Live Lost World Explosion Headz

Albums from September, October, and November...

I’d been hoping to do these new music posts more frequently and with a focus on fewer albums. It worked one time, but now here we are with way too many albums to talk about. Again. At least 2024 continues to deliver great music, right?

2nd Grade/Scheduled Explosions - The band’s debut album, Hit to Hit, was just what I needed in the summer of 2020, once school was done and there was nothing to do but watch TV, read, and listen to music. Easy Listening followed in 2022 and was again welcome in my regular rotation, so it’s no surprise that the new one has found a place there as well. I’ll admit, this album is a bit hard to write about, as it has 23 songs that go by in 38 minutes. The songs are pop nuggets, packed with melody and interesting ideas, but a big part of the pleasure is the cumulative effect of one rolling into the next. The lo-fi distortion of “Out of the Hive” jumps out (sounds like a GBV title, doesn’t it, and the song would definitely fit on a 90s GBV album too), as does the hand-clappy “Instant Nostalgia.” Or maybe I should highlight “Airlift,” which closes with the line “Bury me at Pepperidge Farms” and has plenty of rhythm for a song with no drums. It’s followed by the more languid “King of Marvin Gardens,” which in turn is followed by “Made Up My Own Mind,” the longest song and another standout. “Evil Things” has a snappy jangle and then an unexpected crazy guitar solo out of nowhere, while “Like a Wild Thing” definitely uses the beat and some chords from The Troggs without being a cover. The album closes with the ringing “I Wanna Be On Your Mind” and you’re left thinking about all the sounds you just heard and wondering if it would be too indulgent to hear them all again. There are plenty of worse ideas.

Beeef/Somebody’s Favorite - I first became aware of Beeef thanks to my friend Erik playing them on his radio show a couple years back. I always like what I heard but never dove in, so when I saw this new album was out, I decided it was time. Good decision. While the first couple songs are good, the third song, “Hummingbird” is the one that really made my ears perk up. It has jangly bits, crunchy bits, a catchy chorus, and then takes off into the stratosphere. The next song, “Primrose Path,” reminds me of Bonny Doon, which is a definitely a plus. “Observational Eros” has gotten stuck in my head more than once, thanks to a propulsive beat that hitches slightly in the chorus, fuzzy bass, and a guitar solo with a tremolo tone. “Closing Out” is a short instrumental that sounds like The Cure at times. Closer “Guess I Shouldn’t Wait” pushes past 8 minutes with a long instrumental outro that keeps adding layers. It’s always great to find a new band to love.

The Cure/Songs of a Lost World - This album shouldn’t be this good, right? Robert Smith is back after 16 years, well after it seemed as if the band had faded into a legacy act (yes, it’s a great legacy, but still). Turns out the legacy has been refreshed. The album comes in on a wash of instruments - pounding drums, bass upfront, an earworm of a piano - and stays there for more than 3 minutes before Smith comes in singing how it all stops. Title? “Alone.” The next song, “And Nothing Is Forever,” starts with more piano and some synthy strings before eventually incorporating some fuzzy guitar and syncopated drums. Smith waits until around 2:50 to come in this time and more gloriously doom and gloom lyrics (“Promise you’ll be with me in the end” and “I know, I know that my world has grown old,” for instance). “A Fragile Thing” really cranks up the bass and pair it with the piano and it’s catchy as hell. The middle two songs (“Warsong” and “Drone:Nodrone”) are strong, but the final three reach the heights of those first three. “I Can Never Say Goodbye” comes in with sounds of rain and piano, moody as hell and proud of it. “All I Ever Am” sounds like goth and new wave updated for the modern day. Finally, “Endsong” clocks in at over 10 minutes, building and building so that you never want a release (“it’s all gone,” Smith sings). If Disintegration is for you, so is Songs of a Lost World. It’s certainly been blasting in my classroom in the mornings while I get ready for the day.

The Hard Quartet/The Hard Quartet - This band is the latest indie “supergroup”; its members are Stephen Malkmus, Matt Sweeney, Emmitt Kelly, and Jim White. Of those, Malkmus is the one I’m most familiar with due to his work with Pavement and albums under his own name (including some really good ones with The Jicks). “Chrome Mess” starts things off with fuzzy guitars, fuzzy bass, and pounding drums and you know you’re in for a treat. “Rio’s Song” feels like a modern “classic rock” song, with a descending guitar riff, gang vocals, and White always doing something interesting behind the drum kit. “Heel Highway” starts with an appealing bluesy riff and stomping beat and follows with shifting rhythms, great tone on the guitar solo, and a more ethereal end. “Hey” is a classic Malkmus tune with his laconic vocals up front, some dissonance in the music, and a marching drumbeat in the chorus. You want some Malkmus one-liners? “Six Deaf Rats” is stuffed with them (“I was in the dull jetset” may be my favorite) and also contains a reference to Big Star, while showcasing White’s drums. The multiple singers and songwriters mean the album has a mix of styles and sounds; it’s always interesting and rewards multiple listens. I wonder if this is a one-off band or if there will be more…either way, I’m glad we got this one.

Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit/Live from the Ryman, Vol. 2 - Vol. 2 implies that there was a Vol. 1 and while that’s technically true, it’s something I listened to twice and then never again. The sound quality on that one is not good, making the band sound flat and uninteresting, which they are clearly not. The good news is Vol. 2 sounds absolutely fantastic. It mainly pulls from the band’s last two studio albums, 2020’s Reunions and 2023 Weathervanes, which was my favorite record of the year. “King of Oklahoma” is a perfect example of why a live album can find its way into your heart; it’s a great song, but this version sees Isbell and Sadler Vaden both ripping into extensive guitar solos that you never want to end. “Overseas” was definitely a standout on Reunions, but this version puts even more muscle behind it. “Dreamsicle” is another song that gets stretched out here to great effect. They pull out “The Last Song I Will Write,” which was the closing track on 2009’s Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, turning in a great performance, highlighted by harmonies and fiddle from Amanda Shires and a fiery guitar solo. They have a nice acoustic mini-set of “Strawberry Woman” and “Cast Iron Skillet,” before cranking back up with “Miles.” The last three songs finish the album on a high note, as the band tears into “When We Were Close,” does a great cover of Tom Petty’s “Room at the Top,” and closes with more dueling Isbell/Vaden guitars on an epic 9 minute plus “This Ain’t It.” I haven’t seen them live in almost 6 years, but this is the next best thing.

Ben Lee/This One’s for the Old Headz - The last time I checked in with Ben Lee was with Awake Is the New Sleep, which came out close to 20 years ago (early 2005). “Catch My Disease” caught my ear enough to dive in. I liked the album, but never really fell for it as much as I had hoped, which is why it took me this long to give his music another go. I’ve certainly fallen this this new one. “The Way We Were” baits the hook very well - bouncing bass, snappy drums, and harmonies add up to an extremely catchy power pop tune. “Heavy Metal” slows down the pace and cranks up the fuzz before backing off and building back up so that the chorus just hits - “Still running with the devil/Blame it all on heavy metal/Cut the bass, I need more treble/Blame it all on heavy metal.” “Positive Energy” has music to match the title, with some tasty drum fills to boot. This is another album where I think that if you dig these first three songs, you’ll be in. The rhythm section is Jason Narducy (bass) and Jon Wurster (drums), which adds so much to these well-constructed, fun songs. Not a bad way to spend 36 minutes of your time.

Mt. Misery/Love in Mind - Do you like power pop in the vein of Teenage Fanclub? I sure do and I think if you do too, you will find lots to like on this album. Opening track, “Hey!,” is an indicator of the band’s charms - plenty of jangle and harmonies, plus a nifty little guitar solo. “On My Mind” is a perfect two minute pop nugget. The “ba-ba-ba”s on ‘Sunday Song” go down nice and easy. The bass plays a more prominent role in “You Call My Name” while leaving plenty of room for jangly guitars, a solo that apes the melody, and smart drum fills. “Love to Give” has some organ accents and the simplicity of the lyric makes it easy to sing along at first listen. “Driving Through a Dream” is the longest song by a minute and one of the strongest songs to boot. Mt. Misery aren’t breaking new ground here, but these 11 songs hold up to repeated listens…and what a great listen it is.

Nick Piunti & the Complicated Men/Up and Out of It - You know how it can be with power pop sometimes. On first listen, you might think maybe it’s not for you…but by the end of the second listen, you realize it’s pretty damn good. So it was with this new one, which is the third album credited to Piunti and the band (following 2020’s Downtime and 2022’s Heart Inside Your Head). “Seasick” is a perfect lead track, with its driving beat, nifty little guitar hook, plenty of melody, and lyrics about the songwriting process. “Bottle It” gives the bass a bit more prominence and allows for a longer guitar solo while also giving the album its embedded title. The opening trifecta is completed by “Mind Reader,” another gem with all of the strengths of the first two songs intact. Get through these songs on a second listen and you will be hooked. Of course, there is plenty to recommend as you go deeper into the album - like “Rejection Letter,” which rocks while lamenting the music business, or “Eyelids,” which adds some piano to the mix. It’s an endlessly listenable album and I’m sure it will end up being one of my most-played this year, even though it came out Oct. 18.

Wild Pink/Dulling the Horns - I spent quite a bit of time with Wild Pink’s three previous albums, with 2022’s ILYSM landing 4th on my top 10 for that year, so I was eagerly anticipating this new one. The gritty guitar on “The Fences of Stonehenge” lets you know what you’re in for. The opening lines of “Eating the Egg Whole” are “The Bullets became the Wizards/The year that Jordan wore the black beret/He left the earth each night/And turned the night back into day” and are accompanied by burbling bass, tinkling piano, heavily strummed two chords, and more. It’s great. “Cloud or Mountain” brings the fuzz and distortion along with punishing drums while also retaining a pop sensibility at its core, before shifting into something different. “Sprinter Brain” reaches for the anthemic and hits the mark (the saxophone in the mix doesn’t hurt). The title track is a fuzzy slow burn and “St. Catherine St.” has two guitar solos, each with a distinct tone. Also, how can you resist a song titled “Catholic Dracula?” John Ross has come up with another winner. I got to see them open for New Pornographers in the wake of ILYSM and I would love to see them perform these songs live.