Three Little Words by Dominique Fils-Aimé
Lyrically straightforward songs about love, heartbreak, and personal growth, delivered with smooth, soulful vocals. Not much going on beyond the surface level, so it didn’t hold my interest. It was reasonably pleasant, if slightly boring, to listen to. (How many more times am I going to say some variation of this sentiment across the remaining albums? We’ll see.)
Highlights: “While We Wait,” the horns in “Love Take Over.”
Lowlight: “Stand by Me.” I am asking kindly for musicians to stop doing covers of this song. There are simply too many of them already. Nobody has anything new to bring to the mix. Pick a different song, please.
3 stars out of 5.
Fiver with The Atlantic School of Spontaneous Composition by Fiver & The Atlantic School of Spontaneous Composition
I liked this album more in theory than in fact, but it was still pretty good. Take eight slow country rock ballads, add improvised jazzy keys & bass, and you’ll end up with something that sounds like bluegrass. Which is alright by me! I love genre fuckery like that.
I don’t think the lyrics were fully improvised, but some parts of it seemed like they might have been ad-libbed (including the lyric below). What a neat project.
Highlight: “June Like a Bug” (“make me a steeeeeeeaaaaaak“), “Paid in Pride.”
3.5 stars out of 5.
Kind by Thanya Iyer
Having not previously heard of Thanya Iyer and with no indication from the album title or band name, I had no idea what type of music to expect from her. Turns out the answer is “off-kilter jazz pop, often accompanied with plucked violin.” Fuckin’ sweet! The lyrics about trying to find one’s place and identity in a chaotic world resonate just enough to make me go “huh, yeah, that’s about right,” instead of triggering a disassociative existential crisis. Now that’s the sweet spot!
Highlights: “My Mind Keeps Running,” “Please Don’t Hold Me Hostage for Who I Am, for Who I Was,” “Alien.”
4 stars out of 5.
ruminations of a sad oaf. 