THE DANMAN CAN

1.    Osees   Intercepted Message **** 2.    Jessie Ware   That! Feels Good!   **** 3.    The Damned   Darkadelic **** 4.    Alison Goldfrapp   The Love Invention **** 5.    Fever Ray   Radical Romantics **** 6.    The Chemical Brothers   For That Beautiful Feeling  **** 7.    Jaakko Eino Kalevi   Chaos Magic **** 8.    Peter Gabriel I/O  **** 9.    DJ Shadow   Action Adventure   **** 10. Blonde Redhead Sit Down For Dinner  **** 11. The Hives   The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons   ***1/2 12.  Metric   Formentera II   ***1/2 13.  The Go! Team   Get Up Sequences Part Two   ***1/2 14. Foo Fighters   But Here We Are   ***1/2 15.  Queens Of The Stone Age   In Times New Roman...  ***1/2 16. Allen Epley   Everything ***1/2 17.  Jonathan Bree   Pre-Code Hollyw...

1.    Spoon   Lucifer On The Sofa  ****1/2 ( Review ) 2.    Kavinsky Reborn   **** 3.    Beach House   Once Twice Melody  **** 4.    Osees   A Foul Form **** 5.    Angel Olsen   Big Time   **** ( Review ) 6.    Röyksopp Profound Mysteries II   **** 7.    Röyksopp   Profound Mysteries III   **** 8.    JB Dunckel Carbon   **** 9.    Lovelock   Someone **** 10.  Eels   Extreme Witchcraft  **** ( Review ) 11. New Freedom Sound Eight Freedoms **** 12.  Fujiya & Miyagi   Slight Variations ***1/2 13. The Smile   A Light For Attracting Attention ***1/2 14.  Metric   Formentera ***1/2  15. Röyksopp   Profound Mysteries   ***1/2 16. Tears For Fears   The Tipping Point ***1/2 17. Automatic Excess ***1/2 18.  Placebo   Never Let Me Go ***1/2 19.  Björ...

Lucifer On The Sofa  (2022) is Spoon  at their most polished but it's Spoon, so of course it delivers. Lucifer  is a tight blend of straightforward rockers and somber soothers. With one of the most consistently great outputs of any artist I can name, it's easy to see why Spoon's popularity has only grown over the years (longtime fan since 2001 here), and why so many people continue to love them. Nearly thirty years—and 10 albums deep—into their career, they remain one of my Top 10 Bands.

1.    Still Corners   The Last Exit  ****1/2 ( Review ) 2.    Rata Negra   Una Vida Vulgar  **** 3.    Crumb   Ice Melt   **** 4.    Descendents   9th & Walnut  **** 5.    Voyag3r   New York Ninja  (Soundtrack) **** 6.    The Go! Team   Get Up Sequences Part One   ***1/2 7.    Dry Cleaning   New Long Leg   ***1/2 8.    St. Vincent   Daddy's Home  ***1/2      9.    Quicksand   Distant Populations  ***1/2 10.  Andrew W.K.   God Is Partying   ***1/2 11.  Tomahawk   Tonic Immobility  ***1/2 12.  Sarah Neufeld   Detritus  ***1/2 13.  Colleen   The Tunnel And The Clearing  ***1/2 14.  Museum Of Love   Life Of Mammals  ***1/2 15.  John Carpenter   Lost Themes III: Alive After Death   ***1/2 16.  My Mornin...

1.    Hum   Inlet  ****1/2 ( Review ) 2.    Jessie Ware   What's Your Pleasure?  ****1/2 ( Review ) 3.    Jonathan Bree   After The Curtains Close   ****1/2 4.    Shiner   Schadenfreude  **** ( Review ) 5.    Deftones   Ohms  **** 6.   Public Practice   Gentle Grip   **** ( Review ) 7.    Moaning   Uneasy Laughter   **** ( Review ) 8.    Maserati   Enter The Mirror  **** 9.   …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead   X: The Godless Void And Other Stories  ****  ( Review ) 10.  Osees   Protean Threat   **** 11.  Run The Jewels   RTJ4  **** 12.  Nine Inch Nails   Ghosts V: Together  /   Ghosts VI: Locusts   **** ( Review ) 13.  My Morning Jacket   The Waterfall II  ***1/2 14.  Artificial Pleasure   A New Joy  ***1/2 ( Review ) 15....

That might be the longest blog title I've ever typed. ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead 's new album, X: The Godless Void And Other Stories  (2020), does an excellent job of blending their earlier punk sound (a la Source Tags & Codes  (2002)) with their more prog/pop leanings (a la Tao Of The Dead (2011)). Though I'd currently rank it their 7th best album, it's growing on me with each listen and the beautiful artwork in the accompanying booklet is some of Conrad Keely 's best.

1.    Chromatics   Closer To Grey  **** ( Review ) 2.    Karen O  & Danger Mouse   Lux Prima  **** ( Review ) 3.    DJ Shadow   Our Pathetic Age   **** 4.    Ex Hex   It's Real  **** 5.    The Chemical Brothers   No Geography  **** ( Review ) 6.    Fujiya & Miyagi   Flashback   **** ( Review ) 7.    Angel Olsen   All Mirrors   **** 8.    Steve Moore   Beloved Exile  **** ( Review ) 9.    Path Of Metaphor   The Path Of Metaphor   **** ( Review ) 10. UNKLE   The Road: Part II / Lost Highway   **** 11. Susumu Yokota   Cloud Hidden  **** ( Review ) 12. Redd Kross   Beyond The Door   ***1/2 ( Review ) 13.  Oh Sees   Face Stabber  ***1/2 14.  And The Kids   When This Life Is Over  ***1/2 15. John Vanderslice   The Cedars ...

1.    Artificial Pleasure   Artificial Pleasure   ****1/2 ( Review ) 2.    Jonathan Bree   Sleepwalking  ****1/2 ( Review ) 3.    Parquet Courts   Wide Awake!   **** ( Review ) 4.    Beach House   7  **** ( Review ) 5.    Chromeo   Head Over Heels  **** ( Review ) 6.    A Perfect Circle   Eat The Elephant   ***1/2 ( Review ) 7.    Mirah   Understanding   ***1/2 ( Review ) 8.    Metric   Art Of Doubt  ***1/2 ( Review ) 9.    Interpol   Marauder   ***1/2 ( Review ) 10.  Poster Children   Grand Bargain!   ***1/2 ( Review )

On Mirah 's 6th solo studio (and 10th overall) LP, Understanding , she recorded the skeletons of the tracks whilst in art residencies away from home, later adding flourishes with producer El Crews (of Beulah fame) and Greg Saunier (of Deerhoof fame) back in her home base of NYC. As has always been the case, Mirah draws her lyrical inspiration from love, loss, hope and politics. The songs will feel familiar to those who've followed her musical journey—that of breathy vocals, impassioned cries for peace and harmony, raw and simple guitars, minimal synths and (mostly) gentle percussion. "Hot Hot" (she so often seems to write songs about heat), the album's best cut, melds an indiefied R&B slow jam with chill out dance elements that perfectly suits Mirah's delivery. "Blinded By The Pretty Light" is another highlight—it's Mirah's "I'm On Fire", fitting given the similarity to another title by The Boss and the fact that she o...

1.   Mew Visuals ****1/2 2.   Fujiya & Miyagi Fujiya & Miyagi  ****1/2 3.   Rainer Maria S/T ****1/2 ( Review ) 4.   Fever Ray Plunge  **** ( Review ) 5.   Quicksand Interiors  **** ( Review) 6.   Spoon Hot Thoughts **** 7.   The Life And Times The Life And Times   **** 8.   Daniele Luppi & Parquet Courts Milano  **** ( Review) 9.   Goldfrapp Silver Eye **** ( Review ) 10. St. Vincent Masseduction   **** ( Review ) 11. Charlotte Gainsbourg   Rest  **** ( Review )   12. UNKLE The Road: Part 1   **** 13. Failure Fantastic Planet Live  **** 14.  Beck   Colors  ***1/2 ( Review ) 15. Queens Of The Stone Age Villains   ***1/2 ( Review ) 16. Primus The Desaturating Seven ***1/2 ( Review ) 17. Electric Six How Dare You  ***1/2 18. The Octopus Project   Memory Mirror  ***   19. John Carpenter Anthology (Mov...

Well,  Colors   (2017) doesn't sound much like Beck   at all, but I like it regardless. Maybe I'm not cool anymore. Maybe I need my Music Card revoked. Who knows? There's doesn't seem to be a theme or connecting tissue that I can spot on the first few listens, just a collection of catchy "single" songs. And I don't see anything wrong with that, if done well. I dig the House stylings of the title track. "Seventh Heaven" reminds me of a more dancy Mew . "I'm So Free" and "Dear Life" are solid songs that move the album along. "No Distraction" veers into Bruno Mars territory but I still don't mind it. "Dreams" is a nice little slice of pop that was released as a single back in 2015 and works well in the context of Colors .   The safe Hip Hop of "Wow" somehow doesn't offend me and it's actually one of my favorite tracks on the album. "Up All Night" sounds more like those b...

While overall I definitely prefer the more organic  Annie Clark  and it probably would have been impossible to top her last  self-titled album  (my thoughts on that one  here ), Masseduction (2017) is still a great LP. Annie seems to be channeling a bit of a  Tori Amos / Fiona Apple  vibe on this latest go-around, intentionally or not. The slick production doesn't always work for me, but on certain tracks it fits like a glove. "Los Ageless" is an incredibly catchy single and I love that the guitar motif from that song is introduced on piano on the track preceding ("Sugarboy"). As always, she remains interesting and unique. Being that I equate her to a modern day  Bowie , I will always be on board with her, even if she has some albums I like less or outright flops. Here's hoping that she stays vital.

The Desaturating Seven  (2017) is the proggiest Primus album to date, based on Ul de Rico 's children's book The Rainbow Goblins ,   who also apparently contributed to the character designs for the film of The NeverEnding Story  (which makes sense). I've listened to the album twice through and I'm not in love with it, but it's growing on me.

1.   David Bowie ★ (Blackstar)   ****1/2 ( Review ) 2.   Iggy Pop   Post Pop Depression   ****1/2 3.   Atoms And Void   And Nothing Else   ****1/2 4.   The Black Queen Fever Daydream   **** 5.   Virus   Memento Collider   **** 6.   White Denim   Stiff   **** 7.   Jherek Bischoff   Cistern  **** 8.   Trap Them   Crown Feral   **** 9.   Seth Bogart   Seth Bogart   **** 10. Charles Bradley   Changes   **** 11. Cliff Martinez   The Neon Demon   (Soundtrack) **** 12. Deftones   Gore   ***1/2 13. DJ Shadow The Mountain Will Fall   ***1/2 14. Dinosaur Jr. Give A Glimpse Of What Yer Not   ***1/2 15. Voyag3r Are You Synthetic?   ***1/2

My Focus On Film  co-host Ryan challenged me to rate  Bowie 's albums. Honestly, some of these albums really tie for places and this list is one that could change if you asked me to rate them again in a year. *Updated 08/28/22* 1. Scary Monsters  (1980) ***** 2. Low  (1977) ***** 3. Young Americans  (1975) ***** 4. The Next Day  (2013) ***** 5. Aladdin Sane  (1973) ****1/2 6   Diamond Dogs  (1974) ****1/2 7. Let's Dance   (1983) ****1/2 8. Heathen  (2002) ****1/2 9. ★ (Blackstar)  (2016) ****1/2 ( Review ) 10. Lodger  (1979) **** 11. Ziggy Stardust   (1972) **** 12. "Heroes"  (1977) **** 13. Hunky Dory   (1971) **** 14. Station To Station  (1976) **** 15. Reality  (2003) **** 16. The Buddha Of Suburbia  (1993) **** 17. The Man Who Sold The World  (1970) ***1/2 18. Toy (2000) **** 19.   Earthling  (1997) ***1/2 20. Outside  (1995) ***1/2 21. ...

I've given ★ (Blackstar)  (2016) a number of listens now. I wanted to wait a week after  David Bowie 's passing before settling on my star rating. Regardless of his passing and the album subsequently reaching #1 in the US (a first for Bowie), this album is incredibly strong and deserving of the praise it's receiving. I'm seeing a lot of reviewers call this album "jazzy". While there are some jazzy elements (re: saxophone), that's not really how I would classify it overall. It has plenty of dance/electronic and rock elements as well. It reminds me most of a combination of sounds that Bowie previously explored on Earthling   (1997), Outside   (1995), The Buddha Of Suburbia  (1993) and The Next Day  (2013). The self-titled opener is a standout, as are the freaky "Girl Loves Me" and the closer "I Can't Give Everything Away", which still all but brings me to tears a week after DB's death. It's a weirdly unique/experimental albu...

Waking to the news of David Bowie 's death yesterday morning was a doozy. To say he is a " Hero " (for me and for so many) is an incredible understatement. It's safe to say that he is my favorite musical artist. I might not know every detail of every part of his life (there was so much of it) but I have every one of his studio albums (more than any other artist I own) and I continuously feel like I'm discovering and rediscovering his discography whenever I revisit any part of it. It took some time for me to realize that Bowie is my favorite. I was familiar with plenty of his hit songs growing up, but it wasn't until my late teens/early twenties that I started collecting his albums, digging into the deep album cuts, and realizing how astoundingly varied his catalog was. I can't name another artist that I feel is as diverse and eclectic, embracing so many genres (practically every one) and personalities. But Bowie wasn't just a music artist, he was ...

1.    Jaakko Eino Kalevi   Jaakko Eino Kalevi ****1/2 2.    Mew   + - **** 3.    Metric Pagans In Vegas **** 4.    The Helio Sequence The Helio Sequence **** 5.    The Go! Team The Scene Between **** 6.    Refused Freedom **** ( Review ) 7.    The Chemical Brothers Born In The Echoes **** 8.     Zombi Shape Shift **** 9.    Maserati Rehumanizer **** ( Review ) 10. John Carpenter Lost Themes **** 11. My Morning Jacket The Waterfall **** 12. Eagles Of Death Metal Zipper Down ***1/2 13. Death Cab For Cutie Kintsugi ***1/2 14. The Arcs Yours, Dreamily, ***1/2 15.  Ratatat   Magnifique ***1/2

Maserati go for a very warm sound on their newest LP and even add some vocals!  Definitely an early 80s rock/pop/new wave/electro thing going on here and I dig it.