Album Reviews: Wednesday, JayWood, Lucrecia Dalt

Wednesday – Bleeds
Asheville, NC

Few bands can say they do a bit of everything and pull it off in one record, but Wednesday just might be able to hold onto that accolade. As they swerve between a raw post-punk pyre and a delightful collage of country influences, they create an emotive record that’s easily worthy of “best of the year” discussion. There’s such a burnt-out fury to “Townies” that it’s a visceral shock when the light twang opens up into a full-blown fiery stomp, and then shifts back into falsetto and then a triumphant breakdown in its final wailing outro. Rather than a typical build-up, “Wound Up Here (By Holdin On” feels like the slow disintegration that one falls into when trying to keep it together without processing themselves to ease the pressure, as its second half feels like a true primal scream of a recording. The smoother side of the band and a more finessed pop outlook comes out on “Elderberry Wine” as they lean into their country roots for one of the most subtly beautiful tracks of the year. They never let themselves settle into one sound for long, as “Phish Pepsi” mixes a lo-fi edge into their twang to create a track that soars on energy but slowly melts sonically.

Blue Hawaii – Shooting Star (Single)
Montreal

Continuing their trek through the many worlds of dance pop, Blue Hawaii take the attitude but pull back on the glitchy tones for “Shooting Star.” Taking a glossier approach, the vocals here are silky and drenched in club smoke. While the noise has calmed, they’ve clearly taken every other lesson about how to elevate their dancehall energy from their DJ sets. The whole track feels like walking into the middle of a set, the club is packed, you have the perfect buzz, and the sound is still ramping. There even appears to be a return to some of Blue Hawaii’s sax tones, that, synthetic or not, are a fun way to merge this new era with their larger body of work.

Saint Etienne – International
London, England

While fully charged in their production and approach to the form, Saint Etienne remains locked in their subdued vocal direction. Though it often fits right into the sound they’re running, this approach occasionally leaves their latest album with songs that lose steam and feel a touch lacking in energy. The sample-sounding punching note of “Glad” lands like a joyous explosion, dropping the excitement of a whole party with each beat, and then holding you there. “Sweet Melodies” has a deeper dynamic power that lets you swim in its cool, smoky aura before another swing of warm, romantic air levitates your soul. Janet Planet (Confidence Man) maxes out the 90s feeling on “Brand New Me,” as the chipper run of horns and skip beats leave the song consistently bittersweet, and filled with a handful of fun nods to music from Planet’s own band. “Why Are You Calling” has an explosive beat drop, but perhaps suffers the most from the project’s more monotone delivery, as the verses never match or contrast the boom of those choruses quite the same.

JayWood – Leo Negro
Winnipeg/Montreal

With so many funky and spacey singles already, JayWood pushes the envelope on the full record, letting the production get kooky and fun. Merging a lot of different sounds into one concise record, this feels like the summation of the many sides of one person’s personality all in conversation, saying different things but ultimately being of one mind. With Tune-Yards joining the mix, “Big Tings” is an immediate sonic delight, merging a Nickelodeon-like sense of wonder in its production with so many fun little hooks that you’re already in a beautiful haze long before that swirling chorus drop hits. You get sent on a more galactic trip on “Gratitude,” as a few small piano sections quickly expand into dreamy trips into the cosmic line, with shifts in pace that would make Donald Glover blush. Once you come through the other side of the kaleidoscopic trip of “Ask 4 Help,” JayWood begs you to reach out and surround yourself with support, as the voices swirl to join, and the phone voice effects add to a subtly dark outro. The floating jam of “Palma Wise” lets JayWood play for quite a while before even starting the groove, making the more experimental additions in the back half a fun shift in tone.

Lucrecia Dalt – A Danger to Ourselves
Pereira, Colombia/Berlin, Germany

Emulating bits of Fiona Apple and PJ Harvey, as well as Baxter Dury in her spoken sections, Lucrecia Dalt is bringing a whole new brand of experimental art pop to the fray. Bold and pointed, this record crafts a menacing world for her tapestries to live in. The slinking bass and sounds of “Cosa Rara” sends you spiralling in a mysterious fog, with a fun jazzy edge to it. There’s a loose and dangerous desert shadow on “No Death No Danger” that plays to a more experimental flow, but ultimately pulls you into Dalt’s more off-kilter approach to rhythm, making the rest of the album fit. The jagged etched come right back out on “Caes,” as the drums tumble like knives and Dalt calls out like a spirit trying to elegantly come back from the astral plane. “Divina” merges another swath of art pop influences to loose a morose but hauntingly familiar rush of energy, as you float through the dance with Dalt.

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