Quick Reviews - Spring 2017 Part 6

By: The Busted Amp Staff

Dan Auerbach - Waiting on a Song

Derek: The Black Keys frontman releases his first solo album since 2009's Keep It Hid. Since then, The Black Keys exploded in popularity, he got remarried, had a successful side project The Arcs, and relocated to Nashville, TN. That old school Nashville vibe is the main influence on Waiting on a Song, and you can hear the cool, breezy attitude on nearly every track. This is an old school pop album, influenced heavily by the late 60's and early 70's and featuring guest musicians from the era like John Prine, Duane Eddy, and Mark Knopfler. For those expecting a riff-heavy blues album like Auerbach put out a decade ago, you'll be disappointed. I, however, enjoyed this easy-listening summer album.

Top Tracks: Waiting on a Song, Livin' in Sin

6.5/10

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Slowdive - Slowdive

Derek: The shoegaze pioneers return with their first album in nearly a decade. While still a melodic powerhouse, sending wave after wave of resonance on each track, the magic isn't quite there like it used to be. There are flashbacks of greatness, like lead single "Star Roving", which might be one of my favorite songs so far this year, but when followed by snoozefests like "Sugar for the Pill", the album quickly loses its effect. Overall, an admirable effort that is missing too many key elements to be memorable.

Top Tracks: Star Roving

4.5/10

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Phoenix - Ti Amo

Derek: For a band that headlined Coachella in 2013, Phoenix has been one of the biggest musical letdowns in the last half decade. Their previous album, 2013's Bankrupt! barely registered on the radar, and Ti Amo isn't much better. Filled with the worst hooks and synth lines that I've heard from the band to date, vocalist Thomas Mars sleepwalks through most of the album's 10 tracks. The Italian inspiration does nothing to help and many times I felt like I was listening to a bad perfume commercial with some exotic name. If exotic is what the band was going for, I think I'm fine right where I am.

Top Tracks: J-Boy

2/10

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James McAlister, Bryce Dessner, Sufjan Stevens, & Nico Muhly - Planetarium

Derek: Having seen this material debuted at MusicNOW Festival a few years back, Planetarium is the culmination of years of waiting for an officially recorded release. Each track features a different object in our solar system. While some tracks are more fleshed out than others, the arrangements are beautiful and Sufjan Stevens' familiar vocals bring some of the more abstract pieces back down to Earth (pun intended). If one work of neo-classical indie rock could encapsulate the wonder and majesty of the Solar System, this group of artists would be the ones to do so. I think they've done a pretty (inter) stellar job.

Top Tracks: Mercury, Jupiter

7/10

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alt-J - RELAXER

Derek: Three albums into their careers, alt-J still can't decide what kind of band they want to be, and at this point, the band's lack of stylistic identity is more a flaw than a fun quirk. How can they have "In Cold Blood", which is more classically alt-J (whatever that means at this point), but then follow it up with a mediocre cover of "House of the Rising Sun" and then the pile of noisy garbage that is "Hit Me Like That Snare". What the actual fuck is that song? The rest of the album is a bore and the nasally vocals from Joe Newman only exacerbate my frustrations . Hard pass on this album.

Top Tracks:  In Cold Blood, 3WW

3/10

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Lorde - Melodrama

Joseph: One of the most anticipated albums of the year, pop icon Lorde is back with her sophomore record in Melodrama. While there are several fantastic hits on the album, including "Green Light" which is undoubtedly the biggest hit of the summer, I think this album doesn't quite reach the same level as its predecessor, Pure Heroine, does. But there's more than enough here for me to think that the magic of her debut album was no fluke. There's a LOT of good tracks on this record, and Lorde is proving herself to be worth every bit of the hype that surrounds her today. Also, "Liability" is one of my favorite tracks of the year so far. Such a gut-wrenching song.

Top Tracks: Liability, Green Light, Sober

7/10

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Royal Blood - How Did We Get So Dark?

Joseph: Holy crap this album is a banger. Undoubtedly by favorite album of the year so far, Royal Blood follows up their hit self-titled debut album with an even better record here. You don't see that too often. This album is  so well-executed and features awesome guitar hooks, great drum lines, and fantastic vocals from frontman Mike Kerr. The album loses a bit of intensity in the middle of the album, but "Don't Tell" starts the comeback that is capped off by the fantastic single, "Hook, Line, and Sinker." ​How Did We Get So Dark? proves that the band deserves its place as one of the top rock acts to see right now, and will be seeing spins from me for months to come.

Top Tracks: Lights Out; Hook, Line, & Sinker; Don't Tell

​8.5/10