Downloads of the Week
Eric Church
“Give Me Back My Hometown”
★★
Church is one of the sharpest young male country singers — and no one’s sung the words “Pizza Hut” as beautifully as he does on this lead single from February’s “The Outsiders.” But it’s too bombastic, with a chest-beating chorus and a drawn-out, wordless refrain. Has he been listening to Arcade Fire? Could he stop?
David Guetta feat. Skylar Grey
“Shot Me Down”
★½
French DJ-producer Guetta’s EDM-meets-urban sound (with Black Eyed Peas, among others) moved pop toward dance music and dubstep. He’s issuing stand-alone tracks while working on his next album; the first is this tepid combo of Skylar Grey singing Nancy Sinatra’s “Bang Bang” with percussive riffs and bombastic drums. Completely formulaic.
Damon Albarn
“Everyday Robots”
★★
The Blur and Gorillaz frontman and inveterate collaborator goes solo for the first time with this title track from April’s “Everyday Robots.” It’s one of Albarn’s forlorn ballads, a lament for old machinery set to a ticktocking rhythm and a strings-and-woodwinds buildup — melodic, well-made, but not very resonant.
Morrissey
“Satellite of Love (Live)”
★★
Naturally, the Lou Reed tributes are only just beginning. This recently recorded live version of the great punk progenitor’s 1972 standard “Satellite of Love” by Morrissey — never shy about his debt to Reed — is clearly heartfelt. It’s also not remotely necessary, unless you’re a Morrissey or Reed completist.
Richard Thompson
“The Coo Coo Bird”
★★★
From “The 78 Project,” a compilation of singers cutting songs in one take, direct to an old-fashioned 78 RPM record, the great English folk-rock singer-songwriter/guitarist Richard Thompson takes on the traditional English folk song in a New York hotel room. Long a live-show staple, he inhabits the song with easy authority.
Laura Cantrell
“No Way There From Here”
★★½
The title track of Nashville-born New York country singer Cantrell’s sixth album is one of her most ambitious — the chorus is enormous, and there’s a string coda. But it still sounds modest, partly because Cantrell never oversells it vocally, but also because her voice isn’t quite full enough for the chorus.
Amy Ray
“Oyster and Pearl”
★½
Ray is one half of folk-rock icons Indigo Girls, and it’s sensible for her to transition into banjo-flecked country. But she’s always been one of the clunkiest songwriters around, and this is no different: “Now you want me to be the oyster that has a pearl,” set to a dreary lope.
Hospitality
“I Miss Your Bones”
★★½
This Brooklyn indie-pop trio had a deft and light charm on their 2012 debut; this song from their second album, “Trouble,” rocks more and has heavier guitar. The earlier stuff has the advantage, though singer-songwriter Amber Papini also seems to have acquired an English accent since the debut. Interesting.