Sunday, December 02, 2018
I Got a Rock
At a moment in which the world’s most lauded rock band can’t be bothered to play rock music, I suppose it’s not surprising that the form will make a poor showing in my year-end rankings. It’s not as if I’m not trying, but I fail to be moved by most rock recordings. The most exciting music is being made elsewhere. A few 2018 rock releases that had yet to receive mention at There Stands the Glass are ranked in order of my preference below.
Shame- Songs of Praise
It’s taken me all year to grasp Shame’s rowdy exceptionalism. Here’s “One Rizla”.
Art Brut- Wham! Bang! Pow! Let’s Rock Out!
Eddie Argos is still the funniest man in rock. The cautionary “Hospital!” is among the songs that compel me to laugh out loud.
Parquet Courts- Wide Awake!
Garage rock done right. “Almost Had to Start a Fight/In and Out of Patience” is close to perfect.
Drug Church- Cheer
I’m not embarrassed to admit that I’ve always liked Puddle of Mudd. Drug Church combine the Kansas City band’s commercial post-grunge with the geeky mania associated with Weezer. Here’s “Unlicensed Hall Monitor”.
Snail Mail- Lush
Lindsey Jordan is a sad sack. I ordinarily don’t have much patience for whiners (unless I’m the one doing the fussing), but I can relate to her bad mood. “Heat Wave” is among the songs that kinda/sorta rock.
Idles- Joy as an Act of Resistance
The breathless praise heaped on this entirely ordinary album is a classic case of embarrassing group-think. Blood-and-thunder songs like “Colossus” are merely adequate.
Oh, and that new 1975 album? While it has its moments, I continue to maintain that the British band sounds like One Direction in the midst of a month-long bender.
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I yacked about a few of my best-music-of-2018 selections on 90.9 The Bridge’s Eight One Sixty last week.
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I ponder Pat Metheny’s de facto boycott of Kansas City at Plastic Sax.
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I write weekly concert previews for The Kansas City Star.
(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)
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1 comment:
One great blog. Loaded, intelligent and great design, too. Kudos.
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