New Music Report – August 21, 2020
This week was actually quite an interesting week for new music. Most of these releases are pretty far out of my usual wheelhouse but I genuinely enjoyed all of them, so you really can’t go wrong anywhere. One of these was a HUGE standout for me and will probably be in rotation for a long time to come. So, check em out and let me know what you think.
Be Well – I absolutely adore this record. It’s very simple at its core, it’s just a classic, nostalgic take on emotional hardcore and 90s post hardcore that largely stemmed from the DC area back in the day, made by some of the musicians that have helped make this area – and the hardcore scene in general – so special over the years. And while the member list is incredibly impressive – featuring members of Darkest Hour, Bane, Battery, Fairweather, with Brian McTernan on vocals, who I guarantee has produced some of your favorite albums – this band is SO much more than the sum of its parts. This isn’t your typical supergroup putting together an album in their downtime. There is just something about this album that feels so earnest and familiar that it evokes strong emotions instantly. But this is brand new; the music is new, the band is new, they all have primary projects and focuses, but this feels so right, so comforting. It feels like all the best and most honest hardcore albums that I grew up with; it feels like home, and that’s about the highest praise I can give an album.
The Killers – I know it’s hard to look past the early-00s indie hype these guys garnered for their debut efforts, but there’s really a ton of depth to this band and I think it’s absolutely fascinating. I kind of wrote them off after that album as being more a novelty than anything else, but somehow happened back across them after they released Battle Born back in 2013 and I was absolutely blown away. They’ve been plugging away with this truly excellent style of reembodied 80’s pop rock reminiscent of Billy Joel, somehow walking the line between epic stadium rock, and top-down, summer cruising music. And the result is just so, so good. I know this is a big departure from the stuff I usually write about, but I’ve honestly really loved this new sound The Killers have been honing this past decade, and this album is quite possibly the best interpretation of that sound yet.
Blaqk Audio – If you told me back in 2007 that I’d still be writing about this AFI side project in 2020 I’d say you were crazy. This might actually be the craziest part about this album. The said, the sound and vibe of this project has slowly come closer and closer in line with what we expect from AFI, and I know Davey and Jade are really into this darkwave sound, so I guess it really isn’t all that out there. So on to the actual music itself, well, it’s actually pretty good. I always knew that I only listened to this project because it’s Davey and Jade from AFI; it’s been cool, and you can tell it’s something they enjoy, but it’s never really been my thing, and never quite scratched that AFI itch as well as I’d hoped it would. This album is about the same, but the production quality is continuing to increase, and you can tell that Davey’s vocal hooks feel VERY at home in this environment. So, in that regard, it’s a very fun album to listen to.
Bright Eyes – Back in high school, I couldn’t fall asleep without music, so I had a little stereo in my room with a three CD changer. And for nearly my entire high school career, I fell asleep to the same three albums, and one of those was I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning by Bright Eyes. As a result, this band played a fairly subdued yet incredibly important role in my formative years, as they did with countless other musicians and fans as the band cemented themselves as indie legends, universally regarded as one of the most important artists in recent memory. Fast forward a number of years, and I became reacquainted with Connor Oberst through his various collaborations with Phoebe Bridgers. And now, it feels as though things have come full circle with the first new Bright Eyes album in 9 years. It feels like a real life Bright Eyes album, which is a great thing to feel after nine years without one. It’s deeply personal, dark, and generally depressing, while being bumped along by the upbeat, hopping grooves that are sprinkled throughout these dark and despondent records. It’s good to have them back.