After releasing a debut album that staked out a position between swooning dream pop and dramatic modern balladry,
SASAMI
takes a very different tack on 2022's
Squeeze
. The twin points on the compass this time are raging, downtuned nu metal and the kind of sweetly swaying singer/songwriter sound personified by early
Sheryl Crow
. With a glittering array of friends helping out (like
Ty Segall
, who co-produced many of the songs),
Sasami Ashworth
doles out songs that alternately hew closely to the nu metal template, with bleak electronic noise, thundering basslines, grinding guitars, and distorted vocals, or jangle along like a bar band on a Tuesday night backing
Ashworth
's gently sweet ballads with ragtag grace. It's an interesting mix of styles that also finds room for a peppy glam rock tune ("Make It Right") and a harshly metallic cover of
Daniel Johnston
's "Sorry Entertainer." ~ Tim Sendra