Best Of June, May, April: Charli, HAIM, and King Gizzard

Hey there, This is just a compilation of some of my reviews from this year. These aren't my only favorites from the first half of 2020 but it's just some of the things I wrote about:

HAIM -- Women In Music Pt. III

[Polydor Records]

Off the success of their first two records Days Are Gone and Something To Tell You, the Haim sisters earned recognition as brilliant indiepop writers. Their recognizable vocal harmonies rang as unique in the sea of rising indie stars. But, not until now has HAIM really struck gold, and that treasure comes in the form of Women In Music Pt. III.

This month, star-studded indie rock sister trio HAIM released their third record Women In Music Pt. III their best record yet with consistency, variety, and catchiness. This album offers more bangers and with more interesting sounds than anything they’ve done before from embracing their familiar indie folk sound to genre-melding of new wave, glittery r&b, and electropop. Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend, Clairo), with the direction of Danielle Haim perfectly mixed the record to spotlight all the right parts of the band.

For indie darlings like HAIM, the true brilliance of the pop record works at song level and each track here stands out with beaming upfront vocals and catchy melodies. The opener “Los Angeles” has this cutesy sway to it with its hula-hoop guitars and some huge compressed drums to lead the groove. “The Steps” preaches independence in a relationship all while dancing over a rock beat with guitars that could be taken straight off a Lou Reed record. “3 AM” takes a different approach with its R&B guitars sounding like the highlights of a D’Angelo track. “Gasoline” has to be my favorite of the guitar songs with its slow personal groove with lovey dovey lyrics that make for one of Indie’s best summer hits.

The rock tracks on here are truly gold but HAIM’s synthier tracks excel just as well. “Another Try” rings with reverb heavy vocals and drums that sound reminiscent of Janet Jackson or Sade. “All That Ever Mattered” really pushes the boundaries of what sounds are appropriate in a pop song by playing this harsh shrill screech sample in the chorus that surprisingly doesn’t feel out of place over the 90’s breakbeat instrumental. Finally, my favorite track “Don’t Wanna” is the absolute peak of HAIM’s songwriting with a super simple melody that will stick in your head for days (it’s still stuck in mine as I write this).

HAIM really have hit their stride with this record. Women In Music Pt. III is really one of the most refined pop records this year so far with its wide variety and genius songwriting. As one of my favorite records this year so far, I can’t recommend this record enough.

Listen To: “Don’t Wanna”, “Los Angeles”

RIYL: Clairo, Vampire Weekend, Waxahatchee

Charli XCX -- how I’m feeling now

[Atlantic]

Fresh off of the release of CHARLI in 2019, Charli XCX established herself as one of the strongest most compelling artists in modern pop. CHARLI was a tight record with banger after banger that derived some of pop’s greatest strengths today into a futuristic masterpiece. Merely off the success of this record, Charli XCX could’ve sat comfortably on it, taking her time with her next record but unanticipated times were approaching.

The current circumstances have completely changed the lives of billions in the interests protecting the overall health of the world. Although by now most people have adjusted to working at their pursuits/studies in these times, the quarantine has affected the mental health of everyone and has begun to be a topic of art, just in how frustrated people feel. Although these times have mostly stifled the creative process for musicians, Charli announced a full LP to confront these issues titled how I’m feeling now, a record to be made within and completely about quarantine.

Released May 15th, how I’m feeling now is a compact futurist pop epic that tackles the repressed frustrations of separation anxiety and isolated sadness. The record opens with “pink diamond”, easily one of Charli’s hardest songs to date featuring these shrill sharp synths that stab into the mix over these huge bass drums, confining the listener in a box with torturous energy. Charli sings about her most primal desires to want to party and have a good time before this all started. On “anthems” and “c2.0” this energy is again displayed in these bangers that show Charli’s wishes or partying with dark synth leads like beams of light in a night club.

“Forever” is a shiny pop ballad with a killer hook reaffirming someone of your love to them while “claws” is the record’s bounciest track with these lovestruck lyrics of “I like I like I like I like everything about you”. “7 years” continues the love ballads but channels it within the more introspective vibe carried throughout the most of the album here on. On “7 years” Charli meditates on a long relationship, remembering the ups and downs where she and her partner stuck together by focusing and tackling the difficulties along the way.

“Detonate” is where Charli opens up on her emotional fragility to a partner, warning them of her anxieties and why they should stay away from her. The arpeggiated melody bounces over a cutesy, catchy, and comforting beat. She expands on those emotional securities on the following track, going on the defensive against that person, calling them her “enemy”. Finally, this mini saga of self-doubt and confidence wraps up in “I finally understand” where she discovers her confidence which was there all along. All three of these tracks offer some of the best pop beats in the record, with my personal favorite of the record being “detonate”.

In the final moments of the record before the dark and sinister sounds of “anthems”, Charli sings about her wishful pursuits in “party 4 u”. The song shifts in the second half where she accepts her rejection and learns to enjoy the outcome anyway. On “visions”, Charli wraps up the record with “visions” about unsure feelings for the future, perfectly looping back to the overall feelings of the record perfectly. The instrumental of the track is melodic but foreboding, showing feelings of both hope and despair for the future.

On how I’m feeling now, Charli XCX flexes her skills in lyrical prowess and production with a time capsule of the feelings in this unique time and one of the best records this year.

RIYL: SOPHIE, Sky Ferreira, Tove Lo

Listen To: “forever”

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Chunky Shrapnel

[Flightless / ATO]

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s first full release live album Chunky Shrapnel features the famous, wild, psychedelic performances we love turned up to eleven. The LP is actually the soundtrack to King Gizzard’s first feature length concert film of the same name, directed by John Angus Stewart and filmed during the Europe tours in late 2019. The songs picked for the album span nearly every year of their discography, with the earliest songs coming from their 2013 release Float Along - Fill Your Lungs. The film (which I admit I have seen) perfectly weaves all the tracks in a cinematic and chronological manner.

Chunky Shrapnel is unique in how its cinematic theme still exists and works in album form. For a live album, it’s surprisingly well-paced, and the meticulous work that went into making it that way is apparent too. There are low jazzy and bluesy moments to space out the hardcore stretches of intense prog rock and thrash metal. Impressive improv performances of “The River” and “Murder Of The Universe” bring the album to life while songs like “Planet B” and “Road Train” show that the band is just as tight and precise live as in the studio.

The ambient interludes that space out each quarter of the album are definitely more effective on screen but still feel unique on just the LP. The explosive finale “A Brief History of Planet Earth” weaves together a medley of four performances from four different concerts including fan favorites like “Rattlesnake” and “Boogieman Sam” finally riding out a 15-minute long jam of “Head On/Pill” where each band member hands their musical parts off to the opening band to crowd surf for the rest of the song.

This review doesn’t mean to downplay the movie, which I think is still a load of fun and helps the listener appreciate the album more. Chunky Shrapnel stands on its own as an electric concert film soundtrack jam-packed with some of King Gizzard’s best tracks and hopefully the first of many great Gizz live albums to come.

RIYL: Oh Sees, Ty Segall, Parquet Courts, White Fence

Listen To: “The River”, “A Brief History of Planet Earth”