on the pulse - 2023 - #5 - fall out boy, luke combs, boygenius, kamelot, the new pornographers, korine, pony bradshaw, richard batchelor
Richard Batchelor - Always Lifted - Back to the indie electronic scene with this, where Batchelor pivots slightly away from the new age I covered from him with Sanctuary to something with more low-key electroacoustic groove, with very sparse, textured hip-hop percussion and even some scratching while still keeping that relaxed, nested melodic interplay. And while the mix is more balanced with that foundation, I wish the percussion was a bit more interesting to match the hazier, dreamlike tunes that I wish stuck more deeply - and while we’re here, this album’s yearning chirpiness in the keys, flutes, and strings reminds me a lot of early Owl City, where I might not find it cloying, but I know some will absolutely find this too sweet or lacking in organic texture. Granted, it’s more economical with its time, good for small-scale background listening… but not much more.
Pony Bradshaw - North Georgia Rounder - Hey, at least I’m not as late as I was last time? Or maybe I am - this indie country album falls in odd territory as two compiled EPs released last year with a few songs packaged in, and after the excellent Calico Jim I wanted to dig in… and yeah, this is more slept-on greatness, with brighter, robust arrangements with more electric guitar and fiddle to build rollick and sizzle with rich texture for his settled, Appalachian storytelling. And this time there’s more struggles of making a living on the road and messy relationships therein, but also plenty of rawness to those failed by American ‘democracy’ and capitalism and cling to religion, moonshine and every little comfort they can muster, and y’all shouldn’t judge them for it. On structure alone it feels like more meandering snapshots - I think Calico Jim is a bit more robust in its character - but this is still excellent, check it out.
Korine - Tear - Okay, Philadelphia retro post-punk/synthpop duo with their third album that’s been getting real attention in the modern goth scene - similar territory as Drab Majesty, Choir Boy, True Body, a lot of glossy analog synths, gated drums, reverbed guitars, and all the New Order worship. There have been steady improvements in refining the synth tones and grooves over their first two albums, and this is probably their brightest, sharpest, and most danceable album to date, especially with the more prominent guitars. The sequencing can feel a bit jerky, the melodramatic lyrics about passionate escape and imploding relationships with poor communication can get adolescent and drippy - their petty emo side definitely slips in between the lines, especially in the vocals - and it’s VERY beholden to those influences… but also really damn solid for it? If you like this throwback vibe, you’ll like this, great stuff!
The New Pornographers - Continue As A Guest - Look, these days with AC Newman’s power pop / indie rock supergroup, the albums will be solid, but with only a few absolute standouts to capture the magic of their ridiculous run in the 2000s, when Dan Bejar and Neko Case’s contributions felt more palpable. And with the winding liquid flutter of the compositions, runny vocal mixing and weedy acoustics, I wish Newman brought in another producer to restore some polish - I know it’s their ‘pandemic’ record, but messy home production can distract from their melodic core, this time augmented with pretty sweet saxophone and pedal steel. Granted, while the social media commentary feels ham-fisted, exploring some isolated, exhausted dreams of disconnection and escape as leftists amidst late capitalism can capture real pathos, so… again, by now you know what you’re getting - not disappointed, not blown away either.
Kamelot - The Awakening - …it sure is another Kamelot album? Look, it’s been five years, I really wanted to love this, but while there’s more live percussion as the band tries to pivot for a more symphonic sound, the tinny, slapdash synth mixing is inexcusable - ‘One More Flag In The Ground’ is utterly ruined by it - Tommy Karevik’s vocals or any bassline aren’t placed to be as potent as they should, and there’s less focus on mix dynamics where adding more compressed orchestral swell doesn’t accentuate their melodic strengths. And when there’s no underlying narrative, even if lyrics matter less in power metal, this feels very anonymous in its sloganeering. Yes, the shredding and solos are welcome and there’s some tunes I like, but this far into their run, Kamelot is becoming the worst thing for any power or symphonic metal act: formulaic. You’ve heard this before, nowhere close to their best, skip it.
Boygenius - the record - I don’t want to be reductive towards a supergroup of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus on this critically acclaimed project… but every listen leaves me with ‘this is case/lang/veirs for Gen Z’. Now I love case/lang/veirs, but the record has similar pronounced frustrations: cuts more owned by individual voices than the trio, the production has some rough edges, and a desire for greater immediacy. And as I think Lucy Dacus is head-and-shoulders above her peers across the board, her having the fewest leads is a total misstep - she rips guts out whenever she leads. That said, this is still a good album: Julien Baker keeps trying to lean into some rock muscle, the vocal harmonies are striking, and you get enough glimpses into the communal yearnings of loss and love that really click. It’s not a game-changer to me, but on broader supergroup standards, absolutely worth hearing.
Luke Combs - Gettin’ Old - At this point Luke Combs albums are remarkably easy to review - he’s got the formula of mainstream, neotraditional-leaning country with some rock crunch, potent heartfelt moments and light, lowkey flair… but I’ll be damned on the sister album to Growin’ Up we actually hear genuine progress. On production this is easily Combs’ most organic and well-balanced to date - his producers discovered how to mic a bassline - and with more rollicking mandolins and mature, self-aware diversions from songwriting formula, primarily with a focus on sustaining family connections, this easily contains some of his best songs, including a cover of ‘Fast Car’ that’s way better than it has any right to be. It’s a bit too long and comfortable to make the biggest swings - definitely leans conservative - but I’m confident calling this his best album to date - very good stuff, it’s worth a shot!
Fall Out Boy - So Much (For) Stardust - This is what Fall Out Boy say they would have made after Folie a Deux in an alternate timeline, and with more theatricality and arranged instrumentation, I can hear it… but in writing and performance this album feels more post-MANIA in the worst way possible. An older band out of ideas, strung out on their own metatext, craving the live thrill but unable to the escape nihilistic emptiness at its core, and begrudgingly turning to nostalgia as the last option; it is punishingly bleak. This would be where the music might save it… if the synths and trend-chasing didn’t sound so flimsy and the theatricality wasn’t cribbed from Josh Ramsay’s leftovers, with shaky, b-tier melodic hooks. And when I thought a few optimistic moments could restore hope, they sample Ethan Hawke’s monologue from Reality Bites unironically. I’ll have more on this later, but for now… MASSIVE disappointment.