This week Hotline TNT go power pop, Springsteen goes country, and Stereolab keep on sounding like Stereolab. Read on for details.
Bruce Springsteen
Somewhere North of Nashville
2025, 4/10
Disc four on Springsteen’s Tracks II set was recorded in 1995, at the same time as The Ghost of Tom Joad. It shares the same band as Tom Joad, with E-Street Band members Danny Federici and Garry Tallent providing support.
But Somewhere North of Nashville could have stayed in the vaults. It’s often overly sentimental and formulaic, and the relentless pedal steel is wearying. It starts with the generic rocker ‘Repo Man’, closely followed in the tracklist by the overly similar ‘Delivery Man’. Meanwhile, the ballad ‘Poor Side of Town’ is embarrassing, with Springsteen singing a melodramatic bridge.
I can’t blame you for trying
I’m trying to make it too
I got one little problem
I can’t make it without you
It’s worth salvaging a few tracks – ‘Janey, Don’t You Lose Heart’ was a Born in the USA-era b-side that always deserved better, and it shines here. The title track is elegant, like a 1960s Glenn Campbell/Jimmy Webb song.
Somewhere North of Nashville houses a couple of worthwhile songs, but it’s easily the weakest installment I’ve covered thus far.
Hotline TNT
Raspberry Moon
2025, 8.5/10
Hotline TNT’s first two albums were effectively a vehicle for Will Anderson, the band’s only constant member. But writing on their third album is shared with the other members, Mike Ralston, Lucky Hunter, and Haylen Trammel.
The presence of the other members moves them away from layered shoegaze, into a brighter power-pop sound. The best moments are still rooted in shoegaze – ‘Julia’s War’ might be my favourite song of the year, with dense shoegaze guitars married to a pretty tune.
The mixture of shoegaze and power-pop also recalls Scottish band Teenage Fanclub. Will Anderson’s vocals aren’t always smooth, but the mixture of melody and power is intoxicating on songs like ‘If Time Flies’ and ‘Candle’.
There’s still some room for growth, but Hotline TNT’s blend of power and melody is often engrossing.
Stereolab
Instant Holograms on Metal Film
2025, 7.5/10
Stereolab’s musical vision is instantly distinctive. They blend the motorik beat of krautrock, with 1960s French pop and jazz. Instant Holograms On Metal is the band’s first album since 2010. The core duo of Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier, former romantic partners, cowrote most of the songs.
I think that it is becoming more and more apparent to more and more people as the absurdity of the political situation intensifies that at some point – soon?- we will have to organise how society is run in radically different ways, based on radically different values, such as cooperation, as opposed to the current capitalist ideology of competition.
Laetitia Sadier, Mojo
Impressively, Stereolab sound like they’ve never been away. ‘Melodie is a Wound’ is gorgeous, stretching out over seven minutes, while ‘Electrified Teenybop!’ is a fun instrumental. The pair of songs titled ‘(f You Remember I Forgot How to Dream’ are trippy and psychedelic.
Instant Holograms On Metal is one heck of a comeback after fifteen years away.
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I do like that Springsteen song…and I’ve always liked ‘Janey, Don’t You Lose Heart.’ Hotline TNT…to me it reminds me of a 1990s vibe for some reason. Very chorus-y…a wide sound.
Stereolab…it’s a good pop song. A lot of styles mixed into it.
Hotline TNT is totally 1990s – like My Bloody Valentine meets Teenage Fanclub.
Couple of strong tracks on that Springsteen album, but seems like the weakest of the batch to me.
Ok…that makes me feel much better because that is what I thought about them.
Yea, you have me listening to the Springsteen stuff more, I like that song you featured but not as much else…it’s very spotty to me so far. But Springsteen music grows on me usually but I don’t see a lot of this doing the same.
My favourite Springsteen record from the set is still to come.