#found a cover by Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins and it’s HITTING

[lovely-v]

I think Handle With Care is one of those songs that will never fail to make me cry no matter who’s singing it

[thefirsttimpressions-blog]

The Daily Listen: 3/18/19

The Daily Listen. Fuckin’ Mondays.

The Cribs / 24-7 Rock Star Shit (2017)(FINAL RATING LISTEN)

The Skinny: It’s been a while since I’d listened to 24-7 Rock Star Shit, so my pre-listen impression is that this is an OK record that kind of fades from memory after listening to it. Imagine my surprise when I found out that this isn’t necessarily the case.

Pros: It’s more than possible that this is actually the best Cribs record. “Year of Hate” is the type of track that we’ve come to expect from The Cribs, as is “What Have You Done for Me.” Both of them are perfect representations of The Cribs’ UK rock sound and have energy to spare. They also shift from UK-focused rock into something resembling Cloud Nothings on “In Your Palace,” and it’s a shift that’s effective. The guitars that power the closing “Broken Arrow” are another highlight of 24-7 Rock Star Shit, but it’s the softer side that I find myself enjoying most. Tracks like “Sticks Not Twigs” and “Dead at the Wheel” are a bit of a departure for The Cribs, but it’s surely a direction that I’d like to see them pursue on future releases.

Cons: This maybe isn’t the best word, but as always, they feel a bit like a disposable band. By that, I mean that they do register an impression (and on 24-7 Rock Star Shit it’s a favorable one), but it’s not one that sticks like those made by the best bands in music. Maybe that’s a personal thing, maybe not. There are also a couple of tracks here (”Dendrophobia” being one) that are kind of just *shrugs*.

Final Rating: 72

Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins / Rabbit Fur Coat (2006)

Jenny Lewis has a highly anticipated new record out on Friday, so time to dive into her solo back catalog. I remember being really psyched for the release of Rabbit Fur Coat, as I’d really gotten into Rilo Kiley in the few years before its release and Lewis’s voice (not to mention profile in the indie community) was just so huge at that point. And it’s a debut that’s confident, assured, and at times naked. Lead single “Rise Up with Fists!!” was a logical choice for the album’s first statement in that it sounds very much like Rilo Kiley, perhaps more than any of the other tracks here. Her cover of The Traveling Wilburys’ “Handle with Care” is like a 2006 indie all-star team with Ben Gibbard, M. Ward, and Conor Oberst all appearing on the track. I’d actually forgotten about Ward’s involvement, so that’s might be why the confessional “Happy” sounds a whole lot like him. “Born Secular” is one of the album’s most personal tracks and uses The Watson Twins’ involvement very well (as does “Rise Up with Fists!!” to be fair). My newfound appreciation for country music also makes Rabbit Fur Coat play even better than it had originally, with “The Big Guns” and “The Charging Sky” in particular being songs that I heard in a new light this time around. Such a great album.

Criminal Hygiene / Run It Again (2019)

First listen of this one, which I was introduced to via Matt Wilkinson playing “Greetings from a Postcard” on his Beats 1 show. It’s a decent enough record, with a heavy power-pop vibe going on. The opening “Hardly News” sounds eerily like The Lemonheads during their heyday, while “Dangers of Convenience” reminds me of the heavily hyped but little-remembered mid-00s band Louis XIV. Elsewhere, the aforementioned “Greetings from a Postcard” has a slight Replacements thing happening, “Young & Obscene” is a nod to classic rock, and “Thankless is a solid, workmanlike song. Not bad for a first outing.

Strand of Oaks / HEAL (2014)

Timothy Showalter’s Strand of Oaks project has a new record coming out on Friday, one where he’s backed by members of My Morning Jacket, so the run through his discography (or, at least the ones in my library) begins with 2014′s breakthrough HEAL. It’s been a while since I gave this one a spin and it’s actually even better than I remember it being, partly because its heartland rock sound hits my wheelhouse more now than it did in 2014. “Goshen ‘97″ and “HEAL” are two of the record’s most recognizable tracks and open HEAL in impressive fashion. Other songs that stand out are the cool, synthy atmosphere to “Same Emotions” and the “In the Air Tonight”-recalling dum fills on “Woke Up to the Light,” but perhaps the track that encapsulates Strand of Oaks’ sound more than any other is the personal lyrics wedded to soaring and majestic heartland rock on “Shut In,” which is also one of my favorite Strand of Oaks tracks on any record.