100 words music reviews
By 1979, disco had perished. It was then cremated, and the ashes to this day rest in an urn on some record exec’s mantelpiece, awaiting a visit to Rick Harrison’s pawn shop. ‘Warm Leatherette’ is a cover album of mainly rock songs and the foreword to Grace Jones’ 80s manifesto. The idea makes sense: her […]
‘Odessey and Oracle’ is as wide-eyed and innocent as The Kinks’ most delicate cuts, delivered pointedly with that same British wryness. The writing is frighteningly intelligent in the way that a hymn might be: it does not pamper its musical sentiments, but nevertheless maintains a brimming romanticism that could easily become cloying were it not […]
‘Process’ is the soundtrack to an aged Republican’s nightmare. On their second album, the Melbourne four-piece aim a sawn-off shotgun at everything corrupt and amoral in their eye line. Acacia Coates’ wiry, pronounced vocals are rippingly sincere, avoiding gimmickry and contrivance through the candor of the writing. Post-punk can be made intemperate by self-gratifying musical […]
Son House (1902-1988) lived the life of several souls, with the talent of one, the resentment of another, and the misfortune of the next. There was a religious lens to his movements: one which birthed enormous transgressional shame and almost certainly cultivated that inimitable melancholy in 1928. This is House’s never-before-heard 1964 return, recorded shortly […]
There is a lot to love about a bona fide 21st century pop star subverting the facade of glory that soaks fame. This was the story of ‘MOTOMAMI’’s first single, ‘LA FAMA’. The record, ROSALÍA’s third, is imbued with an experimental, jutting personality that ostensibly belies its commercial appeal. But the truth that ‘MOTOMAMI’ conveys […]
‘Plays Hallucination’ was recorded in 1965, shortly after its chief architect witnessed a vibraphone performance from Lionel Hampton. It features warm, spiritual soul-jazz with a penchant for tight grooves and bustling percussion. The listen as a whole is diffuse, but that shouldn’t reduce the eminent pleasure of the tracks. If there is a problem, it […]
The opener to JAH-MONTE’s eighth full-length release is a nostalgic affirmation of hip-hop familiarity. It will be one of the genre’s sweetest indie track #1’s this year. Moving forward, ‘Here, There & Everywhere’ occasionally slackens into soporific beats and more predictable bars, submitting to the formula and filler design that can accompany prolificacy. When on-form, […]
100 words music reviews 