It’s either some sort of miracle or some sort of massive music journalist irresponsibility that’s kept me from listening to Modern Vampires of the City. Truth be told I wanted to download it and listen, but I really would feel guilty without purchasing. Have you listened to it? What did you think? (So I wrote those first few sentences before I went to a record store and just went and bought the damn thing, and let me tell you it could just be the giant margarita I am drinking, but I am totally in love.) The rest of the week’s releases below.
Listen:
Eve is back! Her new album Lip Lock has filled the Eve-shaped void in my heart. Unfortunately this album is pretty lackluster. Eve mostly sounds tired or bored, and her rhymes reflect that. I was really looking forward to more “Blow Ya Mind” level stuff here but nothing comes close. I’ve heard that the quality of an album either ranges from great to meh depending on features. Eve has so many people on this album that she kind of gets lost in the process. It was nice to see her sharing “Keep Me From You” with Dawn Richard, an artist featured on Soundtracked before. The only true album standout is the weird “Mama in the Kitchen” featuring Snoop Dogg. Hopefully next time Eve doesn’t take as long to release a new album and she finds herself in that one.
Sam Amidon’s Bright Sunny South is a bit of a folk enigma. At times it gets too bogged down with its own intricacies and Sam sounds like an even sleepier Nick Drake. A surprise comes later in the album when I perked up hearing the lyrics “I gotta shake you off/’Cause the lovin’ ain’t the same/And you keep on playing games…” when I realized that I was listening to a slowed-down piano cover of Mariah Carey’s “Shake It Off.” This was intriguing, and if I hadn’t know it was cover, I’d think it was awesome and a quirky little interlude. Other songs to check out are “Bright Sunny South” and “My Old Friend.”
Twin sisters Katie (of Waxahatchee) and Allison Crutchfield (of Swearin’, who made my top 50 albums of last year) covered Grimes’ excellent “Oblivion.” The lyrics take an even darker turn as they are much clearer to understand contrasted with their surf-poppy sound. Check it out below.
Watch:
A K U A’s single “Gravity” has been floating around for a while and now there is a mermaid-themed video for it.
An interview with Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee.
I was like, nine blocks away from checking out Kanye’s face by the Bedford L train station but the idea of either ditching a sleeping baby or waking a sleeping baby kept me from going to check it out. Either way, “New Slaves” is here!
I BLAME SOCIETY: Lost Punk Rock Clubs in Los Angeles, a blog dedicated to uncovering all the L.A. clubs of yore. First installment focuses on The Masque.
Random Nostalgia:
MARIAH YOU CRAZY BITCH LOVE YOU FOREVER
