Jams of the Week(end): 11/3/19
I listen to a lot of music over the course of any given year. That’s not (intentional) bragging, because a lot of it ends up being mediocre or just plain boring. It made sense to start writing about some of the stuff I listen to here and there, so we’re gonna try this out: albums generally release on Fridays, and I’ll talk about three of them on Sundays.
I mentioned it at the tail end of last week’s column, but this week in music didn’t really have a whole lot of Big Albums Dylan’s Excited For. I had to do some digging to find stuff that felt like it might be worth listening to, but we’ve still got three albums - well, two albums and an EP - to talk about today.
As always, clicking on the album art will take you to the Spotify page for that album, just in case a blurb gets you interested.
Counterparts - Nothing Left to Love
The fifth release from Canadian metalcore outfit Counterparts, Nothing Left to Love is…a perfectly fine release. That’s not said dismissively, as there are plenty of legitimately exciting, engaging moments across its ten tracks. The production is extremely slick and the guitars gleam, their sparse solos enjoyable but not too self-indulgent. The last few tracks feel particularly poignant, letting the weight of the album wash over you with a much more relaxed vibe at the end of “Ocean of Another” and “Nothing Left to Love.”
There’s a driving pulse to most of the album’s brisk 32-minute span, punctuated by several breakdowns on…well, almost every track. That’s really what hampered a more genuine enjoyment of Nothing Left to Love: I understand that the breakdown “jugga-jig-jug” is a core staple of hardcore/metalcore music, but it felt like damn near every song in the first half of this record had a very obvious, very deliberate breakdown. When it feels like you’re going to the same well one too many times, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t hate Nothing Left to Love - in fact, I’d still probably recommend it for the back half alone! - but as a whole, it carries a little bit of a trope-y weight to it that felt like a needless devotion to the genre.
Recommend Tracks: “Nothing Left to Love” // “Imprints” // “Your Own Knife”
White Denim - In Person
The Austin-based bluesy garage rock outfit White Denim has always held a spot in my heart for their willingness to just go for it: they lean into weird time signatures and guitar riffs, have this pleasant fuzz to all of their work, and when they want to shred, they can. I don’t tend to listen to a lot of jam bands, but they’ve earned their spots on my playlist.
Somehow, I didn’t know they’d put out two albums this year. Side Effects hit shelves in March, and I only learned about it when I discovered In Person was released this weekend. In Person manages to just be an absolute blast from start to finish, and to be honest, I didn’t realize it was actually a live album until about halfway in when an audience suddenly starts applauding. It is very likely the single-cleanest sounding live album I’ve ever listened to. Focusing on their past two albums in particular, but spanning the totality of their nine-album discography, it’s very easy to view this as a bunch of brand new music from the band if you’re unfamiliar with most of their back catalog. I haven’t listened to anything from before their 2013 release, Corsicana Lemonade, so a fair bit of this lengthy, hour-long show felt new to me.
If jam [bands/albums] aren’t your thing, In Person and, by extension, White Denim might not be something you want to spend time with, but I think it’s definitely worth giving a shot.
Recommended Tracks: “MIRRORED 2, MIRRORED 3, MIRRORED TOO” // “STRIKE GOLD” // “DARK”
Panda Bear - A Day with the Homies (EP)
Somewhat of a pleasant surprise release, A Day with the Homies was actually a vinyl-exclusive record that came out back in 2018. The five-track EP has seen new life as of this week, with a digital release and a new audio mix to accompany it. I’m a big fan of Panda Bear’s blend of bouncy, warbly synth and clear tenor vocal styling, and both are in full effect on Homies. It occupies a space somewhere between the very neo-psychedelic Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper and the much more subdued, spacey Buoys (also from this year). The drum machines and doppler synths weave in and out around the echo of Lennox’s lyrics, and I think this EP is a great, succinct encapsulation of his style before Buoys. There’s bits of all of his records in here, and a little bit of Animal Collective as well: I hear a fair bit of “Golden Gal” in the opening track “Flight.”
If you’re hoping for more of the lackadaisical, drifting-down-a-river style on display in Buoys, you might be a little let down by this EP, but I’m glad we have a little bit of the more energetic Panda Bear this year to balance it out.
Recommended Tracks: “Flight” // “Shepard Tone”
I can’t believe it’s November already! 2019 has been…a year, certainly. There are a couple things I’m interested in for next week: a new fka Twigs album is due to drop, along with a new Grum release of some sort. We’ll see how those turn out, as I slowly start shifting music around into playlists titled “The Best Music in 2019” or “The Rest of 2019.”
Until next time, enjoy the start of your week, and find a song that speaks to you!
