Category: WTF

Biggest disappointments of 2020

powerpopaholic

Just let me start by saying this isn’t a “worst albums” list but a collection of mediocre albums that I will likely not listen to again. I tend to pick on established stars who should’ve known better. Let the hate mail flow…

 

Billy Bremner

Billy Bremner “Rockfiles: A Tribute to Rockpile”
Bremner paying tribute to his old band Rockpile (with Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds) sounds like a decent idea, but he can’t pull it off. Musically it sounds like a lame cover band, and Bremner’s vocals just aren’t up to snuff — it’ll have you reaching for the original almost instantly.

 

Kevin Godley

Kevin Godley “Muscle Memory”
Godley was an integral part of 10cc, one of the most innovative rock bands of the ’70s. Unlike his counterpart, Graham Gouldman who’s done a great job this year with a new album, Godley’s work is as non-melodic and experimentally boring as can be. Godley’s vocal is still impressive, and it makes the experience listenable. Barely. “Periscope” is the only tolerable tune here.

 

Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello “Hey Clockface”
Many critics fall over to the “master craftsman” who mixes styles and moods “brilliantly.” This scattershot mess feels like a series of loose demos. He goes for weird moody Arabic instrumentals, ballads he croaks out (his vocals are shot), and tin-pan alley pop that seems better suited to Randy Newman or Leon Redbone. The song “Radio is Everything” has him doing narrative poetry. Maybe he thinks he’s Bob Dylan now? His one “angry old man” song “No Flag” is pure cacophony compared to his last album Look Now.

 

Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney “III”
Sir Paul figures he could just indulge himself, playing lots of loose jams and sketches. But unlike McCartney which was a home-tooled response to The Beatles, and McCartney II which was an attempt to incorporate new music trends, “III” feels like he’s noodling around and bored. The septuagenarian multi-millionaire pop star still has legendary talent, as “Seize the Day” proves he can still fart out good music whenever he wants to. But after all that promotional build-up, he’s just taking it easy here. Ho hum.

 

The top 25 best power pop of 2020 is coming soon…

Biggest Letdowns of 2010: Pete Yorn and Liz Phair

powerpopaholic

So what good is reviewing all this if I couldn’t rant about the two albums that disappointed me the most:

Pete Yorn “Pete Yorn”
Pete Yorn has been a victim of his own success, never quite reaching the highs of his debut from 2001. Like a lost soul trying to find himself, he’s trying stuff to see what “sticks” I guess. Last year he did a duet with actress Scarlett Johansson titled Break Up and while it had it’s moments (“Relator” is a great tune), it seemed a pale imitation of M.Ward and Zooey Deschanel’s She and Him. His latest self titled album was produced by Pixies frontman Frank Black. The opener “Precious Stone” and “Rock Crowd” are distinct enough, but his persona is swallowed whole by Black’s style. Yorn literally becomes a mini-Pixie most of the album after the first few tracks. After “Badman” you forget who you’re listening to. If you liked Black’s old band, then you’ll like this album, otherwise you’ll ask “Pete who?” I’d rather listen to the weary Back & Fourth instead, but even that lacks the memorable hooks that made Pete such a good songwriter. Right now he’s the musical version of Zelig.

Liz Phair “Funstyle”
Much has been written slamming this album for a variety of reasons. Fans of the Exile in Guyville Liz don’t want to hear the horrid rap “Bollywood” and “Smoke,” a whine about how the mainstream music industry is filled with wannabes and slimy corporate shills. This is like your grandma telling a corny joke and explaining the punch-line – it poisoned many listeners first impression of Funstyle. Truth is, the good songs lie a few tracks deeper, but how much muck are you willing sift through? “Miss September” and “Oh, Bangladesh” prove Liz still knows her stuff. And the Liz I love comes through on “Satisfied,” but too much here is full of cliched crap that I expect from your average Beyonce clone. Liz seems to expect the critical response with the satiric “U Hate It” but it’s about as subtle as neon sign. That’s not so say it’s terrible, and some critics have bent over backwards to praise her light-hearted humor. True, this album is more honest and confessional than her last one, but that doesn’t mean it’s that good either.

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