Albums I’m Excited About, August 23
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Anak Ko — Jay Som
Jay Som is too dear to me as a band to be able to make any objective comparison — I’ve been a huge fan since I saw them open for Japanese Breakfast and Mitski at Starline Social Club in Oakland in 2016 — what seems like a lifetime ago for all three acts. I most recently saw them play a packed show that I waited in line for for hours in downtown Barcelona. It is wonderful to see a group get their due, and I think there’s a lot more coming for them.
This album feels like it mirrors that experience. This is no longer an indie band from the bay, no longer a project to be seen as some kids who are more talented than you’d expect — they now have a reputation, and have moved to the big city. The album reflects that attitude, it’s polished enough to pepper the soundtrack of every coming of age film from Sundance to Hollywood. It’s not my favorite Jay Som album, but if only because it leaves early fans like me behind, it may be their most daring and triumphant effort yet.
https://music.apple.com/us/album/anak-ko/1463755446
https://open.spotify.com/album/6ufXh8u7kIJE5EiutbOjyj?si=QacPlNb6Qvq0opAJFFSpEA
Hell is Here — HIDE
HIDE is a two piece heavy industrial band, with a frontwoman known for (among other things) her aggressive stage presence. I’ve been in love with their debut, CASTRATION ANXIETY since it came out, and almost nervous that a sophomore release would have a tough time living up.
Hell is Here is not just a little bit better than CASTRATION ANXIETY, it’s an absolute industrial masterpiece. It makes me uncomfortable in the way that I imagine “Closer” made parents feel in ’94, but without resorting to the easy profanity that Reznor used. The instrumentation is on the bleeding edge of noise, it’s use of silence and hard decays is perfect. It is a dominatrix of an album, which will only reward you if you submit to its brutality. I’ve been concerned that the industrial revival was just nostalgia — this album proves to me that it is not.
https://music.apple.com/us/album/hell-is-here/1466099884
https://open.spotify.com/album/4kkSena2J1PYEI1SpXdUoO?si=WLkDCqP8QWmmYyzS1j7q0Q
A Distant Call — Sheer Mag
Sheer Mag is often lumped in with other bands reviving the hard blues rock of the early 70s most associated with AC/DC or Van Halen — but I think there’s a lot more punk than they get credit for, and this album is produced in a way that hints that they might agree.
After their last album fell just a bit short in the production department, it feels like they’ve finally successfully brought the energy of their incredible live shows to a recording. The songs are just incrementally more complex than their previous work, which is exactly how it should be. They innovate only where necessary, and manage to improve on a genre often thought to be perfected before most of the band members were born.
https://music.apple.com/us/album/a-distant-call/1466155521
https://open.spotify.com/album/0Diq2A7FjraCWgDW1B5u9S?si=6V0RBv9QSyGtTzSBtKyvlA
