PINE CONE JUICE

CURRENT ROTATION QUICK TAKES
MARCH 2025

This month has kept me busy with a spread of some excellent - and significantly varied - new releases. In fact, seven of these eight reviews received a Thumbs Up. Check them out if they sound up your alley or if you're looking for some new music to explore. Cheers!

 
Bob Mould / Here We Go Crazy
I can recall, as if it was yesterday, when the songs of Bob Mould - through his groundbreaking punk trio Hüsker Dü - hit my life. Candy Apple Grey was the gateway drug (followed in close succession by moving backwards to discover the monumental Zen Arcade). I was immediately blown away by the two sides of his songwriting coin - the innate ability to channel rage through music like I'd never heard before expertly balanced, back-to-back, with intimate confessionals that felt so honest it almost made you guilty for listening so deeply. My unshakable level of fandom meant that every future release Mould was involved in - even the rare missteps - would receive my full attention. His latest - an economically tight collection (barely breaking half an hour) finds the artist, at sixty-four, still using his music as a therapeutic outlet of sorts. In fact, even for a writer clearly committed to exposing emotions, these songs feel especially transparent and focused. “Your Side” is a love song as targeted as Mould has ever written, but he still channels anger with the best of them (look no further than “Neanderthal” if you need proof). So while not necessarily a career-defining moment, it certainly stands firm as a reminder of a career that has exemplified artistic commitment in the most profound and impactful ways. Standout Tracks: “Here We Go Crazy”, “Breathing Room” & “When Your Heart Is Broken” - Thumbs Up and a Grade of B-. 

Manic Street Preachers / Critical Thinking
MSP is a band I know well - having dedicated to a thorough review of all of their previously released albums - as can be seen in my earlier posted FULL DISCOGRAPHY DEEP DIVE. From their scruffy punk (almost hair metal) early ‘90s beginnings to their glorious launch as serious Brit contenders by the end of the decade they have, over the years, continued to tunnel and fine-tune their sound - documented on fourteen (strong to excellent) albums. Their latest finds them doing (mostly) what they do best. I will admit, I was immediately worried with the opening title track. It felt like an ill-fitting misstep, as if the band was trying on a Muse stance that just didn’t work at all. Equally odd, is that they return to the same sort of styling at the end - leaving the album bookended by the two weakest numbers. Luckily, ten seconds into the second track, the soaring “Decline & Fall” (a track co-written with Squeeze’s Difford & Tilbrook), the expected sound kicks in with a passion. I’ve made the comparison before, but at their best, MSP manages the rare feat of convincingly handling the tools that made Ultravox such a wonder to witness. This isn’t a totally fair comparison, but when it comes to lush production and James Bradford’s ability to match Midge Ure in finding such in-the-pocket phrasing and soaring reaches to the higher end of his vocal range, there is no denying similar feelings of anthemic success. When it all comes together - which is often on this album - it is a beautiful thing to witness. Standout Tracks: “Decline & Fall”, “Brushstrokes of Reunion” & “People Ruin Paintings” - Thumbs Up and a Grade of a solid B.

Doves / Constellations For The Lonely
Another UK trio, Doves debuted almost an entire decade after Manic Street Preachers, but also managed to use an intriguing blend to create a very winning sound. This new album, their first in five years, continues that trend. Though the band writes as a unit, they do divvy up lead-vocal responsibilities and while I usually don’t mind that sort of variety, with the Doves I always end up leaning more to the songs sung by bassist Jimi Goodwin. It isn’t that the band’s sound varies greatly behind the different vocal stylings, but Goodwin lends to a sound more in-step with the moody pulse of contemporaries Elbow and The National - which scores highly with me. On this collection, those songs not sung by Goodwin feel a bit more BritPop ‘90s era-locked. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, but it resulted in a collection that felt, at times, a bit out of balance - and I feel sure I would have given a higher score had the entirety been led by Goodwin. Overall, even if I didn’t get quite as pulled in, there is no denying the gorgeous production work. All the trappings of a classic album are in place - only a few missing pieces keep it from landing higher. Standout Tracks: “Renegade” & “A Drop In The Ocean” - Thumbs Up and a Grade of C+.

The Wombats / Oh! The Ocean
The third UK trio in this gathering doesn’t fare quite as well. Across the run of the band’s previous five albums (beginning in late 2007), I have always thought of them as a singles band - with a few tracks serving targeted playlists better than the overall impact of any of their full albums. That continues to track here. The elements aren’t egregiously off - it’s all relatively tightly packaged alt-pop, but it just doesn’t make much of an impression. Too dialed in and just not all that unique or interesting. Every song ends up feeling interchangeable and by the time I reached the end of the album (despite giving it a few concentrated listens) I’m not left with anything memorable to hang my hat on. Standout Track: “Blood On The Hospital Floor” - Thumbs Down and a Grade of D.

WIZRD / Elements
My love of classic ‘70s prog runs deep. But finding modern bands committed to those stylings that I appreciate is rare. Too often it comes off more focused on musical acrobatics than substance. Instead, I prefer those bands (Muse, The Decemberists, etc.) that use prog elements through a filter that results in a more artistic rendering. I had never heard of WIZRD previously, so I had no preconceived notions, but color me totally surprised when these Norwegians totally caught my ear with their sophomore release. They pull deeply from prime Yes, but there are also elements of ELP, Gabriel-era Genesis, & even some early Kansas in the mix. The key is that they avoid pretentious fireworks and only use their ample skills to serve the tracks. The band also layers in some welcome shifting of gears - allowing the album to feel like a more complete experience. Standout Tracks: “Mesmerized”, “Fylkesvei 33” & “Kaleidoskop” - Thumbs Up and a Grade of B-.

Twin Shadow / Georgie
Twin Shadow (aka George Lewis Jr.) won me over quickly with his 2012 sophomore release, Confess - and then doubled-down that admiration when, backed by a full band, they convincingly blew me away live when I caught them later that year at NC’s iconic Cat’s Cradle. A deep devotion to ‘80s pop (particularly the slick grooves of Prince) were impossible to miss. Over the years, there has been solid growth in both songwriting and arrangement/production skills. On this, his sixth album, Lewis made a bold choice. Gone are the grooves. In fact, there are no beats or percussion to be found on this release at all. Elements of the 80s sound is still in play, but the tighter, stripped down arrangements demand attention and immediately return a more intimate experience. Melancholic takes on loss, the fragility of life, and the navigation of finding one’s place are given the downcast atmospheric musical settings they deserve. Spoiler Alert: This isn’t music for a sunny day when you want a lift. But knowing that misery often loves company, you could do worse than committing to the time, given the right mood, to downshift and lean in. To that point, I’ll offer a critical thought. Though I am enough of a Twin Shadow fan that I completely buy into the intention here, I have to admit that with seven of the eleven tracks clocking at three-minutes or less, there is an element of sketchbook/demo recordings that comes across. Add to that, though I find the tracks as they are beautiful in their simplicity, several seem to scream out for a full-band treatment, and I’ll be curious to see how Lewis decides to present them in a live setting. Standout Tracks: “Funny Games” & “Maybe It’s Time”  - Thumbs Up and a Grade of C+.

Japanese Breakfast / For Melencoly Brunettes (and sad women)
 2021’s breakthrough release by Japanese Breakfast, Jubilee, caught everyone’s attention (including mine) for its colorful wash of joyful alt-pop sheen. The addition of horns, lush synths, & ‘80’s-inspired grooves all helped Michelle Zauner’s songs shine in ways that stood-out compared to the whispered acoustic testimonials of the band’s first two albums. That bold step perfectly sets up the thoughtful construction and clear attention to detail that is their latest release. With the skillful ear of Producer Blake Mills (noted for his work with Fiona Apple & Bob Dylan, among others), the team creates a more intimate, but no less atmospheric musical environment for Zauner’s songs to live comfortably. Subtle touches exist throughout and invite rewarded close listening, but the mature growth of the songs carries the day. Hard not to compare to the latest impressive releases by Faye Webster and Clairo, two artists (both a generation younger than Zauner) who were clearly inspired by Japanese Breakfast's sound in the first place - a well-worn perfect circle. The unexpected (and well-played) duet with actor Jeff “The Dude” Bridges on “Men In Bars” is an added bonus! Standout Tracks: “Mega Circuit” - Easy Thumbs Up and a Grade of an impressive A-.

Sam Fender / People Watching
I came in blind on this album as I hadn’t heard anything from this 30-year-old’s previous two albums. From the word GO, the title track screams Springsteen (through a The Killers filter) in the most pronounced ways. It’s a confident expansive stance that completely works (& is definitely the strongest offering). The remainder of the album leans a bit more toward the modern alt-pop side, but continues to be strong enough to get by. The collection is aided by believing that Fender is earnest enough in his delivery. There is a bit of sound blur that takes over the latter half of the album and the closing track, “Remember My Name”, with its paint-by-number structure & lush arrangement, feels like it would have been better suited as a song offering to Adele, but neither of these derail the proceedings All in all, enough works to prompt me to see what Fender does with a bit more growth and, perhaps, some musical stretching. Standout Tracks: “People Watching” & “Arm’s Length” - Thumbs Up and a Grade of a C+.