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Roy
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Roy in Bloomington, MN
Current price: $25.99
Roy in Bloomington, MN
Current price: $25.99
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Size: OS
Some folks believe people age out of viably playing punk rock, but hardly anyone ever outgrows being angry and opinionated, and
Drew Thomson
of
Single Mothers
will probably still be ranting about the annoyances of the world around him when he's 84 years old and making his home in an assisted living facility. Since
is essentially
Thomson
and whoever he decides is in the band at any given moment, it's no great surprise that their sound has changed with the passage of time. The punk rock fire of 2014's
Negative Qualities
has given way to a somewhat more subdued approach on 2023's
Roy
. On this album,
's bandmates serve a brand of straightforward rock & roll with a slight garage accent and a muscular pop sensibility, a bit like if
the Hold Steady
had never heard about
Bruce Springsteen
. However,
sounds only marginally less venomous than he did on
' early sides, and his articulate bile fits well with the deeper groove of his latest accompanists. (You can even hear him offering some suggestions to the guitar player during a break in "Lottery Master.") At ten songs and 26 minutes,
feels more like an EP than a full album, but if the portions are small, what's here is satisfying, and
's storytelling and barbed observations are as effective as ever. Whether he's opening up about Los Angeles ("Watching beautiful people make the same ugly mistakes"), out-of-touch musicians ("They work hard for the brandy and a little harder for the take, I see them give themselves a little pep talk before they take the stage"), or the wealthy abusing their privilege ("You selfish little freaks, you seem at peace and that's what I find so hard to believe"), his wordplay is agile and cuts like a razor, and the character studies of "James Gandolfini" and "Forest Fire" show he's growing without losing touch with his core strengths. If
is stepping away from punk rock, he hasn't given up on rock & roll or his need to bare his pissed-off soul. When he sings, "I want to live for art, I want to forget money," it's hard not to believe him, and
shows he's a talent that matters. ~ Mark Deming
Drew Thomson
of
Single Mothers
will probably still be ranting about the annoyances of the world around him when he's 84 years old and making his home in an assisted living facility. Since
is essentially
Thomson
and whoever he decides is in the band at any given moment, it's no great surprise that their sound has changed with the passage of time. The punk rock fire of 2014's
Negative Qualities
has given way to a somewhat more subdued approach on 2023's
Roy
. On this album,
's bandmates serve a brand of straightforward rock & roll with a slight garage accent and a muscular pop sensibility, a bit like if
the Hold Steady
had never heard about
Bruce Springsteen
. However,
sounds only marginally less venomous than he did on
' early sides, and his articulate bile fits well with the deeper groove of his latest accompanists. (You can even hear him offering some suggestions to the guitar player during a break in "Lottery Master.") At ten songs and 26 minutes,
feels more like an EP than a full album, but if the portions are small, what's here is satisfying, and
's storytelling and barbed observations are as effective as ever. Whether he's opening up about Los Angeles ("Watching beautiful people make the same ugly mistakes"), out-of-touch musicians ("They work hard for the brandy and a little harder for the take, I see them give themselves a little pep talk before they take the stage"), or the wealthy abusing their privilege ("You selfish little freaks, you seem at peace and that's what I find so hard to believe"), his wordplay is agile and cuts like a razor, and the character studies of "James Gandolfini" and "Forest Fire" show he's growing without losing touch with his core strengths. If
is stepping away from punk rock, he hasn't given up on rock & roll or his need to bare his pissed-off soul. When he sings, "I want to live for art, I want to forget money," it's hard not to believe him, and
shows he's a talent that matters. ~ Mark Deming
Some folks believe people age out of viably playing punk rock, but hardly anyone ever outgrows being angry and opinionated, and
Drew Thomson
of
Single Mothers
will probably still be ranting about the annoyances of the world around him when he's 84 years old and making his home in an assisted living facility. Since
is essentially
Thomson
and whoever he decides is in the band at any given moment, it's no great surprise that their sound has changed with the passage of time. The punk rock fire of 2014's
Negative Qualities
has given way to a somewhat more subdued approach on 2023's
Roy
. On this album,
's bandmates serve a brand of straightforward rock & roll with a slight garage accent and a muscular pop sensibility, a bit like if
the Hold Steady
had never heard about
Bruce Springsteen
. However,
sounds only marginally less venomous than he did on
' early sides, and his articulate bile fits well with the deeper groove of his latest accompanists. (You can even hear him offering some suggestions to the guitar player during a break in "Lottery Master.") At ten songs and 26 minutes,
feels more like an EP than a full album, but if the portions are small, what's here is satisfying, and
's storytelling and barbed observations are as effective as ever. Whether he's opening up about Los Angeles ("Watching beautiful people make the same ugly mistakes"), out-of-touch musicians ("They work hard for the brandy and a little harder for the take, I see them give themselves a little pep talk before they take the stage"), or the wealthy abusing their privilege ("You selfish little freaks, you seem at peace and that's what I find so hard to believe"), his wordplay is agile and cuts like a razor, and the character studies of "James Gandolfini" and "Forest Fire" show he's growing without losing touch with his core strengths. If
is stepping away from punk rock, he hasn't given up on rock & roll or his need to bare his pissed-off soul. When he sings, "I want to live for art, I want to forget money," it's hard not to believe him, and
shows he's a talent that matters. ~ Mark Deming
Drew Thomson
of
Single Mothers
will probably still be ranting about the annoyances of the world around him when he's 84 years old and making his home in an assisted living facility. Since
is essentially
Thomson
and whoever he decides is in the band at any given moment, it's no great surprise that their sound has changed with the passage of time. The punk rock fire of 2014's
Negative Qualities
has given way to a somewhat more subdued approach on 2023's
Roy
. On this album,
's bandmates serve a brand of straightforward rock & roll with a slight garage accent and a muscular pop sensibility, a bit like if
the Hold Steady
had never heard about
Bruce Springsteen
. However,
sounds only marginally less venomous than he did on
' early sides, and his articulate bile fits well with the deeper groove of his latest accompanists. (You can even hear him offering some suggestions to the guitar player during a break in "Lottery Master.") At ten songs and 26 minutes,
feels more like an EP than a full album, but if the portions are small, what's here is satisfying, and
's storytelling and barbed observations are as effective as ever. Whether he's opening up about Los Angeles ("Watching beautiful people make the same ugly mistakes"), out-of-touch musicians ("They work hard for the brandy and a little harder for the take, I see them give themselves a little pep talk before they take the stage"), or the wealthy abusing their privilege ("You selfish little freaks, you seem at peace and that's what I find so hard to believe"), his wordplay is agile and cuts like a razor, and the character studies of "James Gandolfini" and "Forest Fire" show he's growing without losing touch with his core strengths. If
is stepping away from punk rock, he hasn't given up on rock & roll or his need to bare his pissed-off soul. When he sings, "I want to live for art, I want to forget money," it's hard not to believe him, and
shows he's a talent that matters. ~ Mark Deming
Find at Mall of America® in Bloomington, MN
Visit at Mall of America® in Bloomington, MN