I've realized that all the topics/artists I am interested in always stem from stupid Twitter discourse. Does this mean I am too addicted to it? Yes absolutely. It accelerates music conversation so drastically. Opinions about an album have a meteoric rise and a subsequent slingshot of negatively in an instant. We don't have to wait years for the general consensus to settle. My Twitter this week has been mobbed by opinions about MJ Lenderman and The Dare. Two artists I have been enthralled with recently.

MJ Lenderman released an album called Boat Songs in 2022, and it became one of my favorite albums of the year (8th fav, to be exact). The album is aptly named as it feels like a working mans yacht rock. Instead of the Beach Boys or Steely Dan, it is more musically related to the folk of Neil Young or MTV Unplugged Nirvana. It is relaxing but harsh at the same time. I was particularly drawn to the first song, "Hangover Game," where Lenderman laments about Jordan's flu game being more about binge drinking than a lousy pizza. There is resounding sadness in this song's subtext. Lenderman is saying we all know Jordan was a degenerate gambler and a drunk, and so am I. He also sings about his father meeting Dan Marino and Marino being upset that Tom Brady has usurped him in the quarterback echelon. These have become very Lenderman-esque ideas. Using silly things like sports or Disney World to convey somber feelings. On paper, I don't like this guy. All the references are very frat-guy-centered. Sports, WWE, and popping a couple of cold ones aren't my cup of tea (sans basketball). I think the emotions are so genuine that the music transcends.

Lenderman's new album, Manning Fireworks, came out last Friday, and I have been listening to it nonstop. At first, I was a little disappointed at the lack of cutesy sports references, but the emotions and "folk-rock" brought me back to earth. There are still tons of humorous references. The song "Rudolph" is about Lightning McQueen drunk driving (running) into Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer's mother. There are also a lot of homages to classic rock stars. Between Boat Songs and Manning Fireworks, Lenderman released a cover of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door." It was more of a reimagining with slightly different lyrics and a grungy tone. I absolutely loved it, as you could feel the expression in his version of the song. In the middle of "Rudolph," he sings, "How many roads must a man walk down 'til he learns he's just a jerk who flirts with the clergy nurse." A silly reimagining of Dylan's "Blowin' In The Wind."

There is undoubtedly more catholic imagery in this album than I was expecting. Didn't know Lenderman had it like that. On "Joker Lips," he talks about some mysterious figure, saying, "Every Catholic knows he could've been Pope." Who is he talking about? I don't know. Is he talking about like every Catholic dude thinking they could be the Pope? Again, I don't know, but it's a strange line. At the end of "Rudolph," he screams, "I wouldn't be in the seminary if I could be with you." An insanely toxic/horny thing to say to anyone, really. Implying that the only thing stopping him from becoming a priest is his attraction to the person he is singing to.

The album's middle has a gut punch of a song called "She's Leaving You." It is a perfect song in every fashion. Incredibly catchy and also very self-aware. Lenderman knows his style of music is very divorced, dad-core, and he sings to a figure going through a divorce. It's heartbreaking in little ways, like when Lenderman mentions this person loving Ferraris and Eric Clapton. Or when he sings, "Vegas is beautiful at night, and it's not about money; you are just like the lights." Obviously, nobody loves Vegas for the lights. It is also very upfront in its heartbreak. The chorus reads, "It falls apart / we all have work to do." That is a particularly impactful choice of words. You imagine this person in a broken marriage, but reflect on yourself. He is right; we all have work to do.

The album ending is a smidge lighter (just a smidge). Lenderman is losing a relationship and practically begging his partner to not move to New York. "It's gonna change the way you dress," he sings. Lenderman then describes a bender he goes on presumably because this person has indeed left. Then he laments that he doesn't do anything, singing, "I've been up late playing Guitar Hero / playing Bark at The Moon." The nostalgia that line brings me is enormous. Just like Michael Jordan, though, it is hiding something melancholic. The instrumentation on this album lends itself even more to classic rockers like Neil Young. The guitar solos are hearty and reminiscent of Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. The closer "Bark at The Moon" has a quiet, creepy 5-minute guitar outro that reminds me of Wilco's A Ghost Is Born. A fantastic album through and through.

This is your king? Put his glasses back on

On the other end of the spectrum sits The Dare. New York DJ/producer who has become the poster child for indie-sleaze revival. His 2022 single "Girls" vaulted his career to the spotlight and landed him in the good graces of Charli XCX and other luminaries. I first heard of him through a TikTok showing him producing the song "Guess" for Charli XCX. I have to respect. "Girls" has some pretty wild lyrics. Starting a song with "I like the girls who do drugs" is a level of confidence I am not familiar with. There is something off with this guy, though. Maybe he was manufactured to revive this LCD Soundsystem/The Rapture sound (which I love). Like, is this a bit? It feels so ingenuine that it might have looped around to being cool?

I've seen a lot of discussions about the influence of LCD Soundsystems. A month ago, I found a tweet that said, "Just listened to The Dare. The guy from LCD Soundsystem needs to lawyer up." Now, there is, you guessed it, pushback. People are saying that the LCD Soundsystem comparison is only made by people who have never listened to the band. Others are saying the sound is closer to Peaches. As a rabid LCD Soundsystem fan, I see parallels. His voice is eerily similar to James Murphy's, and the way he vocally inflects/yells is nearly identical. It's an approximate match, though. The Dare seems like a more modern and hornier version of a couple of LCD Soundsystem tracks. The Dare could totally make "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House" (he pretty much makes 4 or 5 of them on his album), but he couldn't make something like "Someone Great" or "I Can Change." It shows the versatility of LCD Soundsystem. The Dare is also more DJ/club-orientated. The production of "Guess" and his opening for Charli in Brooklyn showcase this.

The Dare's album that came out last Friday, What's Wrong With New York?, does feel a little one-note. The problem is that the note is fantastic. Lyrically the songs are all about going out, clubbing, drugs, etc. "You're Invited" is one of those songs that gives me "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House." The word-of-mouth nature of house parties is almost lost in our age and this song perfectly encapsulates that feeling. There are moments of insane bass-filled bliss like "I Destroyed Disco" (another confident title) and "Elevation." There are also moments when The Dare gives more David Guetta than anything. Chiefly at the beginning of "All Night." The bass climb feels cheesy, but the song saves itself with the chorus. The song "Movement" (not helping the LCD comparison) is a fantastic cacophony of sound. It may be overwhelming, but the whispering vocals "Movement… Movement…" are infectious. His voice also veers to David Byrnes at some point in the track? If this is an industry plant, consider me planted.

besos,

Jonny’s Songs of the Week:

MJ Lenderman - She’s Leaving You
MJ Lenderman - Wristwatch
The Dare - Movement
The Dare - I Destroyed Disco
Nala Sinephro - Continuum 1
Charli XCX & Troye Sivan - Talk Talk remix
Hinds - Hi, How Are You
Hinds - Stranger

Sep 12 Is The Dare An Industry Plant?

Sep 21 Misty-heads Rejoice, We are so back!

Aug 30 The Battle of the Blue Albums?