“Abrams have it all: noisy, sludgy riffs, mathy time signatures, and big, arena-rock choruses. They say one time someone described them as ‘Foo Fighters meets Red Fang‘, which felt strangely accurate.” — Kerrang
“An emotional bulldozer of a record that sees the band refining its songcraft and sound… They have all the potential in the world to make a bona fide sludge/rock masterpiece.” — Metal Injection
Denver quartet Abrams share the lead single and title track to their forthcoming third album Modern Ways today via Metal Injection. Hear and share the hook-laden “Modern Ways” HERE. (Direct Bandcamp.) Abrams has upped the ante with their latest recording, Modern Ways. With a focus on songwriting, lyrical narrative, and addictive hooks and refrains, Abrams presents a highly focused, intensely polished sonic narrative. Written over the course of two and a half years, the album reflects the passions, pains, successes and nightmares of the members of Abrams lives.
Modern Ways will be available on vinyl and streaming services via Sailor Records on May 1st, 2020. Pre-orders are available HERE.
Based out of Denver, Abrams was founded in 2013 as a trio. Abrams debut EP, February was released in May 2014 on No List Records. The supporting tour for this release saw the band hit the West Coast, before heading immediately into the studio to record their first full length.
Lust. Love. Loss was released independently in June 2015, receiving praise from Metal Injection, Decibel Magazine, Invisible Oranges, and others. The remainder of the year saw Abrams tour West, East, and West again.
Their follow up, Morning, came out on Sailor Records in June of 2017, which was supported by three nationwide tours for much of the remaining year. Morning received high praise from Metal Injection, New Noise Magazine, Metal Sucks and others.
Abrams is: Patrick Alberts: Guitar Zachary Amster: Guitar & Vox Ryan Dewitt: Drums Taylor Iversen: Bass & Vox
“this is music meant to be played at a volume walls can’t contain. Fuzz’s namesake is no joke, either — this is proto-metal, anvil-head blues-rock, thick like cement about to harden.” – NPR Music
FUZZ, comprised of Ty Segall (drums, vocals), Charles Moothart (guitar, vocals), and Chad Ubovich (bass, vocals), announces a North American tour – their first since winter 2015. The band will bring their rowdy live shows across the states, including three nights at Los Angeles’s Teragram Ballroom and to Chicago’s Thalia Hall, New York’s Bowery Ballroom and Music Hall of Williamsburg, and more. There will be additional FUZZ-related news in the coming weeks. Tickets are on sale now.
FUZZ Tour Dates: Wed. May 27 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall Fri. May 29 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater Sat. May 30 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre Sun. May 31 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre Tue. June 2 – Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s Wed. June 3 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Felton Music Hall Fri. June 5 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom Sat. June 6 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom Sun. June 7 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom Thu. June 18 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall Fri. June 19 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom Sat. June 20 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall Sun. June 21 – Montreal, QC @ La Tulipe Mon. June 22 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair Wed. June 24 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom Thu. June 25 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg Fri. June 26 – Baltimore, MD @ OttoBar Sat. June 27 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts Sun. June 28 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Small’s Theater
Shopping releases a new single/video, “For Your Pleasure,” from All Or Nothing, their new album out February7th via FatCatRecords. The songs that make up All or Nothing are the band’s boldest yet; confident, elastic, streamlined grooves that crackle with energy and intention. Along with cleaner, new production values, ‘80s synths and electronic percussion add new textures to their signature minimalist dynamic. Following the “bright and jangly” (Stereogum) lead single “Initiative,” ”For Your Pleasure” is frenetic and propulsive. The accompanying video was directed by Lessa Millet and features several notable musicians, including SamSparro, Janelane, and members of Ought, FrenchVanilla and MoDotti.
“‘For Your Pleasure’ is a song about frustration, the feeling of always wanting more, needing material things to distract or gratify us,” says Shopping. “It’s about consumerism but also searching for meaning in life. That feeling of longing that never really goes away even when you have the things, the job, the status or the person you thought you wanted. I think people who create music or art know what that feels like particularly.”
Director Lessa Millet elaborates: “When I first heard the song I immediately felt like it had this amazing gay club anthem quality. I think dressing up, looking fabulous, and going to a party to dance and be surrounded by other fabulously dressed queers and weirdos is a huge part of this community. It’s this thing that sometimes is lacking in your everyday life, but you get to have it in these special places. To feel great about who you are, and feel loved and seen and understood. I wanted the video to be honest and authentic. Everyone in the video is basically playing themselves.”
To write All Or Nothing, guitarist RachelAggs (Trash Kit, Sacred Paws), drummer AndrewMilk (Current Affairs), and BillyEaster (Wet Dog) returned to London for an intense, 10-day period. Then, they teamed up with US-based producers DaveyWarsop to record and NickSylvester to mix the record in Los Angeles. All Or Nothing sees Shopping experiment further with the sonic additions that coloured 2018’s The Official Body, shifting their stripped-down ethos to one that took a leap into pop production. The trio’s vision – deeply queer; political by default – place them in a radical lineage of dance, a continuum connecting disco and post-punk to Chicago house and EDM.
Following shows in the UK next month, Shopping will bring their live show stateside in March. Tickets are available now and all dates can be found below.
Shopping Tour Dates (new dates in bold): Fri. Feb. 7 – London, UK @ Rough Trade East Sun. Feb. 9 – Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade Bristol Mon. Feb. 10 – Nottingham, UK @ Rough Trade Nottingham Thu. March 5 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios * Fri. March 6 – Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern * Sat. March 7 – Vancouver, BC @ The Biltmore * Mon. March 9 – Reno, NV @ Holland Project * Tue. March 10 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop * Wed. March 11 – Los Angeles, CA @ 1720 * Thu. March 12 – San Diego, CA @ UCSD * Sat. March 14 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress (Spring Thing) * Mon. March 16 – Sat. March 21 – Austin, TX @SXSW Sat. March 21 – Dallas, TX @ The Blue Light (Not So Fun Wknd) Mon. March 23 – Tallahassee, FL @ The Bark * Tue. March 24 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade – Purgatory * Wed. March 25 – Durham, NC @ The Pinhook * Thu. March 26 – Washington, DC @ DC9 * Fri. March 27 – Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle * Sat. March 28 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere * Sun. March 29 – Portsmouth, NH @ The Press Room * Tue. March 31 – Toronto, ON @ The Monarch * Thu. April 2 – Detroit, MI @ Deluxx Fluxx * Fri. April 3 – Fort Wayne, IN @ The Brass Rail * Sat. April 4 – Chicago, IL @ Subterranean * Sun. April 5 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry * Tue. April 7 – St. Louis, MO @ Sinkhole * Wed. April 8 – Lawrence, KS @ White Schoolhouse * Thu. April 9 – Denver, CO @ Hi Dive * Fri. April 10 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court * Wed. April 29 – Edinburgh, UK @ Sneaky Pete’s Thu. April 30 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club Fri. May 1 – Glasgow, UK @ Audio Tue. May 5 – London, UK @ The Lexington Wed. May 6 – Paris, FR @ Supersonic Fri. May 8 – Utrecht, NL @ ACU Sat. May 9 – Hamburg, DE @ Molotow (SkyBar) Sun. May 10 – Copenhagen, DK @ VEGA Ideal Bar Mon. May 11 – Berlin, DE @ Urban Spree Wed. May 13 – Leipzig, DE @ TBA Thu. May 14 – Vienna, AT @ Fluc Café Fri. May 15 – Prague, CZ @ Meetfactory Sat. May 16 – Munich, DE @ Milla Sun. May 17 – Bern, CH @ Reitschule/Rössli Tue. May 19 – Winterhur, CH @ Albani Thu. May 21 – Luxembourg, LU @ De Gudde Wellen Fri. May 22 – Cologne, DE @ Bumann & Sohn Sat. May 23 – Offenbach, DE @ Hafen 2
Chicago-based band Melkbelly – comprised of Miranda Winters (vocals, guitar), Bart Winters (guitar), Liam Winters (bass), and James Wetzel (drums) – announces their new album, PITH, out April 3rd on Wax Nine / Carpark Records, and a North American tour. In conjunction with today’s announcement, they present the album’s lead single, “LCR,” and an accompanying animated video.
After two years touring internationally, Melkbelly felt comfortable enough to rearrange songs they knew well, their renewed closeness guiding them. Their literally familial relationship was crucial for support, as PITH was summoned from a place of mourning. “We lost an incredible friend suddenly and nostalgia always acts as a helpful tool for me in navigating difficult times,” Miranda says. “Revisiting emotionally challenging moments or significant social interactions helps shed light on confusing feelings for me. Lyrically, grief gave way to considering life.” She drew from diverse scenes—Grimm-like children’s stories too dark for kids; thorny, mossy forests—to create stories that feel distinctly Melkbellian: philosophically strange, strikingly textural, funny and sad and open-hearted.
Recording in two short sessions six months apart, the band worked with longtime collaborator Dave Vettraino, this time at Bloomington, Indiana’s Russian Recording. Alongside an arsenal of rock gear and airy synth layers coaxed from a Moog Prodigy, PITH’s multidimensionality was refined by the studio’s collection of rare Russian tube mics, which were placed in every corner to capture Melkbelly’s unabashed loudness.
Lead Single “LCR” similarly shapes PITH’s dynamics and mood. Its shifting signatures held steady by James’ frantic beat, the track is a purgatorial homage to motion, ultimately propelled by its tangled guitars and layered vocal harmonies. “It’s about how having conversations with the dead can scoot you along in life, even when you’re really only hearing one side of the conversation or making up the other half,” says Miranda. The animated music video was directed by Qianwen Yu, who says it “imagines a group of creatures in a blue car driving towards the lake which finally reaches ‘the end of the world.’ ‘LCR’ is a type of noise-rock-pop music, so I used ’noise’ texture woven fabric and digitally processed watercolor in the video. Just like the feeling of ‘slick and sweetly’ written in the lyrics, this animated video added some feminine elements.”
Since their 2017 debut Nothing Valley, the members of Melkbelly have an even better understanding of their sonic motivations. On PITH, Melkbelly sought space, and succeeded in crafting it.
Melkbelly will tour across North American this spring. A full list of dates can be found below and tickets are on sale *INFO*. PRE-ORDER PITH https://smarturl.it/melkbelly_pith
PITH TRACKLIST: 1.THC 2. Sickeningly Teeth 3. LCR 4. Little Bug 5. Humid Heart 6. Kissing Under Some Bats 7. Season Of The Goose 8. Mr. Coda 9. Stone Your Friends 10. Take H20 11. Flatness
MELKBELLY TOUR DATES: Sat. April 4 – Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village Wed. April 22 – Toronto, ON @ The Baby G Thu. April 23 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz Sat. April 24 – Providence, RI @ Columbus Theatre Mon. April 26 – Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool Wed. April 29 – Washington, DC @ Comet Ping Pong Thu. April 30 – Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle Fri. May 1 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Roboto Project
Kaya Wilkins, also known as Okay Kaya, explores depression, love, sex, death, and boredom on her album Watch This Liquid Pour Itself. That’s not to say the album is a bleak bore. It’s quirky, catchy, clever, and intriguing.
“Baby Little Tween” has Wilkins flat-out telling her lover she’ll eventually get tired of having sex with him and wondering if her anti-depressants will shut down her libido altogether. The electro beats behind the track are slow jam-sexy, however, so it seems that Wilkins is getting busy while she can. “Ascend and Try Again” is Wilkin’s blueprint for reducing stress and staying in the moment as she sings about breath control atop simple acoustic and bass guitar chords.
The lazy beats of “Insert Generic Name” reinforce Wilkins’ sexy croon as she sings about how it sucks to be someone’s girlfriend and the “center of resentment in your harem.” “Anything could happen at any given time, no wonder I’m overstimulated,” Wilkins sings on “Overstimulated.” It’s a Velvet Underground-like song about her being fascinated by her lover, but it could as easily be a song about ADHD. “Psych Ward” would be a major Pixies hit in another reality, but Wilkins beat them to it as she sings witty lyrics about her own experiences in treatment (“You can peel an orange however you please in the psych ward…”) while her backing band puts down a wicked groove.
“Guttural Sound” is a dream-like track about the dangers of looking forward to a future that might not, and probably won’t, happen. It also skewers hipsters (“I desperately want to be thirty-something, on my way to the nearest AA meeting.” / “In the dog park, have a discussion on which Brita filter is the best one.”). “Asexual Being,” in which Wilkins admits that “sex with me is mediocre, but I can probably feel what you’re feeling.”, has house music bass encouraging you to get down and at least entertain the idea of being okay with mediocre sex and Netflix and ice cream. “Popcorn Heart” is as tender as a 1950’s ballad and perfect for your kid’s prom slow dance playlist.
The bass groove, beats, and piano of “Mother Nature’s Bitch” make it sound like a lost Fleetwood Mac cut. “Hallelu Ya Hallelu Me” is another dreamy track, this one about obession (“It’s so creepy. I think of you instead of eating or sleeping.”). “Symbosis” has Wilkins comparing herself and her lover to algae while weird synths shift around in the background. It’s not unlike a Gary Wilsonsong. In fact, Ms. Wilkins and Mr. Wilson would probably make a great album together because they love singing about and exploring the same themes – love, loneliness, romance, kissing, and obsession.
The cleverly titled “Givenupitis” is a lovely slow-funk slap upside the head of apathetic people who are so attached to their IDGAF attitude that they’ve lost connections with nearly everyone around them. The lyrics for “Helsevesen” are in Norwegian (the title translates to “health service”), and the song has an echoing, icy quality to it that befits the Norwegian landscape. The electro beats and bass of “Stonethrow” produce the most danceable track on the record as Wilkins worries that she’s “becoming what the kids these days call insecure.” Wilkins’ voice goes low for “Zero Interaction Ramen Bar” while she sings about being alone in a bright, yet dreary place with nothing and no one to console her apart from booze, tasteless dumplings, and her own thoughts.
This is one of those records that’s perfect for the right mood. It’s hard to determine what that mood is, as it will be different for everyone, but that shows how good of a songwriter Wilkins is. She has crafted an album that will resonate with different listeners in different ways. That’s no easy task.
Nap Eyes will release their new album, Snapshot of a Beginner, their most concentrated and hi-fi effort to date, on March 27th via Jagjaguwar / Royal Mountain, in partnership with Paradise of Bachelors. Throughout the album, there’s an immediately noticeable leap in arrangement and muscle, one that still holds the raw, nervous energy and the earnest, self-deprecating poetry that make Nap Eyes an enduring cult favorite. The music still brings to mind the bucolic ennui of the Silver Jews and Daniel Johnston’s jittery naïveté, but the new sheen and maturity also now brings to mind the wide-angle appeal of The Jayhawks and the addictive brightness of Green Day’s Kerplunk!.
Lead single “Mark Zuckerberg” is a hi-fi jangle-pop earworm that, at its outset, sounds like it could be the theme song from Party of Five. Less a takedown of any one specific, capitalist tech fascist than it is a poem about the confounding and beautiful swirl of modern life, it is their thoughtful, incisive Hit for The People. “Transcendence is all around us,” Chapman repeats, a freeing incantation and a gift to us all as the coda slows and expands.
On the video, the band notes: “People are scared of Mark Zuckerberg. You look at him before Congress and think, ‘Is this the bogeyman? Is he a CIA plant? Can he read my mind with some sort of God-mode search feature in all my chat transcripts?’ This video leads us to believe that Mark wants to enjoy and surveil whatever world he inhabits, whether it’s starting a band with ghastly apparitions in the spirit realm or changing size according to his whim while observing natural and urban landscapes with equal awe. He wants you to accept his friend request and let him watch over you. ‘When there was only one set of footprints in the sand…’”
Almost all the songs of Nap Eyes are whittled into their final form from frontman Nigel Chapman’s unspooling, 20-minute voice-and-guitar free-writing sessions. Each member — drummer Seamus Dalton, bassist Josh Salter and guitarist Brad Loughead — then plays a crucial role in song development, composing around the idiosyncratic structures and directing the overall sound and feel of the songs.
Until now, that final song construction and recording has been mostly done live in a room. But for Snapshot of a Beginner, the band went to The National’s nuevo-legendary upstate NY Long Pond Studio, working with producers Jonathan Low (Big Red Machine, The National) and James Elkington (Steve Gunn, Joan Shelley), the latter of whom also did pre-production arrangement work with the band. Never has Nap Eyes sounded more ferocious. It took them a long time and a long practice to reach this artistic zen, but one gets the feeling throughout Snapshot of a Beginner that this balance is going to hold. Watch Nap Eyes’ Video for “Mark Zuckerberg” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq2YhOY55zU
Snapshot of a Beginner Tracklist: 1. So Tired 2. Primordial Soup 3. Even Though I Can’t Read Your Mind 4. Mark Zuckerberg 5. Mystery Calling 6. Fool Thinking Ways 7. If You Were In Prison 8. Real Thoughts 9. Dark Link 10. When I Struck Out On My Own 11. Though I Wish I Could Nap Eyes Tour Dates: Wed. March 4 – Toronto, ON @ Opera House % Thu. March 5 – Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount % Fri. March 6 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair % Sat. March 7 – New York, NY @ Brooklyn Steel % Sun. March 8 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts % Mon. March 9 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat % Wed. March 11 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle % Thu. March 12 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West % Fri. March 13 – Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge % Sat. March 14 – St. Louis, MO @ Blueberry Hill % Sun. March 15 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room % Mon. March 16 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater % Tue. March 17 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge % Thu. March 19 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos % Fri. March 20 – Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre % Sun. March 22 – Victoria, BC @ Lucky Bar (tickets) Wed. March 25 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge (tickets) Fri. March 27 – San Francisco, CA @ Cafe Du Nord (tickets) Sat. March 28 – Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Bar (tickets) Sun. March 29 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah (tickets) Mon. March 30 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar (tickets) Wed. April 1 – Austin, TX @ Barracuda (tickets) Thu. April 2 – Dallas, TX @ Three Links (tickets) Sat. April 4 – Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room (tickets) Sun. April 5 – Urbana, IL @ Rose Bowl Tavern (tickets) Mon. April 6 – Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe (tickets) Wed. April 15 – London, UK @ The Moth Club Thu. April 16 – Liverpool, UK @ Leaf Fri. April 17 – Glasgow, UK @ The Hug and Pint Sat. April 18 – Leeds, UK @ Hyde Park Book Club Sun. April 19 – Birmingham, UK @ Hare and Hounds Mon. April 20 – Brighton, UK @ The Hope & Ruin Wed. April 22 – Paris, FR @ Le Point Ephemere Thu. April 23 – Brussels, BE @ Volta Fri. April 24 – Rotterdam, NL @ V11 Sat. April 25 – Utrecht, NL @ Ekko
% = w/ Destroyer
Keep your mind open.
[Unlike Mark Zuckerberg, I won’t steal and sell your data when you subscribe.]
Detroit-based girl-group Shadow Show has released the first music video from their upcoming debut album Silhouettes out February 14. The video, for the 60s psych-rock inspired track “Charades,” premiered today exclusively on the IGTV and Youtube channels of Southern California Roller-skate company Moxi, whose colorful Lolly roller skates are featured in the video.
Shot in the band’s hometown of Detroit, and directed by Bobby Harlow of The Go, the video for “Charades” was filmed entirely with a super-8 camera, a reflection of Shadow Shows retro style and sound. About filming in and around Detroit, band member Kerrigan Pearce (drums) said, “we wanted to include all of the things that make Detroit home to us. The live footage was shot at UFO Factory, owned by local musician Dion Fischer. The rest was filmed in various places, such as Belle Isle, Detroit African Bead Museum, and another favorite bar Outer Limits Lounge.”
Shadow Show is a new sound in light of a new era. A power trio of a mysterious hue, Shadow Show combines elements of 60s garage-psychedelia and 21st-century modern pop-art. The trio pushes the boundaries of what can be, yet remain deeply rooted in a raw, untouchable Detroit sound. Comprised of guitarist Ava East, bassist Kate Derringer and drummer Kerrigan Pearce, the group made their debut in August of 2018. The group plan to tour the US and Europe to support the release of Silhouettes.
Shadow Show’s debut album Silhouettes was mixed by bass player Kate Derringer and mastered by Jim Diamond (The White Stripes, The Dirtbombs, Ghetto Recorders). The album will be available on February 14, 2020, via Stolen Body Records in the UK and Europe and Burger Records for the rest of the world.
Canadian garage rockers Dead Ghosts new music video for the track,“Drugstore Supplies” premiered today on the Shindig! magazine website. “Drugstore Supplies” is the first single release from the group’s highly anticipated upcoming album Automatic Changer, out April 24, 2020 via Burger Records and available to pre-order now.
Formed nearly a decade ago in Vancouver, Canada, Dead Ghosts grew out of founders Byran Nicol (vocals/guitar), Drew Wilky (guitar), and Mike Wilky’s (drums) desire to hang out, listen to records and play music. After the trio uploaded a few demos to Myspace, this was 2008, after all, the group were offered the opportunity to release a single via a small Iowa-based punk label. The single quickly led to the group’s first full-length self-titled album. By 2015 the group had joined the Burger Records roster and released two more albums, Can’t Get No and Love and Death and All the Rest.
With time the band added two members, bass player Mauricio “Moe” Chiumento and organist Craig Pettman. Playing a distinctive brand of swaggering, blues-infused lo-fi rock, the five-piece quickly won over transatlantic fans and scored fresh fodder for their lyrics with their punk rock antics.
Keep your mind open.
[Get your supply of music news and reviews by subscribing.]
Radiohead has opened the doors of its archives by giving us the online Radiohead Public Library. It’s a vast treasure trove of everything from obscure album art and ad-free live performances to cool ephemera like old fan club letters, photos of out-of-print shirts, and rare music videos.
Fans can also download their own library card, like I did.
Be seeing you at the library.
The library is set up with the oldest stuff at the bottom of the page, and I’m sure they haven’t released everything they have in their vault, but the availability of so much free streaming material is a treat for Radiohead fans and music fans alike.
Keep your mind open.
[Check out the subscription box while you’re here.]
Iggy Pop once described his 2016 album Post-Pop Depression in a Rolling Stone article as “discussing issues of what happens when your utility is at an end, and dealing with your legacy.” It’s also an album with heavy themes of sex and death.
The opener, “Break into Your Heart,” with it’s heavy, menacing bass by Dean Fertita (of Queens of the Stone Age) is about Pop willing to do whatever it takes to win the object of his desire. “Gardenia” has Pop and Joshua Homme (also of QOTSA as well as Eagles of Death Metal) singing of a “black goddess in a shabby raincoat” with an “hourglass glass” and “slant devil eyes” and how he just wants to pay for one more night with her. A friend of mine wondered if we needed a song about Iggy Pop, who was sixty-nine years old at the time, getting laid. I figured a guy pushing seventy singing about how he’s wanting (and, let’s face it, getting) more sex than guys decades younger than he is pretty damn punk rock.
“American Valhalla” is a song about figuring out what’s left behind after we die. “Death is the the pill that’s tough to swallow…I’m not the man with everything. I’ve nothing but my name. Lonely, lonely deeds that no one sees…Where is American Valhalla?” Everyone wants to know the answer to this, especially when we realize it’s not found in consumerism, Instagram, or reality TV. Homme’s guitar on “In the Lobby” reminds me of Mick Ronson‘s chops, and Pop’s vocals about hoping he doesn’t lose his life as he walks behind his shadow as “the dancing kids” who are out for their kicks are oblivious to the passage of time.
“Sunday” is a tale of enduring the drudgery of the work week and, I suspect, the life of a rock star (“This job is a masquerade of recreation.” / “I’ve got it all, but what’s it for?”) just to get to a day off. “Vulture,” with its spaghetti western showdown percussion from Matt Helders (of Arctic Monkeys) is about the spectre of death and record company executives waiting to bleed you dry.
You can’t help but wonder if Pop is writing from experience on “German Days” – a song about Bavarian brothels, “champagne on ice,” and the opportunity to “germinate in a German way.” Pop did spend many years in Berlin, so I’ll take his word for it. “Chocolate Drops” is about letting go of the past and not fearing death, and it’s no secret that Homme’s work on this album helped him after the terrorist attack at an Eagles of Death Metal show in 2015.
The album ends with the angry rants of “Paraguay,” in which Pop sings about “going where sore losers go to hide my face and spend my dough.” Pop is sick of sycophants and tired of the constant barrage of knowledge and information. He’s tired of living in a place where everyone is afraid and chooses to live in that fear. The song breaks down close to the four-minute mark into a fiery rant from Pop in which he tears down us, the listeners, that he’s sick of our “evil and poisonous intentions” while Homme, Fertita, and Helders chant “Wild animals, they do. Never wonder why, just do what they goddamn do.”
Thankfully, this wasn’t Pop’s last record, as some thought it might be. He isn’t leaving for Paraguay just yet, but Post-Pop Depression is a warning that he might at any moment and not look back at us as he does. It’s also a warning for us to get off our asses, throw away our laptops, and make something of our lives before we’ve run out of time.
