John Paul Davis
Micro Reviews
Begun as a series of posts on BlueSky, these are 300 character max reviews of albums I enjoy. I post them here & they are promulgated to BlueSky.
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25 years in, the indie band delivers a brooding collection of songs that sound like soundtracks to films that don't exist. Gritty, rapturous, cutting, this quiet music should be played loud.
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The Dublin rock band expands their sound while staying true to the elements that made their first 2 albums so compelling. Still hard to believe these lads are 25 & under given how well they write & play.
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Breakup songs that celebrate moving away from unhealthy love & find joy in the music itself which ranges from R&B, soul, psychedelia, rock & jazz that comes together as a unified whole guided by Howard's genius.
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Gabriel fronts an all-star cast of musicians from around the world, blending alt-rock & subtle electronica to house his plaintive, incisive, musing explorations of love, grief, reconciliation & healing.
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The band evolves their alt-country Mexo-Americana, focusing here on intimate examinations of love & self-exploration. Fetching melodies & disarming, quietly poetic lyrics, tenderly sung.
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The quartet Redman assembled for his solo debut reunites 25 years later. 4 giants of contemporary jazz deliver a set of lively, masterful interplay, deeply felt.
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Which sets previously-unheard lyrics of Woody Guthrie's to music written by Bragg & Wilco. Vibrant glittering folk-rock with infectious melodies highlighting Guthrie's still-applicable fiery politics.
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Their most recent, full of winding post-prog song structures, big satisfying riffs, soaring vocals, mystical contemplative lyrics, thundering drums. The godfathers of emo made the Platonic ideal of area rock records.
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A majestic, expressive & expansive set that finds the band at its finest. Simultaneously uplifting & daring. Wordless hymns of boundless love & hope. Sunday morning on Saturday night.
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Layers of cozy, textured analog synths & Jenn Wasner's fuzzy indie-rock guitar licks foreground her warm, inviting singing on an album that explores the twin pulls of relationships & artistic work.
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A love-letter to his family & celebration of his Latine heritage. Synth-driven avant-pop that sounds wholly original backs his soft, tender singing & joyous, evocative bilingual lyrics.
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Percussive acoustic guitar, minimalist beats, occasional piano & a solid spine of bass, as Doughty explores love & sobriety with his Beat-poetic lyrics, sing-rapping & gift for hooky melodies.
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Their 2nd as a trio. Moody, dreamy, introspective, it blends daring & gorgeous electronics with Buck's jangly riffs & Stipe's soaring melodies. An album that grew on me, now one of my favorites by this band.
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Shimmery orchestral folk-rock with intricate arrangements, unusual song structures & poetic lyrics on the need for love & the difficulties in loving & being loved. Case's singing is seductive & powerful.
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Angular, funky, melodic improvised tunes highlight both their technical mastery & emotional sensitivity & Mehldau's Beat-poetry style spoken word. Pushes the envelope of what jazz can be.
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Dynamic, genre-bending folk-jazz driven by musical curiosity reveling in the joy of discovery, all supporting Aftab's versatile crooning, which is simultaneously tender & passionate.
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The 2 masters recorded versions of their own songs with a quartet. Lyrical, playful, & dynamic. Everything you hope for from a record called Duke Ellington & John Coltrane.
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his 1957 comeback album with Miles Davis's band at the time. He struggled with addiction, was in & out of prison. His wife arranged the session & he showed up surprised. 5 hours later this brilliant record existed.
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I have to "develop" in Webflow this morning, so I'm listening to this classic. They shake off the constrictions of "nu metal" & forge their own unique daring sound. Aggressive riffs over gorgeous soundscapes; melodic soulful vocals.
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Infectious, groovy, funky, sublime, melodic & sometimes delightfully weird, this double album more than lives up to the promise of its title.
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The album finds him paring back the lush arrangements to focus on the songwriting, which is magnificent & sorrowful. Minimalism blended with orchestral soul gives room for aching anthemic melodies & heartbreak.
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In which they expand their sonic palette & songwriter John Baizley unlocks the versatility & power of his voice (writing & singing). Infectious riffs; beautiful playing by a band discovering their potential.
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A left turn for him, from straightforward jazz, in which he blends pop, rock and chamber music elements with assistance from producer Jon Brion. The gorgeous, moody & daring first act of his evolution.
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Folk rock sometimes layered with elements of trap, indie rock, & ambient over gorgeous melodies. Incisive poetic lyrics examine the impact of smartphones on our love lives, politics & art.
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A dystopian, agitated, restless but rewarding creative leap showcasing Grian Chattan's growing & imaginative ability in both singing and writing. The band charts new sonic territory while remaining true to their sound.
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A sometimes dreamy, sometimes joyous genre-blurring collection that is simultaneously earthbound & ascending. Lush rootsy, bluesy layers beneath her endlessly versatile expressive voice.
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The post-punk band expand their sound with the help of Kenny Beats & Nigel Godrich, adding more experimental soundscapes & beautiful melodies while not compromising on their aggressive, fun, transgressive and danceable foundation.
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The album teams him with bassist Christian McBride & drummer Brian Blade for a buoyant, rhythmic, inventive & fun set. Three masters of their craft just enjoying the hell out of playing together & improvising.
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My first purchase of 2025. Anxiety & tension lift off & ascend. Arpeggiated synths, epic post-rock progressions, smeary pedal-mutated transcendent guitar melodies. Perfect soundtrack for the early days of 2025.
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A pristine, glittering jazz fusion set, with Bley on organ. Winding but melodic organ / piano / electric guitar solos abound, over the solid spine of Steve Swallow, Victor Lewis & Don Alias’s tight rhythm section.
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Simon imagines an alternate self who never made it big & tours the bar circuit. The band is amazing (Steve Gadd! Tony Levin!) - what if jazz musicians played bar rock? & the lyrics are poetic & probing.
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Explores the impact of race & racism at home & in the larger world, over over gorgeous music blending classic R&B & soul with elements of hip-hop, electronica, indie rock & jazz, set to matchless melodies.
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Stylistically adventurous, wide-ranging in its influences, this empathetic, witty, soulful record is daring, but in ways that draw you into the finely crafted songs & tightly written poetic lyrics.
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Melodic, playful & swinging, a melange of bebop, cool jazz, and heavily inspired by Duke Ellington. At this point in Burrell’s career he was a master of his craft & this album is testament to that.
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A landmark for ambient music but also just a gorgeous record, uncertain as it is calming, melancholy as it is optimistic, haunted as it is playful.
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Barron is one of the most lyrical jazz pianists I've heard, & this 2016 album melds that with impeccable rhythm, effortless swing & accents of Latin jazz. Saw them at the Vanguard recently - a delight.
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The band examines love & loss in many forms (of place, romance, friends, family, God, country etc) over piano-driven alt-pop. One of their masterpieces.
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(did Bowie name *his* “Changesone” inspired by this?) Opening track “Remember Rockefeller At Attica” is one of my favorite jazz songs of all time. The song’s playful, serpentine melody is 51 bars long.
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Secular hymns of questioning, wandering, rock bottom & redemption. Lots of harmonies between Bono / Edge / Lanois / Eno. The most prog U2 ever got. Pitchfork hated it. But I think it's gorgeous.
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Dylan's band on this includes members of the Heartbreakers and Los Lobos. Modern anxieties shot through with love & anger.
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Joyful, masterful interplay between oud, santour & percussion.
