– Redd Kross, ‘Redd Kross’
Who are they? The McDonald brothers, Jeff and Steve, have been professing their love for rock since 1980, taking things slowly (eight albums in 45 years) and giving it their all in concerts almost always held in small clubs, where they are best enjoyed.
Is it so good? Redd Kross? The Californian group always carried their passion for The Beatles as their banner, to which they added a strong guitar sound. From this combination (pop melodies and rock ferocity) their music has emerged, which this album perfectly represents. A blast of energy with a bit of psychedelia. It’s 58 minutes long and it doesn’t feel long.
– Mark Ward, ‘Let’er Rip’
Who is it? An American who was part of a band called Last Train and who now prefers a more personal project.
Is it so good? Let’s Rip? A disc of power pop from the most classic of the term: influences of Dwight Twilley, Dom Mariani or the Raspberries appear. Casual rock and roll with a fondness for “ooooo” choruses. And a great song titled Zip It Up, which REM would have composed if they hadn’t gone in search of the dark side.
– Crowded House, ‘Gravity Stairs’
Who are they? A group that is constantly searching for the perfect pop song. And they have achieved it several times in their long career.
Is it so good? Gravity Stairs? Neil Finn hasn’t gone far to rejuvenate his band: two of his sons support him in this excellent Gravity Stairs. There are the hallmarks: well-cared-for vocals, elegance, Paul McCartney always as an inspiration… and that quality of sounding current, even though the references are from the past, and of shaping happy harmonies from a certain affliction. There are eleven songs, not one that lowers the level. Forty minutes of music to listen to at any time, because beauty must always be allowed free entry.
– Beabadoobee, ‘This Is How Tomorrow Moves’
Who is it? Her birth name is Beatrice Kristi Ilejay. She was born in the Philippines, although she moved to London with her parents at the age of three. She is only 24 years old and this is her third album. It takes a bit of practice to say her stage name without getting stuck: Bebadubi. Well, it’s not that difficult.
Is it so good? This Is How Tomorrow Moves? An album that seems indie rock, And it is, but much more: the Englishwoman also proposes tropical music, folk ballads and even unique waltzes, such as This Is How It Went, which closes the album. Attention to a topic like Beaches, that could have been part of Definitely Maybe, by Oasis. The unifying thread of this gratifying mix of styles is Beabadoobee’s voice, robustly sweet and with a tone full of nuances. A great album where the production of the sometimes invasive Rick Rubin is barely noticeable.
– Jack White, ‘No Name’
Who is it? A musician with a mission: to preserve the primitive principles of rock. He also founded the White Stripes and composed a song that is still popular in football stadiums. will be sick of hearing it.
Is it so good? No Name? Jack White’s solo discography (this is his sixth album) tends too often towards guitar filigree, losing along the way what we came to hear: primary rock. No Name White does away with virtuosity to focus on the essence: rock in the bones, rough, guitars taken from the teenage bedroom where Angus and Malcolm Young started. White strangles the blues of Elmore James, gets into the skin of a twenty-something Jimmy Page and sings as if Robert Plant were imitating Bon Scott. A great album of crunchy rock with a song that is played in concerts. will become an anthemThat’s How I’m Feeling.
– Dabeull, ‘Analog Love’
Who is it? Dabeull is a French producer specialising in funk. If you see him advertised in any club in your city, don’t miss his feverish dance sessions.
Is it so good? Analog Love? Surrounded by synthesizers, late-seventies recording consoles, sensational male and female voices and a hedonistic spirit, Dabeull dispenses 40 minutes of refined, soft and sensual funk. It is impossible not to dance to this lesson in the music that filled dance floors in the early eighties. The B-side of Dua Lipa’s albums.
– Various Artists, ‘Jem Records Celebrates Jagger/Richards’
Who are they? Jem Records is a record label from New Jersey that was founded in 1970. It has had a fluctuating life, but has remained faithful to its style to this day. power popper.
Is it so good? Jem Records Celebrates Jagger/Richards? Let’s remember that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards showed less than a year ago that they are still capable of composing songs with edge, like some of those contained in their 2023 album, Hackney Diamonds. Here songs from his long repertoire are updated. They are not obvious, and the recurring ones (like Jumpin’ Jack Flash either You Can’t Always Get What You Want) receive a different treatment than the original. Most of the bands that participate will not sound familiar to non-specialists. power pop. You may know Paul Colling (great version of Tell Me) and perhaps The Grip Weeds, with an excellent review of Dandelion or a We Love You which sounds like something straight out of The Stone Roses’ first album. All the bands take the original compositions on their own and give them an extra boost of energy. There have been plenty of tribute albums to the Stones… This is one of the best.
– Blur, ‘Live at Wembley Stadium’
Who are they? The only stars of the brit pop nineties who are still capable of releasing stimulating albums in today’s times.
Is it so good? Live at Wembley Stadium? Who needs a live album in 2024, and one that’s more than two hours long? Maybe not even the most die-hard fans of the English band. But here we are, listening to guys in their fifties trying to give a new layer to songs from decades ago like Girls & Boys, Song 2, Parklife either Country House. And they succeed: the speed of the songs is lowered, but they are more penetrating. And the new ones (from 2023, from the very worthy The Ballad of Darren) They face them with the excitement of youngsters. Look, two hours and 15 minutes may be a long time in a world that moves towards stimuli, but only to respond to the ignorant who snubbed the British at the last Coachella It is already worth investing that time.
-Johnny Blue Skies, ‘Passage Du Desir’
Who is it? Johnny Blue Skies is the pseudonym adopted by Sturgill Simpson, the most interesting musician to emerge from the Nashville scene since the early 2000s.
Is it so good? Passage of Desire? After five albums signed with his name and two works dedicated to bluegrass, Sturgill Simpson takes refuge in another personality to create an album that is actually a continuation of his previous works. And that is good news. Perhaps his change of personality should be sought in the lyrics of Who I Am, where he sings: “I’ve lost friends and I’ve lost heroes. / I lost everything I am, even my name. / I’ve been going through different changes and I’ve found clarity.” Sturgill’s genuinely country voice serves as a guide to offer soul, rock and roll, desperate ballad, country-rock or even indie pop (Right Kind of Dream). The whole thing is a remarkable result. And it would have been better if the last track had been cut, as its instrumental developments take it to nine minutes. A flaw, nothing more.
– Bill Wyman, ‘Drive My Car’
Who is it? We would all sign up to be close to 90 in this man’s state of form. Bill Wyman will be 88 in October and among his musical feats is having the courage to leave the Rolling Stones in 1993, with whom he was filling his bank account with minimal effort: in a very discreet corner playing his rhythmic bass. He neither composed (or almost) nor gave interviews nor decided on logistics. But he got fed up with so much touring and has been living a relaxed life for three decades.
Is it so good? Drive My Car? We all knew that Wyman does not possess the gift of the great singers, but in exchange age has given him an earthy tone that suits the graceful boogies of this album. Influenced by JJ Cale or the Dire Straits of So Far Away, Wyman offers rock and roll soft and acoustic blues of his own creations or by Taj Mahal or Bob Dylan. Everything blends in wonderfully and is heard with rhythmic foot tapping.
– Sparkle*Jets UK, ‘Box Of Letters’
Who are they? Despite the UK in the name, we are talking about a band from Los Angeles. It was born in the late 90s and has a certain reputation in the scene. power pop from there.
Is it so good? Box Of Letters? Just for the song Princess Needy This album is already worth it, a song that Burt Bacharach could have composed for the Raspberries. For example. There are more points of interest in Box Of Letters. The male and female vocalists alternate, offering variety and richness to a group that takes fans through the worlds of Brian Wilson, Badfinger and Manic Street Preaches. Highly recommended.
RESCUED JEWEL OF THE MONTH…
Every month we recommend an album that may have been off the radar.
– Brian Wilson, ‘Brian Wilson’ (1988)
Who is it? To say that Brian Wilson is a genius (he still inhabits this world: 82 years old) is a cliché at this point, so let’s just say that he is a fucking genius. Of course, he is wasted due to his imbalances.
Is it so good? Brian Wilson? His first solo album, which came too late due to the exploitation he was subjected to by the Beach Boys’ machinery and his confused perception of reality. Some of the songs on this work were co-signed by Eugene Landy, a perverse The psychologist who took over Wilson’s life for a handful of years. When Brian managed to get away from him, he began to live and proceeded to remove him from the album credits. The eleven songs on the album maintain the author’s hallmarks: celestial vocal interplay, exquisite melodies and baroque instrumentation. Brian always had a passion for Phil Spector’s imposing productions and it shows in this work that closes with an eight-minute symphony. call Rio Grande. Not highly valued by critics in the year of its publication (1988), many later retracted it. Today it sounds grandiloquent, sublime, moving.
You can follow Babelia in Facebook and Xor sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.
