you’ve heard a few of the tracks. But those songs are there only for utility and decoy, because 12 mixes or 45 minutes of "Lost In Love" would’ve disintegrated all of the stereos in our land. The officials would’ve grown suspicious. They might have positioned a better defense for the next time, had Air Supply ever decided to come back to take more of our kind. 

Fortunately for you, they did not. Do not attempt to avenge my death.

All of the stars for this one perfect song, highly recommended

Album Reviews: Yotto, Sunny War, The Smashing Pumpkins, MOD SUN

 

Growth by Yotto

Yotto is a Finish based DJ/Producer.  There are songs on here that you can pull off for a dance mix, workout mix, walking mix, whatever.  That being said there isn't any one song that really jumped out at me.  

U2 v. R.E.M.

I decided to compare U2 and R.E.M., which I regard as the two great bands of the 1980's.  For each band, I have taken the ratings of the albums that they released before 1995, according to allmusic.com.  Here are the ratings for U2 (five-star albums in bold):

Boy (1980):  4 stars

October (1981):  3

War (1983):  5

Under a Blood Red Sky (1983):  3.5

The Unforgettable Fire (1984):  4

The Joshua Tree (1987):  5

Rattle and Hum (1988):  3

Achtung Baby (1991):  5

Zooropa (1993):  4

Total albums: 9

Total stars:  36.5

Avg. stars per album:  4.06

Five-star albums:  3

Now here's R.E.M.:

Murmur (1983):  5 stars

Reckoning (1984):  5

Fables of the Reconstruction (1985):  4

Lifes Rich Pageant (1986):  4.5

Document (1987):  4.5

Green (1988):  3.5

Out of Time (1991):  2.5

Automatic for the People (1992):  5

Monster (1994):  3

Total albums:  9

Total stars:  37

Avg. stars per album:  4.11

Five-star albums:  3

When I started this entry, I had no idea how it would come out, and I'm fascinated at how close it turned out to be.  I would rate Murmer a bit lower, and Out of Time quite a bit higher -- and I never really paid much attention to Achtung Baby.  But on the whole, these results seem very fair to me.

For the sake of comparison, here are Bruce Springsteen's first nine albums:

Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. (1973):  5 stars

The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle (1973):  5

Born to Run (1975):  5

Darkness on the Edge of Town:  4.5

The River (1980):  5

Nebraska (1982):  5

Born in the U.S.A. (1984):  5

Tunnel of Love (1987):  5

Human Touch (1992):  2

Total albums:  9

Total stars:  41.5

Avg. stars per album:  4.61

Five-star albums:  7

Again, that seems fair.  But it's harsh on U2 and R.E.M. to put them up against Springsteen.  Let's do Tom Petty's first nine albums:

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (1976):  4.5 stars

You're Gonna Get It! (1978):  3.5

Damn the Torpedoes (1979):  5

Hard Promises (1981):  4.5

Long After Dark (1982):  3

Southern Accents (1985):  3

Pack Up the Plantation:  Live!:  2.5

Let Me Up (I've Had Enough):  3

Full Moon Fever (1989):  4.5

Total albums:  9

Total stars: 33.5

Avg. stars per album:  3.72

Five-star albums:  1

Now that's a comparison that shows how good R.E.M and U2 really were.  Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were a great and successful band -- they were inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, and have a huge fan base to this day.  But they were not at the same level as R.E.M. and U2.  And, indeed, very few bands were.

Album Reviews: Everything But the Girl, RAYE, Shania Twain, Ella Mai

 

Fuse by Everything But the Girl

It's great when your favorite band puts out a new album after 24 years.  And it's even greater when it turns out to be a really good album.  I'm not that surprised since they have both continued to do solid solo work since EBTG stopped making music, but still you always wonder what it will be like when they come back together.  I found it to be a good blend of what they were doing before with what they have done since.  Lyrically of course they really hit some good marks but that is always expected.  Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt both have a way of looking at things I find smart and interesting and also very emotional.

If you are interested I would recommend the Twitter listening party.  It's fun and you get good insight into the songs.  It's a bit of a moody album so I would say give it a listen on a rainy day.