Björk "Medúlla" (2004)

Medúlla
release date: Aug. 30, 2004
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,12]
producer: Björk
label: Elektra - nationality: Iceland

Track highlights: 1. "Pleasure Is All Mine" - 4. "Vökuró" - 6. "Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right)" - 8. "Desired Constellation" - 9. "Oceania" - 14. "Triumph of a Heart"

5th studio album by Björk is a primarily self-produced album - Mark Bell is co-producer on tracks #3, #7, and #9. The album was originally released by One Little Indian (by Elektra in North America). Although, a new studio album by Björk always means a new sound texture, this is quite unusual for her as it's almost entirely made up of a cappella compositions and by large choirs - The Icelandic Choir on six tracks and The London Choir on track #9. It also feature several guest artists including Inuit throat singer Tagaq (tracks #1, #6, #11, and #12), vocalist Mike Patton of Faith No More (tracks #1 and #3), and Robert Wyatt (tracks #7 and #9)
The album generally received positive reviews and brought her critical acclaim as well as several prize nominations, however, I have never enjoyed this particular album that much. Yes, it contains a number of fine songs but no really truly memorable ones, and as a whole, I think the more experimental compositions dominate an album, I mostly think of as slightly - I dare say 'boring', simply, by being a mere formative release, which again makes me ponder on the word 'pretentious'. It's like one long voice experiment playing with tribal and throat singing, which in the end becomes less inspiring.
I consider this her first in a series of three consecutive and formative albums without strong appealing traits. So why don't I rate it lower? Well, first of all, it's still clearly above mediocre (2,5 on my scale), and then Björk is an artist who dare experiment and most of the time she actually succeeds in making ground-braking new music because she's an artist who dares taking the big leaps. Here, she may likely satisfy critics and fans by doing the near 'impossible' - she expands the borders of popular music but it also takes a lot of willed attention to digest. She is up front when it comes to rethinking popular music, and this time, she's just off target from my perspective, although, she's still producing new music instead of just replicating formulas, and that takes courage. Björk is in that regard like Zappa - someone who is recognised as a great composer and an important personality when it comes to rethinking modern music.
Not really recommended.
[ allmusic.com, Mojo 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, Q Magazine 3 / 5 stars ]

The Bryan Ferry Orchestra "The Jazz Age" (2012)

The Jazz Age
release date: Nov. 26, 2012
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,98]
producer: Bryan Ferry & Rhett Davies
label: BMG Rights Management - nationality: England, UK

14th studio album by Bryan Ferry released by The Bryan Ferry Orchestra is a collection of Ferry compositions released on various albums from the early Roxy Music days and his later solo albums, but re-organised for and re-worked into traditional jazz as played in the 1920s and 1930s with a strings and brass backing band.
Stylistically, we're talking contemporary jazz, ragtime and swing, and not only is the orchestral instrumentation according to the aforementioned time but also the recording and production sound are in the spirit of that era, insofar that it feels completely genuinely old. Although, all original compositions were with Ferry on lead vocal, this release is completely without any vocal performance, and Ferry himself is "only" credited as composer, producer and bandleader.
The original Roxy Music and Ferry tracks are sometimes truly hard to recognise but the overall impression is a solid and original release. I would, however, have loved and preferred to hear these songs in vocal arrangements as the natural follow-up to his fine album As Time Goes By (1999). Having said that it's a "solid" and "original" release, although that does not imply that I enjoy it. I find it somewhat redundant.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

De efterladte "Traditionen utro" (2011)

Traditionen utro [debut]
release date: Jun. 6, 2011
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]
producer: Peter H. Olesen & Michael Lund
label: Melodika - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Sangen selv" (live) - 2. "Nedenom og hjem" (4 / 5) (live) - 4. "Godmorgen kynisme" (live) - 5. "Du lever og har det godt og bor et sted på Sjælland" - 8. "Mit sortsyn" (4 / 5) (live) - 10. "Med let hånd" - 13. "Den nye sang er en gammel sang" (live with CS Nielsen)

Studio debut album by the Danish duo De efterladte ['The Abandoned'] is the beginning of a highly interesting duo consisting of one half of the brother-project Olesen-Olesen, songwriter and vocalist Peter H. Olesen - here without his younger brother Henrik but instead together with guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Michael Lund with whom he composed two songs for the final album, Kain & Abel (2007) with Olesen-Olesen - the second of these compositions is titled "Til de efterladte" ['For the abandoned'], which has given name to the duo. Lund was also among the stable live musicians when the duo toured. Several other additional musicians contribute on the album including Boi Holm, who also mixed the album.
According to Peter H. Olesen [from the official website] he met with Lund after the split of Olesen-Olesen to rehearse and compose new songs to what he thought would be upcoming solo recordings - not unlike what his younger brother Henrik released in 2010 as Ukendt Under Andet Navn - and then he realised that it was more of a collaboration work.
The style isn't far from the former brother-project but it has become much more simple mostly featuring only Olesen's vocal accompanied by Lund's guitar thus emphasising the lyrical side quite substantially. Some compositions are shaped with clear references to rock & roll, chamber pop, americana, or folk rock inspiration and others are simply spoken-word poems accompanied with guitar.
Peter Olesen undoubtedly has a talent with words, and it's truly nice to listen to his lyrics, trying to understand what puzzles him about words, phrases, or sensations, and the new-found sound with Lund makes this a nice journey. Lund is also credited for the cover.
[ Gaffa.dk, Undertoner 4 / 6, Soundvenue 3 / 6 stars ]

Dolores O'Riordan "No Baggage" (2009)

No Baggage
release date: Aug. 24, 2009
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,98]
producer: Dolores O'Riordan and Dan Brodbeck
label: Cooking Vinyl - nationality: Ireland

Track highlights: 1. "Switch Off the Moment" (live) - 2. "Skeleton" - 3. "It's You" (4 / 5) (live acoustic) - 5. "Stupid" (4 / 5) - 6. "Be Careful" - 7. "Apple of My Eye"

2nd and last solo album by Dolores O'Riordan and also the second with producer Dan Brodbeck is a more uptempo collection of songs compared to the slower and more introvert solo debut from 2007. The style is not far from The Cranberries - it seems more balanced towards a mainstream audience with an obvious grounding in the celtic rock heritage, and contemporary pop / rock and singer / songwriter styles - much like the debut, although, that one is somewhat more narrow and simple when it comes to the production sound. In that sense No Baggage shares the more spacious dream pop style of her regular band without being anything close to ambient. The track "Apple of My Eye" was also included on her debut, but here it's been rearranged to a more electrified version.
I really like this album and find it clearly bettering her solo debut. It's also bettering her last three albums with The Cranberries. Despite being a more uptempo album, the two best songs are also two slow and sentimental compositions: "It's You" and "Stupid" - both very strong singles, which deserve so much more recognition.
Highly recommendable.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5 stars ]

2009 Favourite releases: 1. Kent Röd - 2. Gossip Music for Men - 3. Dolores O'Riordan No Baggage

Grant McLennan "Horsebreaker Star" (1994)

Horsebreaker Star

release date: Dec. 1994

format: 2 cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]

producer: John Keane

label: Beggars Banquet - nationality: Australia

Track highlights, disc 1: 1. "Simone and Perry" (4 / 5) - 2. "Ice in Heaven" - 5. "Don't You Cry for Me No More" - 6. "Put You Down" - 8. "Coming Up for Air" - 9. "Ballad of Easy Rider" - 10. "Open Invitation" - 11. "Open My Eyes" - 12. "From My Lips" - - disc 2: 1. "Dropping You" - 2. "Hot Water" - 3. "Keep My Word" - 9. "All Her Songs"

3rd studio album by Grant McLennan following two years after Fireboy is no less than a double album consisting of 24 compositions - all written and composed by McLennan except "Ballad of Easy Rider" by Roger McGuinn. The album is his first solo release where he skipped the 'W.' in Grant W. McLennan. It was recorded in Athens, Georgia by local sound engineer and producer John Keane, who at this point recently had worked with R.E.M. (Out of Time and Automatic for the People), Lisa Germano (Happiness), Indigo Girls (Rites of Passage), Madder Rose (Swim), Vic Cheshnut (Drunk) amongst others and he was already a hot producer name on the indie rock and alt. rock scene.

After Fireboy, McLennan was busy touring as solo artist throughout '93. John Keane is also credited as multi-instrumentalist, and together with a handful of local studio musicians including Steve Venz, Andy Carlson and Joel Morris they play alongside McLennan on all tracks. Uncredited (except on track #6) Syd Straw provides some fine backing vocals to most songs. The music is predominantly held together by guitar, bass, percussion and string arrangements. Some are light and uptempo shaped, some are slow and ballad-like with a strong folk or country-sensation reminding us about Athens, Georgia where jangle pop flourished through R.E.M. and 10,000 Maniacs, but also with a strong reminiscence of The Go-Betweens and their sources of inspiration.

Personally, he seems to have put Amanda Brown behind him. At least when listening to the lyrics, but it's still evident that broken love and an ever-present melancholy plays a major part in his songwriting. It's music in the well-known jangle pop and singer / songwriter category with songs about relations - the ld and new, about friendships, the good and warm, but also the lost love songs as the scary dark tale in "Coming Up for Air".

Horsebreaker Star is a tremendous achievement when thinking it's one man's work. I can't decide if I find it too long or just right. There's undoubtedly tracks you could live without, and despite I have "only" found 13 highlighted tracks it's still difficult to point out enough songs for a standard 10-12 track album 'cause it feels very much of a whole. The album alone showcases McLennan as one of the finest Australian songwriters of modern ages.

Imho, this is his so far best solo album and naturally highly recommended.

[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5

Toumani Diabaté "The Mande Variations" (2008)

The Mande Variations
release date: Feb. 25, 2008
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,86]
producer: Nick Gold
label: World Circuit - nationality: Mali

Track highlights: 1. "Si Naani" (4 / 5) - 2. "Elyne Road" (4,5 / 5) - 3. "Ali Farka Toure" - 4. "Kaouding Cissoko" (4 / 5) - 5. "Ismael Drame" (4 / 5) - 6. "Djourou Kara Nany" (4,5 / 5) - 8. "Cantelowes" (4 / 5)

Studio album by Toumani Diabaté released on World Circuit is a mighty fine solo album featuring Diabaté's wonderful kora play. The style is close to the collaboration works with Ali Farka Touré, which may also be seen in the reference in the homage track #3.

The Durutti Column "Rebellion" (2001)

Rebellion
release date: Aug. 14, 2001
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]

Tracklist: 1. "4 Sophia" (4 / 5) - 2. "Longsight Romance" (3 / 5) - 3. "Geh Cak Af En Yam" - 4. "The Feilds of Athenry" - 5. "Overlord Part One" - 6. "Falling" (3,5 / 5) - 7. "Voluntary Arrangement" (3,5 / 5) - 8. "Mello Part One" (3,5 / 5) - 9. "Mello Part Two" (3 / 5) - 10. "Protest Song" - 11. "Meschugana"

12th studio album by The Durutti Column released on Artful Records and the major classical label Decca Records, and is produced by Keir Stewart. Percussionist Bruce Mitchell appears on the release, almost as usual, only this time he has contributed as composer with Reilly on two tracks (#3, #11). The album shows a return to his trademark of ambient experimental art rock with both a classical and jazz feel, and gone is the new found indie pop style and the many years of experiments with house and electronic is put in the background. This is one of Reilly's better releases almost touching his finest hours of the 1980s.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

Ukendt Under Andet Navn "Ukendt Under Andet Navn" (2010) (ep)

Ukendt Under Andet Navn, ep
release date: Jun. 1, 2010
format: cd (ukendt 001)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]
producer: Henrik Olesen, Thomas Thomsen
label: Melodika - nationality: Denmark

Tracklist: 1. "Skridt" - 2. "Korsvej" - 3. "Det gamle, det ny" - 4. "Hjertet" - 5. "Alt som det skal være"

Studio solo ep debut by Henrik Olesen released under the moniker Ukendt Under Andet Navn is a 5-track ep with a running time just below 14 mins. Together with older brother Peter, the two played and released music over a decade from 1997 to 2007 as Olesen-Olesen, and now as they have split, primary songwriter Peter has been occupied as an author, and Henrik has taken up his musical collaboration work with Solveig Sandness in the duo-led musical project Er De Sjældne together with Lone Hørslev. With Sandness, Henrik had taken part as guitarist in the early formation of the Danish / Swedish / Icelandic band Lovebites from 1995 to 2000, while still focusing on his music-project with Peter. In the band Er De Sjældne, he contributes on various guitars whereas the songs remain credited Hørslev (lyrics) and Sandness (music), in collaboration and perhaps this led him to establish his own musical project. Here, he is in complete control - handling all instruments except cello, and he's credited as composer of all music.
Musically, it's like a combo of all his musical engagements throughout the past decade. Tracks #1, #3 and #4 in particular share the musical foundation with Olesen-Olesen with a strong singer / songwriter and subtle folk rock approach, tracks #2 and #5 have a harsher tone bonding more with the post-punk sound that was heard in Greene, where track #5 also reflects an influence from the more pop-shaped universe of Lovebites, but altogether it's still a rather coherent collection of fine and almost minimalist compositions.
Henrik has always represented the lighter tone of the brothers Olesen, and on this, he also demonstrates that he is a talented songwriter, although, the strongest side to the five songs is the musical dimension. This short album serves as a nice document of the musical qualities of at least one half of the brothers Olesen, and then it leaves you with a taste for more.
[ Undertoner 4 / 6 stars - review from diskant.dk ]

The Divine Comedy "A Short Album About Love" (1997)

A Short Album About Love
release date: Feb. 10, 1997
format: cd
[album rate: 4,5 / 5]
producer: *[Neil Hannon]?
label: Setanta Records - nationality: Northern Ireland, UK

Tracklist: 1. "In Pursuit of Happiness" (4 / 5) - 2. "Everybody Knows (Except You)" (4 / 5) - 3. "Someone" (4,5 / 5) (live in France) - 4. "If..." (5 / 5) (live) (live) - 5. "If I Were You (I'd Be Through With Me)" (5 / 5) - 6. "Timewatching" (4 / 5) - 7. "I'm All You Need"
*producer credits are absent

5th studio album by The Divine Comedy. This is the first album I ever heard with Neil Hannon and The Divine Comedy. I had read some reviews praising the album, so I searched the music, and was really blown away by it's classy beauty. It's still my favourite album by Hannon, and the only real downside to it is the short running time.
The album is enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]

1997 Favourite releases: 1. Buena Vista Social Club Buena Vista Social Club - 2. The Chemical Brothers Dig Your Own Hole - 3. The Divine Comedy A Short Album About Love

Olesen-Olesen "Kain og Abel" (2007)

(Henrik & Peter)

Kain og Abel
release date: Oct. 1, 2007
format: 2 cd (melo 005)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,52]
producer: Nikolaj Nørlund; Peter Olesen, Rune Borup, Torsten Larsen
label: Melodika - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: Disc 1): 1. "Drømmen om et liv" - 2. "Jeg har aldrig haft et job" - 5. "Fyraften" - 7. "Søn af en revisor" - 9. "Sen sne" - - Disc 2): 1. "I kulkælderen på 3. sal" - 3. "Jeg har valgt at være ulykkelig" - 6. "Jeg drømte jeg var et godt menneske" - 8. "Til de efterladte" - 10. "Det skønne og det sande"

7th and final studio album by Olesen-Olesen released on Melodika is a 2-disc album, where disc 1 is mainly produced by Nikolaj Nørlund, and all tracks on disc 2 are produced by Peter Olesen, Rune Borup, Torsten Larsen, and with Tore Johansen as co-producer on tracks #1, #8 and #9. Apart from referring to the Biblical brothers, the album title also pays tribute to the Danish poet Morti Vizki (aka Morten Boeslund Poulsen), who had been found dead in Sep. 2004 at the age of 41 - Vizki wrote the text "To monologer: Abel og Kain" ['Two monologues: Cain and Abel'] and he wrote the poem "Drømmen om et liv" for which Henrik composed accompanying music.
The album is basically a "2-in-1" album, as each disc contains songs exclusively written by either of the two brothers, and in a way gives you two solo albums released as a double album. Disc 1 contains songs exclusively composed by guitarist Henrik Olesen [Abel] in collaboration with other songwriters. Three of these have lyrics by Peter, one is written by Jens Unmack, and one is by Morti Vizki. Disc 2 are songs written by songwriter and vocalist Peter H. Olesen [Kain], mostly with other musical composers of which four are composed by Torsten Larsen, four are credited Klaus Mandal Hansen, one is by Michael Lund, one by Henrik Olesen, and one song has music composed by Peter himself. In this way they also point to their future musical split after having worked together in several bands and projects for more than three decades. Their first releases together were with the band Sort-Hvide Landskaber back in the early '80s. After that they released two tapes as Skizo Kids - for this project Peter was credited as Kain and Henrik as Abel. Soon after they continued in the band Greene, with whom they released three full-length studio albums before founding their duo-project, Olesen-Olesen. And now with Kain og Abel this has also come to an end, and a full circle has been drawn.
I don't know anything about the decision to split after all these years, but in the years to follow they have remained parted. Naturally, it's a rather special album with the two brothers having arranged and written the songs for each disc on their own, and with the help of other artists. I can't tell which of the two discs is the better, as they both have obvious forces. Disc 1 generally contains most up-tempo and positive expressions of songs in a style closely related to that of their former band, Greene, and Disc 2 represents the lyrically most interesting compositions - and in a style that bonds more with that of their most recent works together.
"Til de efterladte" is a fine poem accompanied by music which forecasts the upcoming project De efterladte in more than one sense. The title is one thing, as it's also written together with guitarist Michael Lund, who takes part in the project with Peter H. Olesen. The album as such, is not among the best by the brothers and whether or not the title and the Christian allegory with two brothers in conflict has any bearing in the split remains uncertain. Peter continued his artistic work by writing novels, poems, and eventually by initiating the musical duo De efterladte, whereas Henrik continued as additional guitarist for the duo, Er De Sjældne with Solveig Sandnes (ex Lovebites) and Lone Hørslev, and then he was the first of the two brothers to initiate his own musical project, Ukendt Under Andet Navn.
[ Gaffa.dk, Soundvenue 4 / 6 stars ]

XTC "Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2)" (2000)

Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2)
release date: May 17, 2000
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,34]
producer: Nick Davis
label: Cooking Vinyl - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Playground" - 2. "Stupidly Happy" - 3. "In Another Life" - 5. "Boarded Up" - 6. "I'm the Man Who Murdered Love" - 8. "Standing in for Joe" - 10. "You and the Clouds Will Still Be Beautiful" - 12. "The Wheel and the Maypole"
[ full album ]

12th studio album by XTC is the second part in the band's "Apple Venus" (volumes) series and the remaining tracks of an intended double album. XTC is still a duo of songwriters Andrew [Andy] Partridge and Colin Moulding after guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Dave Gregory left during the recordings of Apple Venus Volume 1. As usual, Partridge has written the majority of the tracks as Moulding is credited for three out of twelve songs.
This new, second part, doesn't quite follow the style of Volume 1 as it's much more a pop / rock album in the style of psychedelic pop / art pop and power pop - rhythm-guitar rock with clear bonds to Beach Boys, The Kinks, The Beatles, Badfinger and Todd Rundgren (who produced XTC's acclaimed Skylarking) more than more experimental styles of neo-psychedelia and progressive pop found on the '99 album, which in a way seems a bit odd given the fact that Partridge, Moulding and Gregory had already written material for a double album when entering the studio back in early '98.
Where critics loved the '99 album, they are much more reluctant and luke-warm about this.
Neither do I find it as fine and innovative as Apple Venus Volume 1, but it's more than just a decent album. It's really such a pity that they couldn't finance the double album they sat out for when entering the studio in '98. I think, it would have been great. Instead of producing an album containing all songs - perhaps with a completely different track listing, which would have made it more of a conglomerate - they end up having released two rather different albums that will always be compared to one another. Some even talk about "the leftovers" from "Volume 1" when determining this is the inferior second part... No, they are just very different, but also so much in the spirit of XTC, who have never ceased to write and compose music in so many different styles without losing the band's dna. This is another fine chapter in the story of XTC - not one of their best but less suffice to make a good album.
[ allmusic.com, Q Magazine, Rolling Stone 3 / 5, NME 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Robin Guthrie "Continental" (2006)

Continental

release date: May 15, 2006

format: cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,42]

producer: Robin Guthrie

label: Rocket Girl - nationality: Scotland, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Continental" - 3. "Crescent" - 4. "Monument" (live on KEXP) - 6. "The Day Star" - 10. "Pale"

2nd solo album by Scottish artist Robin Guthrie following three years after Imperial (2003) is the first of four albums originally released on American label Darla Records - issued by Rocket Girl in Europe. Since the debut he has made the second and final album Russian Doll (2004) togeher with Siobhan de Maré in their duo-project Violet Indiana, and he has collaborated with American composer Harold Budd in making the music score Mysterious Skin: Music From the Film (2005), but Continental is his second pure solo album, and as the first, an album of instrumental compositions.

The album differs from his first and also from his recent collaborative releases by being more uptempo founded in a typical dream pop kind of style that bonds more with the music by Cocteau Twins than his debut album as the ambient and minimalism dimensions have been considerably reduced or replaced by more traditional music structure. Some suggest that theese compositions may have been recorded or composed while Guthrie played in Cocteau Twins, meaning more than a decade earlier, which also explains the closer connection to the soundscape of his former band. And I do believe there's a point in that - also when referring to his most recent releases and the fact that only three months succeeding this, he released an ep Everlasting (Jul. 2006) with music that both contain compositions of multi-layering dream pop style and tracks that are like ambient minimalist structure making the narrow 4-track ep extremely incoherent but nevertheless all instrumentals with Guthries' fingerprints all over - despite the strong incoherency - like a couple of old "leftovers" and two new compositions. Anyway, several songs on Continental follow the structure of the title track by starting off as pure ambient compositions but then advance into more uptempo patterns with drum programming and even some vocal harmonies thrown in, although, without actual lyrics. Track #5. "Amphora" and track #9. "Last Exit" are the exceptions sounding more like outtakes from his debut, and track #6. "The Day Star" is another exception by being noise rock and / or post rock-styled as something influenced by Sigur Rós or Mogwai with a progressive beat and swirling distorted guitars as culmination.

All in all, Continental is a much more diverse collection of songs but also more digestible than Guthrie's previous minimalist and almost new age and ambient exercises.

Recommended.

[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari "BlueSugar" (1998)

BlueSugar (Italian version)
release date: Nov. 5, 1998
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,34]
producer: Corrado Rustici
label: Polydor - nationality: Italy

Track highlights: 1. "You Make Me Feel Loved" - 2. "Blu" - 5. "Back 2 U" - 7. "(Temporaneamente) X sempre tuo" - 8. "Eccetera eccetera" - 9. "Karma, stai kalma" (feat. Irene Fornaciari) - 10. "Dopo di noi"

8th studio album by Zucchero released as 'Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari' follows more than three years after SpiritoDiVino (May '95). The album is Zucchero's fifth consecutive album and sixth overall to be produced by Rustici. Despite the relative long period in between albums this follows the blueprint of the two predecessors by being released in a national, an international (English) version as well as a Spanish version. The international version comes with six translated songs of which five have been given new titles.
Compared to Miserere (1992) and SpiritoDiVino this shares stronger bonds with British-styled pop soul and pop / rock, which I normally prefer to his ever-present American blues inspiration. However, listening to Zucchero at this point of his career, he isn't an artist who feels a strong urge to make stylistic changes when writing and composing music. He has found a formula he sticks to, and staying with the same label and using the same producer his music do tend to sound much like on earlier releases. It's in the small details that you may notice a progression - it's not that everyone has to reinvent themselves all time. Most would accept a new Frank Sinatra album had a certain Sinatra-feel, and I guess fans of Bruce Springsteen or Coldplay may expect their artistic fingerprints, respectively, and Zucchero has in many ways put himself in a certain category with artist like Sting, Peter Gabriel, Lucinda Williams, Bruce Springsteen, Joe Cocker, Martha Wainwright, etc. who are all expected to deliver recognisable music and not to excell in experiments - like Neil Young, Paul Weller or Gorillaz are expected to do.
Anyway, I think it all sounds quite nice - the execution, the production, arrangements mixing, but I have simply lost a great portion of my curiosity for Zucchero's music - much like I did a long time ago with U2, Sting, late R.E.M. and Simple Minds. BlueSugar is a mighty fine album, it just doesn't ring the big bells, and I personally think it doesn't matter much what version you pick anymore. Be it Italian or English, they basically sound much alike. Now don't get me wrong, Zucchero is undoubtedly a great and truly fine songwriter and most likely Italy's finest rock artist of all their great names, and as much as I enjoy his earlier albums, I also find that he has ended up reproducing too much without being sufficiently original to do exactly just that.
BlueSugar is fine - put the first two tracks on repeat - they are part of his legacy, but at this point of his career, I think his compilation albums may be better choices, e.g. the 2-disc album All the Best (1999) or Wanted (The Best Collection) a 3-disc album from 2017.

Note: both the Italian and the international version have the same cover.

Olesen-Olesen "Solsort og forstærker" (2005)

Solsort og forstærker
release date: Oct. 3, 2005
format: cd (melo 003) / vinyl (2017 reissue white vinyl)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]
producer: Nikolaj Nørlund
label: Melodika / Wouldn't Waste Records - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "November mere end nogensinde" (4 / 5) - 2. "Du er så tæt på jeg ikke kan se dig" - 4. "Alt er Ørnsbo i dag" - 7. "Mit job" - 11. "Jeg lytter til country langt ude på landet"

6th studio album by Olesen-Olesen and the duo's third release on Melodika is their first to be produced by Nikolaj Nørlund. With a new producer, the brothers here engage in a more rock-styled sound than heard on the predecessor, Hårdnakket idyl from 2003. The album links better with their first two albums mixed with the style from their former band, Greene, but in that respect it doesn't really bring about much new.

I don't find it among the duo's better albums, although, it's far from bad. It's just their first album not to bring something new, either musically, stylistically or lyrically. Naturally, it's not always a mission just to foster novelty if you have your own unique style and sound, and this duo has often shown to wander its own ways, but with a return to what sounds more like influences from other artists, I don't find is the brightest move. A track like "Alt er Ørnsbo i dag" sounds like an alt. rock version of PJ Harvey in a session with Pixies and despite being a fine track, it brings a little disorder to the overall direction to the album. Other tracks have a clear country-rock feel, which bonds more with their more recent albums, and there are also traces of post-punk, alt. rock, folk rock and indie rock, which makes it less of a coherent, experience, although, the lyrics are strong as usual.

[ Gaffa.dk, Soundvenue 4 / 6 stars ]

Love Shop "Risiko" (2017)

Risiko
release date: Mar. 8, 2017
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,96]
producer: Mikkel Damgaard
label: A:larm / Universal Music Group - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Verdensmestre" - 3. "Skøjteløb på Bagsværd Sø" (4 / 5) - 4. "De forelskedes smag i din mund" (4,5 / 5) - 5. "Mørkets hastighed" (4 / 5) - 7. "Triumf" (4 / 5) - 8. "Mennesker har brug for at tale om natten"

11th studio album by Love Shop, aka the ongoing solo-project by Jens Unmack where he teams up with producer, keyboardist and co-composer Mikkel Damgaard and likewise plays with a small unit of 'usual suspects' including guitarist Mika Vandborg, bassist Nis Tyrrestrup and lon-lasting collaborative drummer, Thomas Duus. Aside from a few featuring guest artists it's worthwhile mentioning that Sune Rose Wagner (formerly The Raveonettes) plays additional guitar & keyboard on most tracks.
Stylistically, this is just the way it would have been expected with the small change that this is much more a fusion of what has been associated with Love Shop on one side - and here you can almost pin-out the exact tracks in their style - and with solo albums in Unmack's own name: The more quiet and lyrical compositions. This has both the uptempo dynamics and the slow subtle singer / songwriter fingerprints on it. I think that in the past, Unmack must have made clear decisions about the musical direction, and that you may confirm that he has done likewise with this, but with the twist of definite conviction that this album as well as the project Love Shop should have room enough for all of his varied expressions. Now, it would be really interesting if he comes out with a solo release after this, because that could only mean that it would be something completely new.
The radio hit "De forelskedes smag i din mund" is a typical Love Shop uptempo synthpop song without just being some old travesty, but the album contains other and more long-lasting quality songs.
Now that Kent is no more [sigh!] - and without further comparison - I do believe that the Love Shop-project could at least give us a bit of the same melancholic Scandinavian magic of Nordic noir, which is nicely present on Risiko.
I find that this is not only bettering the band's solid releases in the last decade, but it's simply the best Love Shop album since Billeder af verden from 1994, and it truly shines as the band's most coherent collection of compositions where music and lyrics make up a beautiful whole.
[ Gaffa.dk 5 / 5, Politiken 5 / 6 stars ]

2017 Favourite releases: 1. St. Vincent Masseduction - 2. Paul Weller A Kind of Revolution - 3. Love Shop Risiko

Arcade Fire "The Suburbs" (2010)

The Suburbs
release date: Aug. 2, 2010
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]
producer: Arcade Fire, Markus Dravs
label: Merge Records - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "The Suburbs" - 2. "Ready to Start" (3,5 / 5) - 5. "Empty Room" - 6. "City With No Children" (3,5 / 5) - 9. "Suburban War" - 12. "Deep Blue" - 13. "We Used to Wait" - 14. "Sprawl I (Flatland)" - 15. "Sprawl II  (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"

3rd studio album release by Arcade Fire. I think it slighty betters the 2007 album, The Neon Bible.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 4 / 5, Q Magazine 5 / 5 stars ]