The Next 10 or Heavy Rotation

There could have been more...

I’ve been blogging off and on for 20 years or so and have written about hundreds upon hundreds of albums. I would often use “Heavy Rotation” to mark the posts where I wrote about what I was listening to over and over during a particular period. I’ve resisted using that label here, in part because I’ve really only managed to write about music in this iteration. I don’t just write about the new, though, so maybe it’s time to bring the idea back. Consider this the soft launch and we’ll see where it goes from here.

I also want to launch something new with this post - check the bottom of the post for a playlist of songs mentioned here, so you can get a sample of what I’m talking about and decide whether I nailed it or was off the mark. Okay, on to the albums…

Deep Sea Diver/Billboard Heart - I’ve been a fan of this band since their first album back in 2012 and thought their last album, 2020’s Impossible Weight, was the best one yet. With Billboard Heart (their 4th), they’ve leveled up again. The opener (and title track) shows off their penchant for a tune with strong melody, prominent bass, electronic elements, and Jessica Dobson’s excellent guitar playing and emotional vocals. “What Do I Know” reminds me of Spoon - it’s built on a bass part and adds both guitar bursts and some studio chatter, then layers on more as it goes along (those drums in the second verse!) before eventually dropping to half time as it comes to a close. “Emergency” is frenetic and has a guitar freakout worthy of the title, while “Shovel” is noirish and pop all at the same time. “Let Me Go” gives off strong Radiohead vibes circa Hail to the Thief, not just in the guitar tone and chord progression, but in the way Dobson and guest Madison Cunningham blend their voices into a Yorkeian menace. The album ends on a contemplative note with the piano-led “Happiness Is Not a Given”; I enjoy the inversion of the repeated title at the end, where it switches to “just give in.” I would be shocked if Billboard Heart isn’t in my top ten at the end of the year; heck, it could even end up as one of my favorites of the 2020s. LATE UPDATE: I saw them in concert (for the first time) a few days ago and they were excellent - catch them if you can!

Destroyer/Dan’s Boogie - Dan Bejar is reliable. I first knew of him from his classic New Pornographers songs of the early 2000s and finally checked out Destroyer when 2006’s Destroyer’s Rubies came out. This new one is the 7th since then and may be my favorite since 2015’s Poison Season, though as I alluded to, the 3 in between are all good. The album blasts off immediately with descending bass careening into a wall of sound on “The Same Thing as Nothing at All,” though it soon backs off to piano flourishes, bass, and drums with Bejar’s signature blend of emotion and detachment. “Hydroplaning Off the Edge of the World” is a pop song ala Destroyer with la-las and a joke about people mistaking him for James Harden (I think). That’s the thing with Bejar - his words tumble and twist as he rips off one-liner after one-liner; it’s dizzyingly disorienting in the best way possible. “Bologna” is a stone cold groove, with some funky bass, tinkling piano, echoey drums/bongos, and perfect guitar accents; it also features vocals from Fiver, who is an artist I wasn’t familiar with, but she fits the vibe perfectly. That song leads into the back half of the album, where we get the short interlude of “I Materialize” into the increasingly unhinged “Sun Meet Snow” and its careening piano into the airy, intricate 8 minute saxophone-laden pop of “Cataract Time” before closing with all-piano “Travel Light.” I feel like this one hasn’t gotten enough notice - don’t sleep on it!

Doves/Constellations of the Lonely - I will be honest…I whiffed when it came to Doves. I certainly knew who they were, but just never dug in. I was finally able to correct that mistake with their last album, 2020’s The Universal Want, which was their first in 11 years. Now they are back with their 6th album and it’s another good one. “Renegade” starts things off with some atmospherics and reverbed keys, then adds Jimi Goodwin’s voice before kicking in completely. “Cold Dreaming” starts off with a swell, then lays back and rides the drum groove; this time with the Williams brothers on vocals. A harmonica makes an appearance on “Last Year’s Man,” perfectly complementing the ebb and flow of the music and Andy Williams’ vocals. “Saint Teresa” eventually settles into a stately march, allowing room for the bass to move and lots of harmony work from the band before diffusing back to the more cacophonous sound of the opening. The album closes with “Southern Bell,” which starts with some insistent acoustic guitar and atmospherics and Jez Williams on lead vocals before eventually morphing into a more expansive rock sound with Goodwin taking over on vocals. It really sums up what has come before - ever-shifting sounds full of passion and power, anchored by a strong sense of melody.

Craig Finn/Always Been - I haven’t always kept up with Finn’s solo albums and I’m not sure why. I love The Hold Steady and have liked songs he’s put out, but I always seem to set aside his albums after a couple listens. It’s me, not him. Always Been is produced by Adam Granduciel of The War on Drugs and it often sounds like Craig Finn fronting that band, which is something I didn’t know I needed in my life and now can’t get enough of. The first track, “Bethany,” is a good example, holding in a mid-tempo range with lots of guitar and synths before erupting in a Granduciel solo. “People of Substance” also has that eruption, but the track is an up-tempo rocker ala TWoD. “Luke and Leanna” feels primed for another, but the song stays in its groove, which works perfectly for the tension that builds in the lyrics - “Ten years together/ Hold on til it hurts.” “Clayton” could be a outtake from Springsteen’s Tunnel of Love and “Shamrock” from Nebraska. The album has an overall story to it, according to interviews Finn has done, and I’m not sure if I completely follow it, but that’s okay. I come to his work for the lyrics and he has some awesome lines, such as “The third shift’s such a bitch to decent sleep” and “She’s been working at a wine bar/Making jokes about the mouth feel.” Once I feel sated by this album (will I ever?), I guess I have to dig back into his solo catalog and give it the time it deserves.

Neal Francis/Return to Zero - Francis was fantastic when I saw him in concert with friends a couple years ago (they pulled from that show for last year’s Francis Come Alive) and I hope I can see him add the songs from Return to Zero to that live repertoire in the near future. The album starts with “Need You Again” and a drumbeat designed to get you moving, adds some funky guitar and bass, and layers in the backing vocals of Say She She. Say She She stick around for the next two songs as well and both are strong, with the third one, “Broken Glass,” being my favorite - it has Francis reaching for his falsetto and a relentless funky riff from a tandem of piano, guitar, and bass. The whole album is full of grooves and little touches that remind you of the 70s - a guitar tone here, a type of percussion there. “What’s Left of Me” is the one that you could most expect to show up on Casey Kasem’s countdown 50 years ago, with Francis’ piano at the forefront. “Dance Through Life” is sleek and slinky, guaranteed to get people out on a dance floor and Shazam the song. My favorite track is “Already Gone,” with bright piano at the start, a catchy melody, and those twin guitar lead lines that I’m such a sucker for. Be prepared to bob your head, move your shoulders, and chair dance when you put this album on.

Fust/Big Ugly - I was familiar with every other artist in this rundown and had their albums on my radar; it’s always nice to discover something new to love. I’d heard of Fust and maybe heard a song or two, but that was it. I’m glad I saw some positive reviews of this one and took a chance. The album starts with “Spangled,” which has a great recurring riff that’s doubled by an electric and slide guitar and a chorus that’s catchy as hell (305!). “Gateleg” features crunchy guitars, piano, fiddle, and steady drums, reminding me of Son Volt. “Mountain Language” offers the same power, really leaning into the rock side of their music and offering interesting licks and a longer solo. “Bleached” is more stately, somewhat reminiscent of Hiss Golden Messenger. I don’t want to give the impression that the band is just aping other bands; these are strong songs that add up to an even stronger whole. Ultimately, they sound like themselves, like on “Goat House Blues,” which cranks up the volume again to great effect, or on “Jody,” which places the fiddle where a guitar solo would be. Big Ugly is definitely one of the year’s pleasant surprises so far.

Jason Isbell/Foxes in the Snow - I’ll admit, I was nervous about this one. While Isbell is one of my favorite songwriters, the thought of an acoustic album felt like a letdown after the heights of Weathervanes (my favorite album of 2023), which was done with The 400 Unit. I shouldn’t have worried and really, I knew that. Isbell remains one of the best songwriters working today and an all-acoustic album doesn’t change that. Isbell is a fantastic guitar player and he brings such a sense of momentum to a song like “Ride to Robert’s.” “Eileen” is more sedate, but still features a “solo section” where the pickin’ picks up; it’s also a very sad song. Melancholy is definitely the mood here; many people are calling it his “divorce album.” It’s hard not to with a song like “Gravelweed” and its chorus - “I was a gravelweed and I needed you to raise me/I’m sorry the day came when I felt like I was raised/And now that I live to see my melodies betray me/I’m sorry the love songs all mean different things today”; I hope we get a full band version of that song some day, as the way it’s constructed feels like there’s a great guitar solo in there waiting to be unleashed. “Open and Close” is a lovely little tune about opening up to new love and the melody and chords of “Crimson and Clay” really appeal. Who am I kidding? All of the songs appeal, because Isbell is at the top of his craft. This album is well worth digging into.

Momma/Welcome to My Blue Sky - I didn’t know Momma before their 2022 album, Household Name, which was one of my favorites that year. While the opening track is a solid song (with a cool bass line), the album really kicks in with the second song, “I Want You (Fever),” which has that same 90s throwback sound that made the previous album such a winner. The next song, “Rodeo” continues that trend, coming in loudly and then dropping back before working back up to full blast on the chorus (love those rat-at-tat drums and the melodic guitar too). If you really want the full 90s, crank “Last Kiss” ALL the way up. It’s reductive to reduce the band and album to 90s nostalgia, of course, and the whole thing wouldn’t be worth listening to without good songs regardless of guitar tones. Luckily, Welcome to My Blue Sky has them in spades - see also: “Stay All Summer,” “Ohio All the Time,” and “My Old Street” to make sure I mention fully half of the songs on the album. Momma has created another winner that sounds even better a few plays in.

Bob Mould/Here We Go Crazy - Mould has been on a absolute heater since 2012’s Silver Age, which not coincidentally is the first with the rhythm section of Jason Narducy on bass and Jon Wurster on drums. Here We Go Crazy is their 6th album together (and first since 2020’s Blue Hearts) and it rocks. The mid-tempo title track kicks off the proceedings and it’s the classic Mould mixture of melody and power. “Neanderthal” kicks it up a notch with Wurster slapping the hell out of the drums, Narducy’s buzzy bass, and Bob vocals over top it all. He gets in a great solo on the flinty “When Your Heart is Broken” and follows it with “Fur Mink Augurs,” which is a classic-sounding Mould tune with some great Wurster drum fills (especially as it roars to a close) and one of the best on the album. “Lost Or Stolen” switches it up to acoustic guitars, but loses none of the intensity as he sings “At the bottom of my dark black soul/There’s a reflection/And what I see is where I am right now/Am I living on the edge of collapse?” I do like that he ends on a tender moment with “Your Side,” talking about turning gray with the one you love as life ever changes. He’s more than 40 years in and still giving us great music - what a gift!

My Morning Jacket/is - It’s been almost 20 years since MMJ hit my radar with Z and while I did enjoy both The Waterfall and The Waterfall II, I didn’t give their last, self-titled album, much of a chance. It only took one listen of is to realize that it would get many many more from me. “Out in the Open” starts with a motif on acoustic guitar and insistent drums and builds from there, before finally blooming in full musical glory. They’re at their poppiest on “Everyday Magic,” which has some fun synth work in the mix and even shifts to a disco beat in the bridge. “Time Wasted” is centered around a mesmerizing descending piano part in the verses and a great lift in the chorus, while Jim James sings about the passage of time; it’s not a new idea, but is executed perfectly and at 54, I sure appreciate the sentiment. That leads into a strong back half of the album - “Beginning from the Ending” cranks up the intensity as it goes and the guitar solo is fantastic, “Lemme Know” has a twinkling keyboard part and rockets along, weird MMJ is back on “Squid Ink” with a sticky riff and James dropping into his lowest register, “Die For It” gets up to a glorious noise, and then “River Road” closes it out with slinky beat and plenty of guitar layered over top. What a joy it is to have My Morning Jacket in my ears again.