Marvin Gaye, You’re The Man

[UNI/Motown, March 29]

Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On is a perfection of the album form, a document of the artist on a spectacular creative high, pushing the boundaries of his audience and sound while illuminating dark political and social realities in America. And You’re The Man, the long-shelved collection of songs Gaye recorded immediately after it in 1972, is very much an extension of his train of thought at the time, both lyrically and musically. The product, however, is rougher around the edges and less focused, not least because it’s presented in this late release with a hodgepodge of unrelated ideas (including two Christmas tracks from the same era). Still, we’re talking about Marvin Gaye here, surrounded by some of the best players Detroit and L.A. had to offer, so even You’re The Man’s most underbaked songs are worth hearing for the jaw-dropping musicianship. In particular, don’t miss Salaam Remi’s remixes of “My Last Chance” and “Symphony,” which, true to Gaye’s spirit, are impossibly warm and radiant. [Kelsey J. Waite]

Brutus, Nest

[Sargent House, March 29]

There’s a fierce urgency to the second full-length album from Belgian trio Brutus. The group still sits comfortably on the timeline of assaultive hardcore-meets-post-rock acts from Refused on through to White Lung, and Nest polishes its punishing riffs and genre-bending explorations into a potent and cohesive whole. The most notable development is the degree to which drummer and singer Stefanie Mannaerts has developed her powerhouse vocals in between records. Whereas her lyrics and delivery on the previous album occasionally felt like an afterthought to the spacious, almost shoegaze-ified metal riffs and pounding rhythms, they now take center stage just as much as the airtight instrumentation, compelling and raw in her full-throated proclamations. (With lines as grandiose as “Our world, it’s gone / Did we ever grieve or cry it out?” from leadoff single “War,” a band needs to provide some seriously anthemic backing, and Brutus comes through in spades.) Mannaerts now confidently sounds like a frontperson, not just a singer, and Nest’s shredding bombast gains an affecting emotional core on which to hook its operatic wall of sound. [Alex McLevy]

 
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