Two releases that I've been looking forward to are both out this week! Mini reviews since I'm on vacation.
Who: Nick Lowe
Title: Indoor Safari
Released: September 13, 2024
Pre-released songs are becoming a reoccurring theme. Four of the 12 on this release were made available on streaming services over the last several months and an additional five were available on the 2020 release, "Wakabout". "Walkabout" was a hodge podge of single releases from Japan, Australia and New Zealand plus some unreleased material. I believe the crossover songs have been rerecorded for this release but really not much different. Sooo, that's 9 of the 12 I've heard in some form or another! Some of the others seem familiar as well...maybe they were released as singles in the future and time travel is a reality.
Regardless, it's a top-notch release. Nick is once again backed by Los Straitjackets as he has been for most (not all) of the last 15 years. In case you don't know, Los Straitjackets are a surf band probably best known for wearing Mexican wrestling masks on stage. Their sound totally fits Nick Lowe's passion for free flowing, melodic rock.
The release is instantly timeless in sound and style. What this release is not; it's not Nick with Rockpile or his early releases with Dave Edmunds. It's also not the crooning that Nick was doing in the mid '90's and into the '00's. If those two examples are a full swing of the pendulum, this release is smack dab in the middle. Everything Nick has done the last 50 years has prepared you for this.
I can think of no artist that has aged as gracefully as Nick Lowe. I don't mean that as a knock at artists who keep pushing the envelope like Sparks or Todd Rundgren. Nick is living in a comfort zone and I am I too.
Well Done!
Who: Bad Moves
Title: Wearing Out The Refrain
Released: September 13, 2024
I first became aware of Bad Moves with their second release in 2020, "Untenable". The song "Local Radio" was one of my year end favorites. I often complain about pre-released songs being available on Spotify or other streaming services. Sometimes I need to acknowledge that this strategy along with some AI is actually working in my favor.
Because of my liking the 2020 song "Bad Moves", I received Spotify notices (New Release Radar) over the last nine months when four of the new tracks were made available. I totally love three of the tracks which certainly benefitted by repeated listens and not competing against other tracks on the same album. No way that two tracks by the same band would be fighting it out to be #1 on my year end top ten if both were heard at the same time. The songs, "New Year's Reprieve" and "Hallelujah" are totally great and worthy of mention.
Their style is under the umbrella of punky/pop but this is different than the dozens of bands sounding a bit retro. They are at least worth a listen so give them a chance.
Well Done!
Hallelujah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2qccLi5F_o
New Year's Reprieve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgqhOC7c7CE