Afghan Whigs - Up In It (1990)

In many ways this album (their second) is definitely a release of its time. It’s kinda grungy (Sub Pop release after all). Lyrical content that some may find questionable nowadays. Lots of loud wah guitar, and there’s a certain “bloozy” swagger on some of these tracks that never really stuck around with underground rock much past this era. But the album still sounds good! It’s loud and it’s passionate and it’s inspired and it’s rockin’. Greg Dulli is already in great voice, singing and yelling in fully-possessed mode. And while it’s not nearly as good or polished as their later records (esp. Black Love and Gentlemen), the Whigs for the most part had their basic vision down by this point. It’s some dark, intense and soulful rock’n’roll. The last few songs on this version are actually bonus tracks originally from their first record, very Replacements-influenced but still worth a listen.

https://open.spotify.com/album/5GvWKH4XR0zVqcEsGeTytV?si=kvr5yezTS0W-8lnlPGFU4A

Glintshake (ГШ) - ОЭЩ МАГЗИУ (2016)

Perhaps it was fate. This band and album were brought to my attention via Spotify's recommendation, appearing on my home page recently on the list "More Like Mikael Tariverdiev". While I will argue that this band is musically nothing like the great Soviet film composer, I was also not complain because this has easily been one of the better musical finds I have stumbled upon recently. Glintshake come from Moscow. They apparently started out as a more straightforward indie rock/post-punk band before taking an abrupt turn recently, shortening their name to ГШ and adopting more Russian and avant-garde influences into their sound and approach. As a result, while the music on this album often retains a post-punk character, there is a lot of other stuff going on as well. Reference points are a bit useless since this band really has a unique sound of its own. Do you like music that balances artiness and accessibility, particularly with scratchy guitar, herky-jerky rhythms and hooks seemingly coming out of nowhere? Okay great, same here.

The album opens in a most intimidating fashion with an intense 12-minute epic. A repetitive, discombobulated drum-bass groove runs throughout, later joined in by persistently aggressive and dissonant guitar strums, abstract vocal interjections from vocalist/guitarist Ekaterina Shilonosova, and some weird horn and flute noises and shit. At first I was all like, "Whoa, what the hell is going on?" IT IS AMAZING! The rest of the album walks a slightly more accessible line, at least  following some sort of a verse-chorus-verse format most of the time. In fact, it is quite catchy in a consistently interesting and off-kilter way. And Shilonosova has an appealing voice that is a perfect fit for the band's musical style. Glintshake toes an avant-garde line often, but their music is also very melodic and playful in an approachable way. This isn't some dour, dull plod too arty and pretentious for its own good. Additionally, the band is quite tightly wound and precise in their approach. While there is a serious level of musicianship going on this album and the music is very well-thought-out, it avoids a certain slickness that would have muted the excitement and spontaneity on display. But perhaps most important this is FUN to listen to. Drop what you're doing right now and listen to this album. Thank you.
https://open.spotify.com/album/5nvKnQ5e6UwZRoNLsRgFYb

Kronos Quartet - Folk Songs (2017)

The Kronos Quartet have been making forward-thinking music for several decades now, weaving in and out of all types of classical and modern music repertoires. It may seem like they're playing it safe with a release like this. Covering traditional folk standards? Guest vocalists, including Natalie Merchant? Thankfully, the ending result is a fully engaging experience and not an overtly polite NPR snoozefest (sorry, NPR!). That's not to say this record is inaccessible--quite the opposite, actually. The Kronos Quartet are simply able to find austere, beautiful ways to approach these classic songs. Even with all of this restraint, there is a lot of excitement put into the song selection and arrangements, and the group always plays with a careful balance of precision and edge. Even with all of the excellent guest vocalists contributing, the song that arguably stands out the most is an instrumental rendition of Geeshie Wiley's haunting "Last Kind Words", with soaring violin parts taking the place of the vocals. Folk Songs is further evidence of the range and fearlessness of the Kronos Quartet.
https://open.spotify.com/album/2ZSxyiSmqmpeC5I2D2XrnQ

Sequentia (performing works by Hildegard von Bingen) - Canticles of Ecstasy (1994)

Sequentia are a European music ensemble devoted to recreating music from the medieval period, works by the German abbess Hildegard von Bingen in particular. The music on this album was composed in the 12th century. Good news: Still holds up! There is a beautiful and austere simplicity to the music and its arrangements here that lends the album an ability to work as more than a religious/devotional listening experience. Mostly a capella female vocals with a solitary harmonium drone or "medieval fiddle" dropping in once in a while. There is a lot of space to the sounds created here, the music takes its time to work but it really envelops the listener and creates a strong feeling of suspension. It's a relaxing listening experience but it won't put you to sleep because her music is very involved and engrossing at the same time. Hildegard von Bingen was an incredibly interesting person and it feels like her Christian Mysticism makes a strong impression into the music she created. The words are in Latin. I don't know Latin. You don't need to know Latin to enjoy this album on any level. I'm no religious scholar by any means or really know too much about the sentiment behind these compositions, I just like to listen to good music that can transport me. This album accomplishes that flawlessly.
https://open.spotify.com/album/6hRd5GEi2VWMkT4MBLfDe6

Cameo - Alligator Woman (1982)

Most folks today know Cameo from the song "Word Up" (not to mention the lead singer's unfortunate red codpiece in the music video) and that's about it. But seriously people, Cameo has had a long career with 9 gold-selling albums! 9! This is one of them, when they were shifting with the times and going from being a horn-led funk band to a synthy electro-funk band. And it's good! Short-but-sweet at 30 minutes, Cameo gets to the goods quickly and stays there. Cameo may not be a revolutionary band, but they made a lot of solid funk albums that are well worth your time. And yes that is Vanity on the album cover.
https://open.spotify.com/album/3AeZ6AMl1Ysi2Abhs0LLKg

New Year's resolutions

I started this blog last year with the intention of updating several times a week with new reviews. Then things got in the way (i.e. laziness), and in the last few months my updates have become more and more sporadic. Well, I am here today to say no longer will that be the case! New year, new Justin, new outlook on life, new Every Album on Spotify. I have returned from my self-imposed hiatus stronger and more determined than ever before. Every album on Spotify will be reviewed. Let's do this!