on the pulse - 2022 - #15 - luke combs, lupe fiasco, saor, muna, left at london, duke deuce, poets of the fall, falls of rauros
Falls Of Rauros - Key To A Vanishing Future - This has been in my backlog for a while, ever since seeing this American black metal band live in 2019 and reviewing a pretty great album from that year. Now three years on, it shows them doubling down on the bassy, prog side they were exploring, but now it’s more pronounced, with tremolo shredding and solos split by death metal roars, their most complex groove passages, even sharper drumwork and acoustic texture, and some impressively rich and filthy basslines that help the transitions flow more effectively. And the writing is really solid, the sort of wordy but effective attack on ossified strictures of religion and a fleeting culture built on abuse where in the face of worldwide calamity, a deeper empathy and sense of care will need to salvaged, even if the journey to get there will be bleak indeed. Definitely their most dense work… but it might be close to their best.
Poets of the Fall - Ghostlight - I know some are surprised I didn’t cover this much earlier when it dropped, given how much of a fan I am of this band… but it’s the sort of album that doesn’t leave me a lot to say, returning to the creative DNA of Temple Of Thought in the gleaming guitarlines and expanded solos, but also the glistening keys, overused falsetto, arranged strings, programmed elements, and gloss of their poppier projects. It’s a terrific formula and the quality is here… but it’s one we’ve heard better before. And if we’re going to content… well, if Clearview was having a path and Ultraviolet was unveiling the impulses beneath it, Ghostlight is the conflagration of both, easily their most meta and reflective album to date trying to capture the glorious but fleeting magic of their moment of performance. And still heartfelt enough to get past some of the clumsier moments… yeah, it’s another win to me.
Duke Deuce - CRUNKSTAR - …look, I unironically like a lot of crunk, so even if what Duke Deuce brings is more Memphis trap, I’m not against this going for crunk summer party bangers. Now ‘retro throwback’ is the only justification for slapdash mixing with compressed vocal and percussion leads yanked straight from 2005 - like the messy mixtapes of that era it can feel too long, melodically simplistic, and a little one-dimensional, except for a few trap cuts that are pretty well-realized. I'm less sure on Duke Deuce - he’s loud and versatile even if there's more Lil Uzi Vert in his adlibs and melodies than I'd prefer - but when content is thin, like in the mid-2000s you need momentum and killer guest features. Sometimes it’s Juicy J or Rico Nasty… sometimes it's trap MCs like Lil Yachty who can't match intensity. But for crunk balancing past and present, it's fun and likely better than you'll expect, give it a shot!
Left At London - Transgender Street Legend Vol. 3 - and I thought she was going through it hard last time… can't blame her: following her breakout last year and finishing the EP trilogy, this is Nat finally landing on a sound and consistent production style that mostly works, a bluesy, fuzzed out swagger that’s more early 2000s indie rock, with live drums and boom-bap hip-hop percussion balancing stronger bass grooves. Still very rough around the edges and some of the squeakier tones don't click, but it fits the barroom stomp of the content, with self-destructive commiseration and punching back with more wry humour, while matching the yearning for family and connection despite it all, questioning whether those flawed parts of her legend will be able to find salvation too. It feels a bit abortive in its conclusion… but it's the most I've liked one of Nat’s projects since Vol. 1- damn good stuff.
Saor - Origins - You know, as much as I love Saor, I was worried the band’s formula was running dry… and not really loving the change-up here leaves me conflicted. It'd be easy to say the male clean vocals are the problem - they aren't great, not quite matching Saor’s best grandeur, instead accentuating just how ridiculous some of the backwards-looking writing can be - but the problem feels compositional. Shorter pieces, weaker transitions, more diverse between brighter thrash guitars and the strings and bagpipes, but they’re not as connected to a central melodic motif. What's frustrating is that there's at least one legit fantastic instrumental moment per song, and thematically its pagan roots are directly in opposition to those who appropriate them to distort history… but it never coalesces as strongly. Frequently excellent… just never quite transcendent.
MUNA - MUNA - I was late to this queer synthpop trio in 2019, so I was curious to see where they were going after jumping off RCA to the indie scene… and what we got is their most colourful, hook-driven and self-possessed project to date, set amidst jagged 90s pop throwbacks where amidst touches of strings and sax the guitars spark against blocky percussion and it’s still a bit more focused on compressed texture than striking melodies outside the vocal harmonies. But like Saves The World the production is an extension of theme, post-breakup where they’re on a sharper, emotionally balanced path and are riding a lot of decisive momentum that can throw new partners, emotionally self-aware of their angst and to question what they may have left behind, but taking a more joyful lead in their own narrative. I dunno folks, this might be great.
Lupe Fiasco - Drill Music In Zion - a few qualifiers: this album isn’t explicitly about actual drill or Zionist philosophy, instead built from Lupe’s failed challenge to himself to record an album in 24 hours, which later became 72 hours. And what we get is a purposely low stakes slice of deconstructive jazz rap taking aim at a rapper’s agency in hip-hop, commercial art, and a capitalist society that enables it, which leads to a few legit terrific songs like ‘MS. MURAL’, ‘‘NAOMI’, and ‘ON FAUX NEM’, not new territory for Lupe Fiasco but refined just enough to showcase tremendously clever rapping. Shame that the abbreviated recording leaves many songs lacking stronger hooks, fully focused ideas, or just feeling a bit incomplete, hip-hop’s jaded ronin proving all he should need is one cut, but he could deliver more. Great little album, but temper your expectations.
Luke Combs - Growing Up - …you know, for that album title you’d expect evolution or change, but just look at the title of Luke Combs’ last album and you won’t be surprised by this. Same brash, bellowing vocals, same bright country rock guitars with enough neotraditional pedal steel or saloon piano to call back to the past but with no good basslines, same reflective lyrics reasserting Luke Combs’ commitment to his roots with a few love songs and jokey cuts we’ve all heard before. It’s fine enough and has some great moments - ‘Doin This’ as the opener, ‘Outrunnin’ Your Memory’ is a duet with Miranda Lambert that could match her album this year, the final two songs are strong, and being shorter it doesn’t wear out its welcome - but Combs is clearly content and secure in his working formula. With his potential and industry clout, I’d like to see actual growth.