Photo of Thao courtesy of the artist’s Bandcamp page
First Thought Fridays is a (mostly) weekly column offering quick-hit takes on some of the albums released this week, serving up first impressions, favorite or least favorite songs, and whether or not they’re worth a second listen. Check back for more each Friday night or Saturday morning.
In addition to the below: Best Ex just dropped a new album this week as well. I listened to it while putting the finishing touches on this column, but Krista Spies reviewed it for the site so I’ll refer you to her for a more thorough review. Short version: I liked it too. Here’s what else I check out this week, in the order in which I listened to ‘em:
Thao, Show Me (Kill Rock Stars): The former leader of Thao & the Get Down Stay Down, Thao Nguyen returns with her first album in six years and first solo full-length release in more than twenty. Once again teaming with producers Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner of Tune-Yards (who produced the 2016 T&tGDSD album A Man Alive and Nguyen’s 2011 collaborative album with Mirah), there’s maybe a bit more polish than Thao’s earlier releases but her quirky, adventurous indie rock voice remains in full effect. Best surprise: the way Nguyen’s voice dovetails with special guest Neko Case on the blippy “Catch as Catch Can.” Will I Listen Again? Yes.
Ministry, Hate to Go – Take out or Delivery (Cleopatra): I listened to the new Ministry on the morning of Election Day, and let me tell you, Al Jourgensen’s patented mix of thrashing industrial guitars, dry-as-a-bone drum machines, and anarchic leftist politics was a fine way to start that day. While Jourgensen doesn’t thrash at 10,000 bpm like the Psalm 69 days anymore, he’s settled into a slower but heavier formula that’s not far removed from the ultra heavy beat that KMFDM wields these days. The Apple Music writeup on this album notes the use of A.I.-generated (periods added to the acronym so you don’t think they’re “Al-generated!) voice snippets throughout and I think Jourgensen gets a little too carried away with his new toy for not much payoff (though I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t entertaining to hear Trump call himself a grifter in his own voice).
But the music is still heavy as hell and Jourgensen’s sloganeering remains unmatched—favorite line: “You have the right to remain silent, but we have the right to remain violent.” This purports to be the final Ministry album, though Jourgensen has made and broken that promise before—and if he decided to come back with more like this, I for one wouldn’t hold it against him. Will I Listen Again?: Probably.
Nickelback, Everything Under the Sun (Virgin): My tastes may lean toward indie, but hey, I’m not too good for the occasional Nickelback song—they’re not a band I ever seek out, but I’ll still turn that volume knob a little louder if “How You Remind Me” comes on the radio, and the self-deprecating “Rockstar” continues to crack me up even after hearing it a billion times. I can’t say too many other songs of theirs grab me, but when they build up a decent head of steam and lean into those meat-and-potatoes down-tuned guitar riffs, I definitely get why they’re so popular among the mainstream audience. I haven’t listened to an album of theirs in its entirety since they broke through with Silver Side Up a quarter century ago, but for you, dear reader, I’ll give anything a shot.
Everything Under the Sun hits the ground running with “Rattle the Cage,” which features some pretty slick guitar work from John 5 and the kind of punchy modern pop-metal that makes for great WWE walk-on music. “Bones for the Crows” slows things down a bit and goes for this ominous air that’s surprisingly effective. “Chasin’ Famous” kinda plays like a Bruno Mars song with post-grunge guitars, but it also kinda works and has some legit (purposefully) funny lyrics (“You wanna be sippin’ bevys/ Don’t wanna lift nothin’ heavy” ; “This life is flashin’ past me/ I’d rather be fat and sassy”). “Lift Somebody Up” is swimming in too many guest stars (Sammy Hagar, Joe Bonamassa, Shinedown’s Brent Smith and Zach Myers, Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante, Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee), but really only Sammy makes much of an impression, and that impression is “Yeah, this totally could have been a Van Hagar song.” “Bottled Dreams” has got this kind of bouncy swagger and swing to it, totally unlike anything else on the album. This stuff? I mean, none of it is great, but it’s good enough.
One would typically never accuse Nickelback of being an auteur-type band, but the songs I highlighted above have something interesting in common: all were written by Chad Kroeger solo except for “Rattle Your Cage,” which has one credited co-writer. The other songs? They are swimming in co-writers and they are also pretty much uniformly awful, full of mushy ballads and bro-country fist-pumpers that sound like Jelly Roll castoffs. In a totally bizarre move, “Technicolor Steamboat” is total goopy yacht rock…it may as well be Loggins & Messina, fer crissakes! “Last Night Was Fun” is, performative profanity aside, completely toothless mid-tempo pop, no surprise it’s co-written by Mitch Collins of Lovelytheband plus three other people I’ve never heard of. And on these pop moves, Kroeger’s voice is filtered and double-tracked until it doesn’t even sound like him anymore. Nickelback has a sound and I’m as surprised as anybody that they’re experimenting with it, but the risks don’t pay off at all.
I don’t know if it’s a case of Kroeger chasing the charts by bringing in all these co-writers or just needing collaboration to find something new to write about 11 albums into his career, but the end results are pretty bad. Will I Listen Again?: No way. I’d leave “Bones for the Crows” on if it came on the radio, though.
Girlhood, This Will Make Sense in the End (OK!Good Records): Girlhood’s new album, in a word? Sunny. Sampling a few of this R&B-inspired UK duo’s earlier work, I heard Deee-Lite-inspired dancefloor bangers, but this time out, Christian Pinchback has chopped up vintage samples to craft his own sunny Seventies soul soundscapes, while Natalie Holmes’ vocals add their own warmth. It’s weird having this album drop just as things turn cold and grey as the music here feels summery in the best way possible, particularly with all the smooth Seventies horns featured throughout. Best songs: “Lemon Aid,” “Silver Lining.” Will I Listen Again?: Yes.
Grace Bowers, Grace EP (self-released): Adding two songs to three recently released singles, Grace Bowers’ first EP is a collection of five grimy garage rock tunes, all very much in an Amyl and the Sniffers vein. The 20-year-old wunderkind even plays her own guitar, which she does with the kind of ample swagger and attitude you need to name your songs things like “Eat Shit and Live” and “Cigarettes for Breakfast.” A promising debut; I bet she’s a good time live, too. Will I Listen Again?: Probably.
Girl Tones, Precious (Parallel Vision/Big Loud Rock): Sisters Kenzie and Laila started out as classically trained musicians, but once they switched to guitar and drums respectively, it all clicked into place. The Bowling Green, Kentucky-based duo found an early champion in Brad Shultz, guitarist for their hometown’s most famous musical export Cage the Elephant, who brought the band on tour and produced this, their debut album. While the duo setup keeps things White Stripes simple for the most part, Girl Tones’ sound is more in line with the sugary melodies, buzzy guitars, and a less-polished-but-by-no-means-sloppy sounds of ‘90s and early 2000s alt-rock—dig the twisty Arctic Monkeys riff and Kim Deal-ish backing vocals of “Blame, the Weezer-esque guitar solo on “Stubborn Mouth,” or the slowburn Kills-esque menace of “Again.” There are a trio of slower songs (the title track, “I Know You Know,” and album closer “Mirror”) that are by no means bad but didn’t grab me the way the more rockin’ stuff did. Definitely looking forward to getting to know this one better. Will I Listen Again?: Yes.
Diver Through, I Want to Be Disrupted EP (Subluna): Diver Through hails from Brooklyn, but this trio still manages to conjure up the sounds of the heartland on this 5-song EP (their fourth release, following another EP and two LPs). Michael Baynes’ plainspoken singing voice and aching, resonant guitar bring to mind Ryan Adams, Son Volt, and (for something completely different) even a little Matthew Good. Will I Listen Again?: Yes. And note to self: check out those earlier releases too. | Jason Green
