realityawaits

The Strokes — Reality Awaits
Released July 24

This one really grew on me. I almost bounced off of it completely on the first listen but randomly gave it another shot as background music a few days later and was surprised to find myself liking it quite a bit more. My appreciation first blossomed with a couple of the upbeat, catchy tracks (‘Lonely in the Future,’ ‘Going Shopping’) and spread from there through the rest of the track list. I think I needed to adjust to the bizarre vocals on this album: constant autotune, the occasional accent, jokey exaggerated noises and awkward takes that made it to the final cut — it’s all part of the weird charm.

frozencharlotte

Jack White — Frozen Charlotte
Released July 10

The album’s tone is a bit oppressive and uninviting, but it doesn’t overstay its welcome and delivers a pretty satisfying dose of good, loud guitar. I appreciate it for constantly presenting me with new guitar sounds, but songs rarely stood out for reasons other than the particular way their guitars wailed. ‘Nobody Knows’ and ‘I Can’t Believe What I’m Hearing’ were songwriting highlights, but the rest of the songs were mostly about the interplay of harsh noise. It doesn’t stand strong in the memory.

bigmodern

Goose — BIG MODERN!
Released June 12

I enjoy this one whenever I put it on but struggle to remember the specifics once it’s over. It’s great background music that rewards closer attention in the moment, but somehow just doesn’t make a lasting impact on me. They’re synthesizing several strains of rock into something genuinely pretty appealing, but it’s still pretty comfortable and familiar; the extended instrumentals and guitar solos elicit some rhythmic head-nodding, but they come just when you expect them and feel like they’re ticking off boxes on a prog-rock jam-band checklist. I found it effective for zoning out in the shower once or twice but don’t think I’ll be returning to it.