Fall Review Roundup & Buckwheat Zydeco

September is bursting with major new album releases. Jim and Greg give their take on several of the biggest new records, from Bon Iver to M.I.A. to Against Me!, in this Review Roundup. Plus, they report on Chance the Rapper's music festival and pay tribute to Buckwheat Zydeco.
Music News
These days national headlines coming out of Chicago are generally about one thing: gun violence on the south and west sides of the city. So far this year there have been more than 3,200 shootings, more than 530 of them fatal. At the same time the city is home to a vibrant and creative hip-hop movement that continues to grow. Greg recently attended two festivals that highlighted the creativity in Chicago while addressing the city's violence. Chance the Rapper hosted the Magnificent Coloring Day at US Cellular Field on the southside. The next day, Common hosted a festival on the westside. Greg says the two events were Chicago rappers addressing the city's violence while trying to do something positive about it.
22, A Million Bon Iver

Bon Iver, the heart-on-sleeve, confessional music project of Justin Vernon, has received critical praise and a Grammy since its debut in 2007. 22, A Million is Bon Iver's first new album in five years and it is a marked departure with an emphasis on electronics over more traditional folk instrumentation. None of that 'critical praise' has come from Jim or Greg, and this album doesn't change that. Jim says Bon Iver's music annoys him "more than fingernails on a blackboard." He calls this album a "disaster," with music that is long, slow and without melody. Greg, is only slightly more forgiving. He says Vernon sounds lost and this album is a manifestation of a crisis of conscience. However, that is not something he wants to listen to. If not obvious, this is a double- Trash It.
AIM M.I.A.

AIM is the fifth record from Sri Lankan-British rapper M.I.A. She's known for being political with her music and this album is no different taking on weighty issues like immigration and the refugee crisis with songs like "Borders" and "Visa." Greg says that while the album shines at times, it is frustratingly inconsistent. Sometimes falling into a pop sound that undercuts the songs. Jim agrees and thinks the album is "half-baked." He thinks M.I.A. could have used a producer or collaborators to focus the album. AIM is a double-Try It.
Heads Up Warpaint

Former Sound Opinions guests
The Healing Component Mick Jenkins

Mick Jenkins is a key player in the Chicago
Shape Shift with Me Against Me!

Against Me! has been active since forming in Gainesville, Florida in 1997, but 2014 proved to be the pivotal year in the band's history. Its leader Laura Jane Grace came out as transgender and the band released its most successful record to date, Transgender Dysphoria Blues. While that record was explicitly about her transition, Greg says the followup Shape Shift with Me examines her post-transition relationships, trading in some of the anthems for a film noir feel. Greg wishes the production sounded less meticulously layered, but the songwriting is very strong, filled with both sincerity and humor. Jim likes the darker, slower moments on this album, but points out that there is still plenty of rabble rousing anthemic rock. When all is said and done, Jim believes we'll see Against Me! as the true inheritors of the political legacy of The Clash. Although Laura Jane Grace writes personal songs, Jim says you don't have to be living her same journey to be able to find inspiration. It's another double-Buy It for Shape Shift with Me.
Buckwheat Zydeco

Legendary accordionist and zydeco musician Buckwheat Zydeco has died. Born Stanley Dural Jr., he was responsible for spreading the southern
Jim
Like many Americans, Jim and his wife Carmél watched the first presidential debate this week. Regardless of politics, Jim was greatly offended by candidate Donald Trump's hateful remarks about overweight people. Both of them felt that he was particularly cruel to former Miss Universe
Featured Songs
- Chance the Rapper, "All We Got ," Coloring Book, Not On Label, 2016
- Bon Iver, "8 (circle)," 22, A Million, Jagjagwuar, 2016
- Bon Iver, "666 ʇ," 22, A Million, Jagjagwuar, 2016
- Bon Iver, "29 #Strafford APTS," 22, A Million, Jagjagwuar, 2016
- M.I.A., "Borders," AIM, Interscope, 2016
- M.I.A., "Visa," AIM, Interscope, 2016
- M.I.A., "Freedun," AIM, Interscope, 2016
- Warpaint, "Heads Up," Heads Up, Rough Trade, 2016
- Warpaint, "So Good," Heads Up, Rough Trade, 2016
- Warpaint, "New Song," Heads Up, Rough Trade, 2016
- Warpaint, "Dre," Heads Up, Rough Trade, 2016
- Warpaint, "By Your Side," Heads Up, Rough Trade, 2016
- Mick Jenkins, "Daniel's Bloom," The Healing Component, Cinematic, 2016
- Mick Jenkins, "Drowning," The Healing Component, Cinematic, 2016
- Mick Jenkins, "Love, Robert Horry," The Healing Component, Cinematic, 2016
- Against Me!, "333," Shape Shift with Me, Total Treble, 2016
- Against Me!, "Delicate, Petite & Other Things I'll Never Be," Shape Shift with Me, Total Treble, 2016
- Against Me!, "Norse Truth," Shape Shift with Me, Total Treble, 2016
- Against Me!, "12:03," Shape Shift with Me, Total Treble, 2016
- Buckwheat Zydeco, "What You Gonna Do?," Where There's Smoke There's Fire, Island, 1990
- Buckwheat Zydeco, "Hot Tamale Baby," On a Night Like This, Island, 1987
- Kraftwerk, "The Model," The Man-Machine, EMI, 1978
- The Replacements, "Alex Chilton," Pleased to Meet Me, Sire, 1987
- Kraftwerk, "The Telephone Call," Electric Cafe, Warner Bros., 1986
- Japanese Breakfast, "Everybody Wants to Love You," Psychopomp, Yellow K, 2016
- Derek Brown, "Catch'em Up," BEATBoX SAX, self-released, 2016
- Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, "Skeleton Tree," Skeleton Tree, Bad Seed Ltd., 2016
- Herb Alpert & the Tiajuana Brass, "Whipped Cream," Whipped Cream & Other Delights, A&M, 1965
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