Rolling Blackouts C.F. — Hope Downs

 

  Totally the amalgamation of early REM jangle and later Feelies Velvets style jams.  I can’t say there is anything mind blowing on this album, other than they’re just great tunes. 

MC5 — Back in the USA

  This subtly subdued stripped down version of MC5 rock ‘n’ roll is way more relevant to the first wave of punk than the bombastic stoner sludge of Kick Out the Jams.  Both are great records, but only one you can play at a wild party and also in the morning while having a cup of coffee.

Parquet Courts — Content Nausea

 

  I really like this underrated Parquet Courts album.  It has their classic sound but is drenched in Lou Reed New York drippy laziness, which works so well.  This band epitomizes  what I thought in the early aughts reading reviews of The Strokes should have sounded like but very much didn’t live up to their hype.  

Big Thief — Dragon New Mountain I Believe In You

   It took me a while to get into this band, there was always something cheesy to their hipster indie folk shtick that kept me away and Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You is chalk full of that, but also comes off like a greatest hits album, mixing genres and styles that they seem to have perfected, from hippie country to weirdo new wave.  I’m still probably not going out and buying all their records, but I love this one.  Question is why are the animals at the campfire jam joined by a dinosaur and not a dragon?

I’m back ... I think!

   As the pandemic rages on with endless amounts of weirdness and insanity; my life has changed so much and my record collection has grown.  It seems the mental malaise of isolation, government mandates and boredom has made me nostalgic about having several little personal projects on the go!

Mission accomplished!

  I am done doing this, it's not even fun anymore, it just feels like some kinda pretentious ego stroking exercise that is going nowhere.  Admittedly I totally enjoyed doing the nerdy research on all these records and fully diving into the art of the album, I'm sure I have learnt something from all this over the years ... adieu!

Bob Marley And The Wailers -- Uprising

  Bob Marley is one of those rare artists that no matter how big he had gotten he never conprimised who he was or the music he was making, staying true to himself up until this final, ironically titled, album -- Uprising!