via//chicago

np: "Heavy Metal (is the Law)" - Helloween

Today's now playing has nothing to do with the rest of the post, just what I'm spinning right now - trying to shake off a gloomy Monday on which my allergies decided to rise up against my sinuses with a furious vengeance. I've spent more time sneezing and sniffling than anything else today, tearing through box after box of tissue. Not fun. Anyway, as part of my vague promise to post more regularly, I thought I would chime in with some thoughts on a few recent albums I've heard.

Sunn O))) - Monoliths & Dimensions (Southern Lord)
Absolutely gorgeous, a stunning achievement. And really, hard to say much more than that. This is the Sunn O))) we've come to know and love, but so much more. You've got the expected bits - doom-y drones, Oren Ambarchi on effects, guest vocals from Attila Csiahr, etc - but also so much more. I've only been able to give it one really good listen (i.e. distraction free on the good headphones) and I know I've only scratched the surface, always a great sign. At points this is as lovely as Black One was horrifying, particularly the closing track "Alice". Highly recommended, not just for metal fans, but for anyone with an ear for experimental music.

Apostle of Hustle - Eats Darkness (arts&crafts)
Basically the complete opposite of the reaction I had to the Sunn O))) album. In other words, and absolute chore to sit through with basically nothing striking me as worth hearing ever again - and I've always really liked Andrew Whiteman's stuff. Gone is much of the Spanish influence that colored the previous two AoH full-lengths, replaced with lackluster tunes and way too many dialogue clips of people like Burroughs and Brakhage talking about war and destruction. I'm pretty sure this is supposed to be some sort of concept album, but I'd be shocked if anyone cared to wade through all the crap to figure it out. These experiments might have been tolerable had there been some strong songs to back them up, but Whiteman just seems to be misfiring throughout. "Soul Unwind", however, is one shining exception - a lovely tune that builds to a shimmering crescendo and would have fit nicely on any of the Broken Social Scene proper discs. Do yourself a favor, download that one and skip the rest.

White Rabbits - It's Frightening (TBD)
I think this will end up being one of those albums that either clicks with me on a random day a couple months from now or just completely falls through the cracks. So far I'm leaning towards the latter. Thing is, it sounds fantastic. Getting Spoon's Britt Daniel to produce the album was a brilliant idea, his sonic fingerprints are all over this and the band has never sounded more engaging. There is a wonderful depth to the recording and I kept losing myself in the space between instruments. But that's the thing, I couldn't be bothered to care about the songs themselves. I don't think I could recall a single vocal melody of lyric 30 seconds after finishing the disc. Maybe this will click for me someday, but as for now it seems only worth hearing for Daniel's touch.

Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown (Reprise)
I've always been a huge Green Day supporter (Insomniac and Warning are two hugely underrated albums, btw), but even I had lower that usual expectations for what was set up to be American Idiot Part 2. And, really, it is. It's another hugely ambitious, vaguely political epic that explores a fairly loose concept centered around a couple of misfits in love making their way in a world gone to pot. But despite the "been there done that" vibe and a weak choice for first single ("Know Your Enemy", a song with like 4 words total), this thing actually works pretty well. It does run a little long and some of the ballads weigh things down a bit, but I'm looking at the tracklist now and damned if there isn't at least five tracks I want to listen to right now - "Before the Lobotomy", "Last Night On Earth", "Last of the American Girls", "Restless Heart Syndrome", and "21 Guns" (a much better second single).

Eminem - Relapse (Aftermath/Interscope)
There really isn't much I can say other than toss off some comment on how far the mighty have fallen. Yes, it really is as bad as you've probably heard. Disappointing beats from Dre, Em rapping in those stupid accents he's been so fond of since The Eminem Show, and shock lyrics that even Marilyn Manson would leave in the recycle bin. I'm all for shocking Slim Shady, but it was much more tolerable when had a little wit and heart to go along with it. Such a waste.