The Slush Pile, or last night a record didn’t change my life
Yet another round-up of albums I won’t review. No real excuse, save for lack of enthusiasm. It’s really easy to write enthusiastically about something you really, really like or something you really, really can’t stand. It’s hard to write about things that don’t actually illicit a reaction, even worse, reactions that could go either way.
Bonnie Pink, Thinking Out Loud
This album isn’t all that bad. Her songwriting sounds pretty raw on this album, but the production doesn’t seem to fit the material. The singles from the album were OK, but it just doesn’t have the essential feel of her best work.
Cocco, Kira Kira
Kira Kira is the most scattered, inconsistent, bloated album Cocco has ever recorded, and the production sounds really thin. (More bass, please.) It’s also the most optimistic album she’s recorded, and the party atmosphere is almost sickeningly sweet. Cocco’s comeback work — from Singer Songer to this album — doesn’t really rise to the level of her stormy early albums, but at the same time, it’s nice to see Cocco lightening up.
Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová, The Swell Season
I was too distracted by the soundtrack for Once.
Levi Kreis, The Gospel According to Levi
I’m sticking with One of the Ones.
LOVE PSYCHEDELICO, Golden grapefruit
I don’t remember LOVE PSYCHEDELICO ever sounding like Sheryl Crow before.
LOVES., Lucky Me
Honestly, I’m not feeling receptive to the kind of grimy, bass-lacking punk rock in which LOVES. traffics, but anyone who was a fan of Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her may find this new band from Higurashi Aiha worthy to check out.
Midori, First
Midori, Second
Billboard magazine mentioned Midori as an artist to watch, and the combination of brash punk rock with lounge piano feels really trashy. If it were more freaked out on the level of Kokeshi Doll, I’d be more interested, but I think long-time readers looking for something a bit harder than the Jerry Lee Phantom (now called the Beaches) may want to listen to these mini-albums.
Rufus Wainwright, Rufus Wainwright
I was right — his subsequent albums are a lot better than this one. That isn’t to say this one is bad …
Sonic Youth, Daydream Nation (Deluxe Edition)
Like the world really needs another glowing review of Daydream Nation. All you really ought to know is that remastering kicks much ass — all the instruments sound crisp, and the discord from the odd tunings comes through beautifully. The bonus disc contains live versions of the album’s songs, and I’m not so much a fan to do an A-B comparison. The remastering of Goo was noticeable if you looked for it, but on Daydream Nation, it’s pretty clear.
Sinéad O’Connor, Theology
Deflated.