Monthly Music Reviews: Blondshell and Japanese Breakfast lead off a strong pack of sounds in June
I listened to a lot of great new music this past month. My favorites included the latest Blondshell (so great), Japanese Breakfast (almost as great), and Sadler Vaden (who came from nowhere to blow me away). Underachievers of the month were Arcade Fire and Miley Cyrus. Here’s all that as well as the in-between! My rankings go from 1/2 star (complete trash) to 5 stars (masterpiece).
If You Asked for a Picture, Blondshell, 4.5 out of 5 stars
This band led by Sabrina Teitelbaum released a debut that was my 23rd favorite of 2023. Now the group is even better, perhaps helped by the strong show I witnessed when it opened for Liz Phair late in ‘23. Some of my favorite singles of the year are on this album, including “T&A” and “23’s a Baby.” It might be my favorite overall album of the year so far if it didn’t fall off in quality over the course of the second half before ending strong with “Model Rockets.” Cool stuff from a burgeoning star and group.
Pink Elephant, Arcade Fire, 2.5 out of 5 stars
Montreal's finest plateaued so highly with its first three albums that it seemed there was nowhere to go but down. Unfortunately, that's where AF have headed. While "Pink Elephant," "Ride or Die," and "Stuck in My Head" are fine and even somewhat epic tracks, most of the rest of this album is a severe and messy disappointment.
Dead Meat, The Tubs, 3 out of 5 stars
This UK band's Cotton Crown is my favorite album of 2025 halfway through the year so I wanted to go back and see if its one other album matches it. It definitely doesn't, but there are songs that sound like Television, The Smiths, and Bob Mould and display the brilliance to come with highlights such as "I Don't Know How It Works," "Sniveller," and "Wretched Lie."
For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women), Japanese Breakfast, 4 out of 5 stars
This is a breezy and pretty album throughout, with a handful of true standout tracks—including an appearance from actor Jeff Bridges—from an indie-popper who is clearly here to stay a while.
Very Human Features, Bug Club, 3.5 out of 5 stars
The Welsh lo-fi boy-girl rockers bounce back with a great batch of pop nuggets after issuing one of my “most disappointing” releases of 2024 and my eighth-favorite album of 2023.
Horses, Tobacco City, 3.5 out of 5 stars
This Chicago couple makes alt-country Americana in a rollicking old-timey vein ala Tammy Wynette or Washington D.C.'s The Highballers. Particularly boot tappin' are "Mr. Wine," "Blue Deja Vu," and "Autumn."
Strawberries, Robert Forster, 3.5 out of 5 stars
This is among my favorite releases by the Australian icon, especially the poppy - with a hint of folk - leadoff track "Tell It Back to Me."
I Said I Love You First, Benny Blanco / Selena Gomez, 3.5 out of 5 stars
I love Selena on TV in Only Murders in the Building but had never listened to her music. I'm pleasantly surprised. Even though I'm not crazy about everything on this album, there are some bangers like "Call Me When You Break Up" and "Bluest Flame" and some great ballads like "Sunset Blvd" and "Scared of Loving You."
Songs About the Ocean, The High Water Marks, 4.5 out of 5 stars
One of the few psych-pop bands of the 1990s Elephant 6 collective still around, this increasingly poppy group delivered my fourth-favorite release of 2020 and this one is almost as great—in an Apples in Stereo kind of way—but shorter.
Something Beautiful, Miley Cyrus, 1.5 out of 5 stars
I've liked quite a bit of this superstar's music in the past, but there is not much to stick in my head from this one. There are a couple of pleasant Lada Gaga knockoffs like "Golden Burning Sun" and the title track, but this is mostly an unlistenable mess. I want to like it, but I can't stand it.
Butler Blake & Grant, Norman Blake / Bernard Butler / James Grant, 3.5 out of 5 stars
This was a surprise treat of a side-project release. I landed on it for Norman Blake because I'm a huge Teenage Fanclub fan. But Suede's Bernard Butler and James Grant provide great numbers as well, as the three of them offer folksy harmonizing beauty.
Oar On, Penelope!, The Minus 5, 3 out of 5 stars
These R.E.M.-adjacent jangle poppers keep churning out early Beatles sounds. I especially like “Words & Birds,” “I Don’t Want to Hurt Anyone,” and “Last Hotel.”
Possession, Ty Segall, 4 out of 5 stars
This might be the prolific music freakster's most accessible rock n' roll album yet. While there's still plenty of weird stuff, the music and vocals lean more into a Jack White/George Harrison kind of weird. The first four songs are particularly strong, but I'm really enjoying all of it with each successive listen.
Dad Rock, Sadler Vaden, 4.5 out of 5 stars
This is the first solo album I've listened to by one of the guitarists for Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit. It's a little in the Isbell alt-country realm but I think it's more like power-pop from the likes of Matthew Sweet and Band of Horses. Anyway, Dad Rock is certainly a catchy and fun-loving album title, and the music therein reflects it. Great stuff.