Music and Recording Reviews

Will Kimbrough: For the Life of Me
Daphne Records (No catalog #) (auditioned on brown splatter LP). 2024. Kimbrough, prod., Bobby Hall, Walt Gilmer, exec. prods.; John McBride, eng.
Performance ***½
Sonics ***½

Will Kimbrough—former member of Will & the Bushmen and the Bis-Quits and a key sideman for Todd Snider, Kim Richey, and Rodney Crowell among others—is a hugely talented, ridiculously underrated songwriter—his songs have been recorded by Jimmy Buffet and Little Feat—and performer who splits the differences among modern-day troubadour, jangle-rock enthusiast, and folky solo artist with a style and concerns all his own.

Leaving power pop behind for the moment, Kimbrough plays mostly acoustic guitar and concentrates on his singing and lyrics loaded with meaning and perspective.

The title track ponders divisions in American society; he exhaustedly concludes, "And it's probably just a circle/That sad old human race is cursed to walk/The irony that we are simply animals/that learn to drive and talk." He digs deeper into the present in "I Don't Want to Start a War," which focuses on the brotherhood of Grateful Dead fans pleading "Let's get lost like we did before/Peace and love fell out of style." And then there's "The QAnon Shaman in his buffalo hat/I swear we tripped with him on Shakedown Street."

With Chris Donohue on bass and Bryan Owings on drums, these tracks were captured with good presence and depth by John McBride at Blackbird Studios outside Nashville. Kimbrough softens on side 2, with the lost love song "Margie's Sky," and on "Every Day," where he echoes the Beatles as he decides, "Things are getting better every day/If we stick together everything's gonna be okay." Happily for fans of his music's guitar pop side, there's "The Other Side," where the jangle returns in true Kimbroughian style.

Though less tuneful than past records, this is another must-have in a career built on essential recordings.—Robert Baird

Goat Girl: Below the Waste
Rough Trade RT0475 (LP). 2024. John "Spud" Murphy, prod.; Joe McGrath, eng.
Performance ****½
Sonics ****

Guitarist Ellie Rose Davies left just before recording started for Below the Waste, their third album, and the London post-punk band was suddenly a trio. Coming on top of some personal issues, they and their growing cohort of followers could have been forgiven for expecting something raw, messy, and ill thought-out, especially considering the band's complex influences: early Siouxsie & the Banshees, industrial rock, ethereal pop, singer-songwriter harmonies, and indie-rock, among others.

But whether it was strength gained compensating from the loss of Davies or overcoming their other challenges—or maybe it was the end of their Rough Trade contract—they created something quite different. Below the Waste is more relaxed and at the same time more controlled than their previous albums, and it's certainly more nuanced and adventurous.

For this, John "Spud" Murphy must take a bow, for his subtle production, and a sound that artfully layers all those competing styles. Guitars are still the key instrumental component, but now they are less the driving force and more an important element of the sound mix. Lottie Pendlebury's voice has never sounded better.

Lyrically, the focus is on the internal and external worlds and sometimes relationships between the two. Addiction features prominently—hardly surprising given drummer Rosie Jones's struggles with it, about which she has been very open. Highlights are many. They include the beautiful ballad "Tonight" and the heavy, chugging beat of "tcnc," with its chanting reminiscent of early Slits, and "Where's ur <3," which begins as a dark bass-heavy post-punk number then metamorphoses into pretty harmonies. The strength of the album is such that picking out highlights almost seems churlish. Below the Waste is a wonderful album, impressive in its scope and ambition.—Phil Brett

Deep Purple: =1
Ear Music 0219133EMU (auditioned as CD). 2024. Bob Ezrin, prod.; Anthony Yordanov, others, engs.
Performance ****
Sonics ****

Since 2000, Deep Purple has released seven studio albums, each met with praise from critics and fans. Their latest, =1, is already being compared to some of their best-known earlier material.

Produced by hard rock aficionado Bob Ezrin, the record is their first without guitar ace Steve Morse, who left the band in 2022 to tend to his ailing wife. Morse was replaced by Simon McBride, an Irish rocker whose influences depart from Morse's Southern rock and jazz origins. While McBride's playing is just as tight and articulate, it is grittier and more reflective of his native Ireland's rough-and-tumble rock scene. This new guitar sound sits at the center of all 13 tracks on =1, which was written by front man Ian Gillan in just three weeks and made whole with McBride, bassist Roger Glover, drummer Ian Paice, and Don Airey on keys.

The result is an album of terrific energy, precision playing, and slick and sassy arrangements. Of particular note are the powerhouse drum parts, which make each track boil. The writing, especially on "Lazy Sod," mirrors their best known early work, with the kind of organ parts and bass lines that have defined their biggest hits, but it still sounds fresh and crisp.

Where the record stumbles at times is with Gillan's vocals. They often warble and stretch to find the pitch. This is most evident on the otherwise airtight single "Pictures of You." The song is impressive in sound and arrangement, but the vocals only find their footing in the chorus when Gillan accompanies himself, which stabilizes the sound.

The record's title is meant to symbolize the idea that in a world growing ever more complex, eventually things simplify to a unified essence. This band and this record are similar. Their music has never been more complex, yet their sonic union is tight and together.—Ray Chelstowski

Wand: Vertigo
Drag City (auditioned as LP). 2024. Wand, prods.; Robbie Cody, Cory Hanson, Evan Frankfort, Heba Kadry, engs.
Performance *****
Sonics *****

L.A.-based psychedelic rockers Wand have returned after a four-year recording hiatus. The band's lineup has changed, and they've moved away from the power pop/ progressive rock sound they honed across five albums. With Vertigo, Wand introduces a new approach, with music filled with atmosphere. The songs are carefully constructed, building over time with layers upon layers and a confidence they once achieved only with blunt, "knock you over the head" overtures.

This is a different experience, filled with cool, cosmic moments neither hurried nor gratuitous, aided by outside contributions from strings, horns, and sensory percussion. Imagine Sea Change Beck meeting Northern Soul–era The Verve. That tone is established with the opener, "Hangman," which lands like a spaceship in a lasting, super-sensual groove, a vibe that stays for the entire record.

Vertigo is filled with hypnotic moments that seem improvisational but connect organically to the songs' core DNA. Those songs' structure is clever and infectious, with multiple sonic elements that seem to know their place and work together to enhance the musical impact. That is evident in the majestic anthem "High Time," a song that slowly blossoms, lifted by a brilliant collage of guitar parts.

Vertigo is a big record, and it unfolds almost like a film. Front man Cory Hanson presents his lyrics with a seriousness that transcends music. The cover photo, "Dogs Chasing My Car in the Desert," perfectly captures the mood—its movement, texture, energy, and nod to the solitude and complexity of the American West. While this isn't presented as a concept album, it has all of the earmarks of one. When the record closes with the somber "Seaweed Head," it's as though the band has just exhaled, having brought things to a close. You'll exhale, too.—Ray Chelstowski