In No Particular Order: 3 Albums To Start The Year Off Right (Jan 8, 2021)

Would it truly be a new year without accidentally typing “2020” into the date?

Of course not, but it is in fact 2021 and this is the first INPO of the year! I’m keeping it simple this week with three fantastic new releases, including the latest from UK singer-songwriter Passenger, Canadian rockers The Dirty Nil, and Swedish post-punk outfit Viagra Boys. Very different albums, but each worth a listen in their own right.

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The Dirty Nil – Fuck Art

Hard rock / Punk

8/10

With a year bombarded with bad news and musicians providing the numerous soundtracks about isolation, quarantine, and the shifting dynamic of left and right, Hamilton’s The Dirty Nil are just doing their own thing off to the side with their third record Fuck Art. Although part of the record was recorded in 2020 just before lockdown (including the guitar parts being done in 2 16-hour sessions as a mad scramble), and the rest was pieced together remotely from Hamilton – so there’s the connection to the craziest year of the decade.

Either way, it’s a refreshing and somewhat distractingly “normal” punk rock album; feisty riffs, and mundane topics of aging, bike thieves, and internet trolls lead the way. And it should be noted that the word “punk” is used lightly, there’s a combination of ingredients that go into the gusto of The Dirty Nil, including classic rock, emo-rock, ’90s alternative, and heavy metal, all of which tie together for a series of blood-boiling, anthemic modern rock n’ roll.

But one fun aspect of the record that is true to the punk-world is the album’s title. After lead singer Luke Bentham took an art class one Christmas as a gift, he came to the conclusion that art really is subjective:

“Our teacher was showing us how to do something really basic, like paint a sky. And this older guy in the back was like, ‘hey, mine doesn’t look like that!’ And then, ‘I got a brush-hair stuck in my painting!’ And then ‘mine doesn’t look like everybody else’s!’ And the teacher goes, ‘well that’s the beauty of art—you’re just going to explore and find yourself.’ And there’s this long silence and I just heard him say, ‘fuck art.’ This 72-year-old dude was basically having a tantrum! It was kind of an eye-opening experience, because I had this myth in my mind that, at some point, everybody gets their shit together. But seeing this old guy complain reminded me that, ‘oh, no—not everybody gets a grip on life.’ I couldn’t stop thinking about it. After I told my mom it was going to be the album title, she left two different messages on my answering machine trying to convince me to change it.”

And for the group, “art” isn’t just small-town painting sessions – it’s also the onslaught of social media and the justice-policing-dumpster-fire it has become. “Done With Drugs” is an easy metaphor, even the roaring closer “One More and the Bill” hints at smashing smart phones and TVs. Or maybe “art” is the slippery-slope of nearing your 30’s or getting your bike stolen.

Hidden beneath the debauchery and heavy-hitting musicality is a decent amount of “stuff” to unpack on Fuck Art, and The Dirty Nil certainly make it a fun experience.

Notable tracks: “Doom Boy” // “Done With Drugs” // “Hello Jealousy”

Passenger – A Song For the Drunk and Broken Hearted

Singer-songwriter

7/10

Mike Rosenberg, better known as Passenger around the world, has released his thirteenth studio album Songs For the Drunk and Broken Hearted – aptly titled following a turbulent time as he worked through a breakup before the world shutdown. Although it was originally scheduled for a May 2020 release, Rosenberg pushed the date twice and swapped out a few tracks, including the addition of opener “Sword From the Stone”, which was written during lockdown. Not only is it a break-up album in its purist sense, but Songs… is also a break-up album with what is “normal”.

At the peak of the album, as per usual, is Rosenberg’s voice. His signature smokey, rustic vocals carve out the welcomed personality of Songs, and while it is not his strongest effort to date, it is evokes a warm, familiar place for long-time listeners. The overall theme of loneliness and re-development come through loud and clear on “Remember to Forget” and “A Song For the Drunk and Broken Hearted”, while other singles “Sword from the Stone”, and “The Way That I Love You” are filled with real emotions and moments following heartbreak – “And both the cats say hi / I know they miss you too” being a strangely relatable lyric.

Rosenberg continues to be a prevalent songwriter with a loyal following because of his relatability and personal expression through music, and Songs for the Drunk and Broken Hearted is another addition to that legacy.

Notable tracks: “The Way That I Love You” // “A Song for the Drunk and Broken Hearted” // “London In the Spring”

Viagra Boys – Welfare Jazz

Alternative rock/Post-punk

8/10

There are very few artists that sound like Viagra Boys. The combination of genres, from post-punk, to industrial, to synth-pop are what helped them shine in 2018 with their award-winning album Street Worms. Now onto their sophomore release, the Stockholm-based quintet are continuing the trend with Welfare Jazz.

The majority of the record feels like it was written by a scatterbrain; jumping between genres and tempos, but yet there are still smooth transitions between songs that suggests, maybe this is organized chaos (due in part to the interspersed interludes). Songs like “Ain’t Nice” and “Toad” have a sporadic, punk fever to them, while the moody “Into the Sun”, ’80’s synth-wave “Creatures”, and the John Prine cover “In Spite of Ourselves” feel dense, and slow-burning.

But of course, it’s back up again with “6 Shooter” and “Secret Canine Agent”, this time with a glossy, new wave energy that is backed by frontman Sebastian Murphy’s gritty and raw vocals. That really comes out with the withdrawl-influenced “I Feel Alive” and “Girls & Boys”.

The album’s unpredictability on first listen has an element of, well, jazz. Intersecting themes and genres make for something casual and intentional, and quite frankly, an entertaining listen.

Adding to the absurdity of Welfare Jazz, you can ask “Fortune Dog” any question.

Notable tracks: “Ain’t Nice” // “Into the Sun” // “Girls & Boys”