This week: Art Brut, Soft Science, Thurston Moore, Boris, and once again we ask the question: “Why would God let this happen?”
by Billy DeFrain
Musicians hate to admit this (and by not being one, I have no reservations), but crappy lyrics can make a mediocre song intolerable. This week, I was listening to snipes of this album by some band called Motopony, including the song “God Damn Girl.” The line, “God damn, girl, your wounds are beautiful” was just so irredeemably cheesy I had to turn it off and not include this week. Sorry, Motopony!
Art Brut | Brilliant! Tragic! | Cooking Vinyl
Lacking the sneer and swagger that made Bang Band Rock and Roll such stupid fun.
Bird of Youth | Defender | Jagjaguwar
Folkish singer-songwriter stuff from this lady, I don’t know. Weird name, though.
Black Pus | Primordial Pus | Load
I challenge you to listen to this for more than two minutes. You won’t. And lucky for you, I couldn’t find a video of it.
Book of Black Earth | The Cold Testament | Prothestic
Excellent name for a food handlers permit class on unstable food temperatures.
Boris | Attention Please & Heavy Rocks | Sargent House
If you like your stoner rock heavy, sludgy and Japanese, then this is a good week for you: two new albums from Boris.
Brad Paisley | This is Country Music | RCA
Technically, I guess? From a cursory listen, this album is more about fitting in as many red state tribal signifiers than country music per se. Science has already proven that the best country music is about cheating, drinking and heartache; or, preferably, a combination thereof:
Clan of Xymox | Darket Hour | Metropolis Records
Imagine really boring electronic music, then imagine it boringer, and now imagine it sounds like a cholesterol prescription drug name.
David Bazan | Strange Negotiations | Barsuk
Essentially a new Pedro the Lion album.
Dot Dot Curve | I’m Still Here | Standby Records
What happens when an emo-haired scenester douchbag learns how to use autotune? The worst thing I have heard so far in 2011, that’s what.
Face Candy | Waste Age Teen Land | Rhymesayers Entertainment
Meandering, pointless freestyle jazz-rap.
Foster the People | Torches | Startime
Album art of the week!
NKOTBSB | NKOTBSB | Sony Music Entertainment
That’s right: New Kids on the Block are on tour with Backstreet Boys this summer. And they have this new album which is really just half New Kids and half Backstreet Boys songs, with two new songs.
Lady Gaga | Born this Way | Streamline
Soft Science | Highs and Lows | Test Pattern
Ahh, that’s more like it.
Stiff Valentine | America Bleeding | WTII Records
This makes a wicked tattoo and an underwhelming album:
The Prodigy | World’s On Fire | Take me to the Hospital
I can’t hear the Prodigy without thinking of Jez’s solo album from the hilarious sitcom Peep Show. Watch a video (unembeddable) here.
Thurston Moore | Demolished Thoughts | Matador
New solo album from the Sonic Youth guitarist, produced by Beck, is all singer-songwritery. Full stream from NPR here.
People Like Us | Welcome Abroad | Illegal Art
I don’t get it.
Various Artists | Piano Tribute to Lenny Kravitz | CC/Copycat
Still not getting it.