Here we go again! Another week another round of new releases. Also, if you’re wondering why we always tend to do these on Tuesdays (or if time is of the essence, on ‘other’ days) see this great write up from NPR.
White Lung – Deep Fantasy
Clearly their most accessible album to date, all 27 minutes of searing punk rock, blistering guitars, brilliant singing, and incredible drumming are savvy and playful with flashes of sound-for-sound’s-sake brilliance. It is not often that you hear such frankness in tandem with such brevity, and it is this that makes Deep Fantasy such a spectacular record.
Lana Del Rey (pictured) – Ultraviolence
I really, really tried with Lana Del Rey. I know a lot of people like her music and it’s gaining critical acclaim, but really…. I can’t. There’s little creative vision in her music or songwriting and the line between self-aware irony and tragically conforming to type is thin, though, her knowing winks getting stuck in a tangle of false eyelashes, and ultimately undermining what had the potential to be a powerful artistic statement. It’s perhaps her greatest failing that you’re left with not an ounce of sympathy, or investment, in the seedy, gritty yarns she’s so desperate to recount. And it’s not just this record. I feel the same way about all her work. It’s just not good.
The Antlers – Familiars
Familiars isn’t a record that will immediately jump out and grab the listener, but one designed to coerce and shrewdly pique interest for another listen until they’re eventually seduced. Its lack of immediacy may make it feel as out of time as reading verse poetry by a stream, but listeners who remain patient will likely end up enlightened and fulfilled. The sumptuous manner in which Familiars presents its fabulously complex thematic approach is now, beyond any doubt, The Antlers’ trademark. The end result is immersive, emotionally involving and (eventually) even uplifting – against all the odds, a treat for long summer evenings.
