Capsule Reviews: Records Released on May 24, 2019
May 30, 2019 | by No Recess! Staff
Every Wednesday (or Thursday this week) we're rounding up the NR! staff for a healthy handful of capsule record reviews released the previous Friday. Check out this installment with record releases from May 24, 2019.
Amyl and The Sniffers
Monsoon Rock
(Rough Trade)
Grade: C
This band is from Australia, the same country that gave us Cosmic Psychos and Bloodloss, so right there we’re off to a good start and expectations are high. From what I can tell, these songs are great, but the vocals are FAR too high in the mix and getting in the way of everything else, including the lyrics. It’s a grave mistake. Who’s responsible? Producer Ross Orton? Someone in the band? Their A&R person? I need names! Some folks out there may dig this record (and I hope they do), but it’s not representational of their sound. Eleven great songs all but ruined. This BETTER NOT be one of those situations where the singer is pushed out in front of the others as a mere selling point in order to gain maximum publicity; that kinda thing happens all the time, kids. So frustrating. – Andrew K. Lau
Watch the video for "Monsoon Rock" below and buy the album here
Black Mountain
Destroyer
(Jagjaguwar)
Grade: B-
Their streak of great record covers continues with this one but, mostly, this is a slower, moodier batch of '70s-inspired rock accessorized with synths; not too different from their rest of their catalog. The overall sound is huge, warm, and some of the arrangements keep you guessing a bit ("Horns Arising" in particular takes a few nice curves). Sometimes it’s uninspired, other times not… but… well, I was hoping something like "Boogie Lover" would kick things up a bit, but it’s more of a slow-moving water beast of a song with a catchy chorus and a fuzzed-out bass line rather than the ZZ Top-styled rave-up I was envisioning. But that kinda sums things up with Black Mountain. – Andrew K. Lau
Watch the video for "Boogie Lover" below and buy Destroyer here
Cate Le Bon
Reward
(Kemado)
Grade: B+
With Reward, Cate Le Bon's avant pop continues to move away from her stylistic acoustic minimalism and gravitate toward more orchestrated, varied, and often surreal songs. This album was also a product of moving away to live in solitude and take up crafting furniture for a year or so, which resulted in lines like "Everything is slowly losing its meaning / Always keep your hand behind the chisel." Le Bon is also a master at using duel meaning of language to enforce our own absurdities into view — "reward" being a word that evokes a positive emotion in people, but could be the opposite depending on the relationship between the giver and receiver — leaving the listener to reconsider what they take at face value. – Jocelyn Hoppa
Listen to "Daylight Matters" below and buy Rewards here
Earth
Full Upon Her Burning Lips
(Sergeant House)
Grade: A
Well there’s an album title for ya. Now that Dylan Carlson and Adrienne Davis have your full, ahem, attention, let’s get to what’s so great about Earth’s latest album: Everything. Seriously, deconstructing this record to explain the slight nuances of this versus the last Earth record or the one before that seems besides the point (although, yes, some of their love for minimalism does dissipate here into some noisy stuff like "The Colour of Poison"… you know, for Earth). Instead, we should all find a nice evening, a comfortable seat, and listen to this record until we’re absorbed into the sky. – Jocelyn Hoppa
Listen to "The Colour of Poison" below and buy Full Upon Her Burning Lips here
Faye Webster Atlanta Millionaires Club (Secretly Canadian)
Grade: A-
Good luck finding a box to put this rising 21 year-old singer/songwriter in. Her third LP is a gorgeous collection of lovelorn strummers with touches of country, folk, R&B, and soul. Originally signed to Atlanta rap oddballs Awful Records, Webster’s music is gleefully unencumbered — naturally veering off in whatever direction her tastes take her. For example, “Right Side of My Neck” is a swooning country ballad, while the waltzing “Jonny” pairs her voice with gorgeous, late-night R&B keys and “Flowers” features a verse from Awful head honcho Father. Impressively, it all feels so cohesive and unforced, as Webster’s easy, languid vocals effortlessly glue all the sounds around her together. – Daniel Alvarez
Watch the video for "Room Temperature" below and buy Atlanta Millionaires Club here
Flying Lotus
Flamagra (Warp)
Grade: A-
Steven Ellison's first album in 5 years continues to prove how incredibly adept and adaptive he is as a producer of jazz, hip-hop, and his own signature avant blend. Per what you'd expect from a Flying Lotus record, an incredible and disparate cast of musicians contributed to Flamagra — from George Clinton, Shabazz Palaces, and Solange to Anderson .Paak and David Lynch, the latter featured on the album’s lead single (with its crazypants video), the spoken-word "Fire Is Coming." – Angela Zimmerman
Watch the video for "Fire Is Coming" below and buy Flamagra here
Hayden Thorpe Diviner (Domino)
Grade: B+
With Wild Beasts (RIP) or as a solo artist, Hayden Thorpe’s evocative, singular falsetto will always be the first thing that sticks out about his music.