On the Stereo, 8-30-24
The Cactus Blossoms liven up their retro-pop, Randall Poster captures Rockin' Dopsie, Ty Segall drums up a concept album, plus the Softies, Elvis, Fontaines DC.
Here is a lot—but not all—of what I've been listening to in the past week, along with a list of other new albums that I hope to get to someday soon.
My current goal remains to publish these record reviews every Friday or so but I'll move it to a paid tier in September—probably for the week of 9-20.
The Cactus Blossoms—Every Time I Think About You (2024) (Walkie Talkie)
Every Time I Think About You offers something different from the Cactus Blossoms, the Minneapolis duo who have been steeped in the sound of pre-Beatles rock & roll and pop since their debut You're Dreaming in 2016. Jack Torrey and Page Burkum remain devotees of harmonies and melody but this time around, their soft touch has been given sturdy support from their touring band, musicians that help give even the sweetest of tunes a defined backbeat. The difference is evident as soon as "Something's Got A Hold On Me" kicks off the record: it's a snappy, stylish rocker with echoes of NRBQ and other New Wave-friendly rock revivalists. The Cactus Blossoms return to this bright beat a few other times on this record—"Keep Walkin'" bops to an almost bluesy strut—and also settle into a surprisingly elastic groove on "Be What I Wanna," which is just enough to give the album a breezy momentum.
Rockin' Dopsie Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters—More Fun with Rockin' Dopsie Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters (2024) (ATO)
Rockin' Dopsie Jr. has kept the family business alive since his father died in 1993, inheriting his dad's band the Zydeco Twisters and carrying on without missing a beat. Recordings came but not frequently and certainly not prominently: he made music destined to be heard on blues specialty imprints. More Fun With Rockin' Dopsie Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters changes things considerably thanks entirely to Randall Poster, the famed music supervisor who fell in love with Rockin' Dopsie Jr. as he was curating the soundtrack to Doug Liman's remake of Roadhouse. Working alongside his producing partner Stewart Lerman, Poster simply captures Rockin' Dopsie and the Zydeco Twisters at full flight: there's no frills, nothing fancy, just joyous New Orleans music.
Ty Segall—Love Rudiments (2024) (Drag City)
"Rudiments" is a clever tip-off that this Ty Segall album—his second of 2024—consists of recordings made with nothing but percussion instruments. The "Love" portion of the title carries signifying weight, too. This concept album "charts the waxing and waning of a love affair," a delicate task for the drum. Love Rudiments does manage to have a narrative thrust, something achieved as much through overdubbed chimes, cymbals, electronic drums, and woodblocks as much as bedrock rhythms. It's an album of textures and emotions, one that's as sweet, evocative, and fleeting as a momentary crush.
The Softies—The Bed I Made (2024) (Father/Daughter)
After a nearly quarter-century absence, the minimalist indie duo returns with an album that feels as if Rose Melberg and Jen Sbragia didn't spend years in hibernation. The Bed I Made revives the same sense of intimacy that distinguished the Softies in the 1990s yet the group feels warmer and older, benefitting from the life lived in the years they spent apart.
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds—Wild God (2024) (Play It Again Sam)
Surprisingly gorgeous and life-affirming.
Fontaines D.C.—Romance (2024) (XL)
Enlisting producer James Ford, a regular collaborator with Arctic Monkeys, gives Fontaines DC a gleaming edge. Boasting bigger beats and hooks, they sound happy to no longer be scrapping in the gutters, even if they're still working out what it means to be international swingers.
Elvis Presley—Memphis (2024; 1954-1976) (RCA/SONY)
The concept is so simple it's a wonder it hasn't been done before: round up all recordings Elvis Presley made in his hometown of Memphis. The execution leaves something to be desired. The idea is to present mixes that are "pure and without overdubs," a notion that doesn't much change the spartan Sun sessions or The Homecoming Concert but absolutely guts the music cut at American Sound Studio and Stax, because those were records designed with big productions in mind: "Suspicious Minds" and "Kentucky Rain" don't sound earthy without strings and backing vocals, they sound incomplete. It's a bewildering decision that makes this one of the worst Elvis archival albums in recent memory.
Thanks to Phil Freeman for tipping me to this release: he turned up the vitriol in his recent newsletter about the collection.
Unheard but On My Radar:
Laurie Anderson—Amelia (Nonesuch)
Tab Benoit—I Hear Thunder (Whiskey Bayou Records)
Shemekia Copeland—Blame It On Eve (Alligator)
Los Bitchos—Talkie Talkie (City Slang)
Jana Mila—Chameleon (New West)
Amy Rigby—Hang In There With Me (Tapete)
Steep Canyon Rangers—Live at Greenfield Lake
Steve Wynn—Make it Right (Fire)
Yannis & The Yaw—Lagos Paris London