Month: October 2022

Anyone who knows me well can tell you that the naughties-British-rock-band The Libertines is by far the most personally significant band I have discovered this year. The Libertines are obviously not a new band nor are they a niche one, but as a young girl in the digital era, sometimes the most exciting new music to listen to is music that is in no way new. And so, although their debut album is older than me, and the members have aged into gray hair, The Libertines are my biggest musical discovery of 2022.

And so here I am, “revisiting” an album about a year older than me. The first time I probably “visited” this album was in June or July, but months of the same album on repeat can change the way you see it. And I have to say, I think that this album has only grown in value for me since my first listen over the summer, and for society since its 2002 release.

In an era where half of modern music is an amateur-musician-trying-to-make-another-pop-punk-song-for-TikTok, bands like the Libertines, which used to be seen by some as unqualified and lazy, can be seen in a new light. Current bands and soloists self-censor and appropriate rebellion, youth, and angst in order to walk the line between edgy and something you can still hear in a Target commercial. Nothing about their music is truly unkempt, spontaneous, or lazy. And while I agree that sloppiness and laziness are not always desirable in music, there is a certain art to it that we can appreciate now more than ever.

Up The Bracket is grimy and standoffish, songs like The Boy Looked at Johnny and Horror Show don’t only discuss drugs and sex, but also use twangy and unstudied guitar riffs to create an atmosphere of party and rebellion. Angst and vulgarity are key to The Libertines’ sound, but the magic of the Libertines is that their music is not caught up in trying to prove its disobedience, it comes naturally amongst social commentary and protest.

In Time For Heroes, rambling guitars are paired with lines like “Did you see the stylish kids in the riot?” and themes like contempt for the mixing of British and American cultures. Death On the Stairs purposely tries to feel as much like a poem as a song and references British-Romantic poetry, all while making dirty jokes and illuding to Pete Doherty’s drug habits. The magic of a Libertines’ song is its mix of authentic lawlessness in sound and theme and its academic references and influences.

And so, although it’s been twenty years, I’d argue that Up The Bracket is more important now than ever. Popular music today is manufactured down to every “spontaneous” detail, and so music that is proud of its impromptu and artistic nature is something people in this day and age. Up The Bracket and The Libertines are just that. Artistically disheveled, poetically dirty, and passionately revolutionary, Up The Bracket was an accomplishment in 2002, and in 2022 it is a masterpiece.

Sorry I couldn’t help the shameless Declan Mckenna debut album “What Do You Think About The Car?” joke. This review has nothing to do with Declan Mckenna (but keep an eye out for my review of his concert later this week), this review is about Arctic Monkeys new album, named you guessed it, The Car.

My history with the Arctic Monkeys is a brief one, I like them. I like at least one song off of pretty much every album. But I don’t think I have ever actually listened to more than AM all the way through. I don’t really know why, I like them! I plan to change this hopefully this week because I want to rank all their albums for a blog post, but I should probably listen to the albums before I try to critique or praise them.

Nonetheless, I was excited for this album to come out! Between the 1975 release last week (which I also hope to review this week) and this album, I am all for the 2014 British rock resurgence. I am very over California bedroom pop. I decided to wait and listen to the album be played song by song with commentary by Alex Turner and Matt Helders on RadioX. But I kind of regret that, because I think the breaks between the songs somewhat ruined the flow of the album for me.

So I relistened a bit the other day, and then for real this morning (the album came out Friday, today is Monday). And I have to say, I love it. At first, it wasn’t really my thing, but turns out the album sounds a lot better on a cold and rainy day than on a depressingly hot and sunny one. I imagine the album really was made for a more sophisticated atmosphere than a 90-degree day in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma.

The atmosphere of the album is perfectly clear within the first minute of the first track, There’d Better Be A Mirrorball. Released as a single in August, There’d Better Be A Mirrorball was instantly decisive among fans, surprised by the Arctic Monkey’s new sound. But after some time, you can’t ignore the charm of this song. It’s smooth, classy, grown-up, yet unique. It’s a perfect opener to the band’s sound for this album.

The other standouts on this album are Body Paint (another single), Big Ideas, and my personal favorite, Sculptures of Anything Goes. Driven by a drum machine, the song mixes the classy, soulful, jazzy, sound of this album with a darker, more ominous tone. And the result is a masterpiece filled with tension and danger, but in a classy James Bond way. More people should mix drum machines and orchestras because I love it.

There is at least one song I feel falls a little short though, and that is I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am. The song is just a little too minimal in instrumentation, yet rhythmically complicated. It’s mostly personal taste, but I find the phrasing and flow (or lack thereof) to be awkward. The song is trying to be suave and groovy, but for me, it achieves the opposite effect.

Overall though, the album is a huge success for Arctic Monkeys. We have been blessed with many well-known bands’ new albums lately and The Car is one of them. Arctic Monkeys has become another band that was able to not get stuck in an old sound and instead evolve and it is great! Only one song is not to my taste, and that is a hard feat. And with the undeniable warmth this album gives off, I’m sure The Car will be on repeat all of my fall and winter.

I’ll begin this post by saying that I wanted to review the new Yeah Yeah Yeah’s album. I wanted to talk about Bjork’s Fossora. But point-blank? It’s all a bit much and I haven’t had the time or energy and now I feel like it isn’t timely.

Either way, in my little reviews and ambitions for more of those reviews I’ve noticed a pattern. All the new music I that think is interesting enough to talk about is by bands that are in no way new. In fact, for most of these artists, you could argue they are past their prime. And yet, the interesting, innovative, and invigorating music that is coming out right now all comes from veterans.

Suede’s Autofiction was a masterpiece and their best album since 1996’s Coming Up. Death Cab For Cutie’s Asphalt Meadows was somewhat mediocre for them, but still was a breath of fresh (not pop punk) air. The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s created a powerful almost meditative electronic rock album. When you look at Spotify’s “All New Indie” playlist, half of the tracks are by bands like Broken Bells, Arctic Monkeys, and Alvvays.

What does this resurgence and rebirth of well-known bands mean? I’m not sure. I can say that many of these bands are releasing their COVID albums, all made in isolation, touched up for a year, and coming out in late 2022. Finding themselves reinspired and motivated after a two-year battle for health and prosperity and security it makes sense that many artists may be called back to their roots.

Recently, SPIN Magazine has been doing these interesting little articles where they ask famous musicians for five albums they cannot live without. I have found this super interesting and would like to make this post about my own music tastes…and then maybe make more posts where I ask people I know. It is just an interesting premise and a fun little thing to write about. So here’s a brief run-through of my own, Terryn musical canon.

Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We- The Cranberries

An album that truly encapsulates the feeling of being a teenage girl. Dolores O’Riordan had one of the most unique and breathtaking voices ever and this album showcases it perfectly. Whispy yet angry, sensitive yet strong, this album has and will continue to define my girlhood.

The Declan Mckenna Discography

I’ve been a massive Declan Mckenna fan since his first full album, What Do You Think About the Car? The first album comforted me and my middle school angst for years until I began to diverge a bit from it as I entered older-high-school age. But his sophomore album that came out in MY junior year is another perfect album from him. The magic of Declan Mckenna is that he manages to grow musically as I grow literally.

Death Cab For Cutie’s Discography

If Declan Mckenna has grown with me, the magic of Death Cab For Cutie is that I’ve been able to discover their discography more and more AS I’ve grown. My parents were massive Death Cab fans when I was young, meaning I’ve been listening to them for pretty much my whole life. Death Cab is a band I explore more and more of their music as I age, and find myself finding a new appreciation for specific songs and albums all the time. I love the band so much, I got the Open Door EP album cover tattooed on my arm.

The Velvet Underground’s The Velvet Underground

This album, and the band as a whole, are a classic for a reason. While many people point to the Beatles for their innovativeness and influence, I think The Velvet Underground was far more innovative and furthermore influential to important bands today. This album is a masterpiece in so many ways, and although I love The Velvet Underground and Nico, I think this album is in many ways equal or superior. Anyone who has overlooked this album needs to go back and give it a listen. It is a treat.

That’s all I’m going to highlight now, but there are many more songs and albums and groups I could point to as well. Here’s a playlist with some of my favs.