Bad Religion - Age Of Unreason
Why do we need another Bad Religion record, you ask? Well, ok, we may know how the US punkrock legend sounds - and they sound not different this time. But "Age of Unreason" is the record that deals with the current state of affairs in the US, and back in 2013, when the predecessor "True North" was released, everything seemed to be at least a bit less crazy. Now this is the album that shines a light on a divided society and while it brings nothing new to the table in terms of music, it's an important contribution to the discourse. When Greg Graffin sings "Nostalgia is an excuse for stupidity/I don't believe in golden ages" that's relatable all over the world because the rise of right-wing populism and the promise of simple answers for complex problems (and turning to the oh so perfect past therefore) is not only an American problem. Bad Religion make you believe in a better tomorrow, and while the lyrics are definitely worth listening to, the melodies already spark optimism. (Epitaph, May 3rd)
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Craig Finn - I Need A New War
We're still waiting for that successor to "Teeth Dreams", the 2014 record of The Hold Steady, but it seems Craig Finn is focussing more putting put solo records (although there's a number of live records of THS available via Bandcamp). This time, the acclaimed lyricist delves into new musical styles and the result is quite convincing. If you expect distorted guitars, you might be disappointed though. Just listen to "Her With The Blues" and you'll picture yourself in a bar at night time, while s singer and a jazz band is onstage. But then again, Craig Finns solo records were traditionally different from The Hold Steady. What's characteristic is his way to write songs and to tell stories about people who are not on the sunny side of life. And he does that in a tremendously captivating way. While you can't really listen to music and read a book and concentrate on both, the 48 year old musician delivers the prose and the soundtrack for it as a package. (Partisan/PIAS, April 26th)
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Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride
When I first listened to Vampire Weekend thanks to a friend's recommendation, I entered a whole new musical world. The indie band from New York sounded like nothing I ever had heard before. (And wow, the debut came out in 2008, where have all those years gone?). The same sense of wonder came to me when I listened to "Father of the Bride" just seconds after I had realized there was a new record by the great sound imagineers. "This Life" with its happy surf sound guitars, "We Belong Together" with its Juno-compatible lyrics (one of two duets with Danielle Haim) or "Harmony Hall" with the déjà-vu line "I don't wanna live like this/but I wanna die" - this record is as quirky as you would wish. Sure, 18 songs are a lot and there's a lot to discover. But I really like the compilation-like feel of the record. Just means that you won't get bored of it as fast as you would get bored of other records. (Columbia/May 3rd)
Why do we need another Bad Religion record, you ask? Well, ok, we may know how the US punkrock legend sounds - and they sound not different this time. But "Age of Unreason" is the record that deals with the current state of affairs in the US, and back in 2013, when the predecessor "True North" was released, everything seemed to be at least a bit less crazy. Now this is the album that shines a light on a divided society and while it brings nothing new to the table in terms of music, it's an important contribution to the discourse. When Greg Graffin sings "Nostalgia is an excuse for stupidity/I don't believe in golden ages" that's relatable all over the world because the rise of right-wing populism and the promise of simple answers for complex problems (and turning to the oh so perfect past therefore) is not only an American problem. Bad Religion make you believe in a better tomorrow, and while the lyrics are definitely worth listening to, the melodies already spark optimism. (Epitaph, May 3rd)
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Craig Finn - I Need A New War
We're still waiting for that successor to "Teeth Dreams", the 2014 record of The Hold Steady, but it seems Craig Finn is focussing more putting put solo records (although there's a number of live records of THS available via Bandcamp). This time, the acclaimed lyricist delves into new musical styles and the result is quite convincing. If you expect distorted guitars, you might be disappointed though. Just listen to "Her With The Blues" and you'll picture yourself in a bar at night time, while s singer and a jazz band is onstage. But then again, Craig Finns solo records were traditionally different from The Hold Steady. What's characteristic is his way to write songs and to tell stories about people who are not on the sunny side of life. And he does that in a tremendously captivating way. While you can't really listen to music and read a book and concentrate on both, the 48 year old musician delivers the prose and the soundtrack for it as a package. (Partisan/PIAS, April 26th)
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Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride
When I first listened to Vampire Weekend thanks to a friend's recommendation, I entered a whole new musical world. The indie band from New York sounded like nothing I ever had heard before. (And wow, the debut came out in 2008, where have all those years gone?). The same sense of wonder came to me when I listened to "Father of the Bride" just seconds after I had realized there was a new record by the great sound imagineers. "This Life" with its happy surf sound guitars, "We Belong Together" with its Juno-compatible lyrics (one of two duets with Danielle Haim) or "Harmony Hall" with the déjà-vu line "I don't wanna live like this/but I wanna die" - this record is as quirky as you would wish. Sure, 18 songs are a lot and there's a lot to discover. But I really like the compilation-like feel of the record. Just means that you won't get bored of it as fast as you would get bored of other records. (Columbia/May 3rd)