...and, s**t, I like it a lot more than I expected.
I kinda cringed when I heard Dave Grohl was playing on it. The first single confirmed my fears. "Oh, no, not a stoner record". The chorus on Flea, the second single, convinced me further that I would hate the album. The third one had me doubting myself.
Now I've had the record on repeat since yesterday and boy was I wrong. I liked bits of the previous one, Daddy's Home, but overall it felt like it was too long and too 'plastic', like a worse version of Bowie's Young Americans (an obvious reference, both visually and sonically.)
ABS, despite sounding like another type of plastic when abbreviated, is not a stoner rock record, nor does it overstay its welcome. It is concise, varied, full of cool melodies and cool sounds. It feels a lot less sedated than her last two albums. Violent Times is a four-minute epic jazzy thing à la Bjork. Hell, I'm even starting to like the first two singles. Her sharp sense of groove cuts through a lot more thanks to the more pared-down production.
I now realize that I am faster to judge her than I do most other bands I follow. I get a fully emotional response to her releases, good or bad or in between. The last artist I did that with was Bowie when I was a kid/teenager. I guess I like her work that much.
Any other fans out here?
