reckonslepoisson

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GRIP, serpentwithfeet (2024)

How did this happen? An artist who has long had so much finesse, who demonstrated taste for expansive textures from the off, how has all that potential gone entirely unrealised? GRIP isn’t just another disappointing serpentwithfeet work, it’s his worst; utterly conventional and with the clumsiest, dullest lyrics I’ve heard this year.

#serpentwithfeet #GRIP #R&B #alternative R&B #2024 #music #review #music review

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Where’s My Utopia?, Yard Act (2024)

It’s always been the case that Yard Act aren’t as biting or funny (or talented) as they or their biggest fans think they are; that’s the case again here on Where’s My Utopia?, more tepid Fall imitation that is self-satisfied without being particularly clever or entertaining. 

Pick: ‘Blackpool Illuminations’

#Where’s My Utopia? #Yard Act #rock #art punk #dance-punk #post-punk #2024 #music #review #music review

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Plastic Death, Glass Beach (2024)

Got to admire this sort of move, which will appease fans of the vibe and ethos of Glass Beach’s first album but not those who were specifically in it for the genre or scene. Instead of sounding like an art school Jeff Rosenstock, Glass Beach attempt hyperactive, colourful, shiny, slightly proggy alt-rock, often veering off towards sounds and styles previously ruled by the likes of The Dismemberment Plan and Radiohead.

Pick: ‘coelacanth’

#glass beach #plastic death #rock #pop #indie #indie rock #art rock #progressive rock #math rock #2024 #music #review #music review

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AIR-CON BOOM BOOM ONESAN REPUBLIC, AIR-CON BOOM BOOM ONESAN (2024)

Stylistically passing through alt-rock, dance-pop, synthpop, soft jazz, ambient chill-out, covers and more, though, considering the producers and songwriters on AIR-CON BOOM BOOM ONESAN REPUBLIC I’d have expected a little more to stick. Feels odd just for the sake of it, really. 

Pick: ‘Since Yesterday’

#AIR-CON BOOM BOOM ONESAN REPUBLIC #AIR-CON BOOM BOOM ONESAN #pop #art pop #synthpop #2024 #music #review #music review

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Ima, Ikuko Harada (2023)

There’s a delightful sense on Ikuko Harada’s Ima that the mind is being roamed in search of music, and as such it reflects such methods, sitting with thoughts and letting itself be waylaid. Even if some doesn’t appeal (notably the child-sung additions), I can admire the many moments of gentle momentum and clear-sighted, patient beauty.

Pick: ‘Aoi, mori’

#ima #Ikuko Harada #いま #原田郁子 #pop #art pop #new age #ambient pop #2023 #music #review #music review

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Your Favorite Things, Satoko Shibata (2024)

Did Satoko Shibata need to ditch dainty folk for slick R&B? Does it add anything to her sound? Doing so on Your Favorite Things seems more like a push for greater popular appeal than an attempt at better exhibiting the breadth of her artistry, though the results are pleasant enough. 

Pick: ‘Side Step’

#satoko shibata #your favorite things #pop #R&B #contemporary R&B #2024 #music #review #music review #柴田聡子

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Challengers (2007), Together (2010), Brill Bruisers (2014), Whiteout Conditions (2017), In the Morse Code of Break Lights (2019), Continue as a Guest (2023), The New Pornographers

Ever since the band’s first and most-acclaimed three, The New Pornographers have churned out plenty more works of vast swirling big-band pop with huge, rapturous hooks, bags of colour and, vitally, an invaluable and overriding sense of joy. They have never quite reached the heights of those initial trio, though to this day have never dipped far or, for better or worse (for me, neither), embraced much stylistic deviation. 

Pick(s): ‘Myriad Harbour’, ‘Crash Years’, ‘War on the East Coast’, ‘Whiteout Conditions’, ‘You’ll Need a New Backseat Driver’, ‘Firework in the Falling Snow’

#The New Pornographers #challengers #together #brill bruisers #whiteout conditions #in the morse code of break lights #continue as a guest #rock #indie #indie rock #pop #indie pop #power pop #chamber pop #synthpop #2007 #2010 #2014 #2017 #2019 #2023 #music #review #music review

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Gal, Gal Costa (1969)

Despite being much wilder and stranger than Gal Costa’s faultlessly smooth debut, Gal ended up feeling much more conventional. Instead of continuing to carve out her own lane within tropicalía, Gal leant into east Asian mysticism and was crammed with ‘wacky’ sounds. It’s rife with weirdness for the sake of it, like countless other psych records. I’m much less engaged. 

Pick: ‘Tuareg’

#gal costa #gal #1969 #Tropicália #psychedelia #psychedelic rock #psychedelic pop #music #review #music review

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Off White, James White and the Blacks (1979)

Given the level of provocation in the title, the band’s rebrand, the track titles – all of which comes across far, far too heavily to get away with these days – I expected more edge from Off-White. Instead, it’s a one-trick record, even if that trick is rather good. Far from as strange or lingering as its sister record Buy. 

Pick: ‘Contort Yourself’

#James White and the Blacks #Off White #James Chance #Contortions #rock #funk rock #dance-punk #experimental rock #art punk #noise rock #1979 #music #review #music review

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Episome, Otomo Yoshihide / Bill Laswell / Tatsuya Yoshida (2006)

Bill Laswell’s compositions and woozy dub bass see Otomo Yoshihide and Tatsuya Yoshida restrained – well, sort of – within the confines of psych-prog rock on Episome. Certainly the most polished I’ve heard Yoshida, it’s an interesting project; though while the confines are still broad, one imagines that if the three had burst forth a little more freely, if they’d really allowed themselves to reach heights of noise and passion and feeling, Episome would have left more of an impression. 

Pick: ‘Fudge’

#episome #Otomo Yoshihide / Bill Laswell / Tatsuya Yoshida #Otomo Yoshihide #Bill Laswell #Tatsuya Yoshida #rock #psychedelic rock #experimental rock #progressive rock #2006 #music #review #music review

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Bizarro, The Wedding Present (1989)

On the first Wedding Present album George Best, David Gadge was a man at the pulpit of toxic bravado. On Bizarro things were different; in the mix Gadge vocally fought across the music, giving an element of futility and, crucially, vulnerability. That’s endearing, plus the songs extend out in length and complexity; in general, Bizarro only refines and matures the sound of George Best – but does so to such an extent to take the Wedding Present from an ‘alright’ band to an ‘excellent’ one. 

Pick: ‘Brassneck’

#bizarro #the wedding present #rock #indie #indie rock #jangle pop #pop #noise pop #1989 #music #review #music review

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A Tábua de Esmeralda, Jorge Ben (1974)

It makes sense that Jorge Ben was (maybe is) an alchemist; his music likewise concocts physical reactions out of natural sources, in the process eliciting some sort of understanding of the spirit.

Pick: ‘Os alquimistas estão chegando os alquimistas’

#Jorge Ben #A Tábua de Esmeralda #MPB #samba-rock #samba #rock #psychedelic pop #1974 #music #review #music review

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P-Model, P-Model (1992)

Yellow Magic Orchestra invented techno pop, Americans took that and crafted it into techno, Susumu Hirasawa resurrected (or in his words, ‘unfroze’) P-Model to reconfigure techno-pop with the hindsight of techno. But of course 1992’s self-titled P-Model didn’t just do that; it also combined such ambitions with Hirasawa’s typically ruthless pacing, his fusion of mysticism and science fiction, his knack for never, ever doing quite what you expect of him. Another of Hirasawa’s best. 

Pick: ‘Speed Tube’

#p-model #self-titled #susumu hirasawa #pop #synthpop #techno-pop #electropop #1992 #music #review #music review

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Tangk Idles (2024)

Is Joe Talbot the shittest lyricist in the world right now? A little harsh, perhaps – he might be the worst one who thinks he’s good, or the worst with a platform and listeners who’ll actually listen. Talbot has gone from a man severely prone to nonsensical bollocks to someone who communicates solely through it; the rest of Tangk might be finely produced and not even that instrumentally uninteresting, but Talbot makes it all unlistenable.

#idles #tangk #rock #post-punk #2024 #music #review #music review

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The First Glass Beach Album, Glass Beach (2019)

Like if Jeff Rosenstock really, really wanted you to know he went to music school. Did he? I don’t know, but also never really cared to know. 

Pick: ‘dallas’

#glass beach #the first glass beach album #rock #indie #indie rock #art rock #power pop #emo #2019 #music #review #music review

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Still, Erika de Casier (2024)

In a greedy quest to somehow get even trendier, what does Erika de Casier do? She leans heavily into the sounds and styles that east London’s trendiest poshos love so dearly, with trance-y and Afrobeat-y and ambient-y instrumentals and even sultrier, sexier vocals. After two works in the same slinky, slick R&B vein, it was time de Casier changed things up – and while there remains just enough identity in her tunes on Still, it’s a shame she chose to become so much more like everyone else. 

Pick: ‘ice’

#still #erika de casier #R&B #contemporary R&B #pop #art pop #alternative R&B #2024 #music #review #music review

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Nineteen in Love (2021), Cartwheel (2023), Hotline TNT

As the music world enters a new round (but probably not a new wave) of shoegaze, no doubt plenty will imitate the genre as it was, without really adding anything to it or, as is typical of the state of the industry, doing so in a rather bland, corporate cash-in sort of fashion. So credit to Hotline TNT where it’s due: this band properly gets the most important aspects of shoegaze, the disorientation and power, the volume and blare, plus chuck in a few moments of real exhilaration. Sure, nothing’s being invented – but at least the appropriation feels genuinely inspired. 

Pick(s): ‘Had 2 Try’, ‘Protocol’

#hotline TNT #nineteen in love #cartwheel #rock #pop #shoegaze #noise pop #slacker rock #noise rock #dream pop #2021 #2023 #music #review #music review