Sound Advice- 04. Dec. 2024

The flood of great 2024 records continues! Today we're taking a quick look at a few of the latest releases.

Longtime readers may recall that I reviewed 100 new (to me) records last year. Because I’m a glutton for punishment love music, I’m doing it again this year. This is the latest in the series.

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Good morning!

Today we’re taking a look at the latest from Joan Armatrading, Librarians With Hickeys, and The Routes.

Every year, I celebrate all the great music we’ve been gifted while worrying that next year will see the other shoe drop. I did that last December and have been proven wrong every month since. Not only are there a ton of releases steadily coming out, but there’s also been a ton of great stuff, no matter your tastes. It’s almost overwhelming— but in all the best ways. Below is another one that caught my attention recently.

Let’s get into it!

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Joan Armatrading- How Did This Happen and What Does It Now Mean

In the early days of MTV, Joan Armatrading wrote a song about two guys bullying each other the way we sometimes do. At the time, many thought the track was about domestic abuse, and Armatrading had to eventually explain the “real” story behind it, stating, “The reason I wrote that song was there were these two chaps, a big guy and a little guy. They weren’t gay. It’s just how they were. But the little guy was always trying to bully the big guy. I was thinking, ‘why does he do that?’. This guy was twice the size not only in height but in girth. And yet he was always hitting the guy. That’s why I wrote that song. If you saw those two, you’d just laugh”.

It’s a song that you probably couldn’t make today. “(I Love It When) You Call Me Names” was one of the first handful of videos I saw on the then-nascent channel and, of that lot, one of the few tracks I still listen to with any relative regularly. It was also one of the singer's biggest hits.

You might not be able to make a song like that today, but Armatrading is still making records and still writing about the conflicts she observes in real life. Forty(ish) years on and almost 20 records later, the lead single off of Armatrading’s latest is about—you guessed it— a confrontation she witnessed.

He was like ‘I’m going to kill everybody! I’m not moving! You can get the police! You can’t move me!’ All the lyrics just flowed, in one, and I knew it had to have an aggression, because that’s how he was. I did a version of it that was a little bit milder, but you could tell that wasn’t it.

“I’m Not Moving” is a great track on a record that is a bit of a mixed bag.

One of the projects she has worked on in recent years was composing a symphony. In isolation, that’s incredible and speaks to her talent. On this record, you can tell she hasn’t quite gotten that out of her system. The result is a few tracks that feel overwrought and/or grandiose. A little too orchestral. A little too orchestrated. “Irresistible,” in particular, suffers from this. Armatrading’s at her best when a sense of urgency and buoyancy runs through the tracks. “Come Back to Me (If Only In Dreams)” dials it back a bit, and a lovely track is the result.

At the risk of undercutting what I just wrote, the instrumental “Back and Forth” gives Armatrading a chance to show off her ability as a guitarist. If her vocal talents have always been underrated, that goes double for her playing. On this track, it’s time for the latter to shine. Nothing says “indulgent” like an extended solo, and I don't know if listeners in 2024 have the appetite for a 4+ minute guitar instrumental, but I’m glad she put it out there for us to figure out.

Armatrading wrote, produced, and programmed the LP. That’s a testament to her immense talent, but to be honest, this is one of those times when having someone to bounce ideas off of would’ve helped. Listen to the record here.

Also out:

Librarians With Hickeys – How To Make Friends By Telephone

Two middle-aged dudes from the Midwest put out a jangle pop record? Sign me up! Seriously, though, once you get past the awkward band name, this is a great record full of hooks and harmonies. It’s a lot of sound for two people and leaves you wanting more. Opener “Hello Operator” is a treat. That sugar rush keeps going for the next forty minutes. Get ready. Check out the record here, and grab your copy directly from Big Stir Records.

The Routes-Surfin’ Pleasures

After releasing their own versions of tracks from Kraftwerk and Buzzcocks, The Routes have now set their sights on Joy Division. It can be a thin line between homage and heresy, and doubly so when taking on the work of such a revered band. The record’s title, Surfin’ Pleasures, is, of course, a take on the original Unknown Pleasures, and even the cover art is, well, a cover version of Peter Saville’s infamous design.

So, is the music any good? It is—and I say that as someone normally pretty dismissive of this sort of thing. No need to run through the tracklist; you already know the titles, but at the risk of more heresy, I’ll say this- the band’s version of “Love Will Tear Us Apart” is a favorite on the record, and dare I say as enjoyable as the original. Bandcamp link

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As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on these records! Did I get it right, or am I way off the mark?

Thanks for being here,

Kevin—