Rapid Fire Reviews: Why I've Been Gone

Hey girlies. I'm trying to catch up from a weekend where I did basically nothing on this blog or really on any of my other creative projects. That's because I was enjoying Shaky Knees music festival so what better to return with than some rapid fire reviews of a few artists I saw while there, and really enjoyed. <3

(watch my moves) - Kurt Vile

It doesn't feel like it's been 4 years since Kurt Vile's last album, but time just moves differently when it comes to him. His psychedelic meets folk music style feels like it's always been around and despite fading pretty heavily out of the public eye when between album cycles it just always seems like Kurt has a prescence in the world of indie music. Given how consistent his discography is and how universally appealing his style is I was excited for this album, even more so after a few singles I enjoyed. I'm not sure why but I wasn't expecting this thing to be as long as it is turning in 15 tracks that stretch out to 73 minutes. Kurt's no stranger to lengthy explorations given that almost all his records are over an hour but with the amount of songs in the tracklist here it feels less like a few great songs have been expanded into folk epics and more like a bunch of ideas dumped on top of each other and explored less thoroughly. Turns out there are still plenty of the wandering and lackadaisical compositions you've come to expect but they don't indulge quite as deeply as previous efforts. Instead the indulgence comes more from the amount of songs you'll work through during your time with the record and I'm mostly okay with that. While I don't think this is another Kurt Vile masterpiece or anything there are plenty of great songs here and even when he misses a punch here and there the blissful vibes of the instrumentation means there's only so much the record can let you down. Really the only time it's issue with length comes up is on the second half where there is a spell that doesn't include many highlights and contains both the records only interlude and its only purely instrumental track. It's a lull that adds some feeling of its long runtime back into the mix, but certainly doesn't sway my enjoyment of the record. 7/10

PAINLESS - Nilufer Yanya

Nilufer Yanya is a British singer-songwriter and indie rocker that I've had my eyes on for a few years now but didn't get the chance to review until this record. The singles leading up to it started picking up quite a bit of momentum and I spent some serious time with the record in preparation for seeing her live. Those singles had a versatile but still recognizable sound that just generally falls into those increasingly loose categories of indie and alternative rock. They also had pretty good hooks that helped me build up even more appreciation for Yanya as a songwriter. The records opening run exemplifies this perfectly with a blend between harder hitting rock songs with punchy drums and more intimate breezy ballads with lighter and more rustic instrumentation. You can never really be sure what to expect from the sound of a song on the record and while that makes it difficult for the tracklist to build up much consistency it does keep me on my toes in a way I appreciate. The record isn't exactly water tight especially in the middle portion and it's some of the longer tracks here that don't seem to really justify their extended instrumental jams and lulling refrains. Conversely on tracks like chase me and the dealer she displays a really compelling and genuinely unique sound that feels like a direction worth pursuing. While this record isn't perfect there is an enormous amount of potential on display here and I wouldn't be surprised if the next time we hear from Yanya it's improved on all fronts. 6.5/10

Things Are Great - Band Of Horses

Band Of Horses are an indie rock band that should be pretty familiar at this point for fans of the genre. They've been around for over 15 years and even though they haven't released a new record since 2016 many of the best tracks of their discography still have a really strong hold on fans. While the singles didn't really floor me when I first heard them I saw some very positive reviews for the record followed by some major support from fans that made me realize I needed to check it out. Turns out right from the very start this record is anthemic in a way that borders on irresistible, or at least it is for the first two songs. After that start it isn't able to keep up the threat of catchy songs with soaring hooks nearly as consistently even though it does pop up again here and there. Thankfully there are a lot of authentically exciting moments to be found in the tracklist but they often come on songs that feel like they don't go all the way. The record is fine when it leans into the fundamentals but after the start it gets off to I was really hoping each time that more of the hooks would stick with me. Ultimately I think this is a solid entry into the bands catalog and I like it more than their last record, but I'm not sure I foresee it bringing in a new golden age of Band Of Horses. 6/10