'The Hardest Button To Button"

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

As I say every year, it's the list I least enjoy putting out but here goes:

1. Nilufer Yanya MY METHOD ACTOR:

everything was fine after track two and then this monotone wall of sound embarks and for one Yanya gets lost.

2. Liv. e PAST FUTUR.E:

sounds like rejects from last year's immense project.

3. Clairo CHARM:

sounds slightly unfocussed.

4. Bon Iver SABLE EP:

okay so this is unfair but we have been waiting post-COVID solo music from the band and this was a mere snack.

5. Michael Kiwanuka SMALL CHANGES:

just a bit tame and boring.

6. Ty Segall THREE BELLS:

maybe time for a break.

7. Jane Weaver LOVE IN CONSTANT SPECTACLE:

spins and spins but fails to connect fully.

8. The Voidz LIKE ALL BEFORE YOU:

it's like getting to open a pinata and finding no treats.

9. Childish Gambino BANDO STONE AND THE NEW WORLD:

not sure what the aim of this was.

10. John Grant THE ART OF THE LIE:

slowly getting back to a fun point but not quite there yet.

Every year I am baffled by some choices hyped by critics and this year here is the baffling batch:

1. Adrianne Lenker BRIGHT FUTURE (METACRITIC SCORE 8.7/10):

Lenker's one tone delivery bewitches critics every time...I can't claim to be a fan but it would be interesting to hear more variety and grit.

2. Beth Gibbons LIVES OUTGROWN (METACRITIC SCORE 8.9/10):

who among us trip/hop fans doesn't love Portishead and, even more, Gibbons but alas those days are long over.

3. MJ Lenderman MANNING FIREWORKS (METACRITIC SCORE 8.9/10):

even after repeated listens, I still can't hear the gems.

4. The Cure SONGS OF A LOST WORLD (METACRITIC SCORE 9.3/10):

away for a long time and although there are pockets of sweet reverb, it begins to sound way too predictable after a while.

5. Blood Incantation ABSOLUTE ELSEWHERE (METACRITIC SCORE 9.2/10):

there's always that one metal record every year-end publication crows as epic.

6. Sabrina Carpenter SHORT N’ SWEET (METACRITIC SCORE 8.2/10):

guess it's a case of her being in the right place at the right time because the music is bland at best.

7. Kim Gordon THE COLLECTIVE (METACRITIC SCORE 8.4/10):

the cool rocker aunt image aside, it's hard to sift through the total opaqueness of this record.

8. Jessica Pratt HERE IN THE PITCH (METACRITIC SCORE 8.9/10):

a breezy but uninteresting run.