Fun Boy Three "Our Lips Are Sealed" (1983) (single)

Our Lips Are Sealed, 7'' single
release date: Apr. 29, 1983
format: vinyl (FUNB 1)
[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,28]
producer: David Byrne
label: Chrysalis Records - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: A) "Our Lips Are Sealed" - - B) "Our Lips Are Sealed, Urdu Version"

Single release by Fun Boy Three is the third and last single release from the album Waiting (1983). The song is composed by Jane Wiedlin and Terry Hall and was first released to promote the album debut Beauty and the Beat (1981) by Wiedlin's girl-band, The Go-Go's - in their version of the song, but it also appears on the final album by Fun Boy Three in '83.

The Divine Comedy "Casanova" (1996)

Casanova

release date: Apr. 29, 1996
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,42]
producer: Darren Allison and Neil Hannon
label: Setanta Records - nationality: Northern Ireland, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Something for the Weekend" - 2. "Becoming More Like Alfie" (4 / 5) - 4. "In & Out of Paris & London" - 6. "Songs of Love" - 7. "The Frog Princess" - 8. "A Woman of the World" - 10. "Theme From Casanova"

4th studio album by The Divine Comedy. In my mind, this is his best album so far. This is where he finds the crooning sound and the subtle balance of strings and orchestra, and where he simply sings so very fine. The album was Hannon's first commercial success selling Gold in the UK. Again, all songs are written and composed by Hannon himself except for tracks #10 and #11.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Q Magazine, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

Olesen-Olesen "Hårdnakket idyl" (2003)

Hårdnakket idyl
release date: Oct. 27, 2003
format: cd (melo 002)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,86]
producer: Henrik Olesen and Troels Bech
label: Melodika - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Studier af skyer" (4 / 5) - 2. "Ved en å" (4,5 / 5) - 4. "Jeg ser det ske" - 5. "I det hus du kalder dit hjem" - 10. "Udsatte egne" - 12. "Schade" - 13. "Ved godt mod" (4 / 5)

5th studio album by Olesen-Olesen is the band's second release on its own label, Melodika, and this time the brother's Olesen have put the production responsibility in the hands of younger brother Henrik and Troels Bech (from The Poets) who is also credited as co-arranger.
The musical style of Olesen-Olesen is rather unique, although, all their albums are slightly different from one another. This is the band's so far most quiet singer / songwriter and folk rock release, and this time, it's also more simple with less focus on chamber pop elements. The music seems reduced to a more simple form and the lyrics are concentrated on a country-side lifestyle focusing on discreet everyday details. I find it very enjoyable.
[ Gaffa.dk 6 / 6 stars ]

Sofia Karlsson "Söder om kärleken" (2009)

Söder om kärleken
release date: Mar. 4, 2009
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]
producer: Gustaf Ljunggren, Sofia Karlsson
label: Playground Music Scandinavia - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 1. "Du var där" (4 / 5) (live session) - 3. "Smält mig till glöd" (live) - 6. "Dina händer (Göteborg)" - 8. "Visa från Kåkbrinken" (4,5 / 5) (live) - 12. "Imma på fönstret" - 13. "Alltid dig nära" (4 / 5) (solo live)

4th studio album by Sofia Karlsson and her first album on the Playground label is her so far most apparent folk pop-shaped album comparing with her first three albums, the debut Folk Songs (2002), Svarta ballader (2005) and Visor från vinden (2007). All of these have more traditional folklore music incorporated and all were based on older lyrical sources, whereas this is her first to have more compositions with an uptempo and chorus-based music, and they also represent her first collection of songs written and composed for an album.
Karlsson has a nice beautiful singing voice with the qualities of Lisa Ekdahl only with more strength. It's a warm and very fine album. Unfortunately, she doesn't release music very often, although, she has featured as guest artist on a number of albums. Following this, she released the live album Levande in 2011 and it was not until 2014 before she presented her fifth studio album Regnet faller utan oss.

Neil Young "A Letter Home" (2014)

A Letter Home
release date: Apr. 19, 2014
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]
producer: Jack White and Neil Young
label: Third Man / Reprise Records - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 2. "Changes" (live) - 3. "Girl From the North Country" - 4. "Needle of Death" - 5. "Early Morning Rain" (live) - 7. "Reason to Believe" - 9. "If You Could Read My Mind" - 12. "I Wonder If I Care as Much"

34th studio album by Neil Young released on Jack White's label Third Man Records and recorded using a 1947 recording booth-device named Voice-O-Graph, which in the day (would be found all over the country up until the 1970s) was introduced to the ordinary man as a possibility to record his / her own record of a message or song directly onto vinyl. This particular device has been re-established at White's Nashville headquarter of Third Man Records, and the whole album has been recorded using the technique of the Voice-O-Graph.
I think, one has to dig into the idea behind this album to be able to appreciate it. Against his normal writing process, Young has covered familiar and classic songs by various artists of various styles and decades including artists like The Everly Brothers, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Bert Jansch and Bruce Springsteen. Most of the tracks are played solely by Young playing guitar, harmonica and piano. Jack White contribute on guitar, piano and with backing vocals on two tracks. Because of the recording process, all tracks have been recorded in one take and without any post-processing, i.e. dubbing, mixing, mastering, which has its obvious limitations but also a unique form. Songs are country, traditional folk and singer / songwriter material and the most apparent common denominator is naturally the sound of the recordings. The scratchy and narrow tone could be annoying, but the result is more an album with a strong historical message. Young's force with just a guitar and harmonica at hand is something that will forever live on and follow his legacy, and that is here only once again underlined. The best songs here are "Changes" written by Phil Oachs, "Needle of Death" by Bert Jansch and "Early Morning Rain" by Gordon Lightfoot all of which perhaps are the strongest "natural" sources of inspiration found on this by Neil Young.
It's a homage to ancient days, lost values and a reminder of what it takes to make music: and it's not a necessity to have 56 tracks available in a million-dollar studio with all the right producers and mixers to make an album worthwhile. Even nowadays. It's an album that would serve well as introduction to all contemporary pop and rap artists. Listen and learn!
The idea and the songs together make this a nice and warm album, but the narrowness in the production sound also has its natural limitations - its perhaps like treasuring a vintage wine from a specific fine year of the 1950s - it's there to look at and talk about but for drinking... Of course this is for listening but for hours and day after day, I guess you have to be more than just a bit nostalgic. The album is not Young at his most vivid and utmost inspiring but nonetheless it's one of his best studio releases since Silver & Gold (2000) and consequently an album worth more than just a glance.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Kent "Tillbaka till samtiden" (2007)

Tillbaka till samtiden
release date: Oct. 17, 2007
format: cd (repress)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]
producer: Kent, Joshua (aka Jon Schumann)
label: RCA / Sony BMG - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 1. "Elefanter" (4 / 5) - 3. "Ingenting" (4,5 / 5) - 4. "Vid din sida" - 5. "Columbus" (5 / 5) - 7. "Vy från ett luftslott" - 10. "Generation Ex" - 11. "Ensammast i Sverige" (4 / 5)

7th studio album by Kent, who once again spends a long time preparing new material has here found Danish producer Jon Schumann, who has previously worked with the Danish acts Kashmir, Mew and Carpark North. Before recording the new album, rhythm guitarist Harri Mänty left the band in late 2006. It's been 2½ years since the great Du & jag döden (Mar. 2005) and the result is a strong and very diverse experience. If Isola felt like a rough turn, this may seem like a U-turn compared to its predecessor. The Hjärta & smärta EP (Oct. 2005) revealed nothing of the decision to jump onto the synthpop train and leave guitar rock behind. Perhaps this had Mänty reduce the band to a quartet?
By diverse, I mean in comparison with what fans had come to terms with that Kent was. And for some fans this was perhaps hard to swallow, but it's still a very coherent and focused album, and if you instantly feel this is something completely else, then listen again 'cause the Nordic noir soul never left this band.
"Ingenting" and "Columbus" are wonderful tracks though they may feel somewhat detached from the remainders - critics would perhaps argue that the album points in many directions. I don't find that it contains poor tracks or fillers, there's just an overall sensation of absence in the collection of songs here that leaves me with the impression that 'something' lacks in binding the album together. Having said that, the album is still a solid singles release that just doesn't reach the same level as the predecessor but it contains enough quality material to distinguish the band from most other artist in Northern Europe. And with a brand new sound and style, Kent should be ready to explore and surprise anew.
Recommendable.

<  show lyrics >

~ ~ ~

"Ingenting"

"I Hagnesta Hill
blinkar tv-ljusen
Jag gör vad jag kan
Drömmer mig bort
I Hagnesta Hill
bland de identiska husen
Rycker vi till
Reklamen avbryts för sport

Ingenting
Först kom ingenting
Sen kom ingenting
Sen kom ingenting
men ingenting är (ingenting, inget, inget)
De jävlarna tog oss
en efter en
De ljög och bedrog oss
med sanningen
De jävlarna tog min älskling där
Från krönet av kullen kan jag se
min förlorade värld

Jag ska göra nånting
Jag ska slå er med häpnad
Gå över en gräns
Jag ska bryta mig ut
Jag älskar dig så
som att vara beväpnad
Och under belägring kan jag skjuta dig ut

Ingenting
Först kom ingenting
Sen kom ingenting
Sen kom ingenting
men ingenting är (ingenting, inget, inget)
De jävlarna tog oss
en efter en
De ljög och bedrog oss
med sanningen
De jävlarna tog min älskling där
Från krönet av kullen kan jag se
min förlorade värld

Ingenting
Först kom ingenting
Sen kom ingenting
Sen kom ingenting
men ingenting är (ingenting, inget, inget)
De jävlarna tog oss
en efter en
De ljög och bedrog oss
med sanningen
De jävlarna tog min älskling där
Från krönet av kullen kan jag se
min förlorade värld"

~ ~ ~

"Columbus"

"Du har tänkt allt som sagts om mig
Du kan tro allt du hört om mig
Du kan ställa frågor om sanningen
Finns det en eller finns det tusen

Svara rakt från hjärtat nu
Ditt medlidande kan jag vara utan
Om det här ska vara allt vi hann
Så håll mig hårt
Håll mig älskling nu.

Stockholm vaknar långsamt
På droger och på sorg
Snön hyr ut sin oskuld
till hela Kungsholms torg
Det känns som när jag kom hit
way back in 93
en ynklig rad av fotspår
En okänd kontinent

Släpp snälla, släpp taget nu
Jag kan stå, gå eller krypa härifrån
Om det här är allt vi hinner med
så håll mig hårt min älskling nu

Vaknar staden långsamt
och jag är full igen
Snön hyr ut sin oskuld
för skiten bara känns
Det känns som när jag kom hit
way back in 93
en ynklig rad av fotspår
en oändlig kontinent

Stockholm vaknar långsamt
och jag är full igen
Snön hyr ut sin oskuld
till hela Kungsholmen
Och det känns som när vi kom hit
till möjlighetens land
Du kan följa mina spår hem
Columbus var mitt namn"

~ ~ ~

Alanis Morissette "Flavors of Entanglement" (2008)

Flavors of Entanglement
release date: Aug. 28, 2008
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5]

producer: Guy Sigsworth

label: Maverick - nationality: Canada

Tracklist: 1. "Citizen of the Planet" - 2. "Underneath" (4,5 / 5) - 3. "Straitjacket" - 4. "Versions of Violence" - 5. "Not as We" (4,5 / 5) - 6. "In Praise of the Vulnerable Man" (3,5 / 5) - 7. "Moratorium" - 8. "Torch" (3,5 / 5) - 9. "Giggling Again for No Reason" (3,5 / 5) - 10. "Tapes" (3,5 / 5) - 11. "Incomplete" (3,5 / 5)

7th studio album release by Alanis Morissette. Together with Jagged Little Pill and Under Rug Swept this album is clearly among her top 3 albums, I think. And frankly, of these, I do prefer this one. 

The album contains no weak tracks at all, which is the basic reason that it's on my top 3 list of best releases this year, and the singles "Underneath" and "Not as We" are simply some of her finest songs ever.

2008 Favourite releases: 1. Sigur Rós Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust - 2. Bloc Party Intimacy - 3. Alanis Morissette Flavors of Entanglement

R.E.M. - 15 Studio Albums Listed 1-15

Pos.		Album		Year		Rate
1.		Green		1988		4,36
2.		Lifes Rich Pageant		1986		4,31
3.		Document		1987		4,12
4.		Monster		1994		3,80
5.		Automatic for the People		1992		3,76
6.		Reckoning		1984		3,70
7.		Fables of the / Reconstruction of the		1985		3,66
8.		Murmur		1983		3,58
9.		Up		1998		3,52
10.		Out of Time		1991		3,48
11.		New Adventures in Hi-Fi		1996		3,44
12.		Accelerate		2008		3,35
13.		Reveal		2001		3,32
14.		Collapse Into Now		2011		3,28
15.		Around the Sun		2004		2,71

Red House Painters "Old Ramon" (2001)

Old Ramon
release date: Apr. 10, 2001
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,62]
producer: Mark Kozelek
label: Sub Pop Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 2. "Byrd Joel" - 3. "Void" - 4. "Between Days" - 5. "Cruiser" (4 / 5) - 7. "River" - 8. "Smokey" - 10. "Kavita"

6th and final studio album by Red House Painters in a new line-up after guitarist Gordon Mack left the band in '95. Here the band consists of songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Mark Kozelek, new guitarist Phil Carney (former guitarist of Indian Bingo), bassist Jerry Vessel and drummer Anthony Koutsos.

The album was actually recorded three years earlier but due to a merging of labels the band stood without a record contract, and not until Mark Kozelek succeeded in purchasing the recordings of the album, he managed to finally release it on the American label, Sub Pop. All tracks are credited Kozelek and they're typical of his style a combination of alt. folk and singer / songwriter.

Some tracks point to what was to become one of Kozelek's most praised albums - my absolute favourite by Kozelek - the Sun Kil Moon debut album Ghosts of the Great Highway (2003) and as a Red House Painter's album it's quite light-hearted.

Red House Painters dissolved in early 2001, or actually morphed into a new band with primarily Kozelek but also Carney, Vessel and Koutsos taking part in the formation of Sun Kil Moon.

[ allmusic.com, NME 4 / 5 stars ]

Grant W. McLennan "Fireboy" (1992)

Fireboy
release date: Nov. 9, 1992
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]
producer: Dave Dobbyn
label: White Label - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "Lighting Fires" - 2. "Surround Me" - 3. "One Million Miles From Here" - 4. "The Dark Side of Town" - 8. "Fingers" - 11. "Bathe (In the Water)" - 13. "Riddle in the Rain"

2nd solo album by Grant W. McLennan released one year after his debut Watershed is once again produced by Dave Dobbyn. The album was released in Australia in late '92 and internationally in early '93. Once again, the album feature Dave Dobbyn with a handful of session musicians - only this time without Amanda Brown.

It's not a long period between the two McLennan solo albums but in between them he has co-founded the collaboration project-band, Jack Frost, together with Steve Kilbey of The Church. At least the songs here are more up-tempo styled, and knowing the works by Kilbey only adds to the fact that the related work has rubbed off.

Fireboy presents 13 new songs, which showcases McLennan narrating about the usual love stories - and especially his lost relationship with former bandmate Amanda Brown - and the subject matter makes it appear as Chapter 2 to his debut focusing on his shattered love life; however, the arrangements here are what really makes this a better album. It's simply more multi-facetted, and where the debut felt like too strongly bonded to former singer / songwriter artists as a one-dimensional ride, this is a more contemporary contribution, which immediately makes me think of Lloyd Cole and yes, Steve Kilbey.

Once again, McLennan demonstrates his ability to write and compose beautiful pop songs in a style founded on a singer / songwriter tradition. He has a gift for melody, which puts him on level with the finest songwriters, but he's also a person who seems in need of support or aid to maintain the course.

[ allmusic.com review (no stars indicated) ]

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark "English Electric" (2013)

English Electric
release date: Apr. 8, 2013
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,62]
producer: OMD
label: Sony Music Japan - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "Metroland" - 3. "Night Cafe" - 5. "Helen of Troy" - 7. "Kissing the Machine" (live) - 9. "Stay With Me" - 10. "Dresden"

12th studio album by OMD originally released by 100% (aka 100% Records) is the band's second studio release after its reformation in 2006 and it features the same original line-up.
Compared to its predecessor History of Modern from 2010 this contains more songs written by McCluskey & Humphreys, and it generally contains newer material written after the reformation. The style has been altered to reflect a more "pure" synthpop form building strongly on electronic - as OMD shaped its music in the early 80s bonding with both the pioneering minimalism as exemplified by Kraftwerk and the more spacious synths as played by Jean Michel Jarre.
The album was met by positive reviews and also became the band's best charting album since 1991 reaching #12 on the national album charts list, which at the time of its release placed it as the 6th highest charting OMD studio album.
I do understand the fine reviews as it both appears brand new but at the same time contains much of the band's original sound and almost perfectly bonds with the original incarnation of the band. The album comes with pure pop songs that could easily be whistled on your way to work, and a fundamental electronic sound that almost pays tribute to Kraftwerk and Jarre, and to top it all: there are experimental traits memorising the band's incorporation of musique concrete and more experimental electronic compositions they played with in the early days.
It took me a few years to appreciate this one, though. Initially, I found it too "willed", in the sense that it seemed so obvious an attempt to recreate an album that would be compared to and linked with Dazzle Ships blended with Architecture & Morality. They may have had that combo in mind, and so what? They are fully legit aspirations and the resulting work is really more than a decent collection of songs.
Finally, OMD has created a fine studio album - again!
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Mojo, Pop Matters 4 / 5 stars ]

Mathilde Falch "Alle taler" (2015)

Alle taler

release date: Oct. 22, 2015

format: cd (MATFA15)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,44]

producer: Christian Ki Dall

label: self-released - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Det eneste du skal sige" - 2. "Det jeg ville se" - 3. "Alle taler" - 4. "Det jeg allerede har" - 5. "Ild i min røg" (4 / 5) (live) - 9. "Stikkende savn"

3rd full-length studio album by Mathilde Falch following Bag mine øjenlåg (Mar. 2014) is made with a new producer, just like her two previous albums has been made with unique producers. This approach secures some kind of progression in terms of soundscape and focal point in the arrangements. Like the predecessor, the album isn't a lengthy one as it consists of ten tracks with a total running time just exceeding 33 minutes.

Stylewise, the album is Mathilde Falch's most rocking album to date, although, it contains a few slow ballad-like singer / songwriter tunes, and despite already being an artist in her own rights, the album stands as her national breakthrough, and especially the song "Ild i min røg" was an instant radio hit.

Not unlike her father, Michael Falch, she makes music with obvious bonds to the music by one certain Mr. Springsteen, but imo, Mathilde doesn't sound like a mere copy of an American idol but actually performs with much original confidence, and on Alle taler she understands to balance the quiet, sincere, personal, and the dirty, and the album is easily her so far best collection of songs.

Recommended.

[ Gaffa.dk, BT.dk 4 / 6 stars ]

Protomartyr "No Passion All Technique" (2012)

No Passion All Technique [debut]

release date: Oct. 8, 2012

format: cd (2019 reissue)

[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,12]

producer: non-produced

label: Domino - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "In My Sphere" - 4. "3 Swallows" - 6. "Jumbo's" - 10. "How He Lived After He Died" - 11. "Feral Cats"

Studio album debut by Detroit-based post-punk revivalist quartet Protomartyr consisting of vocalist Joe Casey, guitarist Greg Ahee, bassist Scott Davidson, and drummer Alex Leonard. The album was originally released on independent label Urinal Cake Records, and after releasing the critically acclaimed The Agent Intellect (Oct. 2015) the band signed with Domino.

This their first album out doesn't mention producer credits apparently because it was recorded as is by recording engineer Chris Koltay. Stylewise, it sounds much like proto-punk as played by MC5 and The Stooges with some tracks pointing more at the early British punk rock scene with especially The Fall as an obvious influence. Although, it's garage rock-styled in sound and probably hasn't been submitted to any post-production techniques, the sound is still better than what it's inspired by. Drums, bass, guitar, and vocal all have a certain crispiness that makes one aware that it wasn't recorded several decades ago when musical equipment just didn't always suffice to transport the actual energy back on vinyl or to a tape.

No Passion All Technique is hard proto-punk, which doesn't aim to satisfy anyone's request for traditional harmony-driven melodies. Protomartyr are in that regard strongly inspired by other ways of musical expression, and without it being tribute material, it does echo strong references to MC5, The Stooges, Pere Ubu, and The Fall. The album stands as the band's most simplistic and also only actual garage-rock album as all preceeding releases contain more complex compositions. To me, this is a fine debut, but also one that sits somewhat on its own as living its own life as a release that could nearly fill in a spot in musical history together with some of the band's influences.

Not recommended.

The Durutti Column "Fidelity" (1996)

Fidelity
release date: 1996
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,96]
producer: Laurie Lexicon
label: Crépuscule - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "For Suzanne" - 3. "Future Perfect" - 5. "G & T" - 7. "Sanko" - 9. "Guitar for Mother" - 10. "Storm for Steve"

10th studio album or so by The Durutti Column released on Crépuscule and produced by Laurie Lexicon [Laurie Keith, aka Laurie Laptop]. By this, Reilly has released so many obscure albums on likewise obscure record labels that it has become difficult to keep count of what are "official" albums and what are collaboration works and / or just regional / limited releases. This is not released through Factory Records (who had a troubled time in the early '90s and eventually closed in '92) nor on Factory Too, but the album had its release on the Belgian label Crépuscule (or: Les Disques du Crépuscule, a label with strong bonds to Factory Records as it was also called Factory Benelux, which originally was a sublabel of Factory Records residing in Belgium). This is another of his electronic experiments, and he really tries many styles on this, mainly in a downtempo house area. I feel it's slightly better than Obey the Time (1990) but not much, although, allmusic disagree.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]