Is there anything that ties these three artists together, beyond the fact that they all released albums in 2025, and they are all Record Club alumni? I would imagine not. In my opinion, this is what makes Record Club so cool. Opinions may vary, though.
Released: February 21, 2025
Follow-up to: Anarchist Gospel, Week 210
The only time I've listened to Sunny War in the past two and a half years was whenever XPN played her stuff, which is semi-often. I'm sure I've heard some Armageddon on there. I don't remember much from Anarchist Gospel, but the hook for my review seems to be "this is the blues!" I hear that on this new album too, but it's more pronounced in some songs than in others.
"No One Calls Me Baby" is something that those who listen to public radio for new-age blues music will eat up. But then first there's "Bad Times," which has a jaunty organ part, and it is undeniably the sound of Sunny War attempting something different. Something... happier? Maybe. The music is scanning as more upbeat, which is cool. I'm glad she's stretching her limits.
And I probably hear more Americana on this album than I remember hearing on the last one. Like the duet "Scornful Heart," which strains to be, I dunno, Wilco or something. No, you know what this reminds me of? Lake Street Dive. Totally. This to me says that Sunny War knows her audience—those kindly white folk who are studiously listening to 88.5 WXPN. I don't know if I'm part of her audience yet. I don't think so. This was fine. Interesting in sections, pretty good in others. I'm not excited about it. Total dial-changer on XPN, unfortunately (but only because I'd rather hear RHCP on 104.5).
GRADE: 3 pukes out of 5 (+0.5 from previous review)
Released: March 7, 2025
Follow-up to: Born This Way, Week 301
My first thought, maybe through the first three songs, was that Mayhem was going to sound like someone doing a scarily accurate Lady Gaga impression, but without covering any of the hits. I'll confess that I don't know too many deep cuts beyond those on the RC album (Born This Way). This album, for my purposes anyway, is all deep cuts (i.e. I didn't come into this experience familiar with any of them). And so they started to feel like Typical Gaga, just without the dopamine hit of hearing, say, "The Edge of Glory."
But then something cool happened—she goes on a run! All six songs from "Killah" to "Shadow of a Man" are fucking GREAT. Top-tier Gaga. "How Bad Do U Want Me" feels like Gaga's take on some Swiftian bullshit. "Zombieboy" has the dumbest lyrics I've ever heard but is so catchy it might still manage to be the best song. "Killah" lends Gaga muscle to early-'10s St. Vincent. Great songs. 100% worth the price of admission.
"The Beast" and "Blade of Grass" are bummer ballads, which is fine, maybe even required. I'm not huge on them, but I'd prefer that than the tacked-on mega-hit, "Die with a Smile," which is saccharine in the cringiest, Bruno-Mars-iest way. Get that fucking goober off this Lady Gaga album! She was pretty cool before this jabroni showed up!
Anyways, I'm on the fence about whether this was a good album that it would be worth someone like me (a big-tent pop skeptic at worst) downloading for his iPod, or if I should just leave this experience what it was—a very nice hour spent with a pop star I admire, and with an album that blew my own personal expectations out of the water. Probably the latter? I liked this a lot, though. If anyone out there is saying that this is a return to form, well, then I could absolutely, positively see that to be true.
Anyways, I'm on the fence about whether this was a good album that it would be worth someone like me (a big-tent pop skeptic at worst) downloading for his iPod, or if I should just leave this experience what it was—a very nice hour spent with a pop star I admire, and with an album that blew my own personal expectations out of the water. Probably the latter? I liked this a lot, though. If anyone out there is saying that this is a return to form, well, then I could absolutely, positively see that to be true.
[UPDATE: I have downloaded it onto my iPod, and I can confirm it gets better with every listen.]
GRADE: 3.5 pukes out of 5 (+0.5 from original review)
Released: March 14, 2025
Follow-up to: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3, Week 231
It feels wrong listening to this album. I'm reviewing the tenth album in an ongoing sci-fi rock opera after only being familiar with the first two. That would be like attempting to read and review Deathly Hallows after finishing Chamber of Secrets. All that Armory Wars silliness that so enthralled me with the RC album is completely inaccessible to me now. I missed so much. I plan on listened to one Coheed album per year from here on out, so I'll have to come back to The Father of Make Believe in 2032.
It feels wrong listening to this album. I'm reviewing the tenth album in an ongoing sci-fi rock opera after only being familiar with the first two. That would be like attempting to read and review Deathly Hallows after finishing Chamber of Secrets. All that Armory Wars silliness that so enthralled me with the RC album is completely inaccessible to me now. I missed so much. I plan on listened to one Coheed album per year from here on out, so I'll have to come back to The Father of Make Believe in 2032.
For now, I'll say that this was a good album. Coheed sounds pretty accessible in 2025, no? Sanded down some of their edges. But generally, they are doing the same thing as always. Some catchy songs among the emo weeds. A little bit of hardcore thrown in there on occasion! When did that happen? Then "Someone Who Can" sounds like a legit pop rock song. I dig it. It sounds clean. I don't know what to make of any of this, who am I kidding.
Really fascinating stuff. I wish I knew someone who kept up with the Armory Wars for all these years. I'd love to pick their brains. For now, I'll just have to be patient. Eventually, I will be one of those people. But that'll take a decade or so. In the meantime, this was a decent album. Nothing surprising.
GRADE: 3 pukes out of 5 (-1.0 from original review)
NEXT TIME: It might be a couple weeks, depending on how I'm feeling, but whenever this column returns, I'm gonna bang out one-paragraph reviews for Mclusky, billy woods, Little Simz, U.S. Girls, Tyler Childers, Jens Lekman, and White Reaper.
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