Playing Catch-Up: Part XVII

Artist: Feist
Album: ‘Pleasure‘
Year: 2017

There is something uniquely intimate about this album. It has an acoustic sound that is soft and warm but also challenges you to lean in and truly experience the music. The songs are personal without being unnerving and that speaks volumes in a musical culture that seems to invite every artist to reveal as much as possible in order to sell. Feist’s willingness to show her vulnerabilities without giving up her power and respect makes this a very powerful listen.

Track of Distinction: “I Wish I Didn’t Miss You” and its love-lost libretto cuts to the bone and asks for more blood.

Artist: Katy Perry
Album: ‘Witness‘
Year: 2017

All I could think of while listening to this album is that I fell for it again. I came in hoping that Perry had grown as an artist and this might be a stepping stone to her to finally unleash her voice and free it from the auto-tuned and overproduced bullshit she keeps putting out every couple of years. But what did I get? More of the same bullshit. I’d be more pissed but I’ve never been a huge fan.

Track of Distinction: Her ballads allow her vocals to take the lead and “Miss You More” is a pretty damn good example of it.

Artist: Rancid
Album: ‘Trouble Maker‘
Year: 2017

Nine albums later and Rancid is still slaying it like it’s their first. This entire album screams like they still have a chip on their shoulder and they’re going to get this album out there even if they have to borrow someone’s computer to burn all of the CDs themselves. The edge is honed and intact, the rage and disdain for the system is still there, and it just exudes that sublime noise that Rancid fans have come to love and expect. Mad props for keeping it going this long and this hard.

Track of Distinction: “Farewell Lola Blue” could have been on their debut. Time stands still for these guys.

Artist: Arcade Fire
Album: ‘Everything Now‘
Year: 2017

I don’t know if Arcade Fire has earned the right to be so weird and so underwhelming at this point in their run. But this album is like Win Butler wanted to see what he could make by not really paying much attention and then releasing an album that is expected to sell based on the weight of the Arcade Fire name. Most of the tracks seem to be half an idea that are not allowed to mature and simply die on the vine. This band is better than that and they should know it.

Track of Distinction: “Put Your Money On Me” was the single for a reason. It’s the only developed track on the entire record.

Rancid

Albums:
‘Give ‘Em the Boot [Demo CD]’ (1992)
‘Rancid [EP]’ (1992)
‘Rancid‘ (1993)
‘Let’s Go‘ (1994)
‘…And Out Come the Wolves‘ (1995)
‘Life Won’t Wait‘ (1998)
‘Rancid‘ (2000)
‘Indestructable‘ (2003)
‘Let the Dominoes Fall‘ (2009)
‘…Honor Is All We Know‘ (2014)

My wife came into my office and tilted her head in curiosity at Rancid coming out of my small iPod dock speakers. “I thought they would sound angrier,” she said without a hint of sarcasm or judgment. And I thought about it and she’s right, for a well-known, well-loved, and respected punk band, Rancid took a page from the NorCal playbook and kept things pretty chill … in a very punk kind of way.

Rancid is definitely worth your time. I am hard pressed to find a band that has very pure punk roots, a great crossover sound, and still not seen as a sellout band. Seeing them live a couple weeks ago at Denver’s Riot Fest–a show where they played ‘…And Out Come the Wolves’ in its entirety–the band has shown no sign of slowing done. They still know who they are, they know what got them to where they are, but they are still having fun with everything. And while their albums released after the turn of the century show them dabbling in Reggae and Ska sounds, they find a way to bring it back around to make it work for them, their inherent fun-punk sound, and tie it up into a cohesive package. I can honestly say that I can’t hear any drop off in their quality over the years, and that is both remarkable and unusual. I genuinely enjoyed every track this band put out and I hope they continue on their way for many more years.

Track of Distinction: Though my selection of “Old Friend” from ‘…And Out Come the Wolves’ can seem like a safe bet, it does showcase their fun-punk style quite well. It’s not as popular as “Time Bomb” or “Olympia, WA” from the same album, but it’s catchy as all hell and worthy of this honor.