"If Love Was Fair" is my jam. Sounds like early eighties Fleetwood Mac.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 16 July 2015 13:04 (eight years ago) link
Yeah this is v good. Better than the first probably.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 16 July 2015 13:34 (eight years ago) link
sounds good so far, little sleepy
― j., Thursday, 16 July 2015 16:20 (eight years ago) link
It's not better -- this one has two duds.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 16 July 2015 16:57 (eight years ago) link
going to try to figure out which
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Thursday, 16 July 2015 17:13 (eight years ago) link
yeah i heard no outright duds, "mayflowers" might be a bit inessential (or maybe i'm just skipping it bc i'm itching to get to "i'm good at leavin")
― lex pretend, Thursday, 16 July 2015 17:21 (eight years ago) link
(i love how it starts and ends with ashley leaving, and in between are mostly the reasons why)
"From Time to Time" and "Bombshell" are the duds imo.
I knew w/out looking at the credits that Lambert had a hand in writing "I'm Good at Leavin'."
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 16 July 2015 17:29 (eight years ago) link
"Bombshell" are the duds imo.
the goddamn hell
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Thursday, 16 July 2015 17:31 (eight years ago) link
and the chorus melody of "from time to time" is gorgeous
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Thursday, 16 July 2015 17:38 (eight years ago) link
I'm going to wait to hear this until I have the record in my hand. The only new records I ever buy these days are women country singers. Was Bandy Clark's 12 Stories released on record? I wish that Angaleena Presley's 'American Middle Class' had been released on record.
― JacobSanders, Thursday, 16 July 2015 18:13 (eight years ago) link
i hope the vinyl is a decent pressing. i'll probably buy this on CD first, though. 'like a rose' has yet to leave heavy rotation in my car cd player.
― nomar, Thursday, 16 July 2015 18:15 (eight years ago) link
the two pistol annies albums are both on vinyl. i should buy those.
― nomar, Thursday, 16 July 2015 18:16 (eight years ago) link
no no NO these are not duds!
― lex pretend, Thursday, 16 July 2015 18:19 (eight years ago) link
yes yes yes!
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 16 July 2015 18:22 (eight years ago) link
They are so not duds---"Bombshell" is where she shifts from an initial impression of a tendency to stasis---where you get it all, and maybe get hooked, in the first verse and chorus, then stick around, to increasingly, if vaguely, diminishing returns, as the mind starts to wander---shifts to a more dynamic, moody yet sufficiently gravitational speculation: drop it on him now? How, "It's never a good time for a bombshell," but she's still checking her options...haven't heard a song about this situation, so in that respect, as well as the actual sound, I make a mental note for my future mix, The Great Lost Pistol Annies Album. "From Time To Time" (like several on here)might be another one for the same destination, although in this case, the multiple Monroes have more of a post-Beatles/Fleetwood Mac/Dixie Chickc/Courtyard Hounds/multiple solo Maines/Mona Lisa: real friendly and slightly exotic (which is a friendly warning not to take friendliness for granted).Despite her turning the pages in the stylebook--without trying to hide it---this set is more emotionally and/or sensually involving than Like A Rose.Her debut, Satisfied, is also engaging---it's uneven, but the best tracks, written when she was a teen and maybe even a tween, are adolescent adventures in the best sense.
― dow, Thursday, 16 July 2015 19:31 (eight years ago) link
Stasis creeps back in on "If The Devil Don't Want Me," maybe some of the other second-half tracks too, but they (and the better ones nearby) are still strong enough to keep me hangin' around, if not on.
― dow, Thursday, 16 July 2015 19:33 (eight years ago) link
"bombshell" is a great concept executed really well, dow nails it. and it fits in really well with the overarching themes.
"from time to time" i find really powerful, as much for what's not in the song (that i've heard yet) as what's in it...there are secrets and darknesses beneath its tenderness. and as brad says it's just a straight-up gorgeous melody.
Despite her turning the pages in the stylebook--without trying to hide it---this set is more emotionally and/or sensually involving than Like A Rose.
agree with this too; it builds on like a rose so well, takes its strengths and fleshes them out, pushes them in multiple unexpected directions
― lex pretend, Thursday, 16 July 2015 19:38 (eight years ago) link
And again, with the Pistol Annies-associated knack for fresh topics: considering that your love was (def past tense) "heaven," then, if the devil don't want her, where can she go? Purgatory? Celibacy? Just everyday numbnuts office bus station cafeteria reality? It's a good question, long as she can keep asking it, and putting off the answers.
― dow, Thursday, 16 July 2015 19:40 (eight years ago) link
http://www.spin.com/2015/07/review-ashley-monroe-the-blade/
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 20 July 2015 15:55 (eight years ago) link
i'm seeing her live tonight at an NPR first listen show; looking forward to it obviously
― you are extreme, Patti LuPone. (forksclovetofu), Monday, 20 July 2015 16:25 (eight years ago) link
hope it doesn't bury your love alive
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 20 July 2015 16:26 (eight years ago) link
i'm planning on catching it by the handle.
― you are extreme, Patti LuPone. (forksclovetofu), Monday, 20 July 2015 17:12 (eight years ago) link
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20813-the-blade/
not sure ilxors will like the content of that review, but nice that p4k has reviewed another not too alt-y album favourably
― niels, Thursday, 23 July 2015 09:53 (eight years ago) link
Alfred's review is a lot more fun to read because it doesn't waste time justifying/indiesplaining the genre
― niels, Thursday, 23 July 2015 09:57 (eight years ago) link
Like so many country albums, especially recent ones by Monroe's friend and bandmate Miranda Lambert, The Blade could be stronger if it was more streamlined and sequenced with some kind of overarching narrative in mind
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 23 July 2015 12:00 (eight years ago) link
haha yeah that sentence is not great
― niels, Thursday, 23 July 2015 12:16 (eight years ago) link
amazing how the integrity of the album must be preserved and nurtured at all times
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 23 July 2015 12:34 (eight years ago) link
and that this album lacks a narrative
Now Sgt. Pepper's, there's proper narrative for you
― niels, Thursday, 23 July 2015 12:41 (eight years ago) link
dammit should've done Now that's what I call music pun...
― niels, Thursday, 23 July 2015 12:45 (eight years ago) link
I take it as a break-up album, purt' near. Maybe with a few relatively mellow memories, but basically, she's moved/moving on (Tex in her rear-view mirror, fair amount of distance already). Not cold, but details are more in the music than the lyrics (no gory)
― dow, Thursday, 23 July 2015 13:56 (eight years ago) link
But also, it's past time for the country Sgt. Pepper's! "He blew his mind out in a truck..."
― dow, Thursday, 23 July 2015 13:58 (eight years ago) link
or if it's Miranda Lambert it's "I blew his brains in a truck."
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 23 July 2015 14:16 (eight years ago) link
it was 20 years ago today / mutt lange taught the band to play
― fact checking cuz, Thursday, 23 July 2015 15:13 (eight years ago) link
xp blew out, or just blew bc depending on the lambert song could be either tbh
― extremely lag∞n postings voice (slothroprhymes), Thursday, 23 July 2015 15:16 (eight years ago) link
i mean the lyric of "bombshell" is incredible on its own
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Friday, 24 July 2015 18:01 (eight years ago) link
embodying all of the scenarios in which one could possibly deliver bad news, none of which manage to soften it
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Friday, 24 July 2015 18:02 (eight years ago) link
"bombshell" is fantastic. everything about it.
― fact checking cuz, Friday, 24 July 2015 18:02 (eight years ago) link
it'll never be a good time
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Friday, 24 July 2015 18:03 (eight years ago) link
album confirms my theory that she was the best of the class of 2013
― nomar, Friday, 24 July 2015 18:04 (eight years ago) link
album confirms my theory that she is the center of gravity for "nashville," the tv show. they've used a bunch of her songs but, jesus, every song on this album is perfect for one character or another. it helps, of course, that breaking up is every "nashville" character's favorite activity.
― fact checking cuz, Friday, 24 July 2015 18:08 (eight years ago) link
New album is now on Spotify.
― Adam J Duncan, Saturday, 25 July 2015 02:35 (eight years ago) link
OK fine I like "Bombshell."
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 25 July 2015 02:38 (eight years ago) link
I get the sarcasm, but I also think as long as acts keep releasing collections of songs presented as albums, I will keep listening to them as such. Tbh, I really wish bands and acts of all ilk would resume releasing stand-alone singles that aren't just trailers for the record. It would shake things up nicely and give acts something to promote between major release cycles.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 25 July 2015 21:27 (eight years ago) link
here's the show i went to last week; well worth a watchhttp://www.npr.org/event/music/427418193/watch-ashley-monroe-perform-live-in-concert
― let's not get too excited w/ the ouches (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 30 July 2015 14:05 (eight years ago) link
plus the accompanying ann powers interviewhttp://www.npr.org/event/music/427418621/i-love-the-truth-ashley-monroe-in-conversation
― let's not get too excited w/ the ouches (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 30 July 2015 14:07 (eight years ago) link
this is a goddamn great album
listening to it + events of recent months combined to incite some serious albeit cathartic ugly crying this morning, yeesh
― extremely lag∞n postings voice (slothroprhymes), Monday, 3 August 2015 12:21 (eight years ago) link
this might be my favorite album of the year. "if love was fair" and the title track just floor me. seeing her in october
― Heez, Thursday, 3 September 2015 19:00 (eight years ago) link
When you live in a big city, waiting for country acts to play in the city limits must be what it's like for someone in middle of nowhere Alabama waiting for Yo La Tengo or something.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 3 September 2015 20:35 (eight years ago) link