9. Dirty Beaches - Badlands

From the moment I heard the polarizing Speedway King, I knew I was listening to something special. I mean, to take one loop and make it so engaging... shit's not easy. Add to the fact that his sound is so familiar, I mean painstakingly. This is the album you wish you came up with. He nails it. When Horses came in the first thing I thought (first listen, so high, apologies) was this is like the soundtrack to a forgotten Tarintino flick. But rightfully so. He has this knack for taking old emotions, or rather, emotions you have about older things, and turning them into something so new. His music DOES evoke those feelings, those memories, of being younger, and hearing those 50's and 60's era songs. I was never a big fan, when I was kid, of my parents music. But it was only as I grew older that I began appreciating our music history, and artists that I knew Of, began artists I actively seeked out. And that is what I love about this album. You can hear the influences: doo-wap, rockabilly (Elvis keeps coming up,), surf, etc... But he has this great take on it. And I wouldn't be so quick to write it off on the production, which is fantastic by the way. These are cleverly thought out tracks, each one built upon the last. The first half of the album moves along pretty good, containing more of the faster and heavier tracks. Horses, Sweet 17 and A Hundred Highways all flow nicely into another, offering different variations of that classic oldies rock and roll style. Vocals are strong throughout, as he yelps and hollers his way through them. To me, words are not that important here, as they (imo) act as more a part of the music itself. But he does have his own style which suits perfect and with slower tracks like True Blue, and Lord Knows Best, you can actually get something out his lyrics: mainly love and loss. True Blue is a true stunner, a huge standout track, that transitions you into the rest of the album, which is focused on more slower songs. Lord Knows Best is focused on this main piano loop, that has this great old-timey sound to it, and the last two tracks are instrumental. Everything about Badlands is tied to this retro-meets-post-apocalyptic sound. It can be devastating and it can be beautiful, but mainly, it rocks. Needless to say, but this is a guy to definitely follow, as I cannot wait to see what he has coming next, i.e. LONE RUNNER.