The final Headphones of the summer is upon us. Next time you’ll be getting record recommendations from us, the kids will be on the school bus, the leaves might begin to change, and outdoor concerts will start to get less and less appealing. Due to that, this week we’ve brought you a review of a gargantuan compilation album, a new single from an up and coming act, and five of the best music videos we’ve showcased this summer, so pull back the pool cover one last time and let’s dive in to another Heaphones.
Album: Face the Music by Nils Lofgren
There are certain albums that are so good, they instantly make an artist a classic. The kind of music that makes other songwriters jealous, wishing they had something that good. Why is Neil Young a rock god? Because he can lay claim to records like Tonight’s The Night and After the Gold Rush. If Springsteen had only released his albums from Tunnel of Love on through High Hopes, he’d still be America’s greatest rocker since Elvis. These men are legends because of the work they’ve done, the classic albums which bear their name. So how is it that a man with not only the above mentioned albums under his belt but a full discography of solo records be a virtual unknown? It’s hard to say, but hopefully with the lovingly compiled Face the Music, it won’t be the case much longer.
Starting from his work with Grin back when he was only 17 years old, Face the Music is a 10 disc set chronicling the 40+ year career of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Nils Lofgren. In the 9 CDs, you not only get semi-well known hits like “White Lies” and “Like Rain”, but also countless deep cuts and nearly 40 unreleased tracks, all personally selected by Lofgren himself, who isn’t so biased to not see why certain tracks (or whole albums) weren’t hits. He curates his own history brilliantly, and the DVD of video clips from the long storied career just enhance the experience. An impressively illustrated and detailed booklet (clocking in at over 100 pages) inform even the most devoted fan, and the collection is sure to turn those not in the known into devotees of this unrecognized musical genius. It’s a steep price for a blind buy, sure, but hopefully its very existence will lead the uninitiated to wonder just what makes Nils so worthy of such an expansive collection, and that alone makes it worth it.
Single: “Romance and Adventure” by Allo Darlin’
Coming off of the upcoming album “We Come From the Same Place” the new single from this English/Australian hybrid plays like it’d be right at home in the trailer for the seemingly annual indie film about a 20 something girl in NYC which a quirky job who’s “just trying to figure it all out”. It owes more than a little debt to Sonic Youth and Neko Case, but the song becomes far more sonically intriguing when you realize it was crafted on a bet, more specifically guitarist Paul Rains challenging Elizabeth Morris to craft a pop song in a minor key. It’s not the most memorable track Allo Darlin’ has to their name, but its an enjoyable track to pop up on a car ride, and thankfully has yet to soundtrack any wide-eyed Williamsburg whining on screen.
Music Videos:
Electronic: “Interceptor” by Mitch Murder
The retro, 8-bit video for “Interceptor” is confoundingly frustrating. Not because its of poor quality. Quite the contrary, in fact. You can’t watch Mitch Murder’s newest vid and not wish you’d had a game like this back in the SNES days, or that any game you did have had a soundtrack as badass as this one.
Hip-Hop: “On The Low” by APB
You know from the opening seconds of APB’s new video you’re in for a good time, and not just because of the angle, but because of the shot composition. The rhymes may not be Langston Hughes, but the video is insanely ambitious in its semi-surreal tone and entrancing and mysterious imagery. It’s a catchy tune with a must watch video that solidifies Warren Credo as a director to watch out for.
Pop: “Beggin For Thread” by BANKS
We try and keep the videos we highlight here fairly timely, aiming for those released that week. Yet, sometimes you see a video from a while back and think “How did I miss this?”. Such is the case with BANKS’ black and white ballet of close-ups and clasped hands, so much so that it would be a disservice not to share it.
R&B: “Turnt UP” by Leila Capri
“Turnt UP” is loaded with the kind of cliches that infect every amateur hip-hop video, from cool cars to hot women shaking and gyrating, backdropped by graffiti and fly kicks, so its kind of thrilling to see such tropes co-opted not just by a woman but a talented R&B singer like Leila Capri.
Rock: “Archie, Marry Me” by Alvvays
Twee post-punk retro-rock always works much better with a woman singing, and the 16mm shot vintage video for “Archie, Marry Me” evokes all the surf-shack sixties ambience to fit the flow of this promising single from Alvvays debut album.
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