The Dirty Nil – Fuck Art
I have a CD copy of Alien Ant Farm’s truANT, released back in 2003, and their song writing always seemed a little overly complex for the radio rock that first drew them national attention. Chord progressions that seemed almost random, and a vocal melody just as counter-intuitive. The Dirty Nil feels like the band AAA once was, creating more meat-and-potatoes rock music circa ’05. They’ve opened for bands of this ilk, but The Dirty Nil breathe new life into the genre and keep it catchy.
Standout Track: “Doom Boy”
Weezer – OK Human
We can’t call River Cuomo an enigma; the man is an open book. But even after decades of oversharing his songwriting and idiosyncrasies, he’s got more surprises and continues to be a fascinating figure in rock. But this isn’t Weezer’s crunchy stadium jam album (that’s coming in May…maybe?) this is Rivers, a piano, and an orchestra! Wait, what? Many of these songs were written years ago, but nearly a year into the COVID pandemic, the music’s theme of loneliness strikes very close to home. Weezer’s foray into sugary-sweet pop production has had previously disastrous results, but these strings have a bittersweetness to them that puts this record on the higher end of their discography.
Standout Track: “Numbers”
Cheekface – Emphatically No
This album is as if someone put my college poetry to DIY indie rock instrumentation. Greg Katz’ lyrics are endlessly entertaining, often funny, bits of wordplay. The music bops along pleasantly to support the glut of great writing. If you like the first song, you’ve got twelve more tracks of the same attitude wrapped in the same delightful packaging.
Standout Track: “Wedding Guests”
Arlo Parks – Collapsed in Sunbeams
London’s Arlo Parks is only twenty years old, which makes sense after listening to her debut album of R&B: the wounds of young love are still fresh and propel the album along from track to track. The production is gorgeous, and it needs to be to match Parks’ subtle vocal performance. I mean, I got a text from someone important to me just as the song “Hope” hit its chorus, and I had all of the feels all at once.
Standout Track: “Green Eyes”
Slow Corpse – Bite Your Tongue
Ashland’s small time success story release their second record with Tender Loving Empire, and this time the duo create songs with thicker synths, stronger hooks, and some head-scratching music videos. We all feel a little pride having played the same dives and house venues as these guys. Congrats!
Standout Track: “Gimmie Your Love”
Other Solid Releases by: Ashnikko, Henrik Appel, Kiwi Jr., Still Corners, and Rhye
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