The Internet, “Hive Mind” (Columbia Records)
The internet, as we know all too well by now, shrieks and howls and barks. The L.A.-based soul and R&B band of the same name practically whispers with its fourth studio album.
On the 13-track “Hive Mind,” The Internet is as laid-back and subtle as the global computer nnetwork is ugly and brash. How laid-back exactly? Almost to the point that many songs feel unfinished—just a series of chunky ggrooves, drum loops aand handclaps barely stitched together. Musicians Matt Martians, Christopher Smith, Patrick Paige and Steve Lacy have given lead singer Sydney “Syd” Bennett mellow textures and a series of dreamy canvases to expand her range, but it’s also clear that the album lacks the bite and snap of previous releases.
Standouts include “La Di Da,” ”Roll (Burbank Funk)” and “Come Over,” songs that show off the band members’ ability to riff off each other’s hooks. “Look What U Started” is built around a superchunky bass line, as good as anything on “Ego Death,” The Internet’s acclaimed and Grammy-nominated third studio album, which yielded “Under Control” and “Girl.”
But “Beat Goes On” swirls endlessly on until halfway when, inexplicably, a different beat goes on, as if the band was divided about its direction. “Next Time/Humble Pie” does the same thing—it goes fine until it, too, switches gears in the middle and shoots off into another song, ending bloated and messy. (Come to think of it, “Come Over” also has a weird expletive-laced coda that doesn’t belong there.) It leaves the listener confused and lost.
“Stay the Night” is marred by the endless repetition of the song’s title and “Bravo” has an annoying drum effect that overpowers a delicate bass-driven song with its pneumatic, unwelcome mechanical insistence. “Wanna Be” meanders and meanders, getting lost in itself. And “Mood” never comes together.
Most of the songs concern modern love—aching longing or smooth seduction from Bennett—although the band reaches for something larger on “It Gets Better (With Time),” a beautiful, uplifting song about fighting through pain that’s fueled by Bennett’s falsetto.
The album ends with the sensual and steamy “Hold On”—destined to end up on bedroom playlists—but the taut electricity the band exuded is largely gone in favor of aimless doodling. But we were warned about this: In the opening song, after all, Syd sings: “I can’t be sure/Not anymore /Today or tomorrow/What we gon’ do.”— Mark Kennedy, The
Associated Press
Ty Segall & White Fence, “Joy” (Drag City)
The ever-prolific Ty Segall reunites with White Fence (Tim Presley) on “Joy,” a freaky, fragmented album where squeaks and barks interrupt delightful harmonies and psychedelic power pop, totaling 15 trtracks in just over 30 mminutes.
“Joy” is a slightly less frfrenzied follow-up to ttheir 2012 collaboration, “Hair.” In parts, the aalbum is like sweeteresweeter-sounding 13th Floor Elevators and the tunes could be excerpts from a rock opera for people with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Get distracted for a minute or two and whole songs may have passed you by. There’s a lot of great music on “Joy” but the interludes unnecessarily break the flow.
While this album’s “Other Way” and the 17 seconds of “Prettiest Dog” are reminiscent of its predecessor’s “Crybaby” and “Scissor People” in their intensity, the duo also emphasizes the layers of Who-like vocals and plenty of acoustic guitars. “Do Your Hair” is a prime example of this approach.
The psychedelic introductory, “Beginning,” has bird noises, surf-rock drums, angelic singing and guitars in stereo, while the brief “Room Connector” sounds like the instrumental demo version of a catchy song. “Body Behavior” and “Good Boy” both cross the finish line around the 2-minute mark, packing a wealth of rhythms, guitars and weird lyrics.
“A Nod” could be an outtake from “Tommy,” a reflective moment from the pinball wizard/spiritual leader: “My friends say I need followers/But I want to believe in me.”
The lovely, heartfelt “My Friend”—“I see you falling down again/But I’m still around my friend”—is a melange of acoustic guitars and stays around long enough, nearly 4 minutes, to become one of the album’s most gratifying highlights. Bird sounds end it, so if you listen to the album on repeat it creates a loop with “Beginning.”—