Dan Auerbach
Waiting on a Song (Nonesuch)
Gotta confess, The Black Keys always felt like a put-on, but Keys guitarist Dan Auerbach is starting to win me over. Last year he produced The Pretenders’ Alone, which was a pleasant surprise, and it’s possible that Auerbach’s other production gigs (Dr. John, Lana Del Rey, Ray LaMontagne) have sparked his own stretching out. On Waiting on a Song, his bluesface shtick makes way for an ecumenical rootsiness, including classic R&B, soul and country—the album plays like a trip around the AM dial circa 1976. Auerbach rolls deep with guests like Jerry Douglas, Duane Eddy and Mark Knopler, and there’s an unmistakable Wilburys vibe to Waiting on a Song, as easy camaraderie meets assured, time-honored songwriting. It might be a bit pat, as indicated by the cover, with its retro font and image of Auerbach strumming his six-string while sprawled in autumn leaves. But Waiting on a Song is full of light pleasures.
Crescent
Resin Pockets (Geographic)
This Bristol, England, band, which shares members with Amp, Movietone and Flying Saucer Attack, dropped the lumbering, drony debut Now in 1996, and it’s been 10 years since its last album, Little Waves. That one felt like a solo project, and once again on Resin Pockets, Matt Jones leads the way through acoustic-guitar-dominated low-fi edged with experimental touches. It’s of a shambling piece from start to finish, and has its moments, like the Barrett-y “Get Yourself Tidy” and the folksy electric guitar on “AC30.” But there’s an irritating pause at the start of each track, as if Jones is adjusting at an open mic while you wait—and eventually, his melancholy voice becomes wearisome. Perhaps best in small doses.
St. Etienne
Home Counties (Heavenly)
Over the last 25 years (!), St. Etienne hasn’t just made its name as a purveyor of elegant, dancey indie; the band helped create the style. For Home Counties, the trio pays tribute to the southeastern provinces where its members grew up—but rather than evoke teenage energy, Home Counties is a strictly middle-aged affair, getting a bit soporific over a running length of close to an hour. St. Etienne’s trademark wit is mostly restricted to song titles like “Church Pew Furniture Restorer” and “Unopened Fan Mail.” There’s empty drama on “What Kind of World Is This” and “Heather,” and distractingly loud drumming elsewhere, lurching on “Take It All In” and driving quarter notes into your skull on “Underneath the Apple Tree.” Otherwise, Sarah Cracknell’s vocals are still pretty elegant. High points include the disco groove of “Dive” and the sunshiny “Penny Lane” triplets of “Train Drivers in Eyeliner.”
https://saintetienne.bandcamp.com/releases
Phoenix
Ti Amo (Glassnote)
Phoenix, on the other hand, still feels frisky more than 20 years after forming, in large thanks to Thomas Mars, whose rhythmically active vocals are also winningly goofy and guileless. Ti Amo announces its Italo disco intentions up front, and the band delivers. While the opening “J-Boy” gets a little repetitive by the end, the title track follows and sets things straight, and proceedings remain frolicsome throughout—“Tutti Frutti” is a Eurotrash jam with a hint of the Pet Shop Boys, while the brief “Lovelife” sounds like New Order in an exceptionally good mood. Spirited dance rock gives way for the dreamy “Fior di Latte” and “Via Venetto,” during which you might refresh your umbrella drink—and you might want to just skip the overbearing “Role Model.” The blithe bonhomie of Ti Amo isn’t for everyone, but it’s hard to hate on.