5 new releases we love: Resilient disco pop, experimental hip-hop, and more
The National, I Am Easy To Find
[4AD, May 17]
“The National treats its guests like members of the band—as on opener ‘You Had Your Soul With You,’ when their vocals often eclipse Berninger’s—the rousing catharsis of its best work still roars in muscular tracks like ‘Rylan’ and ‘Where Is Her Head,’ both of which strike spirited climaxes on par with beloved cuts like ‘Sea Of Love’ and ‘All The Wine.’ The best moments, though, are perhaps the most understated: the thrumming, sepia-toned ‘So Far So Fast’ is as inspiring as it is existential, while the overcast electronica of the title track finds Dessner painstakingly layering drums and horns over a penetrating base of chirping birds and buzz-sawing synths. The National’s never been afraid to dial things down, but it’s rarely sounded as vulnerable as it does here—song after song, Dessner’s vibrant, moody arrangements serve to reflect Berninger’s precarious balance of hope and frustration.”
ICYMI, read our featured review of I Am Easy To Find right here.
Aaron West And The Roaring Twenties, Routine Maintenance
[Hopeless, May 10]
Dan Campbell, the wailing heart of Philadelphia’s The Wonder Years, has been indulging his narrative whims these last few years with Aaron West And The Roaring Twenties, a solo project that tells the story of its titular character, a broken man drunkenly working through grief, divorce, and addiction. We Don’t Have Each Other, Campbell’s first LP under the moniker, was a gutting portrait of loss, but Routine Maintenance is more optimistic, with rowdy horns and rootsy banjos underscoring Campbell’s themes of hardscrabble humility. What’s really staggering, though, is how much literary care Campbell puts into this musical world—songs like “Running Toward The Light” weave in characters from past songs, while “Rosa And Reseda” and “Winter Coats” broaden Aaron’s orbit, giving his journey a picaresque flair that eases itself into a gritty, satisfying ending. Campbell remains a striking wordsmith, deftly juxtaposing romantic metaphors with blunt, conversational scraps that ensure his ne’er-do-wells aren’t entirely swept up in the heart-swelling grandeur of it all. [Randall Colburn]