The year-end has witnessed a slew of new releases from classic rockers eager to demonstrate that rock ’n’ roll is still as vital as ever. Or to show their fans that they’re still alive (!)
On the edge of tomorrow’s musical imaginings, rock ‘n’ roll continues to be re-invented phrase by phrase. Discover why we need to constantly look back to move forward.
Too much music, too little time has become our mantra somewhat in recent times. SO… we have revived Blurb-O-Rama to cover as much of the new releases that we really dig! For your kind consideration. Enjoy!!
This highly-rated trio hails from Brighton, UK and this debut album justifies all the hype. There is a strong chamber pop vibe that enhances the obligatory post-punk indie pop stylings. The band manages a fine balance between atmospherics and arty edge with singer Jessica Weiss cemented associations with 90s bands like Curve and Lush. Recommended.
Album #4 opens rather tentatively with sparsely instrumented tracks like “The Upsetter” and “I’m Aquarius”. The songs sound vaguely unfinished – almost like demos. And the pace never quite picks up for the rest of the album. Presumably, Metronomy was not interested in simply replicating meaningless dance rock numbers. Good for them.
A beautiful noise is what punk quartet Perfect Pussy makes on its debut full-length. Deliberately lo-fi with singer Meredith Graves spitting out the barely discernible lyrics over the cacophony, there is something disarmingly honest about this edgy sound. Sure, it’s hard to tell what Graves is singing most of the time, yet it all come across as compelling. Recommended!
Probably one shining example of how fun modern indie pop can be in the right hands. This Brooklyn duo has been going for a decade now and from the evidence here, it seems like they have got the balance right! Infectious melodies, danceable rhythms & pop smarts throughout. Surely this has got to be one of the better albums of 2014. Recommended.
Capsule reviews of new music that has been released in the last couple of weeks.
WARPAINT – Warpaint
Dreamy atmospheric drones are the order for the day on the sophomore effort from this Los Angeles-based quartet. Very high on ‘feels’ and rather low on songcraft per se, the attention to sonics and rhythms somewhat circumvents any melodic deficiency in evidence. Which is fine, as Warpaint’s modus operandi is to lull listeners into a feel-good chilled out mode. Good enough.
It’s the end of February 2014 and here’s some new albums that we think you should check out!
BENMONT TENCH – You Should Be So Lucky
Better known as the piano player with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Benmont Tench releases his debut solo album and it’s exactly as you might expect. Pristine country-folk-blues-rock that echoes Dylan and Petty (of course) with touches of jazz (“Ecor Rouge”) and soul (“Why Don’t You Quit Leaving Me Alone”). But with authentic material like “Veronica Said”, “Hannah” and “Today I Took Your Picture Down”, Tench demonstrates that he can stand his ground against his heavy-hitting associates. Recommended.