Crazy's 2024 new release purchases

[CRAZY-HORSE]

BRIGHT EYES  "five dice, all threes"

release date:  20th September 2024

chart stats:  UK Indi Albums #9

format owned:  vinyl

US indi-folk/indi-rock band
tenth studio album, i have around half of them 
cant help but hear Hunters & Collectors in places here, Waterboys in others
as usual there is a common thread amongst the tracks, all without managing to be called concept album
this albums' theme is "life is a game of chance" which makes me wonder whether Covid-19 was in the back of Orbost's thoughts as he wrote this one (or maybe im reading too much in to it)
a well crafted collection of songs as one would expect from Conor Orbost and Co.
Matt Beringer (The National) and Cat Power are featured artists on this album
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

fave:





tracks:

.....five dice (intro)
1:  bells and whistles  ***
2:  el capitan  ***
3:  bas jan ader  ***
4:  tiny suicides  **
5:  all threes  ** 
6:  rainbow overpass  *** 
7:  hate  **   
8:  feel real 105 ***     
9:  spun out  **
10: trains still run on time  ***    
11: the time i have left  **   
12: tin soldier boy  **

3s -  6
2s -  6
1s -  0

rating:  2.51 

[CRAZY-HORSE]

ZACH TOP  "cold beer and country music"

release date:   5th April 2024

chart stats:  US #72, US Country #14, CAN #99

format owned:  vinyl

debut album
country music has taken a huge u-turn this year IMO
i dont think ive bought so many new ones from the genre in one year for years
a whole generation of young singers influenced by the likes of Alan Jackson, George Strait and Reba and im loving it
a fine collection of country songs here, the guy has talent, the voice and the band behind him
just hope Zach stays true to the real stuff and Nashville doesnt change him 
he is the real deal and could be the successor to the likes of Jackson and Strait IMO
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

fave:





tracks:

1:  sounds like the radio  ***
2:  cold beer and country music  ***
3:  cowboys like me do  ***   
4:  theres the sun  ***
5:  dirt turns to gold  **  
6:  the kinda woman i like  ***  
7:  lonely for long  **  
8:  bad luck  ** 
9:  use me  ***   
10: aint that a heartbreak  ***  
11: i dont lie  ***   
12: things to do **

3s -  8
2s -  4
1s -  0

rating:  2.66

[CRAZY-HORSE]

THE COWARD BROTHERS  "the coward brothers"

release date:  21st November 2024

chart stats:  no chart action

format owned:  vinyl

a collaboration between Elvis Costello and T-Bone Burnett
both have worked together on numerous projects dating back to 1984's "king of america" album
i believe these songs are a collection of newly written and recorded tracks to previously unreleased tunes 
there is rockabilly, blues, indi-pop, post-punk/new wave, country and americana tracks on here
if im going to be totally honest i would have to say i am a bit underwhelmed by it overall
two musical greats, the expectations were too high i guess
album starts off really well then there is a lull in the middle before if picks up at the back end
some tracks sound like demos, others just incomplete, is that by design?, maybe?!?!
it also sounds a bit messy with the amount of styles on it so it does not flow very well to my ears
either way it was way too long at twenty track for what it is and i could have halved the tracks for a nice flowing album but....
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

fave:  





tracks:

1:  always  **
2:  like licorice  **
3:  my baby just squeals  **
4:  the devil's wife  **
5:  tipsy woman  **
6:  my baby just purrs  ***
7:  my baby just whistles  *
8:  world serious  *
9:  early shirley  **
10: yesteryear is near  **
11: birkenhead girl  *
12: smoke ring angel  *
13: wooden woman  *
14: lyndon johnson  **
15: lotta money  **
16: pure bubblegum  *
17: cathy come home  ***
18: bygones  **
19: roll me once  ***
20: clown around town  **

3s -  3
2s - 11
1s -  6

rating:  1.85

[CRAZY-HORSE]

WILLIE NELSON   "the border"

release date:  31st May 2024

chart stats:   US Country #50,  AU #39

format owned:  compact disk

his 101st studio album,
he released another after this one towards the back end of the year which i did not get
an album of true country songs, none of that jazzy material he seems to pass off as country
a solid album, four tracks written by Willie, the remainder written for him
his best album in probably thirty years for me, mainly because it is original material for the most part
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

fave:





tracks:

1:  the border  ***
2:  once upon a yesterday  ***
3:  what if im out of my mind  ***
4:  i wrote this song for you  ***
5:  kiss me when youre through  **
6:  many a long lonesome highway  **
7:  hank's guitar  **
8:  made in texas  **
9:  nobody knows me like you  ***
10: how much did it cost  **

3s -  5
2s -  5
1s -  0

rating:  2.51

[CRAZY-HORSE]

THEE SACRED SOULS  "got a story to tell"

release date:  4th October 2024

chart stats:  no info

format owned:  vinyl

from San Diego
sophomore album (have not heard the debut)
1970s soul/R+B revival stuff
sort of a cross between Marvin Gaye, Impressions and Chi-Lites, to name three
so cool and refreshing to hear REAL r+b again
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

fave:





tracks:

1:  lucid girl  ***
2:  price i'll pay  ***
3:  live for you  ***
4:  on my mind  **  
5:  waiting on the right time ** 
6:  losing side of love  **
7:  somebody knew  **   
8:  my heart if drowning  ** 
9:  stuck in the mud  **    
10: in the mirror  **   
11: one and the same  **  
12: so glad i found you,baby  ** 

3s -   3 
2s -   9
1s -   0  

rating:   2.25

[CRAZY-HORSE]

KINGS OF LEON  "can we please have fun"

release date:  10th May 2024

chart stats:  US #35,  UK #2,  AU #20, CAN #65

format owned:  vinyl and compact disk

US rock band
nineth studio album, yup, i own them all
could well and truly be called the best rock band of this millennium IMO
they never let me down with their brand of jangly/jagged guitar driven rock and this is no different
their last couple of albums mellowed significantly over the previous six releases but this one is a return to their more uptempo sounds.
a couple of tracks reminiscent of their heady early albums, theres a psuedo-psychedelic track, something whose music has a slight 'virginia plain' sound (hesitation gen) but the rest is pure Kings Of Leon to my ears.
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

fave:





tracks:

1:  ballerina radio  ***
2:  rainbow ball  ***
3:  nowhere to run  ***
4:  mustang  ***
5:  actual daydream  **
6:  split screen  **
7:  dont stop the bleeding  **
8:  nothing to do  **
9:  M-television  **
10: hesitation gen  ***
11: ease on me  **
12: seen  **

3s -  5
2s -  7
1s -  0

rating:  2.41

[CRAZY-HORSE]

DAVID GILMOUR  "luck and strange"

release date:  6th September 2024

chart stats:   UK #1,  AU #6,  US #10

format owned:  compact disk

fifth solo album
Pink Floyd guitarist and songwriter/singer
nine tracks with two of those instrumentals, one a cover of an old indi-pop song he loves and in which his daughter sings.
his voice is very weak and frail at times (well he isnt a spring chicken anymore!)
the songs themselves are very unassuming and restrained musically and his guitar gently weeps and wails throughout
theres nothing groundbreaking on it, its just a consistent album of beautifully crafted songs with no real standouts for me
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

fave has a bit of a Cohen feel to it





tracks:

1:  black cat (inst)  **
2:  luck and strange  **
3:  the pipers call  **
4:  a single spark  **
5:  veta brevis (inst)  **
6:  between two points  **
7:  dark and velvet nights  **
8:  sings  **
9:  scattered  **

3s -  0
2s -  9
1s -  0

rating:  2.01

[CRAZY-HORSE]

NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS  "wild god"

release date:  30th August 2024

chart stats:  AU #2,  UK #5,  US #66

format owned:  vinyl and compact disk

their eighteenth studio album, i own all eighteen
musically more uplifting than his previous couple of albums 
opening track is joyously infectious both musically and lyricaly, a change for a Cave album
second track not so much.
after that it is in to familiar territory, he is obviously (and understandably) still grieving his two sons' deaths over the last few years 
album seems more accessible that a lot of his material "(is that a good thing though?)
a good album but there are cracks in the arsenal with two i do not like, but the positive is that i still love half of the album
the closing track is a mere 2 minutes long which is extremely short for a Nick Cave track but it works beautifully to close it IMO and would be fitting to be the 'last track on the last side of the last album' 
not sure whether this album will gain more traction for me over time but does it really need to?
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

fave:





tracks:

1:   song of the lake  ***
2:   wild god  ***
3:   frogs  **
4:   joy  *
5:   final rescue attempt  *
6:   conversion  **
7:   cinnamon horses  **
8:   long dark night  ***
9:   o wow, o wow (how wonderful she is)  ***
10: as the waters cover the sea  ***

3s -  5
2s -  3
1s -  2

rating:  2.31

[CRAZY-HORSE]

BILLIE EILISH   "hit me hard and soft"

release date:   17th May 2024

chart stats:   US #2,  UK #1, AU #1, CAN #1

format owned:  vinyl and compact disk

her third album and third i own
i know no one on the forum likes her much but i do
music is still fairly sparse for the most part
vocals soft, sultry in places
a couple of uptempo tunes to break up the mellow sounds
songs are about insecurities, love, loss and pitfalls of fame
still strictly Billie Eilish, haters gonna hate, am i right?!
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

fave:  





tracks:

1:   skinny  **
2:   lunch  ***
3:   chihiro  **
4:   birds of a feather  ***
5:   wildflower  ***
6:   the greatest  **
7:   l'amour de ma vie  ***
8:   the diner  *** 
9:   bittersuite  **  
10: blue  **

3s -  5
2s -  5
1s -  0

rating:  2.51

[CRAZY-HORSE]

TAYLOR SWIFT  "the tortured poets department"

release date:  19th April 2024

chart stats:  US #1, AU #1, UK #1, CAN #1

format owned:  compact disk

her eleventh (not counting the 'taylors version' re-recordings), i own eleven
firstly, i was surprised how high this one ended up scoring.
secondly, on with the album
follows along the same format of minimalistic music, almost chamber pop, as her previous three
lyrically the songs deal with relationships, loss, grief, self awareness, humour and mourning
the single disk has sixteen tracks (thats the one i have) 
the extended version contains double that amount which would be too long in anyone's book
album has turned into my favourite of hers, just a shame about the amount of "f-bombs" she feels the need to drop on it
other than those glitches...
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

fave:





tracks:

1:   fortnight  ***
2:   the tortured poets department  ***
3:   my boy only broke his favourite toys  ***
4:   down bad  ***
5:   so long, london  ***
6:   but daddy i love him  ***
7:   fresh out the slammer  **
8:   florida!!!  **
9:   guilty as sin  **
10: who's afraid of little old me?  ***
11: i can fix him  ***
12: LOLM  **
13: i can do it with a broken heart  ***
14: the smallest man who ever lived  ***
15: the alchemy  **
16: clara bow  **

3s - 10
2s -  6
1s -  0

rating:  2.62