Frank Zappa and Blur get the deluxe reissues they deserve, Dhani Harrison keeps the Beatles legacy alive, Testament survives to fight another day, and more.
This is exactly the album you’d expect from the electronica-inclined son of a Beatle, and that’s a good thing. No clone of his dad (though the vocal resemblance can get striking), Dhani Harrison knows his modern pop, especially his Radiohead. The keyboard/drum textures and stabs of distorted guitar are straight out of Kid A, but where Radiohead used those sounds to chilling effect, Dhani’s sonic world is warm and inviting — appropriate for a concept album about seizing the day and not stressing over what you’ve missed. His melodic gifts come through even on “The Wait Around,” which puts a catchy chorus between RZA’s raps; and when he gets full-on Beatlesque on “Make It Home,” the results are gorgeous. He’s also inherited George’s wry sense of humor: Aside from being a suitably soaring finale, “The Number” marks the best — and probably only — use of the phrase “screw the pooch” in a pop lyric.
