As Days Get Dark is the latest from Arab Strap and it’s a bit of a throw-back. Which is kind of a ridiculous statement as it’s the first album from the Scottish duo in about fifteen years. To my ears, it sounds as if this could have followed hot on the footsteps of 2005’s The Last Romance. Very cool and, if anything, As Days Get Dark feels like it’s got more youthful energy than their previous efforts, but maybe that’s just my mood listening to it.
Black Country, New Road - Track X
Black Country, New Road (which I’ll shorten to BC,NR from here on out) made an impression on me right away. “Sunglasses” which is a crazy, cool song, popped up in one of my playlists and when I heard it I did a double-take and went right black and listened to it again. And then I texted it to a few friends and my brother. A good sign.
As far as I know, BC,NR didn’t have anything else out at the time but have released a few other singles and a short LP, For the last time, which arrived in early Feb. Here’s the deal, they don’t have a lot of music out, but what they do have is awesome and very well evolved. I read somewhere that they’ve been playing together for a while and that shows. They are a bit hard to pin down, but “jazz-infused garage punk” might work, though, as always, labels are a bit limiting. They’re good and today’s song, “Track X” is a good example of what they do well, mixing melody, a variety of instruments and a lot of frenetic creativity. It’s a little on the mellow side but serves as a nice intro. Give it a listen and then check out their other stuff.
Fun note: their name came from a random Wikipedia generator and their album cover was sourced from Unsplash. Nerds. :)
Tigers Jaw - Hesitation
“Hesitation” is the first track I heard of Tigers Jaw’s latest, I Won’t Care How You Remember Me, and it was an instant add to my 2021 songs list, and a vision of what the rest of the album would hold. What’s what? Well, it’s some really good rock that falls somewhere between classic rock and mid-2000’s emo. In the best way.
They sound a bit more confident and polished here then previous releases, but haven’t lost any of the comforting, “listen to this on a Sunday afternoon” feel that makes them what they are. The album is good front to back, but a has a few standouts, including “Hestiation”; “Can’t Wait Forever” and “New Detroit.”
Mogwai - Ritchie Sacramento
“Ritchie Sacramento”, the latest from Scottish post-rock outfit, Mogwai, is a beautifully fuzzy track that fits well into their recent work scoring films, while at the same time working as a terrific, more traditional radio-play single.
I’ve only listened to a few cuts from the album, As The Love Continues, which is out now, but they’re also fantastic; epic yet minimal, experimental yet accessible in the way that a lot of their recent work has been.
Curious about the title? There’s a story for that:
Ritchie Sacramento’s title came from a misunderstanding a friend of ours had about how to say Ryuichi Sakamoto. The lyrics were inspired by a story Bob Nastanovich shared about his friend and bandmate David Berman who proclaimed “Rise Crystal Spear” as he threw a shovel at a sports car. The song is dedicated to all the musician friends we’ve lost over the years. ~ Stuart Braithwaite
PUP - Kids
PUP recently came out with Morbid Stuff, a terrific follow-up to their eventual classic, 2016’s The Dream Is Over and it’s great stuff. The first single, “Kids”, is both hopeful and super depressing at the same time. From their press release:
“‘Kids’ is a love song from one nihilistic depressive to another. It’s about what happens when you stumble across the only other person on the face of this godless, desolate planet that thinks everything is as twisted and as fucked up as you do. And thanks to them, the world starts to seem just a little less bleak. But only slightly – it’s still pretty fucked up to be honest.”
Fucked up? Maybe true, but it makes some great art and an excellent song.