The Dispatch #808

Artist: Various Artists Working to Avert the Collapse of American Democracy
Album: ‘Good Music to Avert the Collapse of American Democracy, Volume 2‘
Year: 2020

Available only for 24 hours in early October, this mix puled together 77 tracks (!) of really great indie music, unreleased tracks, and even some b-sides that were only available here. The cool thing about mixes like these is it shows there is a concerted effort by artists who are established to help out those who were just getting started when the world went to shit. I’ll always throw several ducats toward things like that.

Track of Distinction: Cold War Kids’ unreleased track “Almost a Crime” beat out an impressive lineup for the distinction. It’s so underground, there’s not even a YouTube version of it.

Artist: Gorillaz
Album: ‘Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez‘
Year: 2020

Gorillaz is one of those bands where, you know what you’re getting (more or less) with each release, but you’re still damn glad to get it. This collection is an ongoing collaboration with artists the band respects and that shows with every track. These are true collaborations where it still sounds like a Gorillaz track but with compromises here and there showing some deference to their guest. It’s nice to see this band has withstood adopting hubris for this long.

Track of Distinction: there are soooooo many to choose from here, but “Chalk Tablet Towers,” their track with St. Vincent is a masterpiece.

Artist: Unleash the Archers
Album: ‘Abyss‘
Year: 2020

As much as ‘Apex’ disappointed, the natural sequel of ‘Abyss’ (because it’s slated to be a multi-part concept album) builds on the themes but also allows the band to try out some more orchestral elements to their sound (not to mention some interesting synth moods). Where ‘Apex’ failed in execution, ‘Abyss’ scores with a cleaner sound, a more cohesive package, as well as taking chances to broaden their sound without betraying or forgetting what brought them to this point.

Track of Distinction: “Afterlife,” with its obvious nods to LOTR, edges out “Soulbound” for the honor, though both are truly gret.

Artist: The Killers
Album: ‘Imploding the Mirage‘
Year: 2020

Much like Gorillaz above, a Killers album is pretty standard stuff. However, their last couple of efforts were lacking in the spark that made them such a great listen in the first place. For 2020, they seem to have found that spark and used it to light some shit on fire. These guys sound like they did on their first album. If you needed a reason to come back to them, consider this that excuse!

Track of Distinction: “Dying Breed” is incredible.

Artist: Tom Petty
Album: ‘Wildflowers & All the Rest‘
Year: 2020

There comes a point where nostalgia and remembrances of a beloved artist reach their peak saturation and everything that comes after seems like a ploy to separate people from their money. With Petty, this release–that comes in Large, Chubby, and Super Chubby (and that’s not even covering the vinyl releases)–we have reached it. While this album was beloved by fans hardcore and casual alike, they were able to stoke it with everything Petty would have wanted and then some. It’s a neat listen if you know the backstory, but it does little to expand the lore surrounding Petty. If anything, it just makes me want to go watch She’s the One again.

Track of Distinction: Trying to focus more on the material surrounding the reissue of the core album, I found Petty’s home recording of “A Feeling of Peace” both an excellent track and one the fits rather well in this company.

Playing Catch-Up: Part XVI

Artist: Norah Jones
Album: ‘Day Breaks‘
Year: 2016

After her 2012 release, ‘Little Broken Hearts,’ I was afraid that we were going to lose Norah the way country music (kinda) lost Taylor Swift. But Jones comes back with a soft, soulful jazz album that is as endearing and beautiful as her smash debut that came out … fuck, 16 years ago. *bends knee, hears audible creak*

Track of Distinction: “Peace” goes down as smooth as a fine whiskey with a touch of smoldering burn on the finish.

Artist: Esperanza Spalding
Album: ‘Emily’s D+Evolution‘
Year: 2016

If there was ever to judge a book by its cover, it would be here. Spalding uses her fifth studio album to deliver a daring Afro-fusion jazz album that is about as accessible as a bank vault. If you’re brave enough, and you have the patience, you will be rewarded with riches that include some of the best imaginative jazz out there. You’re not going to find some pop princess doing stuff like this.

Track of Distinction: “Elevate or Operate” challenges without alienating and would have been best suited earlier in the track list instead of at 10.

Artist: Mastodon
Albums: ‘Cold Dark Place EP‘ and ‘Emperor of Sand‘
Year: 2017 (both)

I’m kind of bummed to know that I came to a great band just in time to see their epic decline. Over their last three albums, Mastodon has tried to play a more conciliatory form of heavy metal in order to try and bring the genre into the mainstream more and broaden their fanbase. The problem is they lost their edge and that is no more obvious than on ‘Emperor of Sand,’ an album that sounds more like an adult contemporary album than anything done by the band that made this.

Track of Distinction: “Ancient Kingdom” gives us a brief return to their old form that satisfies as much as it can on such a thin offering.

Artist: Gorillaz
Albums: ‘Humanz‘ and ‘The Now Now‘
Years: 2017 and 2018

Every time I think I know what I’m going to get from this group, they come right back and keep me on my toes. Sure, I expect them to bring a lot of experimental sounds and vibes to everything they do, but ‘Humanz’ and parts of ‘The Now Now’ brings a big spirit of collaboration that requires a lot of buy-in from the other artists. Thankfully, their reputation precedes them and everyone who buys into a band that is becoming more of a beat-maker factory is ready for the ride.

Track of Distinction: “Strobelite” from ‘Humanz’ is an outstanding stone groove but I also have to give a nod to the Snoop Dogg collab “Hollywood” from ‘The Now Now’ that shows the versatility of both ends of that scope.

Gorillaz

Albums:
‘Gorillaz‘ (2001)
‘Demon Days‘ (2005)
‘Plastic Beach‘ (2010)
‘The Fall‘ (2010)

I can tell you that the attraction toward Gorillaz started with their breakout hit “Clint Eastwood.” I don’t know anyone who hasn’t heard this song. I’m pretty sure my parents could identify this song and they probably don’t know who Gorillaz are. It’s one of those songs that was everywhere for three months and then took its rightful place in the regular rotation of alternative radio stations to be played once a day until the end of time.

What I cannot tell you is why I stuck around or why I came to have four albums in my collection. Their self-titled disc wasn’t something I listened to all the way through even once. I took the selected tracks I wanted, including both versions of “19-2000” (I find the remix to be better than the original), and set the rest aside to be consumed later, if at all. The same was said for ‘Demon Days,’ the band’s immensely popular sophomore effort that drew me in with the ungodly catchy “Feel Good Inc.” I took that single track from the album and then shelved the rest for another time.

When I finally sat down to listen to these album in their entirety I understood why I was hesitant to listen to them all. Though the tracks I mentioned above were pretty listener-friendly they were very different. They made themselves popular with addictive beats and catchy riffs, but there was something blatantly obvious but understated: this band was very different. They seemed to play by their own rules, they had no discernible genre (which made tagging this post exceedingly difficult), but they have an interesting sound.

More than that, however, is they seemed to grow. We don’t know what they were in the first place but they have chosen to evolve on their own timetable and in their own right. By the time ‘Plastic Beach’ came about two years ago, we were treated to a more ensemble feel than the traditional Gorillaz fare we seemed to be used to. However, since the collaborators were household names (Snoop Dogg, De La Soul, etc.) we allowed ourselves to open up again for tracks like “Stylo” with Mos Def and Bobby Womack. Again, Gorillaz found a way to enchant listeners while confounding their sense of music at the same time; and we love them for it.

The most fascinating album, though, was ‘The Fall,’ an entire album recorded and mixed on an iPad that allowed the group to really dive into their experimental tendencies with both feet. None of the tracks on the album are radio-friendly but the album itself is set up as a musical conceptual experience, much like Pink Floyd‘s ‘Wish You Were Here.’ This is the prefect album to put on while drinking Scotch after a hard day of work.

So, now I come to a question I ask myself every time I listen to an artist during this project: “Do I want to hear more?” There are some where the answer is no while others get an emphatic yes. Gorillaz, for as much as I have lauded them here, still have me on the fence. I know that when their next album debuts I will be interested in hearing it, but I don’t know if I’ll go out of my way to obtain and listen to it. There’s still so much mystery in the sound and existence of this virtual band that it makes me nervous. I know that I should proceed with reckless abandon into their next effort, but I don’t want to come away disappointed. Time will certainly tell on this one.

Track of Distinction: This was a tough decision, but I feel that the track “Tomorrow Comes Today” from the self-titled album edges out “Sweepstakes” from ‘Plastic Beach’ and “All Alone” from ‘Demon Days’ simply because it set the course for the group’s progression. The band could have followed the course they set with “19-2000” and made themselves into more of a pop-novelty band but, instead, set a course to make good music first and satisfy the listener second. “Tomorrow Comes Today” does both in spades and is a shining example of the promise of this band.