bedsitter23

FFS – FFS (Domino)- A beneficial pairing between Franz Ferdinand and Sparks. FF has put out four albums now though I am in a slim minority who seems to enjoy all of them. Sparks seems to be making clever music though largely unnoticed. The pairing probably brings more attention than either albums one. It’s probably closer to Sparks than FF, though it seems to build off the strengths of both. Not for everyone, of course, but if you think a collaboration called "Collaborations Don't Work" is clever, then this is for you. Or the band name (I just got it). The big thing is that usually with a vanity project like this there is one good song and that's it. This is a lot more consistent than one would expect.

King Khan & the BBQ Show- Bad News Boys (In the Red) - This is my first interaction with King Khan, though I am aware from the name from the 90s Garage revival (and I am told his other projects are better than this). Although I suspect all of his albums are the same, I love this first redcord I have heard. He certainly owes to 50s rock and bands like The Cramps via hardcore punk and even comic punk and shock punk. The thing that makes this band so good is that they bring in so much of the 50s sensibility- drawing from doo wop, blues, country as much as rock. So whereas Killing the Wolfman starts out as Cramps/Legacy of Brutality punk, it evolves into the Dead Kennedys "Chemical Warfare", and that's just one example. One of my favorite records of the year.

The Libertines- Anthems for Doomed Youth (Virgin/EMI)- Rock is a young (usually man)'s game and if you are a certain age and mentality you can caught up in the excitement of youth and the ambition to be Verlaine (both Tom and Paul). Which generally means you adore or despise groups like The Clash, The Smiths, U2, Manic Street Preachers and others that overflow with ambition. Although the Libertines evolved after my youth, I was totally hooked on their two albums which grew from that tradition, heavily steeped in the Clash, Smiths, the Jam, Kinks and Beatles. This is album three and while it is certainly third in terms of quality, is a well placed addition to the discography. Of course, less shocking that the band is back together a decade later is the fact that Doherty is still alive. The truth is the two are much more potent together than apart. I think the first BabyShambles album is excellent (though I know that is not a generally held opinion) but Doherty could never quite match that again, with two followups and an official solo album that fall into the "for fans only" category. Barat's career has produced even less in terms of breaching the ordinary. Yet, with first single "Gunga Din' it's clear, that while Doherty may be the Strummer or the Lennon, Barat is a fantastic front man. Indeed, the songs that follow the general formula- that one and "Heart of the Matter" are as good as anything the band has done and as good as music as you will find in 2015. Doherty has also always had a great ear for bedroom ballads. His acoustic recordings circa 05 which were widely circulated on the internet usually under the title "Shaking and Withdrawn Megamix" were mazing. The slower songs here like "You're My Waterloo" and "Dead for Love" come close to hitting the mark, but don't quite, falling as a "Dog Man Star" reject.

Lydia Lunch & Cypress Grove/Spiritual Front - Twin Horses (Rustblade)- Love her or hate her (and many people do hate her), you have to hand it to Ms. Lunch. She started as a pioneer in the New York No wave scene in which all noise bands owe a debt to. In the 80s and 90s, she was involved in spoken word, small press publishing , graphic novels and indie film and always ahead of the curve before those movements took off. She got on my radar again with a highly acclaimed collaboration with a guy with nom de guitar Cypress Grove. Grove is a disciple and late collaborator with the Gun Club's Jeffrey Lee Pierce. Grove is largely responsible for the excellent JLP Sessions Project album which drew Nick Cave, Thurston Moore, Mark Lanegan, Debbie Harry and Iggy Pop to just name a few. I think Grove is a fantastic and unique guitarist and certainly fits with Lunch. I was interested in this album as Lunch covers "Hotel California" . With the Crowley-ian lyrics, I thought this would be perfect. Unfortunately, the song is such as it is so entrenched in memory, that try as she can, it just doesn't quite work. That said, the rest of the Lunch and Grove compositions do work. The real star of this split LP may be Italian neofolk band Spiritual Front though. Outside of a few lyrics that others may scoff at, which probably has more to do with the genre conventions as it does as English as Second Language, it's perfect dark music and vocals. Their choice of cover is WASP's "Love Machine", which sounds like a great lost Sisters of Mercy single.

Rhett Miller - The Traveler (ATO/Maximum Sunshine) - You know I am a big fan of Miller's band The Old 97s, and while one would think that Miller's solo career would not be that much different (or necessary for that part), it really is. That band falls much the same layout as the first Wilco album- equal parts 50s Country a la Johnny, Buck and Waylon and 60s pop a la Beatles and Alex Chilton, with nods to forefathers like the Replacements and the Mekons. On his solo records, Miller has tended to focus more on the pop and less on the jangle. The Traveler is something even a little different. I suppose the same tent (Americana) it is much more intimate and in the vein of Ryan Adams (and maybe Jason Isbell)'s work than anything else. One reason may be that miller is backed by Black Prarie (a band which shares a few members with The Decemberists) as well as Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey. While I won't rate this as high as his Old 97s work (or for that matter, his last couple of solo albums) I hate to see this overlooked.

New Order - Music Complete (Mute)- Uncut compared Hook and Sumner to Waters and Gilmour and that is hard to argue for these next decade icons. After the pinnacle of commercial success of "Republic", the band has clearly moved into its Division Bell years. Still, fans were easily pacified by the return of Gillian Gilbert into the fold (and the band has been augmented with Sumner regulars like Phil Cunningham and Tom Chapman). It is of course a return to a dancy sound a la Technique. Here is where the disclaimers come in. I am a much bigger fan of the more guitar based sound which is why I prefer Waiting for the Sirens Call (even Get Ready maybe as well) than that record or this one. (Technique-era New Order was the band I was born into). I also need to say I have loved everything Sumner has ever done, and so when I say I don't "like" this album, I mean I don't like it in comparison than other New Order records. I love it. I certainly understand why critics have embraced it, and am a bit shocked to see it on Year end best of's from places that would normally not recognize anything from the genre. It's a great dance record. There just isn't anything here (in my opinion) that you would include in an essential NO track listing. There's no "Fine Time" or "Round and Round" But it is a great listen and a great end to end (with the exception of the Iggy Pop spoken word, which I would have dumped) and superfans Elly from LeRoux and Brandon Flowers from the Killers are good additions to their tracks. Like family, I can criticize this album, but I love it and I won't let you speak ill of it.