SHAME – CUTTHROAT

Every so often, an artist stops you right in your tracks. By this point, you may have already heard previous works, but you may not have thought things would ever get to this point. While the music may have allowed the group to run amok across your senses, the drama surrounding the music never inflicted as much damage as it has now. I mean, especially now at this stage of a group’s career, through multiple full-length releases.

While the band has had some downtime since its last release, the U.K.’s Shame has become thoroughly adept with its instruments, and it shows on the new Cutthroat. And while vocalist Charlie Steen may downplay his own skill as the band’s lead, well, it’s a tricky thing having a deadpan sung-spoken delivery, but come on, stop. You’re not fooling anyone. But this isn’t just about Steen here, with both Eddie Green and Sean Coyle-Smith handle guitars, Joh Finerty is on bass, and Charlie Forbes pounding away at his drums. Shame rolls right through “To And Fro” and it doesn’t get any more captivating than this. Steen claims “And I don’t need to be clever to see what’s going on / I ain’t got a good voice but that don’t mean that I don’t mean what I say in a song” and I call bullshit. Even when he hits the chorus, he knows how to utilize his pitch perfectly. I’m ruminating around “Plaster,” where we find the band playing at a mid-tempo pace, and Steen delivering his spoken vocal delivery opening with his prose, “When you fucked your boyfriend’s best friend just to see who felt better / You know life ain’t half as good when you’re living being clever…” Yes, Steen is a wordsmith, but that’s only part of it here. When the band transitions over to its chorus, Steen capitalizes on the melodies guitars churn out, singing along, showing everyone he does have much more to offer.

Of course Shame will find itself tossed in with comparisons to Mark E. Smith and maybe even the Fall, but the band is well-versed in capitalizing on its melodies, adding in things that I don’t recall the group utilizing much in the past. Throughout the Americana-tinged “Spartak,” Shame casts a small shadow of piano laying underneath the track, and guitarist Coyle-Smith was forthcoming with his attempt at writing a Wilco song. It may not be a Jeff Tweedy track, but damn it, if it isn’t an amazing song. It’s a shift in Shame’s songwriting, but shouldn’t be neglected or ignored. Here, the band is spirited with an energy we haven’t heard before. But I have to backtrack because it’s the things Shame was originally known for that made it so entertaining. The album’s title track explodes right off the album with its thunderous rhythm as guitars reverberate around it. The bass guitar rumbles as Forbes is focused, pounding away. Yeah, Shame doesn’t shy away from throwing things into overdrive. But it’s “Cowards Around” where the group isn’t afraid to say how they really feel, right over a fast and furious rhythm. There are cowards all around the group, and while they don’t call them by name, we all know who they are in our daily lives. With “Nothing Better,”  it opens with dissonant notes over a frantic rhythm that allows the songs melody to rise to the surface while Steen sings about the daily grind; rise, do, sleep, repeat. This is where the band completely cuts loose, and the backing cooed harmonies are fantastic ear candy. Sure the band is English, but that doesn’t stop them from singing in Portuguese. With “Lampião,” the name given to Virgulino Ferreira da Silva, a famed Brazilian bandit, the band offers some history, filled with odd percussion and backing harmonies. Steen sings about Lampião’s brutal death after being captured, but it’s the Portuguese vocals that are quite captivating. This is different, but yeah, so worth it.

Just when you thought you knew exactly what you were getting into with Shame, the band surprises with an album that keeps you guessing. Cutthroat is the standout this year that’s sure to top everyone’s lists because it’s just that good. Or amazing. You decide.

JAYWOOD – LEO NEGRO

We can all understand that it’s never easy to confine someone to just one space when there’s a plethora of genres and styles to choose from. For the most part, some artists are happy to keep people guessing rather than sit back comfortably within that one place. Comfortability occasionally makes way for things to become easily stagnant, leaving people with the inability to grow any further than they already have.

For Winnipeg, Manitoba’s Jeremy Haywood-Smith, it doesn’t seem to be an issue. He writes and records as Jaywood, a moniker that’s destined to become a household name, no cap. Jaywood just released his third full-length album Leo Negro (Captured Tracks), and yeah, there isn’t just one distinct sound or genre Jay chooses to live in as he maneuvers through Hip-Hop, R&B, soul, and to a lesser extent, jazz. All the while, Jaywood seems to connect the dots through his clever experimentalist mindset. But what does that mean? Does it mean that the tracks filling Leo Negro are good, or is he just attempting to grab a hold of quick and fleeting attention? Well… he opens with “Woozy,” and just under a minute, the song, a dreamy sequence, sets the tone. It breezes by, filling rooms with a wide range of sounds compacted together. It’s sweet and uplifting, leading right into the bouncy “Pistachios,” urging listeners with its chill piano work and steady rhythm. Here, he fills the space with his rhymes’ steady flow with a cadence that’s inviting. The track is thick as guitar notes squeal and turntables scratch, leaving something for everyone. Like politics, this joint crosses party lines and could be easily enjoyed by anyone. Tune-Yards guests on “Big Tings” and the band’s experimental spirit are felt throughout. The track bounces, filling spaces with backing and frontal harmonies. While you may not be able to make sense of Jaywood’s vocals, just because of audibility from time to time, it doesn’t really matter because the song’s bounce, well, it controls everything!

Jaywood flips the script though, with “Assumptions” as he allows the direction of the rhythm to be his guide. The song is loose but not without direction; it’s clear and concise as distant backing harmonies sound like a cavalcade singing together, having a good time as he performs for everyone. As the song heads to an end, it shifts and turns into something else altogether. It’s genius the way he maneuvers it all. It’s the softer “Gratitude” though that leaves mouths open, simply for the inclusion of a phone message with someone telling him all things come to an end, and what sounds like “You’re not as good as you think you are. That might be a little harsh…” You think???? But regardless, it’s the music all around it that’s airy and thoughtful as percussion seemingly floats, leaving everything in a shadowy haze.

Honestly, although the music sometimes seems sparse, Jaywood has complete control over everything, securing and fastening everything down while allowing the instruments to freely flow across Leo Negro. From a musical standpoint, Jaywood is a mad genius, allowing the emotions to seep out from one track to the next. If it were simple, everyone would do it, but it’s not, and Jaywood has the edge against everyone else across the globe.