Spanish Gold: South of Nowhere
Patrick Hallahan's side project away from My Morning Jacket delivered for me in a pretty big way. I guess to the describe the sound, it would have to be a Southwest cross between the Black Keys (minus the overproduction) and the poppier side of the Allman Brothers. If you're looking for a new blues rock record, and The Black Keys are disappointing you like they have been to me, check this out. The drumming and guitar work are pretty interesting, and the lyrical content is a little bit more inspired than your typical blues rock fare. This increases my already palpable anticipation for the new My Morning Jacket record even more, with the possibility of some more band cooperation.
Wiz Khalifa: 28 Grams
I was way too hard on Cyhi the Prynce. The more I listen to it, the more wordplay is revealed. I still believe the mixtape is uneven, but there's evidence that a large amount of care went into each song. The same cannot be said for Wiz Khalifa's new mixtape. For me, Wiz has been on a steady downward spiral for a while. When I was introduced to him as many were with 'Black And Yellow', he was hardly a rap genius, but was catchy enough. When I looked through his back catalog, I found even that was a rapid drop off in quality from his previous work (look for Show and Prove for a view of his potential if he actually cared). You can only rap without rhyming about weed and having money for so long before I get tired of it. And when you filter that through a Future like autotune, that time decreases rapidly. I also can't understand why this project had to be so long. If you're only saying the same thing, you don't have to say it for almost an hour and a half. The laurels Wiz has been resting on are disappearing fast.
Jack White: Lazaretto
I have never really been a gigantic fan of Jack White's output, but I can appreciate what he tries to accomplish. Trying to infuse old school blues and country into an garage rock setting is a noble pursuit. He pulls it off for the most part on his second solo effort. All the Jack White weirdness is definitely present on this album, and jumps genres almost as much and as seamlessly as Beck. I guess my one complaint is that is not nearly as heavy or riff laden as I would like, but this is not a White Stripes or Dead Weather release. I can appreciate that Jack White is expanding his sound and branching out in many different directions.
Death Grips: Ni**as on the Moon
Death Grips have always been aggressive and abrasive, with interesting production and barking vocals. Imagine my surprise when I listened to this album for the first time. I can't say I hated the album, but with its more laid back sound (laid back for Death Grips is still like hip hop death metal) and droning vocal style, I can say I wouldn't be calling this my favorite Death Grips album anytime soon. The production is also a little bit repetitive in spots (If I heard the phrase 'Up My Sleeves' one more time, I was going to lose it). Half the time though, I feel like Death Grips is just playing a cruel joke on the listener, and I can appreciate their desire to have creative freedom, but I preferred their more aggressive output, and the second disc of the powers that b album is probably going to get a little less anticipation from me.
So, I guess those are just some of my opinions on some of the recent releases. Check back in soon for my look at the long lost Aphex Twin album, Caustic Window.
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