#2813 Claptone - Charmer

Totally listenable, oversmooth, overrepetitive pop house. Riding the same vocal hooks too hard, but listenable. But some nice live-ish bass, slowmotion dancepunk, hints of indie (Clap Your Hands shows up (?)). I had a good listen, even if I felt a little hollow after 3.5/5

#2812 Gang of Youths - Go Further in Lightness

A deeply influenced album that weaves every strand of sky-grasping, affirming rock the western world has ever heard. U2's soaring desire, Springsteen's weariness, War on Drugs' twinkling desperation, Japandroids' spark-throwing howls to the universe, Explosions in the Sky's sense of skyward scope, Broken Social Scene's slow spotlight searching, Arcade Fire's stagey grandiosity.

And its not just style, little details crop up, with Keep Me in the Open very nearly nicking Avril 14's iconic piano, Le Reel build on a generally Arcade Firian mode, with a violin line that hews _awfully close to Rebellion (Lies), and countless Explosions near-misses.

As if trying to outdo the outdoers, it runs 77 minutes over 16 songs, 4 of them 6 minutes-plus, riding the same themes too long and too often.

And all those influences are good, and we can use more of this kind of grounded uplift right now. And in flashes (Do Not Let Your Spirit Wane) there's real pathos. It all feels sincere and large, like a swing at being the best album ever, at least to a cherished section of the masses, and it's hard to fault that. And it's even good in places. It uplifted my day and gave me cause to appreciate. Is that not enough?

It's something. And it's crass to knock rock for ripping off when that's rock's foundation. But at some point its distracting, and an accidental subtext of pop-art, postmodern pastiche runs counter to the intended themes. This is not an academic complaint - at these degrees, familiarity disrupts the actual listen, memory distracting from the immediate 3.5/5

#2811 Too Many Zooz - Subway Gawdz

Legendary subway buskers, a drums-and-two-horn salvo that builds EDM-like energy, using blossoming repetition and Skynerd-planned solos as a crowdmoving riff on jazz. What's undoubtedly thrilling live, especially when stumbled upon, doesn't quite work as an album. Subway Gawdz ends up ringing of gimmicky plundering of not-rock beats, sounding like Gogol Bordello or Beats Antique.

Horn-based rockist instrumental music is a narrow space. It relies on novelty and live energy to get there, and much like minor local legends The Hornitz*, Zooz don't find a way to translate that energy into an exciting home listen 3/5

*is there a rule somewhere about adding a "z" to your rockist horn band name?

#2810 Oliver - Full Circle

A festival-ready blast of EDM, 80's revival, and disco-via-Daft Punk, all gone a little pop, all very smoothed out, all very easy to grin emptily to in rave-lite bliss. Which is nice. But Full Circle takes zero chances and invents nothing and we deserve more 3/5

#2809 Booji Boys - Weekend Rocker LP

All the heedless shouting and shambling of the first wave punks and their best revivalists (Royal Headache!), I love their spirit. But a muddy mix and a lack of hooks or an intelligible message leaves this in the also ran heap 3/5

#2808 Karl Denson - Dance Lesson No. 2

All those little hip hop scritches seem pretty square by now, but you know what's timeless? Riding a fucking groove. And this gets it, look no further than Flute Down and man that shit gets __down. Denson can play. It's all a little too smooth, but not past enjoyable, a groovesome pre-Kamasi wash of post-jazz 4/5

#2807 Robert Walter's 20th Congress - Get Thy Bearings

A little too perfect, a little overproduced. I like my Metersy instrumental funk with a bit more of a ragged edge. Hooksome, enjoyable, but kinda -- and there's no other concise way to put this -- super fuckin _white? 3.5/5