Halsey, Alt-J, Dan Auerbach and more music reviews
Plus, get details on the latest albums from Alt-J, Dan Auerbach and more.
— -- intro: This week alterna-pop singer Halsey drops her sophomore album, Alt-J experiment with their subtle third album, the Black Keysâ Dan Auerbach explores old-school pop-rock, Benjamin Booker combines blues, punk and gospel influences, Roger Waters delivers a scathing indictment of the state of the world, hip-hop icon Kool G Rap returns as hardcore as ever and Jack Antonoff releases his second Bleachers album.
quicklist: 1title: Halseyâs âHopeless Fountain Kingdomâ (Deluxe) ****text: Iâll admit after hearing her bland but weirdly successful collaboration with the Chainsmokers, âCloser,â that I was really worried the Halsey would lose artistic momentum on her sophomore album. Two years ago, âBadlandsâ was one of the most striking albums of the year with the singer establishing a unique spin on the contemporary pop sound with a commandingly confessional lyrical style. âHopeless Fountain Kingdomâ has arrived and it is evident that I had no reason to worry. Not only does Halsey continue where she left off but she throws in some risky, bizarre but ear-catching moments, showing that she is not playing it safe.
This album is much brighter sounding than âBadlands,â even though it seems to have a recurring breakup theme, anchored by the âRomeo and Julietâ- minded tone of âThe Prologueâ and emphasized by both the spellbinding âEyes Closedâ and quite affecting electro-dance number âStrangers,â which features Fifth Harmonyâs Lauren Jauregui. On âSorry,â Halsey proves she can helm a bare piano ballad and on âNow or Neverâ she pleads for some sort of emotional reconciliation.
A slight digital wash is heard over this album. On âThe Prologueâ she uses the same vocoder effect used by Imogen Heap on âHide and Seek.â Guest Quavo of Migos also uses a vocoder effect on his voice on âLie,â which is a little distracting, but Halseyâs half of the song is stunning.
The deluxe edition comes with three extra songs. Like the deluxe edition of âBadlands,â the tracklists of the two versions are different, with the bonus songs spread throughout the album instead of tacked onto the end of the set. That means people who listen to the traditional album will miss out on the semitropical sounding electro-freak-out âDonât Play,â the single-ready âHeaven is Waitingâ and the distorted rock ballad âAngel on Fire.â Like âBadlands,â the deluxe version of the album provides a better listen.
âHopeless Fountain Kingdomâ isnât quite as immediate as âBadlands,â but it still shows Halsey near the front of the current pop class. Although it has a couple peculiar moments, those passages just add a bit of flavor to the record. Halsey remains as someone who is working with the modern, expected formula, while also adding a dynamic, alternative spin.
Focus Tracks:
âSorryâ Produced by Greg Kurstin, this piano ballad fits Halsey quite well. It has the chance to almost provide her with a moment similar to Adeleâs âHello,â even if it isnât as booming.
âStrangersâ (Featuring Lauren Jauregui) This is catchy breakup number with a dance beat, with both women playing a couple falling out of love. This is a monster club hit waiting to happen.
âNow or Neverâ This was definitely the right choice for the first single, with its appealing chorus that gains more momentum with repeated listens. Halseyâs attention to lyrical detail that almost has her attacking the song like sheâs rapping her lyrics.
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quicklist: 2title: Alt-Jâs âRelaxerâ ****text: Alt-Jâs third album, âRelaxerâ takes an occasionally measured, minimalist approach. At only eight songs in 40 minutes it also stretches itself to play with sonic textures, often finding a meditative energy. Even on the CD jacket, nowhere does the name Alt-J appear in large letters. There is merely a triangle on the spine of the jewel box. If you didnât know who recorded this album, youâd have to look in the fineprint to find the bandâs website info.
âRelaxerâ is not quite as defined as their last effort, âThis is All Yours,â from 2014, but this album is still a bit of a triumph of subtlety. Lead single â3WW,â features Wolf Aliceâs Ellie Rowsell and comes off like a meditative combination between Nick Drake, the Velvet Underground and post-âKid Aâ Radiohead. When it suddenly turns to a bright chorus, the sonic swell is almost by design meant to make the listeners swoon in shock.
Elsewhere, thereâs a radical reworking of âHouse of the Rising Sunâ and singer Marika Hackman guests and adds a chilling but beautiful energy to the folky âLast Year.â
This album only lifts the tempo a few times. âIn Cold Bloodâ is a psychedelic, organ-led jam that sounds like it is reciting computer binary patterns and then thereâs âHit Me Like that Snare,â a ghostly, campy âNuggetsâ-esque rocker anchored by weird synths and some off-putting background screams. In contrast, âDeadcrushâ is a silky, single-ready electro-jam.
This album may take a few spins to connect. It is probably designed intentionally that way. It doesnât hit you over the head. Its elements seep into your consciousness at their own pace. Considering that each one of Alt-Jâs albums have been strikingly different from each other but always compelling, the release of âRelaxerâ cements their place at the current art-rock forefront.
Focus Tracks:
â3WWâ It takes a minute and 40 seconds before the vocals come in and during those hundred seconds you have one of the most stirring and profoundly mysterious musical intros of the year. Over the next three minutes, the song take a number of exciting twists and turns.
âDeadcrushâ If post-2000 Radiohead decided to go âpopâ with their drum machines, it might sound something like this. It is still a weird song, but the members of Alt-J know how work this groove in just the right way, inserting bizarre falsetto offshoots and elements of blues into the mix.
âLast Yearâ This is a haunted campfire lament for the ages. It is somehow simultaneously eerie and warm.
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quicklist: 3title: Dan Auerbachâs âWaiting on a Songâ ****1/2text: Donât be fooled by its corny title and standard cover photo, âWaiting on a Songâ is a great record that finds the Black Keysâ leader tackling classic power-pop level songwriting. In fact, this is a bright, bold, catchy record that brings to mind classic songwriting of the past.
The title-track sounds like it could have been a lost gem by the Traveling Wiburys, while âMalibu Manâ almost has a vintage Motown stomp. âLivinâ in Sinâ sounds almost like a halfway-point between Buddy Holly and Spoon, while âShine on Meâ sounds a bit like it was influenced by '80s John Fogerty and the more light-hearted passages on Tom Pettyâs âFull Moon Fever.â
Throughout the set, Auerbach sounds like heâs having a blast, as if heâs trying to write an indelible record to soundtrack the summer. This is a record that is occasionally somewhat silly but somehow never trivial. Itâs just packed with great pop hooks and lots of energy.
âKing of a One Horse Townâ kind of sounds like what would happen if Jack Johnsonâs âFlakeâ were reinterpreted by the band America with slight influence from Ennio Morricone in its orchestration. Thereâs beautiful tenderness in Auerbachâs delivery on âNever in My Wildest Dreamsâ that verges on a folk-rock answer to Burt Bacharach.
âCherrybombâ is a funky piece that somehow finds Auerbach sounding like what would happen if Steve Miller had a touch of James Brown influence. âStand By My Girl,â on the other hand is some handclapping, piano and guitar-led fun.
The album closes with the groovy, almost Al Green meets Isaac Hayes funk of âUndertowâ and the spritely and jovial âShow Me.â There isnât a dud on here and there isnât a song here that you probably wonât find yourself wanting to hear on repeat eventually.
âWaiting on a Songâ almost finds Auerbach essentially pillaging musical history and fusing different styles. At the same time, he proves that heâs more than up to the task, stretching way beyond the limits usually reached on the Black Keysâ albums. Thatâs saying something, considering heâs pretty much always sounded like he was open for sonic experimentation.
If you are looking for a new, punchy, fun record with a classic feel, this is that record.
Focus Tracks:
âCherrybombâ Slick and silky and funky as hell, this sounds like it should soundtrack late night pool parties. In certain circles, if you put this song on, it would probably be extremely well-received. This sounds more organic than pop radio usually goes these days, but this still sounds like it could potentially cross over.
âStand by My Girlâ Was this written to soundtrack movie trailers? Maybe. I could imagine this song being both a hit and getting a lot of placements.
âShine on Meâ The call-and-response between the instruments is so infectious. It revels in its cheesiness and somehow benefits from being so bouncy.
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quicklist: 4title: Benjamin Bookerâs âWitnessâ ****text: On his second album, âWitness,â Benjamin Booker lessens the punk elements in his lo-fi blues-rock approach, giving way to a more nuanced, organic, occasionally volatile version of R&B. Sure, fans of his raw 2014 self-titled album will immediately like opener, âRight on You,â but the softer, soul-searching found on âMotivationâ is more typical, as is the Black Lives Matter Movement-influenced gospel of the title track, which features some nice, heavy lifting from the legendary Mavis Staples.
âWitnessâ is a slightly less sludgy and more soulful offering than Bookerâs debut. Itâs a little more measured with âOvertimeâ sounding like a raspier, slightly rougher answer to the old-school grooves of Leon Bridges, while âTruth Is Heavyâ is a wonderfully casual bit of slow-burning funk.
Booker likes to volley between the softer side and louder sounds often times without warning. âOff the Groundâ begins peacefully and then halfway through turns into a blistering slice of fuzz-rock. That is followed by the gospel-like piano-led prayer of âCarryâ and the unhinged, texturally-charged, brief workout âAll Was Well.â
Booker is gaining more layers to his sound as he progresses. If âWitnessâ proves anything, it is that Booker has absolutely no desire to be placed in one genre box. He wants to keep everything as interesting as he can for his listeners. This kind of unpredictability provides for a constantly compelling listen.
Focus Tracks:
âWitnessâ (Featuring Mavis Staples) Booker brings Mavis Staples with him on this gospel-fueled anthem. Itâs fueled by a fear of seeing violence but serves also a rally cry to the masses to keep your head up in the face of adversity. Like the politically aware protest songs of the '60s, this song has a timeless message, trying to keep the peace and find answers during a time of civil unrest.
âTruth Is Heavyâ This almost sounds like an infinitely better, more authentic answer to G. Love and Special Sauce. Hannah Cohen and Lauren Balthrop deliver some stirring background vocals on here, providing some effective call-and-response with Booker.
âMotivationâ Booker delivers this heartfelt acoustic ballad with a great sense of drive. This song emphasizes his unusual voice, but it also brings the songâs emotional core as Booker sings, âMaybe all I need is a little motivation. / If I want it, I can have it.â
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quicklist: 5title: Roger Watersâ âIs This the Life We Really Want?â ****text: âIs This the Life We Really Wantâ is only Roger Watersâ fourth solo studio album and his first in 25 years. In between, heâs released a few live albums, a couple of which have been live performances of Pink Floydâs âThe Wall,â and he wrote an opera, âĂa Ira.â that he recorded in 2005.
Here, he joins forces with producer Nigel Godrich, most famous for his work with the likes of Radiohead and Beck, essentially making an extremely political record that aims to lie somewhere between Pink Floydâs âThe Dark Side of the Moonâ and Radioheadâs âOK Computer.â As an album, this is a whirling mass, packed with background chatter made up of time clocks and other such automations. Happy New Year wishes are a recurring theme but at the same time Waters spins a modern geopolitical dystopian narrative. The title track begins with an audio clip of President Donald Trump lecturing CNN, while âPicture Thatâ has the venomous line, âPicture a leader, with no f---ing brains.â
âBroken Bonesâ examines the world after World War II with some possible historical revisionism and explains how people born in different places experience different realities. The death of âthe American Dreamâ is given special attention. Waters is quietly giving his disapproval in the current political shift, saying, âWe can say âf--- you. We will not listen to your bulls--- and lies.ââ
Just about everything about this record is extremely loaded from a political standpoint from âThe Last Refugee,â to the explosive and driving âBird in a Gale.â There is gentleness later on the set on the tender âWait for Herâ bit for the most part, this record seems to be born out of frustration with the current political regime in power.
Fans of Pink Floyd will have plenty to like here. Some of these songs sound like cousins of classics like âWish You Were Hereâ and âComfortably Numb.â As an album, it sometimes comes off as more of a pointed lecture than a means for enjoyment. It is more earnest than it is catchy but at the same time, it works the same cerebral ground that Waters has always traced. This is an often dark, harrowing, and challenging set.
Focus Tracks:
âIs This the Life We Live We Really Want?â Waters delivers a dark state of the world, detailing the war between the haves and have-nots, to a population left numbed by reality TV. He runs off a damning list of social injustices that society often treats as ânormal.â
âPicture Thatâ Waters again lists, bringing up violence at home, a society with little sense of justice, Guantanamo Bay, wounded veterans coming back from AfghanistanâŚ. It goes on and on. This is obviously an album that fell out of him in response to the chaotic state of society. The kicker is when he declares, âThereâs no such thing as being too greedy.â This is him standing up to âthe man.â
âWait for Herâ Amidst the political unrest sits this tender love song. Of course âsheâ could be symbolic of peace and justice after all the upheaval. A new political savior of sorts.
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quicklist: 6title: Kool G Rapâs âReturn of the Donâ ***1/2text: If you are unfamiliar with Kool G Rap, in the '90s he was a firm fixture and establisher in the New York gangsta-rap scene. With a hard-hitting, authoritative, unapologetically no nonsense, raw style, he helped define the genre, both by himself and on the records he made with DJ Polo. In the '80s, he and Polo were part of Marley Marlâs Juice Crew, so if you know anything about hip-hop history, you know that his essence is partially embedded in the very fiber of hip-hop.
Right from the beginning with his brash, opening verse that will easily scare away the easily offended you know that Kool G Rap is tackling his first album in six years with purpose. Like many of his peers, no doubt heâs seeing what the new generation is doing and trying to return the music to its core roots.
Heâs brought along some company as well. Only two of the 11 tracks on âReturn of the Donâ find Kool G Rap without a guest. He raps beside Raekwon on the flute-assisted Wu-Tang-esque âOut for that Life.â On âWise Guys,â which featured a dynamite scratch-breakdown, heâs joined by Lil Frame and Freeway. N.O.R.E. shows up âCriminal Outfit.â The late Sean Price even appears with Ransom on âPopped Off.â
This record obviously isnât for everyone. These are tales of street hustling often delivered in the bluntest of terms. Sometimes this is a bit disappointing and can cross a line in various ways, especially when it comes to casually homophobic references by guests, however, those people expecting something more uplifting or sensitive obviously havenât done their research. This music is about rawness, violence and griminess. In other words, this album firmly earns its parental warning sticker. As occasionally troubling as this record can be, the beats are tight and the mood is set.
âReturn of the Donâ is definitely rough around the edges, but fans of Kool G Rapâs previous work expect that kind of approach from him. Most of all, in 2017 this record will take you back to the days when hip-hop thrived on gritty rhymes over dusty, well-crafted beats.
The biggest complaint about âThe Return of the Donâ is that at under 40 minutes, it seems a little short and Kool G Rap, who is to many a legendary MC, perhaps doesnât get quite enough time behind the mic. Nevertheless, upon his return, he definitely make an impression.
Focus Tracks:
âOut for that Lifeâ (Featuring Raekwon) This track should please any Wu-Tang or âOnly Built 4 Cuban Lynxâ fan and Kool G Rap and Raekwon make a dynamic combination.
âCapitol Hill" (Featuring Manolo Rose, Sheek Louch and Cormega) This is another track that mentions drug-trafficking over a mournful, yet slamming beat. Cormega is particular drops an excellent verse.
âTimes Upâ Over a sharp, organ-fueled beat, this is where Kool G Rap firmly establishes his return with some rapid-fire lyricism.
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quicklist: 7title: Bleachersâ âGone Nowâ **1/2text: Jack Antonoff is a talented musician and a great producer. His 2014 Bleachers album, âStrange Desireâ was full of eighties-style anthems like âI Want to Get Betterâ and âRollercoaster,â both of which improved on his higher profile work on the album âSome Nightsâ from his band Fun.
Listening to âGone Now,â it is evident Antonoff has some decent instincts and some lofty intentions. It doesnât feel like he can do these songs the justice they need and they could use some rearrangement. Like any good Jersey boy who grew up around âBorn in the U.S.A.â was released, Bruce Springsteen seems like a bigger influence here, and there is kind of a forced-anthemic, rambling quality thatâs immediately heard on the opener âDream of Mickey Mantle,â although I have to give Antonoff credit for ingeniously tying the first two songs together by sampling the second song, âGoodmorning,â and embedding said sample into the beginning of the record.
The electro-funk of âHate That You Know Meâ is kind of embarrassing in his hands, although he has supposedly done a lot of work on Lordeâs upcoming âMelodrama,â and this is a song that would probably suit her voice better.
âDonât Take the Moneyâ actually works until the chorus when it suddenly begins to sound like an awkward Taylor Swift song. This isnât surprising considering the fact that Antonoff contributed to â1989,â and has a continuing association with Swift but the whooping vocal affectation he puts on just sounds like it doesnât fit his voice.
The party chatter and vocal snippets on âEverybody Lost Somebodyâ combined with just about all the other elements, make this sound too much like a calculated crowdpleaser. The horn section works, but this is just ridiculously self-aware and the misfiring falsetto bridge and the half-spoken section doesnât do it any favors either.
Too often on this record Antonoff uses elements that should result in sure-fire hits but somehow stumbles. âLetâs Get Marriedâ sounds OK on the surface, but if you really look deeply, there isnât much to the song and the sped-up vocal snippets in between chorus rave-up just add a bizarre wrinkle. Thereâs a lot of sugar here, but surprisingly little substance. Plus, as the album progresses, Antonoffâs formula becomes apparent. Loud, sometimes garish choruses give way to quieter reductionist, confessional bridges. After a while, once you know all the beats, sadly, if you are astute, you can predict them coming.
When vocoders enter the picture on âGoodbye,â which sort of works like a reprise to âGoodmorning,â it just seems like an ill-fitting moment. Even worse is the sonically disastrous âForeign Girlsâ which ends the album with a misfire.
To Antonoffâs credit, he has still compiled a 12-song set that connects. Parts get recalled and swirl back later to great effect. Even though Antonoff has some undeniable talent, the semi-fatal flaw of âGone Nowâ is that it works too hard to be relatable. At this point, itâd be nice to hear Antonoff write a song that didnât seem to be about young, party-going people under-pressure pondering the fact that time is passing as they dance to a booming hook. He has better chops at his disposal.
âGone Nowâ does disappoint, but it isnât a wash. Youâll just wish it had more authentic soulfulness and didnât come off like it was written from a formula.
Focus Tracks:
âGoodmorningâ Is it me or does this sound like a rambling cousin to Lordeâs âLiability?â Both songs owe a bit of a debt to David Bowieâs âAll the Young Dudes.â Nevertheless, this is among the better tracks here.
âNothing is Uâ This almost serves as Antonoffâs giant prom-ready anthem and as it swells it delivers.
âI Miss Those Daysâ Although it suffers from a lot of the problems listed above, this is still an enjoyable bit of musical nostalgia. In spite of its use of formula, it works.
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