on the pulse - 2023 - #14 - olivia rodrigo, zach bryan, jeff rosenstock, tyler childers, ashnikko, slowdive, open mike eagle, turnpike troubadours

Turnpike Troubadours - A Cat In The Rain - So let’s swing around and talk about the other massive event in country that occurred alongside the release of Zach Bryan’s self-titled album, and credit to him for shouting it out that same day: the newest return for the Turnpike Troubadours! And it was one that seemed surprisingly contentious, beyond the relief that Evan Felker managed to pull the band together for anything after six years: the presence of Shooter Jennings on production, who has a bit of a reputation for doing his own thing with a mix in comparison with the band normally keeping things in a tighter circle. And to Turnpike purists, there are changes here that will feel sacrilegious: the mix is cleaner than ever, Kyle Nix’s fiddle is lower in the mix compared with the guitars and pedal steel and even accordion, the vocals are cranked louder especially the more robust backing harmonies, and following A Long Way From Your Heart the tempos are even more midtempo, so if you’re looking for something in their old run of scrappy barnburners, I can’t promise this’ll deliver. And as much as I’m a sucker for harmonies, with Jennings’ production it’s hard not to think there’s some subtle warmth and melodic flair that’s been lost in the shuffle, especially when some tones sound like they’re slightly clipping in the mix - or on the flipside, as the second half of the project begins to run together, maybe this album could have afforded a little more of Jennings’ weirdness or at least to ratchet up the tempo a little! Now normally this would be where I’d point to the writing, because given the messy drama tied to both Evan Felker’s divorce and reconciliation, and within the band they have more than enough material to work with, and indeed that arc seems to play out, albeit keeping the details abstracted for the benefit of everyone involved, where the most potency comes in the protagonist weathering that pressure and growth to reunite after the misadventures, backsliding, and painful journey of healing along the way. At the same time, while I appreciated the storytelling on ‘Brought Me’, ‘Lucille’, and the hunting metaphors of ‘The Rut’ - easy additions to top tier Turnpike Troubadours in my book, infectious and gripping in their details - I feel like this album glances around its emotional core, a few years removed from the intensity of its drama and unwilling to let more rough edges show through, especially as I’d argue the covers on the back half could do more to deepen the atmosphere or thematic arc than just a restatement; I’d have liked to hear more complexity or layers. Now I do appreciate the minor miracle that we got a new Turnpike Troubadours album at all, and I don’t think it’s as much of a misfire as some have said, but I’d also struggle to say it reaches the tier of their best, even with the adage that Turnpike albums only get better with repeated listens. I’m confident in calling this very good, I know it’s going to grow on me with more listens… I think it’s just a question how much.

Open Mike Eagle - another triumph of ghetto engineering - This is the sort of project that I really wish I liked more than I did - I’ve been a big Open Mike Eagle fan for nearly the past decade, and while component system with the auto reverse took a while to really click for me and I would not put it among his best, I still think it’s a great album and among the best of 2022. This project seems to be continuing on themes from that last album, not just in mistakes or missed opportunities, but also the nostalgia associated with the underground scene that can feel increasingly fragmented, where you can tell a lot of this is built off of barely scraping by which maybe doesn’t feel as successful anymore, but there’s community worth cherishing; it shouldn’t work, but it mostly does - if you know, you know. But at the same time, that intent gets mired across an album where the execution doesn’t do it a lot of favours - it feels weirdly short with ‘dave said these are the liner notes’ being a credit sequence / throwback shoutout track to a song that does much of the same on ‘we should have made otherground a thing’, on an album that runs about twenty-five minutes, there’s very little in the way of tighter melody or groove or hooks across production that feels shambling and stitched together, well-produced in that lane but often not as punchy or sticky as it could be, Open Mike Eagle himself cedes a lot of time to his guest stars and when he does take center stage, there’s a wry fatalism that I don’t think has as much of his wit or thoughtful emotionality; it’s frequently clever and descriptive, but I kept hoping it would build to more… which might as well be the intentional underlying theme of this entire album. But it also feels insular or like an ouroboros, where I think the rappers getting shouted out will appreciate this a lot more than an audience trying to peer into this world - which given the dare layered behind ‘a new rap festival called falling loud’ also feels intentional in exposing the challenging human reality of this underground rap scene - but it can feel like a limited lane for Open Mike Eagle… and I think he knows it too given how the album ends on ‘mad enough to throw a pyramid at you’. I think between this and component system with the auto reverse there were some deeply buried demons that Open Mike Eagle had to strangle, and if this deceptively rough project is enough to help him get there, I can respect that… I just wish I liked it a lot more. Definitely a listen worth having… but temper your expectations.

Slowdive - everything is alive - At this point, Slowdive have nothing left to prove: their early run have cemented classics, the 2017 comeback was well-received even if I didn’t love it as much as I wanted - although getting more into shoegaze and ambient music since my review of that self-titled album has led me to find more to like in both Souvlaki and Pygmalion - and I’ll admit more curiosity than even I expected for this new project, reportedly drawn from sessions that leaned more on minimalist techno that got fleshed out over the years. So I really wanted to give this a proper chance to sit with me… and it’s an odd one, a project that feels thematically consistent in its longing and newfound, darker reflections on relationships and old memories that seem to be slipping away, but more sonically fragmented than ever, dabbling deeper into the spare electronics of Pygmalion but also dipping towards more regimented krautrock and even throwback synthpop on a cut like ‘kisses’ that actually wound up working shockingly well for me! It leads to an album that’s probably Slowdive’s most uneven to day, and while the gentle, pulsating echoes lead to potent moments like the gorgeous glassy echoes of ‘prayer remembered’ or the arpeggiated melody of ‘chained to a cloud’ or the heavier smolder of ‘shanty’ and ‘the slab’, there are also misfire moments where the groove feels more slapdash. Some of this is a continuing issue in the mixing, where Neil Halstead remains the solitary producer but he also pulled in Shawn Everett for remixing duties, and especially the blockier, oddly clipped drum mixes on ‘andalucia plays’ and ‘skin in the game’ have a messiness that doesn’t feel conducive to the larger sound. Moreover, especially in comparison to other Slowdive albums it absolutely feels like the most composed across fractured ideas over years - which can work for its unsettled melancholia, but the flow can feel a bit haphazard and you can’t quite escape the feeling that while there’s experimentation for Slowdive, it’s not really pushing forward beyond flitting across the shadows of other influences. And hey, for moody and rainy days and dreary drives, I won’t deny this Slowdive album worked for me better than I expected, I think it’s quite good, but I’m not sure how strongly it’s sticking outside of a few moments; probably best for open-minded fans rather than new listeners, and even then, I don’t think there are guarantees here.

Ashnikko - WEEDKILLER - I was harsher than I initially remembered on Ashnikko’s debut project back in early 2021, and for me it’s wound up as one of those albums that I have fond memories of enjoying in spite of my issues… and then I go back and listen to it and all of those issues come rushing back. Anyway, considering DEMIDEVIL was reportedly just a mixtape, here’s her full-length album two and a half years later - it also got pushed back a few times, which didn’t feel like a good sign - and… okay, I’ll call this a swerve and one that after a lot of listens I think somewhat works, but I also don’t think it flatters Ashnikko’s strengths as a performer, so I get why some would consider this a misstep or letdown. For one, it’s considerably darker and less kooky than DEMIDEVIL, leaning away from pop sounds for something close to the blown-out, bass-heavy trap metal sound you’d hear from someone like Ghostemane, with a smattering of modern nu metal. But it also doesn’t fully tilt into that abrasive darkness, with a few old callbacks to 2000s pop, but also the choppy, glassy minimalism reminds me most of 2019 Billie Eilish… except with nothing close to the command of atmosphere in the mixing with a lot of the percussion sounding brittle and underpowered and the mix lacking depth, or strong melodic hooks outside of the vocal line when the tunes don’t feel like gauzy demos that need a little more texture or flair or muscle, or Ashnikko’s heavily synthesized and compressed delivery where her bratty side can’t really sell her lyrics, especially when she’s trying to press towards screams or growls. And that’s a shame because I think the writing has taken a step up, be in the over-the-top edginess of her post-apocalyptic and subversive feminist metaphors or the queer love and sex songs which feel pretty well-realized; it’s an interesting juxtaposition and one that works probably better than it should - adolescent framing and strikingly vivid imagery that explains a lack of subtlety, but without that barrier for ‘good taste’ it goes to more feral and explicit places where the emotionality feels more raw and visceral. And that’s frustrating because I wish the execution let me buy more into it - it feels like the pop moments are concessions and when you combine that with the release delays and a sound that doesn’t always feel as forward-thinking as it should, this screams ‘label interference’… but at the same time, if this album had gotten even more twisted and warped in its sound, I’m not sure it would have gone far enough to overcome hooks that just don’t have as much melodic punch. I’d call it more compromised than an outright misstep, if you dig there’s a decent amount to like and appreciate - and the Ethel Cain collab ‘Dying Starr’ that finishes the album feels inspired - but I can’t promise you’ll enjoy the journey getting there, and I wish I liked it more.

Tyler Childers - Rustin’ In The Rain - I’m starting to get really frustrated with how Tyler Childers’ music just bounces around me, where you’d expect he’d be a natural favourite of mine but continues to hit odd angles. I was late to Purgatory, a great album that has aged remarkably well, but Country Squire’s oddly scattered traditionalism never quite landed fully, and I was all set to cover the ambitious Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven… only to discover that it was three separate rerecordings of the same set of tracks with some truly wonky production, many of which were not original songs! It’s left me really damn frustrated with Childers and had me wishing that if he just drilled into a focused cut of tight, no-bullshit country, he’d have something special in the vein of Purgatory again. And… look, this is probably the closest to it he’s been in a while, but we’re still talking about a project that runs seven songs with two admittedly well-done covers, it almost feels like a glorified EP! And make no mistake, if you’re a fan of his brand of warm, well-balanced, old-fashioned traditionalism with just enough gentle modern updates to feel a half-step from contemporary as Childers’ ragged voice peals alongside his backing band the Food Stamps and even a guest like Margo Price, there’s a lot to like with the jaunty wheedling guitarwork, pedal steel, accordion, and saloon piano that form familiar but solid hooks, even if I think the grooves are a little underpowered and those synths are still an odd choice on ‘In Your Love’, even if I’ve come around to that song - that and ‘Phone Calls And Emails’ are probably my two favourites on the project. And I do like that Childers can still be pretty damn funny, like on the entreaties of the title track, the goofy ‘Percheron Mules’, and the truly ridiculous ‘Luke 2:8-10’, which balances the sincere, lovestruck longing pretty effectively. But that being said, I feel like I’m still being teased by all of the promise Childers once showed of which we only get glimpses on this project, and compared to the swathe of ridiculously strong country music in 2023, this feels like a promising sampler that never fully gets going. I’ll say what I did when I reviewed Country Squire - if you have more of an ear for traditional country tones and more old-fashioned rollicking production, you will like this a lot, and I do… but I also think you may be left wanting for more just out of reach.

Jeff Rosenstock - HELLMODE - You know, part of me is tempted to wade into the conversations about DIY musicianship and the modern online punk community and especially Jeff Rosenstock the past week or two online - it’s been petty and stupid, you don’t want to know - but I’m also well-established in my thoughts on this and have been since I became a fan of Chumbawamba: if a label is going to be stupid enough to throw money at you as an anti-capitalist, and you use it to sharpen your craft and delivery, and you can maintain your ideals and integrity… well, power doesn’t corrupt, it reveals - take it and run. That’s the reason I didn’t blink when hearing about Jeff Rosenstock getting a higher quality studio session through Polyvinyl, and why I’m very happy to report that back with veteran producer Jack Shirley - who is really on a hot streak after Home Is Where’s the whaler - it became less an embrace of excess, and more a refinement of Rosenstock’s whip-sharp pop songwriting for his best album since WORRY. Similar to how PUP embraced cleaner textures and poppier structures while never fully removing themselves from rougher roots, especially in the knotted, sinuous basslines, the mixes embrace more synths, horns, and especially some jagged acoustic guitars that feel closer than ever to folk punk, with some tones reminding me of early Weezer in their power pop lean, with the polish now helping more of his melodies pop in comparison with the frustratingly blown out NO DREAM with even a few gentler ballads; it’s still a sonic throwback to a lot of 90s punk, but a more refined, explosive version of it. And the refinement also has - mostly - returned to the lyrics and themes, where the introspective focus is still here, but it’s less doomer-pilled and while hope might be hard to come by, this is an album really trying to find it while being honest with where Rosenstock is now in life with a little more success and comfort… found under a capitalistic structure that only seems to be getting worse for so many people. And one thing I really like about this album is how well Rosenstock explores the mental anguish - the doubt, the despair, the burnout of not seeing systemic change, the creeping numbness and feeling of culpability, and the hard realities that he’s not wrong about what he’s seeing and that there are some who won’t deserve forgiveness for what they’ve done. It can absolutely feel like a bleak listen, but this time around Rosenstock feels more desperately convinced of the reality that he has to be in this for the long haul, and so should you, which is a message I found way more resonant and likable. So as a whole… no, it’s not an evolution or reinvention, but when the message is just as relevant as it was a few decades ago if not moreso, the same language can work just fine, and it really helps that the album is great along the way, check it out!

Zach Bryan - Zach Bryan - It’s fair to say that the commercial explosion of Zach Bryan is nothing short of a phenomenon - I get it, especially live, thanks to the flood of music he’s already got more than enough material to fill one hell of a set, but this sort of crossover backed by Warner with his sound can feel unprecedented… if you haven’t been covering him for about three years now like me - or hell, even if you have! And you can tell that they’re intending this self-titled album to feel like more of a mass introduction than either of the projects he released last year - much shorter than American Heartbreak, more name guest stars than Summertime Blues, with Bryan himself taking over production, I’m not even surprised that it’s primed to deliver an album bomb to the Hot 100, an event album in a year that hasn’t nearly had as many of them. And… as someone who isn’t the biggest Zach Bryan fan, this album frustrates me a lot as it feels like an amplification of all of his best and worst tendencies, and that’s why the fans will utterly adore it. Yes, the production is wildly inconsistent from track to track in terms of mixing, mastering, even fidelity of recording, and with the interjection of more instrumental elements like pedal steel, harmonica, fiddle, and even synths and a trumpet, it creates a more varied sound but not always well-blended or executed… but for most of these tracks I get why he did it: ‘Smaller Acts’ deliberately sounds lo-fi, the gauzy synths make sense on ‘Fear & Fridays’, the trumpet is a very obvious allusion to the military stories that criss-cross this album, and while the listen as a whole is way less consistent, the brighter spots really pop in contrast. This is also augmented by the guest stars, where Kacey Musgraves sounds incredible on ‘I Remember Everything’ and The War And Treaty really get a chance to shine on ‘Hey Driver’, but while the Sierra Farrell cosign was good on ‘Holy Roller’ and the song is great, it could have incredible if it gave her more to do, and the less said about that dud of a Lumineers collaboration, the better. Now all of this is helped along by Bryan’s writing, where this is an album that feels written and built on tour - the recording and production probably highlights that just as much - not just in the exhaustion of constantly being on the road, but the slow-burning cost that comes with unsettled young men recklessly chasing dreams, and the consequences of it, especially in his hometown, and not just him either, but his brothers from back when he was in the service, who are struggling to come home. That said, there are three larger problems that seem to prevent this album from really hitting where it hurts, the first being Bryan’s performance where the burnout is palpable in his delivery; he doesn’t have the incendiary power of his best material, and it makes me wonder if these songs will translate better live. It also leads to my second point and the lingering thought this feels recorded on the move, as certain moments don’t feel like they have the settled texture to really impact the way they should, glancing at heavier impact rather than landing the blow. Finally, and this is a consistent Zach Bryan issue: the structure of this project is a mess - the momentum is slipshod, the sequencing doesn’t help especially on the back half that gets ballad-heavy, and you’re left thinking a tighter construction would make these moments hit harder - or hell, at least attach some of the dripfed singles like ‘Dawns’ with Maggie Rogers that would only boost this album’s presence and would still fit on a very loose collection of songs! And that’s really the best way to describe it: it feels like a compilation of moments for the live shows or TikTok rather than fitting in an album structure - which to be fair is what the fans want and will argue why this works, but my response is that you can still have this raw aesthetic leveraged into a tighter, more effective structure; hell, Zach Bryan proved it last year with Summertime Blues. That said, I can also say that Bryan’s floor of quality when it comes to delivery and songwriting is so high that even with the mess, the best moments deliver a really damn good album, and for as much as Bryan is working to elevate the rest of the scene, it’s only a net positive that this does well. Maybe not quite great, but strong enough that it doesn’t really matter.

Olivia Rodrigo - GUTS - Thinking back on it, I was remarkably charitable to Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album SOUR - not because it was bad or it doesn’t hold up, I’m still mostly pleased with that review, but I think some of it felt like a microcosm of the moment in summer 2021, a new Gen Z pop star where despite the very obvious influences and shaky production, her being a strong theatrical singer with better writing than expected allowed the teenage melodrama arc to feel well-realized and, more importantly, relatable to the target audience. But I knew GUTS was going to be the bigger test, the followthrough that would highlight growth and maturity in her sound, especially with shakier lead-off singles… and I’ll be damned if she doesn’t - for the most part - get there, as overall I’d call this an improvement over SOUR. Now some of this is just a shift in how the relatability is framed - if SOUR was the high school album, GUTS is the first year or two of college, where Rodrigo has more autonomy and control over messier relationships and that makes the storytelling much more interesting, not just in her response to getting gaslit on ‘logical’ or messy breakups on ‘the grudge’ or frustrated, quasi-homoerotic jealousy on ‘lacy’, but in the moral ambiguity of having more agency and making bad decisions that feels emotionally true like ‘bad idea right’ and ‘get him back!’, especially when juxtaposed with tangible Gen Z self-aware irony on how all of this looks like against the choppy but charmingly bouncy grooves of ‘love is embarrassing’. And if this album stayed in just that thematic scope, I think it might have worked better, but then we get broader cuts that are trying to place Olivia Rodrigo in the context of the ‘all-american girl popstar’ and this album does not have the pretensions to sell that heft; on the one hand, that’s a good thing, as Rodrigo is juxtaposing societal expectations with who she actually is on songs like ‘making the bed’, which only helps her relatability… on the other hand, it means the attempts at grander theatricality can feel increasingly flimsy, where I’d argue ‘vampire’ is actually a poor choice of lead-off single, I don’t find it representative of the album at all! This leads into the execution, because theatrical power was a major weapon in Rodrigo’s arsenal and her choice to go for softer, huskier, more boygenius-inspired vocal textures feels like underselling her… but on the flip side, she’s also pushing much harder towards bratty 90s and early 2000s pop rock which is a much better fit - complete with the old fuzzy vocal filter - and the production is much more robust and convincing this time around, especially with the guitars finally picking up some convincing muscle, the basslines sounding meatier, and the drums having more crashing presence, even if their mixing is blockier than I’d prefer. The sequencing is also a bit wonky - it doesn’t feel nearly as ballad-heavy as SOUR was, but I’m not always sure it manages its momentum well, especially on the first half of the album - but outside of that, GUTS avoids a sophomore slump and shows Rodrigo growing into a more interesting, nuanced, and impactful artist - maybe nothing with the immediate magic of her best singles, but with a few I can see growing close; not quite great yet, but I can hear her getting much closer.