Quick Reviews - Spring 2018 Part 1

By: The Busted Amp Staff

Lucy Dacus - Historian

Derek: Lucy's coffee shop approved vocals mix well with just about any mellow singer-songwriter pop out there. But she's not about to put herself in that box. The roaring second half of album opener "Night Shift" shows exactly what kind of growth she's made in the last few years. Noisy, visceral guitar tones add an extra punch to songs that need it. But don't let that fool you, the songwriting stands on its own. Themes of death, break ups, and heartbreak create the backdrop for lush instrumentation (additional horns, strings, and even a spoken word section at one point). Generally, the longer songs on the album are given adequate time to be flushed out to sonic perfection, especially when they slowly build to an emotional peak. The payout is tremendous.

Top Tracks: Night Shift, Yours & Mine, Timefighter

7.5/10

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Suuns - Felt

Derek: The more I listened to this album, the more I loved the powerful, percussive instrumentation on songs like "Watch Me, Watch You" but disliked songs where Ben Shemie's vocals were more of the centerpoint. Then I got my vinyl copy and listened to the album through my headphones and it all made sense. If I thought of Shemie's altered vocals and the songs as a whole in the style of Thom Yorke from Radiohead, it all made sense. "Make It Real" really shines with that mindset, and I appreciate the layers of effects, synths, and drums that create a wall of sound. What Suuns does best in these songs is juxtaposed on a few of the stripped back songs, which I felt were the weak points of the album. But nonetheless this is a solid product overall.

Top Tracks: Watch You, Watch Me, Make It Real, Daydream

6.5/10

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David Byrne - American Utopia

Joseph: I went into David Byrne's first solo LP in almost 15 years with a giddy level of anticipation that doesn't happen to me very often. After the first song, I was heartbroken. The opening track of American Utopia, "I Dance Like This," features some instrumentation and mixing in the refrain that I absolutely despised. Fortunately, it's easily the weakest track of the album, as Byrne turns it around on "Gasoline and Dirty Sheets" and crafts a wonderful, enjoyable, groovy, dance-worthy LP for the remaining 9 tracks. The fantastic album is highlighted by the penultimate track "Everybody's Coming to My House," which I can't wait to listen to live. I just wish American Utopia had started with the second track.
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Top Tracks: Every Day is a Miracle, It's Not Dark Up Here, Everybody's Coming to My House

8/10

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Jimi Hendrix - Both Sides of the Sky

Joseph: ​The final in a trilogy of posthumous archival recordings for the late, great Jimi Hendrix is here in the form of Both Sides of the Sky. While it's great to hear more music from one of the greatest guitarists to ever touch the instrument, you should only go into this expecting so much. Most of this music was recorded in jam sessions and was not necessarily meant to be made into a full-blown LP. These recordings are for the fans. Fortunately, I'm one of them, so I can comfortably listen to the riffs of Jimi Hendrix all day and am glad we have more of them in our lives. However, if you're not a fan already, there isn't anything here that will change your mind.

Top Tracks: Mannish Boy, Things I Used to Do

5/10

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Albert Hammond, Jr. - Francis Trouble

Joseph: The guitarist for The Strokes goes solo once more for his fourth LP, and it lands with a thud. I went into this album completely blind. I am not familiar with Hammond's work outside of The Strokes, but I must say I'm not impressed. The analogy I made to Derek was that this LP is generic early 2010's indie music that you'd find playing at a festival, walk over to, check out and enjoy for the rest of the 45 minute set, then forget about 2 minutes later. It's fine music for those of us that like indie rock, but there's nothing here to keep you groped in. If you're a fan of the genre listen to it, enjoy it, then forget about it as soon as it's done.

Also, the last track sounds like an Arctic Monkeys wannabe, and it bothers me that I enjoy it for that sole reason. I need more Alex Turner in my life.

Top Tracks: DvsL, Harder, Harder, Harder

3.5/10

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