The Feedback Society’s Week in Music
Some of the albums we’ve been discussing over drinks this week at The Feedback Society, from The Melvins and Thurston Moore to Run the Jewels.
The Melvins – Hold it in
The Melvins’ King Buzzo and Dale Crover have joined forces with Paul Leary and Jeff Pinkus from The Butthole Surfers for their latest album, ‘Hold It In.’ It’s textbook Melvins in places, but it also veers into different territories, occasionally being super weird and often being one of the most accessible Melvins albums in existence (which is also kind of weird, non?). Sometimes the duality works, sometimes it doesn’t. But there are more than a few good songs here.
Thurston Moore – The Best Day
I’m not sure what’s happening with Sonic Youth these days, after Moore’s well-publicized split with wife and fellow Youther Kim Gordon, but his new solo album may scratch some of the itch for new SY material. Especially considering he’s put together a band whose players attributes sort of mirror Sonic Youth’s. ‘The Best Day’ doesn’t totally shy away from the more intimate acoustic songs that Moore usually saves for his solo records, but they’re less prominent, sidelined in favour of some bigger guitar jams. It’s not going to change your life, but there are a couple of great songs that showcase why Moore is one of the best, and most madcap guitar players of his generation.
Gruff Rhys – American Interior
Super Furry Animals’ ‘Rings Around the World’ was an album that really caught on in my group of friends after the turn of the millennium. Some people might argue for ‘Phantom Power’ or ‘Hey Venus’ but it’s ‘Rings Around the World’ for me, an album that remains one of my favourites today. I always go back to the well when frontman Gruff Rhys puts something out (including Neon Neon) and it’s never anything bad, but nothing has been able to knock ‘Rings’ off is pedestal. Rhys’ latest effort is called ‘American Interior,’ a concepty album that traces the story of a Welsh Prince named Madoc, who was said to have explored America hundreds of years before Columbus. Musically, it sounds like what you’d expect from Rhys, awash with poppy, psychedelic-leaning tracks, but it has a comfy, lived-in feel and a general sense of melodic catchiness.
Electric Wizard – Time to Die
After the sped up ‘Black Masses,’ Electric Wizard slow the tempo back down to a shuffling, thundering crawl again, perhaps closer to ‘Dopethrone’ than they’ve been in a few years. Their here’s-a-fucking-thumb-in-your-eye worldview is played up with references to the infamous 1984 Ricky “The Acid King” Kasso murder case (including using samples from a 20/20 documentary about the supposed Satanic heavy metal killings). ‘Time to Die’ isn’t doing anything new, and it owes the same debt to Sabbath that the rest of doom rock does, but that doesn’t change the fact that the album is a wonderful, grinding, misanthropic assault.
Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 2
Look, I started writing a bit on this, and then realized that it had to have its own review. So this is a bit of a cheat, but follow the rabbit down the hole and check out the write up of RTJ2. It’s worth reading the write up, as Killer Mike himself commented on some of the questions I asked in the review.
About the Author
Craig Silliphant is a D-level celebrity with delusions of grandeur. A writer, critic, creative director, editor, broadcaster, and occasional filmmaker, his thoughts have appeared on radio, television, in print, and on the web. He is a juror on the Polaris Music Prize and the Juno Awards. He loves Saskatoon. He has horrible night terrors and apocalyptic dreams.
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