The Afghan Whigs’ 1965 is one of the sexiest albums I own, not just because its overall sound and feel is sexy (which it is, in spades) but because many of its songs are actively about sex.
Take today’s Random SOTD, ‘Neglekted,’ which to my untrained literary eye appears to be about a woman requesting a specific sex act.
Well, I’ve run out of new albums to review this week, and next week I start a two-week vacation. So what better way to see myself off than with a Beyoncé video?
Here’s ‘*** Flawless’ from her surprise self-titled album. This song is all over the damn place and I love it.
It’s the only feminist anthem I know of containing the phrase “Bow down, bitches.”
I can’t call it a surprise when Miranda Lambert puts out an excellent album. This year’s Platinum is her seventh in a row, counting her work with Pistol Annies, and they just keep getting better.
What I love about Lambert is the confidence she has exuded right from the beginning.
It first manifested itself in tough-girl anthems written in defense of the battered women who shared her home when she was growing up. Now it shows up in the laid-back soulful groove of a song like ‘Smokin’ and Drinkin’,’ the sort of thing you’d never expect to hear on country radio.
My only musical real disappointment of the year so far is Sheezus, the long-awaited third album by British star Lily Allen.
Allen’s first two albums were unpredictable delights, brimming with creative arrangements, snarky lyrics and a brash attitude that set her apart from her contemporaries.
Following her second album, she went on hiatus, having a couple of kids and threatening to quit the music business.
Following up on yesterday’s Broken Bells post is another release by an indie supergroup. Of course the phrase “supergroup” is a bit of a stretch for either of these bands, given the relatively low profiles of their members.
The Both is a collaboration between Aimee Mann, who I adore, and Ted Leo, who is completely new to me. Leo is a punk-rock songwriter and performer who has been recording with various bands for 23 years. He and Mann have been friends for the past decade and started this professional partnership in 2012.
