The Daily Spin, April 24
St. Paul & The Broken Bones | Angels In Science Fiction
Welcome back to the Daily Spin, the series in which I review 365 albums during 2023.
Each album will be given a rating on a scale from 0 to 10. You can look at the entire set here. Additionally, you can check out a list of my favorite song from each album right here.
If you want to suggest an album, good news! You can do so right here!
Album: Angels In Science Fiction (2023)
Artist: St. Paul & The Broken Bones
Link:
Soulful folk is the language of Alabama-based St. Paul & The Broken Bones, and on their sixth album, they continue to churn out the best of the genre, blending RnB and rock ‘n’ roll influences with abandon to bring together a delightful potpourri of genres.
They capture moments I’ve never lived, and transport me in such a manner that I find myself on dusty country roads, the rollicking bass and drums a backing soundtrack to the storytelling on display. The band is clearly at their best and most comfortable when they add a little pace to the music they’re putting on - and it’s where this album slips a little, falling into the slow jams.
Those jams are still done well - take, for one, ‘Angels In Science Fiction’, the titular track - but it’s songs like ‘Heat Lightning’ and ‘City Federal Building’ that yearn without taking their foot off the gas too much that really get me going.
It’s not Sea Of Noise, an album that will definitely be a Friday pick later this year, but it’s still damn fine work - six albums on, and this style hasn’t worn thin at all.
Rating: 8.6/10
Best Tracks: City Federal Building; Heat Lightning; South Dakota
Worst Tracks: Easter Bunny