Hello! How’s it going? How’s your year been? Over in the music world, it’s one of the best years I’ve ever seen. Comparable with 2016, if not even better. I wish I had known that would be the case when I decided to do flash reviews of every new album I listen to! I’m tired, folks. We’ve got a lot of great stuff this month, and a few weaker ones. These are not in any order whatsoever. There’s a lot of big names this post, but I hope you find some gems from this. Check out the third record here, in particular.
Shellac – To All Trains
Rest in peace Steve Albini. If you’re reading this, then you’re probably well-versed in Albini’s work already, but he was a god in the music scene. A talented musician who utterly despised the industry, most of his work was production. He produced records for anyone ranging from Nirvana to your shithead neighbor’s weird noise band – and never took a penny for his work. His last record as a musician came only days after his sudden passing, and it’s hauntingly beautiful. It’s also a pretty normal Shellac record; chunky and bass-heavy post-punk with snarled and often witty lyrics. The band was self-described as “minimalist,” I wouldn’t exactly use that term but these songs are all surprisingly easy. Most of them are perfectly digestible and just off-putting enough to drive away casual folks. Opener “WSOD” jams on a fun riff for a while. But the real ominous standout is closer “I Don’t Fear Hell,” where Albini sings about waiting to join all his friends down below. Classic Albini – dark, funny, groovy and eerily prescient. Albini was one of the best guys around but if he ended up in Hell, then brother, we’ll all see you there.
Grade: 8/10 Initial release date: 5/17/24
Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood
I was saving, cherishing this one for the perfect day. Well it’s a sunny, warm Friday just before a long weekend and I’m in a good mood, finally time. My expectations were set pretty high, given that “Right Back To It” is my favorite song of the year and I don’t see anything else topping it. I’m also a lifelong Waxahatchee fan, although she’s not someone who I listen to often. The rest of the record isn’t 100% consistent, but it often hits. While the lead single is her most straight-up country song yet, the rest of the album is familiar indie-folk, with occasional bursts of guitar. These tunes are very sweet, very casual and just extremely well-developed. Katie’s voice is as good as always, but this album is more about summer-y vibes anyways. These are songs for aimless car rides with the windows down, songs for drinking a beer on the front lawn. And yet, I can tell this is a record I’ll come back to during all seasons. As expected, one of the best of the year.
Grade: 8.5/10 Initial release date: 3/22/24
Salt Cathedral – Before It’s Gone
I heard one of the songs from this album on the radio many moons ago and kept a mental note to check back for an album. Finally, it’s here, and it’s glorious. There’s nothing particularly inventive happening here, yet it all feels original. I know little about this duo, but what they make is beautiful. This is atmospheric indie, almost gospel-like. There’s always rhythms, but some are fainter than others. Some exist only on a breeze and a vocal lick, others bring in hand drums and conventional pop songwriting. Add in some authentic and balanced lyrics, and you’ve got a multi-influenced gem of a record. This is pop music for people who don’t like pop music. Real winner!
Grade: 8/10 Initial release date: 3/22/24
Latrell James – Running In Place
If I had to pick a word to describe this album, it would be: vibrant. The local (Boston) rapper’s new album is quick and diverse, a bunch of short songs that range from muddied to sweet. Mostly, the album is very fun. Pristine production is a key factor here, making the brightest songs pop with effortless energy. No idea sticks around too long, making every song seem like a fleeting thought in a complicated mind. There’s some easy, brilliant stuff happening here.
Grade: 8/10 Initial release date: 3/15/24
Middle Kids – Faith Crisis, Pt. 1
Middle Kids have never been the most exciting band, but they’ve always put out some great songs here and there. The band is mostly known for guitar indie-rock, a mix of 90’s throwback and current poppier indie. Their new album stays close to home, a group of pleasantly banging alternative tunes. The opening track “Petition” is a ripper, and the two real closing tracks (excusing an interlude) are great tunes on the ballad side of things. The entire middle of the album is made of fun but largely uninspired cuts, songs to enjoy once and forget immediately. This is kinda what they do, and they’ve carved out their own niche, but it doesn’t make for the most exciting listen.
Grade: 6.5/10 Initial release date: 2/16/24
Dua Lipa – Radical Optimism
I love Dua Lipa, but the public’s expectations were set too high for this one. Her first two albums proved that someone can still be entertaining and authentic within the confines of overproduced pop music; her third album falls victim to sterilization. Radical Optimism was promoted as more of an experimental, disco-influenced album, something that does not come through at all. Instead, it’s a collection of songs that are still very fun, but the blandest she’s sounded. This might be her best vocal work to date, and some songs on the front half have enough working for them to be replayable and memorable. But, a majority of these tunes are frustratingly rote. Dua Lipa has always been confident, an artist who is into herself and not making music because she’s a corporation – an idea taken too far, as these songs sound like they were made for an audience of one: Dua Lipa. The album is still a blast front-to-back, but after two of the best pop albums of the last decade, it’s a massive letdown. Listen once, digest it and forget it.
A few days after I wrote the above paragraph, I was sitting in a dentist chair listening to dentist radio. “Houdini,” one of the singles off this album, played and it took three quarters of the song to realize what it was. A good note as to how disposable these songs really feel.
Grade: 7/10 Initial release date: 5/3/24
Jlin – Akoma
Ok so I put this one on blind, thinking Jlin was more of a pseudo-R&B artist and not someone working more in glitch electronic. This is a whole world I know little about. Since I’m out of my wheelhouse, I can just say that I loved the bookend tracks here, especially a fun and rousing closer with an assist from Philip Glass (!). In between those was a set of avant-garde, lighter tracks that maybe didn’t do much for me but certainly weren’t unpleasant to listen to. I know just enough to understand that for the respective genre, this is a masterclass – strictly personally, it mostly went over my head.
Grade: 7.5/10 Initial release date: 3/22/24
Flo Milli – Fine Ho, Stay
I’m absolutely not qualified to be writing about artists like Flo Milli but hell I loved this. The songs are relatively rudimentary in nature but Flo Milli has an amazing, well, flow. Comically big boasts litter the rap tracks, and touches of tenderness hit the more R&B-inspired ones. But it’s mostly the former – this is a big, fun record. Don’t listen to it around your parents; this one is horny as all hell. SZA and Cardi B show up on a remix, almost predictably. They represent the best of a few solid assists throughout; enough to feel like a party, few enough that the focus is still on Flo Milli. If you like fun and carefree rap, add it to the list.
Grade: 7.5/10 Initial release date: 3/15/24
High On Fire – Cometh the Storm
As much as I’ve always been obsessed with Sleep, Matt Pike’s other, less-prolific-but-arguably-more-well-known metal band, High On Fire has never truly hit for me. Their ninth album is a pummeling burst of sludge metal, with nonstop guitar assault and Pike’s characteristic screamed vocals. More than ever, he sounds like he’s being tortured in the studio. With the exception of a mid-album lull, these songs offer no breaks at all, exhaustingly heavy from start to finish. They cast a wide rope, as this record really isn’t “sludge metal” and could pull in more standard heavy metal fans. The album’s big concern is bloat. The album starts with four songs over five minutes, which is not uncommon for a Pike band – my favorite song of his is the 13 minute “Sonic Titan.” But when the album itself is just shy of an hour, and nearly every song follows the same formula, it becomes too much. The album is too long-winded, although the back half is actually better than the front. Still, this is a hell of a metal record, and one that I could see myself going back to.
Grade: 7.5/10 Initial release date: 4/19/24
Ride – Interplay
This one feels bad to write. Ride were always one of the loudest of the shoegaze bands, pushing guitar distortion to new levels. Even on their reunion albums prior, we’ve seen the band turn the amps up and crush out. But practically everything on their seventh album just sort of…exists. The songs are well-written but aimless, not really searching for that signature sound. It’s a shame, because I’ve been hearing “Portland Rocks” on the radio and have loved it – as it is a signature Ride song. And it’s not the only one on the album; “Stay Free” and “Essaouira” are vintage Ride. But a lot of these tracks just don’t really achieve much and don’t have much of anything to say. Some good foundations here, and a lot of missed opportunities.
Grade: 6.5/10 Initial release date: 3/29/24
Hurray For The Riff Raff – The Past Is Still Alive
The alt-country scene is alive and well. This album seems to have already gotten swept up in the wake of Waxahatchee’s similar and more prominent release, but it shouldn’t. Alynda Segarra has always known how to wear their heart on their sleeve, and this record is no different. I guess it’s “more of the same,” really, but when the same is this good, does it matter? These americana songs are soulful, breezy, earnest and twangy. Segarra is a natural when it comes to country-fied folk songs like this. While it won’t stand as the best record of this nature this year, it should turn some heads. Watch for local legend Anjimile pop up on the excellent “Ogallala”!
Grade: 7.5/10 Initial release date: 2/23/24
Empress Of – For Your Consideration
2024 has been such an unprecedented year for music so far that plenty of “pretty good” albums are going to get completely lost in the shuffle. Unfortunately I think that’s true for the fourth Empress Of album, which already seems to be getting overlooked unfairly. The Honduran singer is back with more bedroom alternative-via-R&B smoothness. The album’s front half is very solid, with “Lorelei” and the Rina Sawayama-aided “Kiss Me” being the best of the best. These songs straddle the line between sultry and indie, an alt-pop barrier that’s eroding with each month. The album’s back half is more of the same, it doesn’t really stand up to the front half. The full picture is one that’s worth checking out if it’s your type of thing, but it isn’t going to change the world.
Grade: 7/10 Initial release date: 3/22/24
girl in red – I’M DOING IT AGAIN BABY!
I’ll admit that I went into this one with low expectations – girl in red’s debut album was a bold mix of indie and trap influences, but something about it really didn’t grab me personally. Obviously I was alone, as it immediately launched her into a stratosphere rarely seen by indie artists. Well I’m aboard now, because this sophomore album is a blast start to finish. These songs are abrupt, and mostly very energizing and manic. When they’re not, they’re sweet and earnest. It’s a mix of stuff more chaotic and varied than her debut, and all the better for it. At 27 minutes, the only real downside is that it could’ve used some more. A genuine surprise to me, and one of the best listens of the year so far.
Grade: 8/10 Initial release date: 4/12/24
Knocked Loose – You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To
Knocked Loose are one of those bands that I absolutely love but never know how to write about. The metal group doesn’t exist within the bounds of any specific subgenre, but they aren’t so radical as to define a new one, either. What they do is absolutely rip, and their third album rips even harder than their first two. They’re technically metalcore, a genre I usually don’t pay much attention to due to sheer repetition between bands. But Knocked Loose infuse it with elements of hardcore punk and death metal, emitting short and brutal transmissions that always make sure to be on the fun side of things. The songs on this album (especially the first half) don’t so much start and end as they do operate as one puzzling suite. There’s an assist from Poppy that should go down as one of the best guest verses of the year, too. This is absolute fire start to finish. EDIT: Since writing this, I’ve seen them live, and they absolutely smashed it. Premier live band, too.
Grade: 8/10 Initial release date: 5/10/24
Knoll – As Spoken
Look at the cover of this record – an ominous, black and white photo of a mirror, pointing diagonally away from the camera. It’s unsettling. I put this record on knowing it was metal, but not much more. This is powerful black metal. Abrasive, pounding, sounding like the depths of Hell. What I’m saying is, it’s extremely me music. I love raw black metal. Oddly, this album eschews one of the normal characteristics of black metal – lengthy songs. It’s a genre devoted to wearing you down through both repetition and ferocity, but the band does away with the former. Only four of the album’s eleven tracks are over five minutes, and the rest are all under four. Instead of repetition, the band gives you whiplash transitions. It’s just as effective. Great stuff.
Grade: 8/10 Initial release date: 1/26/24
Alluvial – Death Is But A Door
This is just a 4-track EP so I’ll keep this quick. This is proper death metal, grinding and brutal but still pretty fun. Three of the four songs didn’t truly leave an effect on me, even though I enjoyed them. But the song “Fogbelt” is rapidly becoming one of my favorite songs of the year. It’s got a nasty guitar riff in the chorus that sounds more nu-metal than anything; compliment, from my mouth. If nothing else, check that track out.
Grade: 7/10 Initial release date: 1/12/24
B3CCA4EVER – SMILEY FACE
This is an artist I’ve seen live. Last year, around my birthday, when B3CCA and her tag team partner Aaron Rourke took on The Miracle Generation for the IWTV Tag Team Titles in Beyond Wrestling. It’s one of the best matches I’ve ever seen in person. Since then, the wrestler has been focusing her efforts on music (check the penultimate track for a fellow grappler). It’s an EP of bubblegum pop, decently produced and not overlong. In classic kayfabe fashion, it’s not really clear if it’s a joke or not. B3CCA is a riot on social media, and there’s some tongue-in-cheek lyrics across this release – but some songs seem serious! It’s a fairly promising start, either way. It’s still real to me, dammit.
Grade: Meltzer gave this a 7.5/5 Initial release date: 5/3
Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard And Soft
I really respect the boldness of this record. Eilish’s first two records both had distinct identities, and were wholly separate from each other. Her third seems to intentionally go against this idea, combining elements from her first two dichotomous albums and filtering in new ideas, too. The album opens with “Skinny,” a stripped down and powerful vocal ballad. The second track is “Lunch,” a synth-heavy tongue-in-cheek song that sounds ripped from her abrasive debut. This album is clearly one made by and for Eilish, and she throws everything at the wall. While some songs stay within familiar territory, others are unpredictable. After some time, we may agree that “L’Amour de Ma Vie” is her best song yet, a track that starts as a ballad and ends with wild club beats. While I don’t think this album quite stands up to her enigmatic debut album, it’s still a very solid pop release – and a refreshingly bold direction for a star at the top.
Grade: 7.5/10 Initial release date: 5/17/24
Sum 41 – Heaven :x: Hell
Sum 41 was completely formative for me – All Killer No Filler was the first album I ever bought, and one I still know every word to. The band quickly moved beyond the immature pop-punk into other territories, but for their final album, they’ve devoted one-half to old habits. The first half of the two-disc record is old-school pop-punk, the musical equivalent of fitting perfectly into that suit/dress you wore to prom. It’s some of the best pop-punk stuff they’ve ever done, which is really saying something. Energetic, fun and raucous, it’s a reminder how powerful this band once was.
In their later years, the band transitioned into metal. And as such that this is a double-album, it’s a double-review. The back half of this album is ten (well, nine) metal tracks that show the odd trajectory that the canucks have been on. Side B is fine, but it’s pretty middling compared to what came before it. The issue isn’t that the songs are bad, it’s that they have no place. Sum 41 carved out a unique and important niche in punk, something they never did successfully in metal. Metalheads rejected them for the pop-punk origins, and the songs weren’t unique enough to bring in old fans. These aren’t bad songs, but they don’t have much to do. It’s telling that the ten songs on this side include a short intro and a Stones cover (that sounds remarkably like the one done by The Unseen some 20 years ago). The back half is fun in comparison to the front, but it’s skippable. Still – as a whole, this is a wonderful sendoff for the band.
Grade: 7/10 Initial release date: 3/29/24
Sheesh! What a month. Lot of great releases this month, I don’t think this year can sustain this momentum. We need some garbage to even this out. Maybe I’ll find some for June. I can’t tell you fully what I’ll be listening between then and now, but you will see some British indie, some local dance-punk, and Charli XCX. Also, I am investing in strengthening my home security system, because I will finally be tackling Taylor Swift. Oh dear. Check back in July!
Post-Grad Music Reviews 