The opening sparse acoustic guitar dirge caught me off guard. It seemed like the acoustic guitar started becoming almost an ambient mood setter. Genius introduction. Then the vocals came in and although I'm not a big fan of Phil's vocals, for some reason the way he communicated here just felt so heartfelt and real and earnest and vulnerable I was transfixed. Then the slow build on the track from acoustic only for 6 minutes or so, to voice and guitar, then the heavy distorted guitars then the drums, then the atmospheric actual ambient tones, etc... it makes a full delicious meal. I full delicious, miserable, existential crisis meal.
I didn't know anything about the album before pushing play on the youtube video. So I didn't expect it to be just one song essentially, a 44 minute piece which comes in and out like a tide in its intensity. I like this type of thing. Its a truly unique experience. Love how the organ (or organ-sounding) comes in 27 miutes in and just washes over you. Truly gorgeous. Then it fades and his vocals and that persistent guitar riff comes back and then the drums come in again and he continues rambling nostalgically about shit that happened 20 years ago. I say "rambling" not in an annoyed way, its done in a likeable and engaging way.
Me and the whole world of music I imagine were concerned about Phil after he dropped A Crow Looked At Me. That album felt like a long phone call from an old friend, where you weren't expecting to hear so much about his life or to hear about the tragedies of his life, but you are a good friend and you talk him through it. End up hanging up the phone at 2:15AM with a final word of empathy and reassurance to him like "Look, I get it, these times are tough. Hang in there. And if you need anything just give me a call, buddy".
Then you don't hear back from that friend for months and then years and in the back of your mind you worry about him.
This album is like the long letter or email you get from this friend after this long period. Him just giving you an update on his life, telling you how he has gotten better and how he hasn't.
Long analogy aside, this album really is a good one. I don't generally love this style of songwriting - not much structure, just an open conversational, free-form spoken word essay on his thoughts. But he does it well and it works.
Also the accompanying video Phil uploaded with this album is so simple and so sad and beautiful. Its almost TOO personal. I have used that type of language to talk about other singer/songwriter albums that seem to be a bit uncomfortably blunt and personal. But compared to any other album not called "A Crow Looked At Me" this album is so much more personal that it makes those older comments on older albums almost laughable. It takes guts to put yourself out there as much as he does here.
This was a unique and nice album, and without a doubt a key piece of the patchwork of 2020 music. I liked it more than I thought I would. I don't think its an album i'll come back to much or even at all. But its one I will never forget.
There is a lot about this album which is familiar. Its like a 2021 Cat Stevens album. Its got a similar laid back, nearly edgeless vibe similar to Jack Johnson. Especially after a couple tracks I was lead to believe this album was going nowhere at a peaceful and pleasant pace.
Somewhere around track 5, - "The Truth We Tell" - some things start to fall into place. The musical arsenal opens up, more instruments, a female vocalist comes in, things start blossoming from acoustic guitar-driven folk with a hint of soft rock, to a fully detailed and quite beautiful folk rock album. From there to the end of this album the sounds, while maintaining a very even-headed contemplative simplicity, become more engaging and attention-grabbing.
As a whole this is an album that is getting across a sense of humanity, and the lyrics read like a friend calmly trying to get you to slow down, take a breathe and act wisely in the face of all the chaos and hatred that surrounds you. This message is most obvious in the album's centerpiece "The New Warrior".
"The New Warrior" is an excellent, if borderline didactic, song about getting out of your own head, ending the constant need to fight and thrash, and instead just look and see the humanity of all those around you. Its really an important message in these early days of a new year fresh on the heels of some of the most divisive and miserable months in our lifetimes. Reading some interviews with Lopez indicated this song (and the album as a whole) was inspired by a Buddhist friend who enlightened him on a more even-keeled approach to living. And this is reflected beautifully in this song and throughout the album.
The album is soft and almost completely lacking any edges or strong emotional outbursts. This, to many, will be a turn off. But if you like folk and folk rock of the early 70s Cat Stevens variety and you want a break from all the usual neuroticism that most musicians display with seeming pride, this album will be a bracing breathe of fresh air.
I actually have heard this. Had forgotten that I listened to this when it released and I forgot somehow. I had also forgotten how much I love this album.
I don't know what it is exactly, maybe its because I already love Charli's work, and maybe its because its a more direct and stripped back version of what she already made me fall in love with with 2019's Charli (my fave album of 2019 if i recall correctly). Maybe its the fact that its less than 40 minutes, and that is a great thing. I sometimes feel a sulky, unexpressed resentment toward albums over 1 hour (which is silly, I know.). This is just no fat, no filler, kinda sad, heart-on-its-sleeve pop excellence for 36 minutes. I adore it. Maybe its the fact that the songs here while not as pristine and varied as Charli at least forgo all the obnoxious features that were such a fucking drag on Charli (Lizzo absolutely kills her track in a bad way, as does Cupcakke. in a vacuum they are just grating and easy to avoid by just not hearing their albums. But as features on an otherwise great album they are next level grating) leaving us with 36 minutes of bubblegum pop, affect laden vocal hooks, bright beats, impossibly catchy glory. The whole vibe of the album is like a party but where everyone has their mind on their own melancholy so that the dancing and the whole energy is both more reserved and more manic. Idk. All I know is this is a near-perfect album.
Oh and I had a huge crush on a british woman named Omayma back in 2013. She looks strikingly similar to Charli. I didn't see fully the resemblance until this album came out and that front cover appeared on my apple music. Its shocking how similar they look. So when I love this album and Charli's music I also feel like I am supporting a friend's artistic endeavors, so that is an added benefit. Yes me and O are friends now. I was not on her level. Plus she lived an ocean away so I never made a move. - which is good probably, there was a 2-6% success rate and thus 94-98% fail rate and that fail would have given me nightmares. This is all to justify me not following my dreams, not being more alive and daring, and giving in to a sinking, numb, hopeless state of mind. Cheers and HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!
Anyway, this gets a 85-95/100 and will go probably to number 1 or 2 on my 2020 chart (can't decide if it or Phoebe Bridgers' Punisher goes there. _________________ -Ryan
This is a gorgeous album. The softer songs with little percussive pulse are, in particular, truly sublime. The tracks which have more pop/rock elements retain the melodious beauty with a little extra kick. The vocals are peaceful and radiate a sureness and clarity which is refreshing. Although I don't speak their language, I hear clearly every syllable and all the emotional details.
The production, while traditional and pretty soft pop at its core, also has a pristine clarity I love. Its also never stale, there are always subtle transitions or details or a horn sound or a keyboard part etc etc which will come in and take a good song to new levels. Somehow this album took me into its able hands right from the jump and guided me the whole way, I never got bored, never thought about other albums I wanted to listen to, instead the whole 48 minutes I was 100% all-in with this stellar pop album and all its dynamic and beautiful melodies and harmonies. When it ended, I had an impulse to push play again.
I for sure plan to check out their other albums, cuz this was excellent yet somehow never heard nor even heard OF them 'til today.
Note: This is another album with very few rough edges. Very sweet, at times sad, always pretty. Some may hear that as being boring, stale or idk not what they look for in music. However, on a technical level I feel this album achieves what it sets out to do. You want a beautiful pop, not-quite-chamber pop but kinda at times album? This will be maybe something you really like. _________________ -Ryan
This is my first time hearing anything by R.A.P. Ferreira, including when he was known as Milo. Maybe I shoulda gotten on his 2019 album (I heard its really good).
But considering this is a completely blind, fresh listen, I'll say what I thought.
The intro is a bit funny at first but quickly wears out its welcome. After that first statement of sorts, the album flows with a nonchalant, effortless quirkiness which I generally really like. Some of the raps which I think are supposed to give off an aura of just easy brilliance, natural and off hand poetry, feel flat and a bit like they could have used a bit more working over to make the raps actually, you know, good and finished and creative. Sometimes these types of "off the top of my head" rhymes work really well with the sleepy, relaxed production though. Its a mixed bag.
"redguard snipers" is awesome! Not sure what it is exactly, but the way the vocals and beat work together and play off each other is sublime. The last half of "Sips of Ripple Wine" is mesmerizing. The beat in "Bobby's Digital Little Wings" is so fucking strange! In the best way. Its strange in a kind of mind-bending and expanding way. Its sleepy and relaxed, but the notes come in so sharply they seem to counteract the mellowness of it. Its great.
All in all the production of this album seems to be the best kind of zigzagging, effortless and whimsical. And the way Ferreira plays with the tracks and kinda weaves in with it or comments on seemingly random poetic ramblings in a really refreshing and engaging way. I never felt fully familiar with the music, but I was also never agitated or anything less than relaxed. Its was really a very pleasant experience and maybe the first album of the year I really was surprised by. _________________ -Ryan
Graeme James is a New Zealand-based Singer/Songwriter. This is a 26 minute EP released on January 1st, 2021. He was a busker for years and has been recording his own songs since 2012.
The music here is extremely melancholy and introspective. The instruments (all played by James) are all played with a beautiful sadness. There is acoustic guitar of course, and piano, but also some beautiful violin, Mandolin, some accordion, some bare-bones drumming, and other instruments to fill in the sound.
The first 2 songs of this collection are very slow, ruminative, acoustic songs (both beautiful and mesmerizingly austere). Then with the 3rd track "The Voyage of the James Caird" things pick up quite a bit, with a somewhat driving rhythm, and a faster tempo, all building up suspense while James sings a narrative about a doomed ship crew.
With the track "Northern Lights" James sings in an almost hopeful, loving way with some sweet guitar and some tasty piano chords and mandolin. As the song crescendos and the added vocals come in, the song goes to another level of sublime.
Track 5 is a beautiful song which is features a female vocal to add another layer of beauty.
Finally the final song is probably the best of the bunch. "Time" is just a starkly honest song about a pervading fear of growing old and never truly living.
When James sings " It pains me now to say, I've never lived a day like it was my last one. And I probably never will." its so heartbreaking and relatable. Later, in the closing seconds of this remarkable album, James leaves us with a truly haunting yet hopeful line:
"Maybe its enough to be carried by your love through days unending."
The lyrics at first hit me as being the same old poetic singer/songwriter fare. But as I listened and paid attention I was struck by some very incisive and crushing lines about aging and sadness and hope and love and all those vague yet powerful concepts. The lyrics really work with the intimate and earnest singing by James as well as the sparse and tender instrumentals.
This is a really high quality winter album, full of ghostly images and sparse and beautiful melodies. It was what I wanted to hear on this cold January morning. Its highly recommended for fans of other earnest, poetic, somewhat philosophical or romantic singer/songwriters such as Iron & Wine or Damien Rice. _________________ -Ryan
55-80/100 (These grades I sometimes use indicate a certain range of thoughts on the album - sort of how I see it at a bad angle to how I see it at a good angle. Usually I end up grading on BEA with something in between. This helps me for albums that I appreciate but maybe just not in the mood for, That (hypothetical) album may be a 75/100 but I'm vibing with it like its a 5 or 6. This also can help remind me of albums to revisit at later dates to see how I am viewing then. Idk. Just wanted to note that on this note cuz this range is more drastic and wide than any others I've listened to the last couple weeks.
This album started off soooo freakin great! The first song sounds like Tom Waits with Phil Lynott on vocals! The drumming is so powerful. The jazz sound is so sick, - yeah "Unpossible" is so cool.
And tracks 2 and 3 are similarly cool. The swaggering Lynott style vocal mannerisms take over even more. There is a moment at the end of track 3 or 4 where I was completely on board with this sound, this vocalist, the drumming (the drumming is cool throughout the whole album) the whole vibe and style of the album. Then I don't know, the songs became gratingly humorous and "oh-so-cool" and affectedly distant. The vocal coolness started really coming across more and more false, the whole momentum of the LP came on hard and by the 2/3rds point of the record I had lost interest. Maybe Its a bit of burn out from listening to so much music. Maybe its that I have only gotten 9 hours sleep the last 2 nights for some ridiculously stupid reason, The reason could be a lot of things. The point is the first 12-13 minutes of this album I was sooooo fucking digging it, like 9/10 level good. Then the last half or so was a 4.5-5.5 level. I'll split the babayyy and say its a 65, and come back to this at a later date.
The first few tracks are seriously killer and I can't get over how dope "Unpossible" really is. As a Tom Waits fan I was just smitten. _________________ -Ryan
70-75 (A good album which I felt compelled to listen twice in a row. Not great, but I'd absolutely say this is quality stuff.)
This is actually a really fun, moody electropop album. The whole mood is low-key ornery and despondent kinda mixed and back and forth. Like, I don't hear much actual joy here. Instead there is a sort of pervasive eerie annoyance followed by kinda numb apathy. I don't know if I'm describing it well.
I guess when I saw the genre description I saw the word "pop" and I thought it would be sunny. Instead this is a austere, moody, nocturnal little album. The record consistently gets into these really cool stripped down grooves and then the vocals (I suppose the girl singing is either angie or tail or whip lol) ride over the downbeat tracks and says some shit I didn't focus on the specifics of, and I sometimes get into a bit of a trance state just grooving. The song "Dust", or "Cherries & Whiskey" are good examples of this quality.
"Namida" has this high pitched oscillating whistle sound which should be annoying but isn't. I actually love it. The whole song just friggin kills. Really like it.
And as a whole this is a really solid album with a clear and distinct mood and style, really stripped down sonic pallate, the vocals are nothing to write home about but they are serviceable. As for the lyrics... no idea. I think she talks about being a lowlife and feeling like a loser, which is all well and good. Been there, buddy. I hope you work it out and settle down and find happiness.
Anyway, there are no really really standout songs here - outside of maybe Namida - and the album doesn't feel completely finished. Like, there are some really cool parts, but doesn't feel like a cohesive album experience. maybe the album will come into sharp focus with repeated listens, all I'm saying is after 2 listens this album isn't Great, but just quite good. This is a musical area I am unfamiliar with, so I try not to make myself seem like a dumbass by comparing to laughably different artists. But, fudge it! The vibe and sound here reminds me of Fever Ray without the really great and mind-bending vocals, and it reminds me of The xx a little. This last comparison isn't a compliment in my book - cuz they bore me to death. Anyway, i'm rambling. I liked this album well enough. _________________ -Ryan
85-90/100 (Excellent Americana album which uses all the sounds and styles available to it and churns out a brisk, touching, and gritty country rock experience.)
Steve Earle is one of the giants of country/country rock/alt-country/americana/roots rock etc etc... and I think his 1995-2000 run of 5 albums (Train A Comin, I Feel Alright, El Corazon, The Mountain, Transcendental Blues) is one of the greatest in country or americana history.
That said, I haven't come back to listen to Steve Earle since 10 years ago. I haven't listened to any of his new releases in a long while. I had not thought about him much until last year when I heard that his son Justin Townes Earle had died. I was wondering how much pain Justin's family and father was feeling.
When I saw this album on the queue I was anticipating a very sad and grief-filled release. I was anticipating a country rock Skeleton Trees. I did not get that. The grief and darkness is there but on the fringes. You have to look for the messages mixed in with the otherwise just genuinely great Americana set here. (Of course the final song "Last Words" is very directly addressing the death of Justin. Also the cover of Justin's most famous song "Harlem River Blues" is a pretty direct reference.)
On its own with no context, this album is excellent, luscious, country rock. The songs are all beautifully natural and short. The band is in top form and these songs all feel lived-in. The opener "I Don't Care" is a high-energy bluegrass barn burner. "Ain't Glad I'm Leaving" is an excellent old-time country jam, spiced up with that patented Steve Earle vocal charisma. "Maria" is a drunken country rock standout, with these really beautiful acoustic guitar touches which take the romantic sentiment to a higher level. "They Killed John Henry" is a raucous folk rock song which is irresistible (to me anyway). "Turn Out My Lights" is a sweet, romantic track filled with that same earnest loving sentiment that made some of his classic albums especially I Feel Alright stick out. "Champagne Corolla" is maybe the most badass rocker here. It has a grit and realness that can sometimes be fumbled on songs like these - but Steve fuckin Earle doesn't have to worry about fumbling that grit and realness.
And of course the cover of "Harlem River Blues" is the most gorgeous, crisp and touching moment on the whole album. That may be just due to me knowing the context, and maybe future listeners who don't know who he is covering, will think its just another good song. But there is an added emotional kick to this already sadness-drenched track. The way Earle plays it straight and fleshes out the song with excellently twanging guitars, accordion, the fiddle runs, the somewhat crunchy and distorted electric guitar parts, the way the back up vocals hauntingly end the song with everything else dropped out, oh my! It's so beautiful. When I heard Earle sing the line "Tell my mama I love her, tell my father I tried..." I got a little misty.
At its core, this is just a very very very good Americana album made by one of the best to ever do it. I won't say it is or isn't a "return to form" cuz I just don't know, as I haven't heard his albums that came just before this one. In a relative vacuum, this would still be a very good album and my favorite album of the year thus far. But add in the knowledge of what lead up to it and it hits just a bit harder.
Of course the last track "Last Words" stands apart from the rest of the album in an obvious way, lyrically and musically completely it's quite distinct. Its like this song had to be included as a final goodbye and acknowledgement of the major loss of the previous year. It's a sad, and haunting song.
"Now I don't know what I'll do
until the day I follow you
through the darkness to the light
'cause I've loved you for all your life.
Last thing I said was 'I love you'
Your last words to me were 'I love you too'" _________________ -Ryan
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Mercury
