Armies
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The last time we checked in with Armies, it was 2015 and the duo of Anna Lombard and Dave Gutter had just put out their first record. At that time, their narrative was that the music was inspired by “French pop duets of the '60s,” a great place from which to draw inspiration (if not entirely where that very well-executed record ended up as far as listener experience). Three years later, I like to imagine that Lombard and Gutter have been listening to a lot of R&B duets of the '70s and '80s. Ashford & Simpson. McDonald & Labelle. Ingram & Austin. Armies aren’t as croony as their forebears, nor so Diane Warren-y about necessitating a big emotional apex, but the vibe is there and, truly, their new record Armies II is super fun, funky, often intense and occasionally ... hilarious?