Album Reviews: Beyoncé, Khruangbin, Elbow

Beyoncé – Cowboy Carter
Houston, TX

While perhaps a larger genre shift from much of her recent work, Beyoncé’s raw talent as a vocalist and musician as a whole makes her latest effort less of what some have deemed a “Surprise” and more of an impressive show of versatility that proves her abilities. Blending country, acoustic folk, pop, remixes and a whole mountain of collaborators, this is a true marathon of a record, (it is also 27 tracks long) that will likely be remembered less as “Beyoncé’s country album” and more as her giant tapestry of a record that bears every side of her as an artist. “Blackbiird” starts on what feels like a pretty straightforward cover of the Paul McCartney classic, but expands to harmonies and strings in a beautiful way, with the rotating cast of leads enhancing its political power in a way that McCartney himself has noted as part of his original intention. There’s an immediate grip to the hooks and mix of “Bodyguard” that stand out within the already strong selection of songs on the record, bringing a mix of 70s luster and alt-country charms into the mix for an impressively groovy track with a lot of indie DNA in its bones.  It feels like you’re being pulled back to the height of mid-2000s hit remixing on “Ya Ya” where “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” and “Good Vibrations” get morphed and reworked into a triumphant banger celebrating Beyoncé’s swagger and unreal vocal range in a way we’ve rarely gotten in recent years.  “Sweet * Honey * Buckiin” rounds out the album as a bittersweet closer that keeps that rustic, dusty air to the sound, while mixing in beautiful soul-infused swells, looped vocal and clap tracks, and a little bit of Pharrell just to throw some powdered sugar on top of its several cherries on top.

Altin Gün – Vallahi Yok/Kirik Cam (Double Single)
Amsterdam, Netherlands/Turkey

As the final sendoff for vocalist Merve Daşdemir, Altin Gün have gifted us a bite-sized release of tracks written by their melodic powerhouse before she departs the band for the foreseeable future. With searing synths and a consistently divine set of rhythms between their drum and bass sections, “Vallahi Yok” is the band at their most satisfying. There are so many little riffs and moments within the track that each relisten helps highlight a different instrument and get deeper into Daşdemir’s passion for great pop. The bridges give wondrous space and Daşdemir’s vocals cut through like a divine light in the fog. There’s more 80s and synth focus as a whole on “Kirik Cam” as it slowly grows from its rumbling bass into an unnerving futuristic cry into the dark. Though the flairs of watery keys brighten things up a little, this other track feels more like an experimental counterpoint to the bottomless pop of its mate on the 7”.

Khruangbin – A La Sala
Houston, TX

Khruangbin remain one of the few bands that can basically do their own highly specific thing, evolve in a slow and organic way, and still make us devour each record, every time they release new music. With their latest release, you’re getting exactly what you’d expect with glossier synths, and subtle additional changes in their writing and performances as vocalists to keep this just fresh enough to not be rehashing themselves. “May Ninth” feels like a mellow sunset right from its outset, with the bass running simple yet exactly as driving as it needs to be, while those guitar lines flow like sunny honey. The grooves ramp right up for “Pon Pón” as the whole track becomes a growing musical conversation amidst the hazy mix and the ghostly voices. It’s easy to fall right into the swing on “Hold Me Up (Thank You)” given how radiantly the band constructed this track, and it only blooms into a fierier and more intoxicating blend of tones and rhythms as the song goes on. They slip into a little vintage colour on “A Love International” as their riffing gains a lush and textured, and those little percussive touches amp up the whole feeling to something otherworldly and emotionally surreal.

Metz – Up on Gravity Hill
Ottawa

Always a glowing moment of utter insanity, Metz are still at their peak on their latest release.

Like a fireball in motion, “No Reservation/Love Comes Crashing” opens the record with a furious yet oddly bell-heavy charge. As the track evolves, Metz show a morphing sense of melody in their arsenal, letting the dense wave of punk guitar layers gain more tangible harmonies and a growing feeling of colours rising from the haze as their rush continues. The grime could be cut with a knife on the stomping swing of “Entwined (Street Light Buzz)” letting their catchy vocal hooks provide the brief anchor in this lovely, unhinged torrent. “99” is like a tidal wave in motion, destroying everything in its path with a cerebral edge in its endless chanting of nines and nines and nines that gets you lost in the devastation. The crackling fire is moved in and out of the foreground on “Light Your Way Home,” as Metz use their explosive tones to give their quiet moments a lot more poignancy, and find a brighter break in their wake.

Elbow – Audio Vertigo
Bury, England

Where so many bands can lose the edge crossing multiple decades together, Elbow sound like they’re hungry as ever at album ten. Sharp and sprawling in their sound, Elbow delivers a mature record full of vibrant colours that never forgets to keep things fun. There’s a weight and malaise to “Things I’ve Been Telling Myself for Years” that let its melodrama feel so poignant, as the grinding of subtle drum grooves and flaming guitars cascade into each other with grace. Meanwhile, the back and forth of bass and horns playing off each other on “Lovers’ Leap” makes for a brutally exciting wave of pop that never lets up, leaving you careening down a hill with the band with unstoppable force. They don’t slow down on “Balu,” as the infectious beats and demented-yet-awe-inducing synths come down like brilliant beams from a futuristic city. The punchy notes of “Good Blood Mexico City” balance out the lighter and borderline Midwest Emo-sounding guitar runs, giving the track a push and pull between the soft and more roaring moments so that every moment has a real dynamic heft to consider.