Blue Cadet-3: A Music Blog by Josh R.

  Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool (2016) My copy: 2016 press by XL Recordings. Fan anticipation for A Moon Shaped Pool was ravenous given the five year wait since The King Of Limbs ; which feels small compared to the nine year gap between In Rainbows and A Moon Shaped Pool . In Rainbows was all production with very little actual style (contrary to popular belief), and The King Of Limbs was often overlooked as a lesser release, mounting serious pressure on this new offering. Radiohead’s return to the piano-ballad a-la Kid A and Amnesiac was the right choice, though they do spend a bit too much time moping about near the end. The album includes several older unreleased songs that have finally been given proper album renditions, further exciting major fans. The ringing drum machine of “Burn The Witch” is the first clue that this was written around the same time as Kid A, as layered string arrangements set an anxious pace while dipping in and out of dissonance. The bass begins as g...

  My Bloody Valentine - Lost Tracks And Rare Cuts (2010) My copy: 2015 unofficial limited compilation by Arkain Filloux. This is a bootleg record that collects several rarities from My Bloody Valentine’s prolific tenure in late 80s and early 90s. The selections are nicely varied, ranging from Isn’t Anything era post-punk to strange and obscure takes from assorted single releases. The industrial drum machine of Only Shallow B-side “Sugar” sounds like a construction site processed through reverb, dotted by their signature whammy guitar and gentle swaying vocals.”Cowboy Song” and “Good For You” are both taken their EP compilation and are clearly from their earlier, more rhythmically chaotic style. Drums topple over each measure, desperate to cram in as many fiery fills as possible before the next verse. “Good For You” is especially impressive for mashing alien, mechanical dissonance against an effortlessly bubbly core, as if these two opposite sounds were always meant to coincide....

  The Strokes - Room On Fire (2003) My copy: 2003 press by RCA and BMG. When your band becomes immensely famous before your first LP even releases, it creates an obvious, and heavy pressure to keep the momentum flowing. The expectations felt by the Strokes to follow the revival-inducing Is This It? with something worthwhile must have been grossly intimidating to say the least. Fortunately, bandleader Julian Casablancas understood that owning and doubling down on the band’s fashion-forward, bad-boy style was just what the world needed from alternative rock’s new poster-children.  And yet, the emotional desperation of the lyrics and vocals in “What Ever Happened?” show a different side of Casablancas; one where the pressure builds up in the form of snappy, intertwined tremolo guitar and bursts into moodier melodies than they were typically known for. Though the music is sharper, the demeanor more abrasive and seemingly too-cool-to-care, it succeeds in these moments of nervou...

  Alanis Obomsawin - Bush Lady (1985) My copy: 2018 remastered reissue by Constellation. Before she was an accomplished documentarian, Alanis Obomsawin saw recognition in the 1960s as a singer/songwriter, conveying the struggles and culture of her people (the Abenaki First Nations) through song in Canada. Bush Lady was her only recording, originally captured for a radio session and later reworked by Obomsawin in the late 80’s; it is a subtle, brooding, imaginative and enlightening musical experience that transcends typical structures.  Obomsawin’s vocals and shaman drum are accompanied by a humble quartet of oboe, cello, violin and flute - which appear at the perfect moments and do not detract from the voice. “Odana” is elegant and graceful, giving the quartet its brightest spotlight with dynamic compositions that swing from high to low, touching on dissonance as Obomsawin commands with her powerful voice, only to resolve again on a moment's notice. Obomsawin sings in her ...

  Weed - Running Back (2015) My copy: 2015 press by Lefse Records. Will Anderson spent two years building off of his debut release as Weed, garnering a small following of dedicated shoegaze/power-pop fans who viewed Anderson’s work as a hidden gem. After evolving into a three-piece, Anderson released Running Back: his sophomore full-length that borrows heavily from many classic alternative bands.  The hazy, wobbling intro to “Muscles” is immediately straightened out into crunchy shoegaze jamming with a healthy dose of dissonance, sounding like a more energized version of fellow genre revivalists Nothing. Unfortunately, what little compositional creativity was displayed in the first song is immediately traded away, as the next batch of songs sticks firmly to simple rock formulas. Running Back sort of tours the styling of several more interesting bands, from DIIV in the airy vocal melodies of “Stay In The Summer” to Whirr in the faster paced “Meet Me With Ease.” Their approa...

  King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard - Murder Of The Universe (2017) My copy: 2017 press on vomit splatter vinyl by ATO Records. 2017 was a prolific year for Australia’s King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard, marking the release of four full-lengths in the wake of their meteoric rise to popularity sometime around 2016’s Nonagon Infinity. Following microtonal experiments with the comparatively cliche narrative prog album Murder Of The Universe, the band had found themselves firmly settled into gimmick territory. The idea of each album in a band’s catalog being uniquely thematic isn’t inherently a bad idea, but when said band releases material so often, the charm is destined to wear thin.  Murder Of The Universe isn’t immediately eye-rolling, and its concept is intriguing enough that it warrants a fair shot - though it is apparent as soon as “Altered Beast I” blasts off that not much has changed between Nonagon Infinity and this. The dignified, monotone narration turns further ...

  The Voidz - Virtue (2018) My copy: 2018 press by RCA and Cult Records. Seemingly taking criticisms for their debut to heart, The Voidz returned with a new record in 2018, now seeing Julian Casablancas committed as a full, official member. Where Tyranny was structurally and sonically ambitious to the point of overextension at times, Virtue opts for restraint (capping songs at 3-5 minutes generally); working with more instantly gratifying, conventional melodies. “Leave It In My Dreams” is perhaps the ultimate example of their new focus on light indie-pop, feeling only a degree or two from something Casablancas would pen with The Strokes. Second single “Qyurryus” then pushes back against conventional indie-rock with an uncharacteristically electronic (specifically vaguely dubstep) influence that is pitted against rising middle eastern melodies with auto-tuned falsetto - this new sound feeling bolder and more fit for their now shorter structures. Hard-rocking “Pyramid Of Bones” f...