Playing Catch-Up: Part XVIII

Artist: LCD Soundsystem
Album: ‘American Dream‘
Year: 2017

Retirement is fucking overrated. LCD Soundsystem made a big deal about hanging up their gear only to come back with an album that, not only encapsulates the essence of their sound, but builds upon it in weird and wonderful ways. This could have been an album of wacky and aimless experimentation but, instead, it was focused and really slick. Definitely a must-listen.

Track of Distinction: “Call the Police” is just a good jam by the band that is both infectious while being very simple at its core.

Artist: Ke$ha
Album: ‘Rainbow‘
Year: 2017

Ke$ha is becoming the artist I had hope Katy Perry would have the guts to become. This album is daring without becoming an art piece. She dug into her will to be an artist–I’m guessing this is a result from her awful and all-too public legal battle with her shitface former producer–to make a shockingly diverse, eclectic, and very well-done album that, not only includes her signature sound, but also a couple of country-inspired hits. She did a duet with Dolly Parton and it’s awesome! In fact …

Track of Distinction: Her duet with legend Dolly Parton, “Old Flames (Can’t Hold a Candle To You),” is magic and feels like a torch is being passed from one generation to another.

Artist: Gogol Bordello
Album: ‘Seekers and Finders‘
Year: 2017

It stinks to come off of two really solid offerings from great performers to hear an album that seems to be a husk of the band’s former self. Gogol Bordello endeared themselves as the raucous gypsy-punk badasses but, on this album, take it a few notches down and really seem to phone it in. This sounds more like a shitty Coldplay album than anything resembling punk rock. Shame!

Track of Distinction: “Saboteur Blues” would be a nice bridging song between what the band was and what it wants to become if what it wanted to become was something better.

Artist: Iron & Wine
Album: ‘Beast Epic‘
Year: 2017

There is something to be said for consistency in the face of an industry that seems to embrace change for the sake of change. Sam Beam’s project continues with another album filled with songs that seem to be made out of blood, sweat, and bone leaving me to wonder how he doesn’t sleep for a month after every studio session. Though deeply personal and extremely moving, he doesn’t let the listener carry the load leaving the sound deceptively light and refreshing. Sound weird? Just listen.

Track of Distinction: “Call It Dreaming,” like much of the rest of the album, is light, refreshing, and very relaxing.