March '21 - New Album Reviews

Black Country, New Road

For the first time

Debut LP from the most exciting band in the country

FORMING FROM the ashes of previous band Nervous Conditions after their singer was accused of sexual assault, Black Country, New Road are seven friends from Cambridge whose friendship shine through on this excitingly fresh debut.

      Opening with the klezmer esque-Instrumental seems apt, given the musicianship on display here, saxophone, violin, shuffling hi-hats all feature along with the more obvious bass and guitar. Recent single Athens, France follows, perhaps the most conventional track here, which introduces to us singer Isaac Wood and his nervous, self-deprecating style which is often more spoken word than singing and which is coincidentally not too dissimilar from bassist Tyler Hyde's father Karl Hyde's stream of consciousness as part of his group Underworld. Science Fair is up next and the first clue that folk plays a central role in their sound, with Wood describing a local scene:

"I'm sorry I've always been a liar, just to think I could have left the fair with my dignity in tact. And fled from the stage with the world's second best Slint tribute act".

      Sunglasses opens side 2 and is a reminder that with only 6 tracks on offer you're already halfway through the album and yes you could be forgiven for initially feeling shortchanged as it ostensibly looks more like an E.P. but a number of the songs are stretched out to the 8min and almost 10min mark and besides the music is so quirky and bewitching that your attention never wanes.

      Sunglasses then, starts with a slow grungy guitar workout over a calm Pink Floyd-esque keys, before settling into a relaxing folk groove. Indeed it's one of many examples throughout where the rhythm section is particularly tight. It builds then collapses in a trumpet wig out not unlike The Stooges or early Verve or indeed Comet Is Coming. A groove then forms again, akin to Athens, France. The controlled change in tempo is a reoccurring theme, as it does away with the standard 4/4 verse chorus verse approach - such variety is the reason for why this record is so joyful to my ears.

      It's Isaac Wood though that is the primary pull here and, like Morrissey in his Smiths heyday, it's a treat trying to choose your favourite lines - perhaps mine is Sunglasses' "I'm more than adequate, leave Kanye West out of this, leave your Sertraline in the cabinet". Brilliantly bonkers, it's thrilling, bold and in under 41 minutes palatable and like the best music, leaves you wanting more.

Rating   8

slowthai

TYRON      METHOD RECORDS

Second album from no nonsense post-punk South Londoners

NORTHAMPTON'S FINEST is back after an interesting year where he's had to battle as much bad press as good and the front page news is tackled as on opener 45 Smoke "people think I'm sick" and recent single the pumping Cancelled as slowthai's first guest star Skepta raps "how are you going to cancel me?"

      His debut suffered I felt from too many pedestrian beats and OTT rapping but slowthai has reigned in his skills and he provides a more focused effort here, with the first half focusing on previous strengths, namely tough beats and skilled guest rappers whilst the second half slows it down as slowthai adds a new dimension, with reflective storytelling backed by chilled melodies such as on the heartfelt I Tried, the contemporary NHS and recent single Feel Away:

      It's rare to find a rapper walking the tightrope between mainstream and underground and I'm struggling to think of a recent British hip hop and grime album that hits the mark quite like this does - it's succinct, has hits and sees slowthai develop his craft with maturity. The fact that he's representing little ol' Northampton - my adopted home - makes me particularly proud. Today the UK, tomorrow the world?

Rating 8

Shame

Drunk Tank Pink

Second album from no nonsense post-punk South Londoners

I'VE FINALLY realised what makes a truly great artist - one that separates the greats from the merely very good - and it's having a 'so so' debut, one that gets you noticed but is neither particularly good or particularly bad. Sure I love a great debut but study many a legend and they often seem to start slowly and then gradually get better, abit like a fine wine: Beatles, Bowie, Rolling Stones, Prince, Springsteen, Beach Boys all followed this pattern

      Which leads me to Shame, a rock band from my old neck of the woods - South London - who's sophomore album was released last month, the follow up to their debut Songs of Praise which was by turns called "incendiary" by Mojo but also "devoid of any kind of uplift" according to reknowned critic Robert Christgau. In short, it was good in parts - particularly the anthemic One Rizla and the gentle closer Angie - but left room for improvement. In that regard follow up Drunk Tank Pink delivers in spades with stronger, more memorable songs.

    Musically they've clearly been listening to a lot of New York punk, particularly Richard Hell and Television with their jaggedly guitar licks and anxious aggression running throughout the album, whilst their penchant for a good melody has also rubbed off with more of them than their debut and songs such as recent single and highlight Water in the Well even groove, which the latter having probably the most anthemic bridge you'll hear all year:

Lyrically lead singer Charlie Steen brings more clarity on subject matters, such as the brutal Born In Luton and the observational March Day whilst said anxiety is prevalent throughout the album such as on single Nigel Hitter: "I'm burning at both ends naturally. It just goes round and round" and Born In Luton "Now I'm at the door, there's no one inside"...

Keep this up and one day legendary status, albeit perhaps just cult status, may prevail.

Rating   8

Bicep

Isles      NINJA TUNE

Electronic duo from Belfast with sophomore effort

WE'RE JUST getting started with electronic music if you think about it. Whilst rock started back in the 1950s, it took electronica a further 20 years to give birth and it now feels dance is at the same crossroads that rock was at the start of the 21st century 20 years ago when it started to slowly go stale. Of course there were peaks along the way with the likes of The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys but they're largely recycling old ideas, albeit brilliantly so. EDM, an ironically cheap, diluted mix of many dance sub-genres -  funky house, deep house, chillout etc - did well to sell to the highest bidder but it was similar to what prog rock did to rock. Yes the masses enjoyed it but ultimately it leaves you feeling cheated. Perhaps they knew no better but alas there has been no punk revolt or reaction, dance has done what it's always done and evolved yet again.

Which brings me to Bicep's new album Isles, the follow up to their debut and it again finds them neatly summarising the history of dance music in 50 or so minutes. There's the progressive house of Atlas, Apricots and Sundial which all use samples of atmospheric distant female vocals recalling Leftfield's Song of Life, the chillout of Cazenove which starts with Eno-esque carvings of electronic sound and Saku which uses light garage beats with higher percussive tuning for added effect.

It's a well crafted album recalling chillout, progressive and balearic, with no whimpers but it struggles to hit the dizzy heights of any of these genres. That said, opener and first single Atlas is brilliant. A solid, if unremarkable effort.

Rating   7

Four Tet

Parallel      TEXT RECORDS

Eleventh album from British electronica artist

BY NOW Four Tet - Kieran Hebden to his mates - is almost a veteran of the electronica scene, having built up a sizable following over 20 years. Released on Christmas Day, less than 9 months after his last album, Parallel continues to explore the many instrumental electronic sounds that have been part of his career to date. The ten tracks are dominated by the 26 minute opener Parallel 1, a majestic slow electronic piece that drifts and twists its sounds as its form gradually takes shape. It regenerates at the 17 minute mark and returns with some subtle Prince-esque synths before ending with some lilting Indian female vocals in the background, perhaps (or not) a nod to his Indian roots:

      Tracks 2-10 suffer by comparison and are mostly standard fair, with a few present as electronic skits. That said, Parallel 7 is gorgeous and would feature prominently on any decent contemporary balearic compilation whilst Parallel 8 adds a welcome change of tempo, introducing dashes of house synth and soft garage beats.

      Despite being enjoyable, at 70 mins in length it is a struggle to hold your attention the entire time, particularly with the opening track dominating like it does, not unlike for example Pink Floyd's Echoes which closed their minor classic LP Meddle. With a little bit more pruning, this album could have been remarkable.

Rating   7

The Weather Station

Ignorance      FAT POSSUM

Fifth album from Canadian folk band

Ignorance recalls mid period Talk Talk with the atmospheric guitar hints of The War On Drugs. Perhaps it's a potential grower but I was left a little underwhelmed by the songs as well as quite frustrated that they wear their influences so closely to their chest; the opening duo are so similar to Talk Talk's Happiness Is Easy that they almost sound like covers. These are good songs but if you're looking for variety and aren't completely locked in, this album may prove too frustrating with its mid tempo one paced grooves.

Rating   6

SG Lewis

times      VIRGIN EMI

Debut from electronic singer/songwriter and musician SG Lewis from Reading

BY SOME weird coincidence I first hear about SG Lewis in the same month as Daft Punk and at first it seems like some handing over of the baton as Lewis takes up the funky disco house legacy left by Daft Punk. times is his debut and it's very chic, very smooth, indeed quite French, it even features Nile Rodgers on recent single One More, ready to lift you up from the inevitable slumber of pandemic life. I don't want use the platitude of 'it sounds great' but of course any comparison to Daft Punk will mean it's well produced. However what is going on behind the funkiest bass and synths? If you're a dance fan then this album might feel light on tunes and when compared to the French legend's Discovery for example it feels quite monotonous and samey, sharing none of that classic's ecstatic vocals, clever samples or robotic ballads. Only with the appearance of Robyn on Impact do we have a genuine euphoric moment that demands your attention:

      An album with lots of potential but clearly a little bit more commitment to the rhythm is need.

Rating   6

Kings Of Leon

When You See Yourself      RCA RECORDS

Eighth album from the southern rock favourites

A GREAT opening triple salvo ostensibly sets this album up, their first since 2016's Walls, but as it unfoils the 'best album in a decade' tag that I've seen (and seems to have been passed over from a now retired Oasis), seems to be on shaky ground. Presented as a mature return to form, the album and it's many slow songs limp along, particularly in the second half where the usual KOL chords and tricks keep reappearing. They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks but a little variety would have given the acoustic numbers room to breathe and some originality:

Only the closer Fairytale manages to capture a mood and be memorable, the rest is I hate to say (as a fan) sadly rather tuneless and bland. It is no worse than recent efforts and recent singles The Bandit and 100,000 People are classic KOL but the rest is largely forgetful.

Rating   5