Musing

Even now, I'm not sure if this is an entirely fair assessment. I'm quite behind on all of the things that came out in 2021.  Since my reading schedule was mainly long and challenging works, I couldn't do a lot of simultaneous critical listens to new albums.  Anything that isn't mentioned below is probably missing because I haven't yet given it enough time.  As for the rest: These 13 by Andrew Bird & Jimbo Mathus This one's a lot of fun. I'm more partial to Andrew's voice than Jimbo's, so there's what I would consider an unfortunate number of Jimbo-lead songs here. The recording itself is very loud and can be harsh on the ears at times. I understand the artistic decision there, but it's still regrettable. How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? by Big Red Machine BRM's second LP is a solidly progressive step forward from the first album. Sprawling across 64 minutes, it feels like maybe they pulled in some of the Volca...

Jakob Dylan's Women and Country It's interesting to see the junior Dylan come full circle in his choice of musical expressions. The last time we heard something with the sort of bluesy Americana that the senior Dylan is known for was the first time we heard something from The Wallflowers (their criminally overlooked, self-titled debut album). It's certainly a big step away from his first solo album, which was sparse, but considerably lighter in both tone and subject. Biggest pro? I'm a sucker for the brass on this album, particularly "Lend a Hand" and "Standing Eight Count." It reminds me a bit of AB's Bowl of Fire. Biggest con? If the brass is awesome, the bass is awful. I think it was mixed far too high, which forces his vocals too far back. With a low raspy voice like his, you have to be very careful not to lose him in the mix. This was the single biggest factor that brought the album down as far as it is. Album highlight: The opening...