Album Reviews
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Country’s Best Frenemy Musgraves’ new album is sharper — and more Nashville-friendly — than her first. THE SOUTHERN ADAGE “DON’T GET for my britches,” she sings in “Dime Store trace back to “Merry Go ’Round,” while the above your raisin’,” memorialized as a Cowgirl,” a plain account of her last two be-yourself motifs of first single “Biscuits” song title by Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs in years. To prove her fealty to Nashville, she and the pro- promiscuity, pro-divorce “Cup 1951, has long been a guideline for country mentions Willie Nelson, the rodeo, “my of Tea” reinforces “Follow Your Arrow.” artists. It even dictates their choices in hometown” — it’s just a pickup truck shy of Musgraves does have a weakness for pronouns: always the humble “we,” never being bro country. For anyone who loved bumper-sticker platitudes (“You can’t sail the immodest “I.” And like many things in her for being disruptive, it feels like her first if your anchor’s down”), so it helps that life, it’s more strictly enforced on female dishonest step, an apology to the industry she finds new corners of her tender voice, artists. But Kacey Musgraves’ 2013 major- she had blown raspberries at. while large doses of banjo and steel guitar label debut, Same Trailer Different Park, was But everywhere else, this is an even better balance music that tilts toward the folk side gloriously provocative. On the album’s two album than her last, with more consistency of country. Although the social- commentary best songs, “Merry Go ’Round” and “Follow and variety. And Musgraves still excels at songs will draw the most attention, she Your Arrow,” the 26-year-old critiqued life chiding Southern tradition. “High Time,” doesn’t need rebukes to make an impression. in small towns like the Texas one a mellow anthem for those with Through to the surprise bonus track, the she couldn’t escape fast enough, dubious glaucoma diagnoses, album holds strong: “Late to the Party” and endorsed weed, girl-on-girl pairs Nashville strings with pro-pot is a lightly swinging song about the joy kissing and politics one could only innuendo doubled by the line “Let of commitment, and “Family Is Family” describe as liberal. Her strategy, the grass just grow.” Like “Merry counts the ways in which relatives are she told a reporter, was “to push Go ’Round,” the prickly views of annoying (“They own too much wicker,” buttons [and] scare off the people small-town life in “This Town” a great line) but settles back into the fold. who are going to be scared off.” and the title track (“I’m always It’s easy enough to love Pageant Material if There’s a touch of retrenchment KACEY higher than my hair”) won’t be you don’t agree with Musgraves’ views on MUSGRAVES on her follow-up, Pageant Material. Pageant Material adopted by any chamber of com- social issues, but let’s be honest: It helps if “Maybe for a minute I got too big Mercury Nashville merce. Thematically, those songs you do. —ROB TANNENBAUM PHOTOGRAPHED BY DAVID McCLISTER JUNE 20, 2015 | WWW.BILLBOARD.COM 59 Reviews MUSE Drones HudMo’s Warner Bros. Brit rock trio’s seventh album aims Genre-Less high, hits somewhere in the middle MUSE TREADS BETWEEN SUBLIME and ridiculous more than any rock Genius band in recent memory, with jaw- dropping pretention that makes it hard to tell if they’re just having a laugh. Drones is, of course, a concept album, about, according to the liner notes, “the journey of a human, from their abandonment and loss of hope to their indoctrination by the system to be a human drone.” But the intent doesn’t match the straightforward — for Muse, at least — result. As always, the best tracks (“Mercy,” “The Handler”) fi nd The Scottish Matthew Bellamy’s protometal riff s and producer’s soaring vocals preventing his sappier sophomore effort goes from EDM to instincts from holding sway. The title rap and back. track ends the LP in true WTF fashion, with a church choir singing, “Now you can kill from the safety of your home BACK WHEN HUDSON bag of rave, chiptune, rap and even ’80s R&B and with drones/Amen.” Muse is one of the Mohawke was crafting electro-funk. With Lantern, Mohawke transcends world’s biggest rock bands, but for all bombastic synth-scapes in his any pigeonholing once and for all, off ering a its missionary zeal, Drones preaches to mom’s Glasgow basement in polished vision of his genre-agnostic world. the converted. —JEM ASWAD the 2000s, the idea of him col- Rather than TNGHT’s id-driven bangers or the laborating with Lil Wayne and campy synth freak-outs of his early solo work, Pusha T was but a left-fi eld Lantern is a beautifully restrained — by HudMo HUDSON electro nerd’s distant fantasy. standards, that is — concept album that mirrors MOHAWKE Years later, the producer born a full day, yawning awake with palate-clearing Lantern Ross Birchard, 29, sits in a drones and ending ecstatically in the wee hours of TAMIA Warp Records rarefi ed space: He’s signed a club utopia. There are no rappers here; instead, Love Life Def Jam to Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music as a producer Mohawke enlisted soul vocalists like Jhene Aiko and British electronic indie Warp as an artist, and and Irfane. It’s an unexpected turn, and occasion- seamlessly marries those sounds and many more ally misses the mark, like when Miguel gets lost in R&B veteran’s new album makes on his excellent sophomore LP, Lantern. the murky psychedelics of “Deepspace.” stability seductive In some ways, it’s actually a reboot. One of But the instrumentals are where Mohawke’s Mohawke’s biggest recent successes was as half grandiosity shines brightest. “Ryderz,” with FEW SINGERS MAKE MARRIAGE of TNGHT, along with Montreal producer Lunice. its dusty sample from D.J. Rogers, heroically sound as sexy as Tamia does on her The duo, now on hiatus, skyrocketed to EDM-tent scuff s up West’s old chipmunk soul sound. Even sixth album, Love Life. Monogamy headliner status after its self-titled 2012 EP, which further from Mohawke’s brash trap is “Kettles,” anthems are a staple for the singer, helped redefi ne trap for the festival set. But the a sparkling, drum-less synth exploration in 40, who has been married to former pair’s rise in the dance world never seemed to sit miniature that borders on classical. It’s a welcome NBA star Grant Hill for 16 years. On comfortably with the restless producer, whose deviation, and a clean slate, for a guy who doesn’t Love Life, she elegantly touches on 2009 full-length debut, Butter, was a giddy mixed like to stay in one place too long. —MEAGHAN GARVEY the vexing and rewarding aspects of relationships, and explains how to keep the fi re burning. Tamia is less Tell Us More HUDSON MOHAWKE concerned with fl eeting moments and more focused on trust, quality Do you think fans of your trap- It’s easy to hear West or some- samples essentially shut things time (“Chaise Lounge”) and gratitude rap work with TNGHT and Kanye one else rapping on “Ryderz” down, which is a shame. (“Like You Do”) — with a generous side West will be turned off by and making it a hit. Why did you of morning sex. Love Life is at its best songs like “Kettles”? keep it instrumental? How did you decide which when the beats settle like soft caresses I’m not under any illusions: I didn’t want it to be heralded as guests to work with? and Tamia’s vocals fl oat into breathy Someone who only knows me their song — that would defeat The people I chose were people exhales, like on “Lipstick,” where she from TNGHT is probably going the purpose. It’s an ode to the I had the utmost respect for. I’ve sings about skipping dinner for some- to be like, “What the f— is this classic hip-hop production of the been in touch with Miguel since thing sweeter. Extra spice like that doing on here?” It was very much late ’90s and early 2000s. That before he was, like, Miguel. But preserves the freshness when lagging, an experiment for me. Plus, I have style of sample-based production it’s also people who wouldn’t predictable ballads (“Day One”) always been keen to get into just doesn’t exist anymore. outshine the fact that it’s my threaten the mood. As an ode to nuptial doing more soundtrack work. People who own the rights to the record. —MEGAN BUERGER bliss, the album is both convincing and surprisingly coquettish. —CLOVER HOPE ANDREW TOM MOHAWKE: 60 BILLBOARD | JUNE 20, 2015.