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.

Playing Catch-Up, Part VI

Another ten artists down, another chance to play catch-up with some albums from artists who have come before. Let the fun begin!

Artist: Lady Gaga
Album: ‘ARTPOP’
Year: 2013
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Lady Gaga has few surprises left up her sleeve, but she is slowly finding she doesn’t need all of that to satiate her legions “Little Monsters” and even casual fans like myself. With ‘ARTPOP,’ she put out a solid club-pop album that didn’t leave much room for her to play coy (like she ever would) or to leave anything unspoken (which she rarely does). The beats pulse and entrance while the infectious hooks make this a very listenable album from beginning to end. With her next album I expect the pomp-and-circumstantial wrapping to be taken off making the music the centerpiece–right where it belongs.

Track of Distinction: “Dope,” the cool glass of water needed to keep the album from causing whiplash to any listener, is a beautiful track taken from the words of an addict trying to make things right with the people in their life. It’s bitter, sad, and all too real.

Artist: Live
Album: ‘Live at Paradiso – Amsterdam‘
Year: 2008
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Yeah, with this one I totally fucked up. This was part of the original line-up when I went through Live’s catalog the first time. But, after listening to it again, it made me appreciate what they put on stage during this recording and how they, like every band, have tracks that work well live in front of a screaming audience and some that just fall flat. Though Live has resurrected itself with a new lead singer a couple years back, it was nice to hear them once more as a cohesive unit before Ed hopped aboard the Dickhead Express into La-La Land.

Track of Distinction: “The River” is a song that, not only sounds good live, but it sounds better than it did in the studio recording. The beat and feel of this song is only intensified and made better use of the live audience and the collective adrenaline of the crowd to make it memorable and truly spectacular.

Artist: Mastodon
Album: ‘Once More ‘Round the Sun‘
Year: 2014
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Mastodon returned this year with an album that learns from the mistakes (if I am qualified to categorize it as such) and tries to make a more cohesive album than an album they hope will sell. Sure, fans and critis felt that ‘The Hunter’ went a bit too soft and this was a disturbing trend for a band that was prized for being hardcore about the music without requiring the stereotypical amount of heavy metal showmanship. This album is an up-tick in the band’s efforts to return to their roots but it might cost them some casual fans. The album, as good as it is as a single, cohesive offering, does not have a single stand-out hook to drive casual fans wild. The hardcore fans should thank them for that.

Track of Distinction: “Halloween” was chosen, not for the time of year, but because it is a solid track on an album full of solid tracks. This one distinguishes itself marginally from the others with a solid bass line and a gripping lyric lineup.

Artist: Matt & Kim
Albums: ‘Sidewalks‘ and ‘Lightning‘
Year: 2010 & 2012 (respectively)
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Matt & Kim have kept themselves in musical relevance because they are something very different: they are a band that has pop sensibilities, lyrics that go under-the-radar, and some kitchy appeal that often expands itself past their hippie-pop demographic, but not that far. These albums follow up the infectiously catchy ‘Grand’ with efforts that mirror it while creating their own senses of self through the duo’s ability to grow as artists. What’s missing was a hook, and that makes this a fun listen but not as memorable as their freshman platter.

Track of Distinction: “Now” from ‘Lightning’ is the closest thing to a really catchy track on these albums. It’s vintage Matt & Kim, which seems odd to say for a band in its fourth year.

Artist: Various Artists
Album: ‘Kindred Spirits: A Tribute to the Songs of Johnny Cash‘
Year: 2002

Our love affair with Johnny Cash will likely never end. His posthumous following will never rival that of Elvis or John Lennon; but his passing reminded everyone, regardless of their musical affiliation, how large an icon and how indelible his mark truly was. Tribute albums prove this by who shows up to participate. Sure, there’s the obligatory contemporaries, but when you get the likes of Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen stepping up and paying proper homage to Johnny, it finally hits home for even casual fans how important he was to music history and how nothing will ever be the same again.

Track of Distinction: Roseanne Cash’s rendition of “I Still Miss Someone” is heart-wrenching and inspired; a fitting tribute to her dad.

And since all of you have been good boys, girls, and Ad-Bots, here is ‘These Things I Have Heard Catch-Up Mixtape, Vol. 2‘ ready for download and your eager ears (or USB ports for you Ad-Bots).

Mastodon

Albums:
‘Lifesblood EP‘ (2001)
‘Remission‘ (2002)
‘Leviathan‘ (2004)
‘Blood Mountain‘ (2006)
‘Call of the Mastodon‘ (2006)
‘Crack the Skye‘ (2009)
‘The Hunter‘ (2011)

If someone had asked me when I was in high school if I liked Heavy Metal music, I would have answered yes simply because I owned two Metallica albums and wanted to be seen as a guy who had his musical shit together. The truth is, I probably still don’t qualify as an authority on Heavy Metal, but I can now say I appreciate more of it than the clean and homogenized sound of Metallica, and I have Mastodon to thank for that.

The band whose music has also sparked headaches when listened to at length has grown on me a lot. I’m not about to declare myself a metalhead (I don’t even think that nomenclature is even used anymore) but I can say that I like what I hear. Whether it is their primal early stuff, to their concept album revolving around Moby Dick, and even their later stuff where they seem to mellow a bit, I have found the music in what many people would equate to listening to silverware caught in the garbage disposal. I even have an opinion of their “Cookie Monster” sound versus their more melodic vocal stylings (they both have their qualities), which has polarized their fan base. But I’m not quite up to fandom just yet. I do know I am looking out for them to come my way during their next tour and I’m going to go. With earplugs, of course.

Track of Distinction: “Naked Burn” edged out “Hail to Fire,” “I Am Ahab,” and “Oblivion” for the distinction and it wasn’t an easy choice. Each of these tracks have their own distinct voice and poetic dominance (in a very Metal way, I assure you) but “Naked Burn” simply gives more bang for the buck.