The second part of this month’s Capsule Review will be more centred around singer-songwriters from all kinds of genre. Expect there to be a good number of lyrical or thematic analyses that might be real fun at least from my perspective. On the other hand, there will still be a handful of other shorter reviews written on the likes of jazz or hip hop. After that, I will try and write up a piece that is pretty important if it’s largely due to the LGBTQ+ relevance that is the importance of Jordaan Mason…
Beth Gibbons – Lives Outgrown (16 May 2024)
The star vocalist behind one of the seminal trip hop bands in Portishead have opted to dive into progressive folk on her long-awaited debut album. Rather than reverbs and low-tempo pacing, she sought to incorporate spiritual renewal, soothing strings, and hymn-like harmonies. Much of the album’s main inspiration stems from what she saw as “a farewell to family, friends and even to who [she] was before” according to her Instagram post when she announces it. The left-turn of the genre stylistic is a wholesome welcome in the sense that her vocal potency hasn’t changed at all even in her late fifties; the ethereality that accompanies her singing adds a bittersweet fixture to the textures of the whole project. What it might not have in grandiosity, its production allows the record to lead you on with the same climatic revelation that she managed to experience. It is a pleasant, holistic take on finding the kinds of hope we have with whatever time that still remains. 4/5
Kamasi Washington – Fearless Movement (3 May 2024)
One of the most exciting jazz musicians of today for his West Coast modernisation, Kamasi Washington’s Fearless Movement is a testament to his composition and ambition. Having been a familiar name since the Gerald Wilson Orchestra’s In My Time back in 2005, he has made a name for himself through his works with Kendrick Lamar and St. Vincent. His saxophone skill lends credibility towards his grand attempt to make what one would consider his magnum opus as its fluctuating notes run incongruent to the percussion. Additionally, guest artists like André 3K or Thundercat turn towards their instrument of choice like a flute or a bass guitar to add more layers to form a new improvised form of expression. Its runtime of over 80 minutes is vast and it could come off as daunting to many listeners who might find the experimentations to be bloated. Yet, if you manage to persevere, this might be a gem to keep to yourself. 3.9/5
Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well (15 March 2024)
A country pop darling since 2013, Texan singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves has made waves thanks to her emotive songwriting even if it’s not quite like Taylor Swift. With that being said, she is gradually climbing up the ladder with 2018’s Golden Hour having helped to cement her reputation as a mainstream mainstay. Deeper Well seeks to carry on from that road with soft rock influences, yet the way that it has been produced and sung feels neutered and sterilised. The lyrics pertain to the feeling of being alien in a different area which feels similar to Waxahatchee. Yet, much of the content fails to otherwise persuade me that it has something that is worthwhile even with its subtly progressive views. With little to go for wit or structure, the album simply blends with the others and to be frank, such a matter is bad for someone with Musgraves’s talent to put it kindly. 1.8/5
Chief Keef – Almighty So 2 (10 May 2024)
Chief Keef has been in the rap game since 2012 when Finally Rich came out as a commercial hit of a studio debut. His pioneering use of trap instrumentation to portray crimes in the South of the United States made him the most important artist behind the drill subgenre. In Almighty So 2, the hi-hats continue to fizzle as much of the content relates to philandering, gun-slinging, and money-making. Philanthropy is not the intent he’s aiming for so much as it is his hedonism which makes much of the album one big episode of egotistic exercising that is all too familiar to hear of. 1.5/5
Black Dresses – Laughingfish (20 May 2024)
The Toronto duo might call it quits on touring and live performances at the very least, but Laughingfish shows that they are not at all stepping away from their love for abrasive creativity. With disruptive percussion and hardcore dissonance, the album does not let off steam when it comes to electronic production with its considerable noise feedback and industrial harshness. If you come to this record with all the hopes that it is pleasing to your ears, now is the good time to turn away because Black Dresses have no shits to give about your preferences aside from their own. This is not an insult to the two, it is actually a compliment for their desire to stick to their integrity and limits even if it means relegating this to a side project at best. With catchy lyrics that abstractly allude to the feelings of isolation as being trans and quieter deep cuts that show all kinds of emotional vulnerability, this feels like a good time capsule to the age where trans representation is stymied by political and social meddling over false or misleading allegations. No wonder why the LGBTQ+ community rallies behind some of the most out-there music you could imagine. It’s what gives them their own safe zone from the online trolls’ gentrification. 4.3/5
Willi Carlisle – Critterland (26 January 2024)
Willi Carlisle is a country musician from Arkansas who, in spite of having been into music since he was a child, had only broken through to recognition with Critterland. With a more progressive slant in the songwriting department, the instrumentation is expressive in the variants for each sound. There exists the dulcimer, different kinds of guitars with their own tone, and some instances of strings that keep the record rooted in its acoustic background without coming off as extravagant. Among one of the most notable aspects behind the album however is that it is also progressive in its lyricism. Topics like queer love, economic recessions, and anti-capitalism are among the twists that no one would expect out of a project like this and it’s very refreshing with how conscious Carlisle is with his focus. Combine that with clear-cut vocals from production and Critterland stands on its own two feet as one of this year’s certified gems. 4.7/5
Rain Recording – Terms in Idle (12 April 2024)
Now this is one of the certified hidden gems! The Swedish-American band just so happens to be avid fans of the angst and the introspection. So much so that between the band name itself, the simplistic album cover, and the album’s name itself, Terms in Idle feels like a statement on co-dependency. Or, is depression getting in the way from the pursuit for that one happy episode? It is one that is backed by the lo-fi vocals that shyly sing of self-loathing and their pleading to their partner to get away from their destructive tendencies. The instrumentation is a paradox with its piano giving way towards Arcade Fire’s melodrama. Meanwhile, the guitars feel reminiscent of the punkier side of Midwest emo like Cap’n Jazz and it’s this kind of rough-edgeness that helps to add more to the album’s perpetual state of anxiety. I don’t know if the kids are all right, but I’m sure that they would love this one for sure. 4.3/5
Patricia Taxxon – Bicycle (1 January 2024)
For the uninitiated, Patricia Taxxon is an electronic music artist from California whose prolific discography earns a lot of attention among the furry community. Her IDM inspirations tend to lead onto ambient records which is noted in Bicycle. The ways that the notes rattle or transition throughout the album strikes the right balance to both sound captivating without distracting the listener from other tasks. While it might otherwise not have some of the most boundary-pushing beats, it does at least do its job well enough by hanging out in the background. 2.9/5
Jessica Pratt – Here in the Pitch (3 May 2024)
As one of California’s noted singer-songwriters, Jessica Pratt’s latest output is inspired by her interest in the 1960s with its retro-aged reverbs and the “hippie era” that surrounds the counterculture movement. Through the echoey feelings of dream pop and the otherworldly backing of bossa nova, Pratt sings of nostalgia and time in the ways that we either revere the past or envy the eternity of a certain memory that we treasure. It is through this theme which allows the production to shine bright with how much it mimics the Brill Building impressions of Dusty Springfield. However, the instrumentation feels as if they meander a lot, too ingrained in the past to try and make itself wholly new. In its look into older materials for inspiration, the record plunges itself into an ouroboros of dullness for its lack of twists made for itself. 3/5
Rosali – Bite Down (22 March 2024)
Rosali is an American artist from North Carolina whose latecomer debut with 2016’s Out of Love sets them off on a path towards a mellow kind of folk rock. Bite Down feels like a textbook example of not judging a book by its cover as its seemingly creepy vibe is subdued by the low-key focus that draws your attention to the guitar riff and soothing singing. Mix that up with the minimal production and all ears are turned towards the lyrics which ruminate on the kinds of connection we have whether it be with nature, our loved ones, or even with ourselves. It might not be much to write home about, but the album definitely has its own tone that is worth the respect. 3.5/5
samlrc – A Lonely Sinner (8 March 2024)
samlrc is a Brazilian artist who has been producing music via Bandcamp, YouTube, and other outlets since 2019. Their post-rock focus does not fixate too much on unconventional song structures or bombastic crescendos so much as it does on small verses that touch on a certain concept. This is at its most notable in A Lonely Sinner which touches on the sheep’s aspiration on becoming the wolf before accepting themself for who they are. Through the cuts to roaring metal riffs and folksy interludes, the diversity that could be found in the songwriting shows much to be enjoyed. The issue I find is that while its premise does feel cute, it feels like it can stand on its own without the sung segments with how muted the vocals are. Think for example Godspeed You! Black Emperor with how their song structures tend to tell a vague form of narrative based purely on the timing of their crescendos, their samples, or the ways that their instrument would be played. samlrc shows that they have the talent, but there are bits about their songwriting that could be polished up on for dramatic effect. 3.3/5
Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties – In Lieu of Flowers (12 April 2024)
Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties is none other than Dan Campbell’s solo project. Yup, that same guy who is the frontman of one of pop punk’s all-time greats in the Wonder Years. Much of the sentiments, bitterness, and resentment that makes the band well-loved carries itself to In Lieu of Flowers which documents Aaron West’s pursuit to fix himself. Yes, if you have never heard of the project before, Campbell’s whole gimmick with this is to pull off a Bowie-esque persona to build his mythos around. And the best part about it is that it works like magic! The heartland impressions through its mixture of country ticks and anthemic refrains, the acoustic strumming that puts you down on the road, the anguish that you can sense from Campbell’s singing, the plot is begging to write itself. Many would not think of music as art in itself and thought of its content as being bare-bones compared to other mediums. Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties might not have in itself a clear high-class standard of its musicianship, but the craft in this album is worth digging through to put together the puzzle to uncover the project’s full narrative. 4.1/5
GutterPutter 
Leave a comment