New Music - Album Review - Summer 2020
Fiona Apple
Fetch the Bolt Cutters Epic
Singer's first album in eight years and a terse, honest, sometimes humorous account of freedom from oppression
INITIALLY POSTPONED due to Covid, Fiona Apple pushed forward a release for her fifth album both for the fans and to avoid all the music industry "bulls**t". But probably also because Apple knew she had something to say and something special up her sleeve. The album, Apple says is about "women" and "not being afraid to speak out" and ultimately about freedom from oppression. Songs are largely built on percussion rather than her trademark piano making it hard to genre categorise although fans will recognise musical similarities to her last album 2012's The Idler Wheel...
The opening salvo of "I Want You To Love Me" and "Shameika" are musically like sisters, kicking things off with similar winding piano motifs, the former is a direct plea to a hypothetical lover, the latter, over a faster piano, describes a school friend who like her was rejected by the popular kids. The title track three tracks in was the last song written for the album and its message - its title taken from the television drama The Fall - is clear as she sings: "Fetch the bolt cutters, I've been in here too long". Quoting Kate Bush - "I need to run up that hill, I will, I will, I will!" - and ending with dogs in homage to her, the defiance from this really resonates. Some observers have also noticed how this song could be true in the context of lockdown although I think that is purely a nice coincidence and nothing more:
"Ladies" starts with a slow drum beat as Apple singles "Ladies ladies ladies ladies..." as she yearns for women to not let men pit themselves against each other. "Heavy Balloon" follows and is extraordinary, its light jazzy groove swings, in complete contrast to its subject matter, namely depression and how "people like us we play with a heavy balloon". Apple finally exorts "I spread like strawberries, I climb like peas and beans. I've been sucking it in so long that I'm bursting at the seems."
"For Her" is, again another extraordinary song, featuring this time just Apple and concerning the controversial appointment of Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh despite allegations of sexual misconduct. Containing three parts, it starts by documenting a friend's abuse at a Film production company: "Good mornin'! Good mornin'! / You raped me in the same bed your daughter was born in".
This astonishing album feels like a landmark album and on reflection one can't help but think of #MeToo, and the fact that the Me Too movement has yet to happen in the Music industry. However this album feels like the door is about to be blown off - and about time. It is a cathartic, honest account of the experiences which have shaped Fiona Apple and it demands your full attention.
Rating 9 / 10
Roger Eno And Brian Eno
Mixing Colours Deutsche Grammophon
The 'Godfather of Ambient' returns with his brother in tow with an album to relax the soul
PERFECT TIMING, a chillout album for the ages, from the masters of ambience, which has been 15 years in the making. It is more a Roger than Brian album though, so who is Roger?
Roger maybe the lesser known of the Eno brothers - Brian is the chap above, pictures of Roger are hard to come by - but he is an accomplished musician in his own right having released his own music often a number of years, often ambient or soundtracks not unlike his brother Brian. Of course we know Brian Eno from his time in Roxy Music, his own ambient solo work and being a producer of much of the greatest 'noise' from the last 40 years (Bowie, Talking Heads, U2, Coldplay, even composer of that famous Microsoft jingle from the mid nineties: Windows 95 Startup Sound)
They have worked together before, all the way back in 1983 on Brian Eno's beautiful Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks along with producer Daniel Lanois and here after a long gestation, they are back combining their primary USPs - Brian's electronic ambience and Roger's delicate piano - to beautiful effect:
Over 75mins, we are treated to 18 mini marvels, each consisting of not much more than Roger's ostinato piano patterns, Brian's ambient soundscapes and the occasional flourishes of celesta and other metallophones. Clearly as the name suggests and as the name suggests, less is more here and the favourite phrase of late Mark Hollis of Talk Talk "before you play two notes, learn how to play one" is very much in evidence here. Notes are often allowed to ring out when played, filling space as their sound drifts off. I really can see why it took 15 years, every last note is precise and thought over.
So when both brothers play together, like two painters painting on a canvas and mixing their colours, a new secondary sound is created, something that is suggested at by the album's title. It makes this album not only obviously relaxing but intriguing, often beguiling. It is a lovely album, forgot and perfect for these times.
Rating 8 / 10
The 1975
Notes On A Conditional Form Dirty Hit Polydor Records
Fourth album from Cheshire's favourite Pop Synth Rock group, first since 2018's A Brief Enquiry Into Online Relationships
ARGUABLY BRITAIN'S most popular rock band, The 1975 have been blowing people's socks off/vastly irritating depending on your point of view, since 2012 when they burst on the scene with a series of EPs before their self-titled debut a year later. Their sophomore effort I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It followed 3 years later (1st prize for most pretentious album title of that year) which developed their songwriting and grand ambitions. Their third album followed in 2018. This, their fourth album won't surprise anyone, it is bold, it is daring, with a mixture of musical styles/genres and it's fair share of filler, particularly instrumentals.
It starts of course with "The 1975", continuing their pretentious way of starting every album with their band name. This time however it is particularly interesting as it features Greta Thornberg talking frankly about where we are as a species and the action that needs to be taken. It works well for a time but musically I felt it wasn't terse enough and at 4mins seemed to outstay its welcome. We then jump head first into "People" which is like Busted pretending to be the Sex Pistols. It's ok - it certainly won't be winning any Ivor Novello awards for songwriting - it tries, but then, of course it does this is The 1975 afterall, a band that named an album I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It....
Even the band must realise how exhausting the opening two tracks are as they drop the first of several - not only in this album, but every album - chillout instrumentals designed as a 'pause'. Admittedly it could be seen as strength - goodness knows how much better Oasis's Be Here Now would have been if it had 'less', a quieter reflective track in there. However it can also be seen as a weakness and unlike that Oasis's behemoth classic, this album seems more throwaway. Perhaps that's the point? Regardless, the cycle of pop song, rock song and instrumental (largely filler) continues for the remainder of the exhaustive 22 song 1hr 20min double album.
One can't help but be left wondering how much better, more palatable and more enjoyable all their albums would be if they just stuck to ten or eleven songs. More focus on less songs would leave a more lasting impression as we can listen to the most fully formed songs and more often. The trouble with a genre such as 'Rock' is that it can leave the impression that a band like this are jack of all trades master of none, an impression that's lingered on previous albums but not to this extent. They do try and that's the frustration: they want to be Prince, Duran Duran and (early folky) Ed Sheeran all rolled into one but only touch these dizzy heights at certain points; there are as many misses as there are hits.
Two tracks really stand out: "Shiny Collarbone" which has a brilliant electronic groove and is completely unlike anything else on the album and perhaps something they should focus on the next album, whilst "Don't Worry", is a beautiful song written by the singer's father. It is tracks such as these that save the listening experience from drowning in it's own ambitions.
Rating 6 / 10
Badly Drawn Boy
Banana Skin Shoes Merge Records
Badly Drawn Boy returns after 8 years to put the world to rights
THE BEWILDERBEAST is back from the woods after a long hiatus with his ninth album (if you include soundtracks) and first since 2012's Being Flynn. The long break has clearly served Damon Gough well as this album is full of his trademark mix of groovy Britpop, folky introspection and self-deprecating Mancunian humour.
The title track opens the album in energetic fashion prompting you to "supersize your soul" while "Is This a Dream?" follows in a similar vein. Moments of said folky introspection follow before "Tony Wilson Said", a brilliantly witty song with a dirty bass, and echoes of his classic "Disillusion". It's surely one of the funkiest songs you'll hear all year and perhaps my favourite song off the album. The remainder of the album is largely reflective with songs such as "Note to Self" grappling with what life is like for a 50 year old in 2020. Indeed fans will notice how he seems quite content, certainly compared to his excellent debut The Hour of Bewilderbeast where his younger self was fully consumed by a relationship and all the highs and lows that entails when you're growing up and trying to understand things. I was very fond of that album when it was released way back in 2000 and the fact that I can compare this album to it now is high praise.
Rating 7 / 10
Tim Burgess
I Love The New Sky Bella Union
Third solo album by Charlatans front man and first in eight years
WHILE MOST of us have been in lockdown just doing enough to survive, Tim Burgess has been going the extra mile by arranging, organising and hosting classic album listening parties on Twitter and drawing in hundreds of thousands of participants. Such passion for music is evident on this new LP, it is vibrant, optimistic, full of life; he has returned to live in UK after several years living in LA, he's a father and drug free (he has written about being an addict at the height of The Charlatans fame). It sounds great and is accompanying band are busy with their guitar licks, piano licks or vocal woops. It reminds me of the carefree feeling that Belle & Sebastian evoke, even The Polyphonic Spree.
So far so good, particular so on lead single and opener "Empathy For The Devil". Sadly the songs thereafter don't have the same pulling power. After several listens, songs still didn't want to fully stick around in my mind, despite curiously liking the initial groove of "Sweet Old Sorry Me", the electro squeal in the outro to "The Warhol Me" etc. It's not a bad album by any stretch: it is well sequenced and is full of life but ultimately the songs matter most and unfortunately they didn't grab me as much as I'd hoped.
Rating 6 / 10
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