Momofuku utilizes Lewis and members of her Acid Tongue band as well as the expected Imposters lineup of keyboardist Steve Nieve, bassist/backing vocalist Davey Faragher, and drummer Pete Thomas, who gets to pound skins on one track with his daughter Tennessee of indie band The Like. There's a looseness here that hasn't been present on a Costello record in well over a decade; at the same time, these are each focused gems of pop songs, delivered with righteous bile. "American Gangster Time" is Elvis' own personal "up yours, Bush" tune.
Exit Strategy of the Soul, Ron Sexsmith (July 8)
If I had to pick an "album of the year," this one might be it — at least, if number of plays were the sole factor involved, this record got more spins than any other on my list. It's a little hard for me to explain why — Ron Sexsmith is an artist I've always known was great, but I've never had a chance to connect substantially with his music, and in fact, I had a friend who practically forced me at gunpoint to listen to his first record years ago, and I couldn't get behind it.
Exit Strategy finds Sexsmith exploring matters of spirituality and relationships; the record opens and closes with gentle, transcendant instrumentals driven by Sexsmith's piano. He makes a big deal in the press notes about how his piano playing is hardly ready for prime-time, but it's exactly that hesitant, soulful feeling that drives all the songs on this record. These songs are tender but fierce, sure of purpose but uncertain as to the ultimate truths that guide this world we live in.
Like so many great albums, it's a search for meaning set to music, and it's an aural journey I've enjoyed taking time and again in 2008 (and already a few times in 2009 too).
Partie Traumatic, Black Kids (July 22)
Pure pop for now people, as Nick Lowe used to say. Emphasis on the "now people" part — this album sketches the landscape of young drunken nights circa the early aughts, via the fits and starts of eighties' pop-goth new wave. The songwriting is nasty and clever, with lines like "You're on your honeymoon/and you're sending me notes, You hope to see me soon/you've got 'see' wrapped in quotes" that stick in your brain and inspire fits of dark giggles. The sweet twist in the final moments of "Love Me Already" elevates what could have been a disposable song of love betrayed into a deceptively smart lyrical tale.
Article comments
1 - Josh Hathaway
Nice job, Matt. I never really got hooked on the Lewis record despite efforts in that direction. It's solid but I just couldn't bring myself to love it. The R.E.M. disc, on the other hand, was excellent. The new stuff really came to life in concert.