MY MORNING JACKET
Magic Bullet ★★★
In the wake of America's spate of mass shootings, comedian Trevor Noah compared the country to a small boy, with his shoelaces untied, who can't figure out why he keeps tripping up and falling down. Complex, intractable problems aren't supposed to have blindingly obvious solutions. But in the case of US gun violence, there does appear to be one. On Magic Bullet, My Morning Jacket's commendably funky plea for peace, singer Jim James calls on Americans of all races, creeds and sexual orientations to unite and sing out for a better world. That's one idea. But a ban on assault weapons is another.
THE BLIZZARDS
Drop Down The Anchor ★
Niall Breslin's soul is going down like a sinking ship. He could sleep tonight in the middle of a mosh pit. He's got a broken heart from a kamikaze love split. And that's just the first verse of this song. Drop Down the Anchor is the Mullingar band's first new single in six years. And since terse understatement appears to be the order of the day, I will simply confirm that I have listened to it.
PILLOW PERSON
Go Ahead ★★★★
Moshi Moshi
Hot Chip drummer and backing vocalist Sarah Jones has reinvented herself as Pillow Person. And I still can't decide quite why I so love her infectious, The Knife-influence debut single so much. Maybe I'll just have to sleep on it.
THE LAST SHADOW PUPPETS ft. JOHNNY MARR
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me (Live in Manchester) ★★★
Last Night I Dreamt is Morrissey and Marr's greatest torch song and an anthem for chronically shy, socially awkward outcasts everywhere. It's a testament then to the song's enduring appeal that it still kind of works even when performed by a pelvis-thrusting Alex Turner. Seriously, how are we supposed to believe our protagonist is sex-starved loner when he's dressed like a Tijuana street pimp?
