Elvis Costello "When I Was Cruel" (2002)

When I Was Cruel
release date: Apr. 23, 2002
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,48]
producer: The Imposter
label: Island Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "45" - 2. "Spooky Girlfriend" - 3. "Tear Off Your Own Head ( It's a Doll Revolution)" - 5. "Soul for Hire" - 7. "Tart" - 10. "Alibi" - 12. "Daddy Can I Turn This?"

17th studio album by Elvis Costello released after an unusual long hiatus of six years since the predecessor All This Useless Beauty (1998), which ended up as his final album with The Attractions. The album is produced by "The Imposter" - in this case represented by Costello, Ciaran Cahill, Leo Pearson, and Kieran Lynch - and not to be confused with The Imposters, which basically is his "new" backing band trio consisting of Steve Nieve and Pete Thomas from The Attractions and new bassist Davey Faragher. In reality, Costello and long-time bassist of The Attractions, Bruce Thomas, weren't exactly on speaking terms with one another and Costello had used both keyboardist Steve Nieve and drummer Pete Thomas on other solo releases for years. During the live tour after his '96 album with The Attractions, Costello finally announced that it would be his last performances with his old backing band, and by 2001 Costello began recording sessions with his new backing band, The Imposters. Before this, he made the collaborative album For the Stars (2001) together with classical opera singer, mezzo-soprano, Anne Sophie von Otter credited 'Anne Sophie von Otter Meets Elvis Costello' and released by Deutsche Grammophon.

Musically, the album is a typical Costello studio release representing a huge blend of styles and influences. it's quite far from his '96 album and in some places sound as a fusion of his many collaborative works during the past decade with elements of rock & roll, alt. rock, jazz fusion, pop / rock and more traditional singer / songwriter material, and then there's also new styles involved when he experiments with trip hop and / or sampling as small delicate touches here and there, and ultimately, he only once again proves what a fine composer he is 'cause lyrically, he is always more than ordinarily interesting.

It's not a favourite - I simply find it too much of a fusion carpet with too many orientations.

[ allmusic.com, Q Magazine, NME 3 / 5, Spin 3,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

St. Vincent "MassEducation" (2018)

MassEducation

release date: Oct. 12, 2018

format: digital (12 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,26]

producer: St. Vincent & Thomas Bartlett

label: Loma Vista - nationality: USA

6th studio album by St. Vincent follows one year after Masseduction (Oct. 2019) is an acoustic version of the predecessor recorded with pianist Thomas Bartlett. Together, they reworked and mixed the tracks from Masseduction, resulting in completely sparsely arranged songs centered around piano-driven versions of the songs from the 2017 album.

It may be a clever stunt - certainly af safe one and perhaps not exactly the most demanding process but still, these new takes reflect a completely different life, and some songs sound better in the more minimalist arrangements while others simply lack variety. And that's probably also the great weakness about it - that the songs at one and the same time carry elements of something easily recognisable, not particularly distant from the original and then also doesn't offer a new musical scope. Of course, the songs have more or less the same vocal sound - although Annie Clark sings differently here - and the accompanying piano just never add any big changes throughout the album. And in that way, this is far more of a curiosity than a must.

Lise Westzynthius "JA" (2018)

JA

release date: Sep. 14, 2018

format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,22]

producer: Camillo Gino, Lise Westzynthius

label: Heavypop / DME - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Mommo" - 2. "Flyv mig ind" - 3. "Kaster dig op" - 4. "Laura Palmer" - 8. "På den anden side" - 10. "Fuck. Du forlader mig aldrig"

5th studio album by Lise Westzynthius following 6½ years after Tæt på en kold favn (Mar. 2012) issued on Westzynthius own label Heavypop via Danish Music & Entertainment and co-produced by Westzynthius and Camillo Gino (Askjær) (guitarist in the Danish band Rum 37). All songs are credited Westzynthius alone except two compositions: tracks #3 and #4, which are both co-written by Bjørn Rasmussen. Btw. "Laura Palmer" is translated dialogue (by David Lynch) taken from the Twin Peaks TV-series.

Apparently, and according to Westzynthius herself, she spent some years after her 2012 album finding back on her feet. From her own website it's described as she took "...a deeper dive into her inner self. This lead to a journey of 6-7 years within the fields of body work, shamanism, hypnosis, ayahuasca, tantra, meditation, etc. All along the way, new songs were born, and Lise slowly started working on them together with a good friend, Camillo Gino."  According to Westzynthius this journey was a healing process, where she focussed on being more minded on her physical conditions because she has had a natural way of dealing with emotional aspects, and she need more grounding. In this regard, JA ["YES"] is a way of meeting and focussing on positive aspects of life, and if that includes being stark-naked, Westzynthius has no reservations with that.

Musically, the album mostly follows the tone of her 2012 album. The biggest difference is her extreme positivism, which at times tend to be an expression touching on naivety. Lyrically, she has certainly evolved. Where early lyrics bore traits of obscurity and mysticism, which involved some kind of deciphering of her lyrics, she now expresses herself in a much more direct manner. Thematically, she hasn't completely left her divorce, she returns to the memory of her ex-husband in several lyrics, e.g. on "På den anden side", which also recounts the title of the debut album by her ex-husband, and at the same time she keeps repeating that she's looking forward to meeting his real self "On the Other Side" [of what? When they are dead? Or, when she's finally over the break-up and they can meet again?], but the overall impression is an artist, who appears more willing to experiment. I'm not fully convinced about the end result, though. There's a blue-eyed and near new-religious tone to most of her songs that keeps bothering me but apart from that, it's just nice to have Westzynthius back.

[ Gaffa.dk, Soundvenue 5 / 6, Undertoner 2,5 / 6 stars, Information review ]

De efterladte "Synger dagen ind" (2018)

Synger dagen ind

release date: Oct. 18, 2018

format: digital (10 x FILE, FLAC - melo016)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,56]

producer: Boi Holm, Michael Lund, Peter H. Olesen

label: Melodika - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 2. "Jeg bilder dig ind vi kan se helt til Sverige" - 3. "Nattens lys" - 4. "Aldrig ind i denne dag" - 5. "Jeg ser udsigten" - 9. "Bliv hos mig"

4th studio album by Danish americana trio De efterladte following two years after Adjø tristesse (Sep. 2016). As usual the new collection of songs are credited songwriter and vocalist Peter H. Olesen and composer and guitarist Michael Lund, and also to the usual procedure, Boi Holm holds a central part as sound engineer and producer. One track (track #6) is entirely arranged as a spoken-word composition, which also follows the usual pattern of theirs. The album has a relatively short total running time only reaching 32 minutes.

De efterladte makes their very own blend of alt. folk mixed with americana in a distinct singer / songwriter tradition where Olesen excells with his Danish linguistic acrobacy as if involuntarily cloning Stuart Staples and Leonard Cohen, but still in an original mix.

Synger dagen ind is mostly like a second chapter to their 2016 album and to such an extent that it touches a bit of a stand-still. Only on "Aldrig ind i denne dag" the three show a will to explore new-found territory with the use of an industrial touch - which they could have explored and used on several other songs. The end result is that the band hasn't progressed much. The narratives are still vivid, the music albeit minimalist it still feels like built on original ideas. They cleverly mix folkish music with electronic bits - I reckon, thanks to Boi Holm, but still, with this their fourth album they don't exactly showcase that many new ideas, and then on the other hand they stay true to their own strengths, which guarantees quality and makes it all a pleasant journey.

[ bandcamp ]

Etta James "Tell Mama" (1968)

Tell Mama
release date: Aug. 21, 1968
format: digital (2001 reissue) / vinyl (2014 reissue)
[album rate: 4 / 5]
producer: Rick Hall
label: MCA / Bear Family - nationality: USA

Tracklist: 1. "Tell Mama" - 2. "I'd Rather Go Blind" (4 / 5) - 3. "Watch Dog" - 4. "The Love of My Man" (4 / 5) - 5. "I'm Gonna Take What He's Got" - 6. "The Same Rope" - 7. "Security" (4 / 5) - 8. "Steal Away" - 9. "My Mother In-Law" - 10. "Don't Lose Your Good Thing" - 11. "It Hurts Me So Much" - 12. "Just a Little Bit"

8th studio album by Etta James originally released on Cadet Records and produced by Rick Hall. This is a wonderful soul and r&b album by one of vocal jazz great voices. All tracks are credited various composers, which was a typical procedure of the 1950s and 60s, but Etta's gift is to understand and make them all her own. A must-have for lovers of soul. The extended 2001 MCA cd reissue with the added subtitle "The Complete Muscle Shoals Sessions" comes with an additional 10 bonus tracks. The 2014 vinyl issue is a replica of the original album and with the same original 12 tracks.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]

2014 vinyl reissue

Chet Baker "Chet Baker Sings" (1954)

Chet Baker Sings
release date: Apr. / May 1954
format: vinyl (2018 reissue, yellow vinyl) / digital
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,94]
producer: Richard Bock
label: WaxTime In Color

A very young (23 years old) Chet sings vocal jazz and standards of the time. He is often mentioned as the jazz world's first pop star, or at least a kind of role model celebrity. Photos of him from the 1950s show how he was promoted almost in the same manner as Sinatra, and later stars like James Dean and Cliff Richard - a pop star with a message to all teenagers.

The album came out at the time when Elvis and Sinatra were top of the pop, and Chet was launched accordingly to that tradition, although his music was very different. His singing voice isn't all that fantastic but it has its very own beauty. The album is the first where Baker sings, as he had previously been promoted exclusively as an instrumentalist. The original issue of the album was released by Pacific Jazz in 10'' and 2 x 7'' formats only and contained eight tracks. In 1956 the label reissued the album for 12'' format with 14 tracks - the same songs appear on the 2018 remaster on WaxTime In Color. The original album contained the following songs: "But Not for Me", "Time After Time", "My Funny Valentine", "I Fall in Love Too Easily", "There Will Never Be Another You", "I Get Along Without You Very Well", "The Thrill Is Gone", "Look for the Silver Lining".

The album originally came out to luke-warm reviews, and some critics found Baker's vocal unsuited for commercial releases, to put it mildly 'cause he was also publicly mocked; however, the album was a commercial success and led in 1956 led to the expanded version and earlier it was followed by Chet Baker Sings and Plays (1955).

Highly recommended.

[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings 3,5 / 4 stars ]

1954 original issue
on Pacific Jazz

Paul Weller "A Kind Revolution" (2017)

A Kind Revolution
release date: May 12, 2017
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,02]
producer: Paul Weller
label: Parlophone - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 3. "Long Long Road" (live on later) - 4. "She Moves With the Fayre" - 5. "The Cranes Are Back" (live on later) - 6. "Hopper" - 8. "One Tear" - 9. "Satellite Kid" - 10. "The Impossible Idea"

13th solo studio album by Paul Weller is his first album to be entirely produced by himself only. Musically, it follows closely in the steps laid out on his splendid Saturns Pattern from 2015. It's full of style influences but mainly falls in the genre of alt. rock and singer / songwriter where he once again explores the style of pop soul. Some tracks are energetic rockers, some are ballad-like and rich of strings - touching on chamber pop, others reflect his many tours into the many stylistic landscapes of modern popular music.
This is another strong release from Weller just before his 59th birthday showing just how well he's doing in his senior years. He hasn't always been able to combine all his stylistic influences into coherent albums, but lately he seems to have found the formula to bring everything into a synthesis.
This is one of the best albums in 2017 and thus a highly recommendable album.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, 👍The Guardian 4 / 5, PopMatters 4,5 / 5 stars ]

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

Kent - 12 Studio Albums Listed 1-12

Pos.		Album		Year		Rate
1.		Röd		2009		4,35
2.		Du & jag Döden		2005		4,32
3.		Vapen & ammunition		2002		4,12
4.		Tigerdrottningen		2012		4,08
5.		Hagnesta Hill		1999		3,94
6.		Tillbaka till samtiden		2007		3,88
7.		Isola		1997		3,86
8.		En plats i solen		2010		3,84
9.		Då som nu för alltid		2016		3,68
10.		Jag är inte rädd för mörkret		2012		3,62
11.		Verkligan		1996		3,62
12.		Kent		1995		3,48

The Good, The Bad & The Queen "Merrie Land" (2018)

Merrie Land
release date: Nov. 16, 2018
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,78]
producer: Tony Visconti, The Good, The Bad & The Queen
label: Studio 13 - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "Merrie Land" - 3. "Gun to the Head" - 4. "Nineteen Seventeen" (live video) - 5. "The Great Fire" - 6. "Lady Boston" - 7. "Drifters & Trawlers" (live) - 9 . "Ribbons" - 11. "The Poison Tree"

2nd studio album by the Damon Albarn-led "super band" The Good, The Bad & The Queen released on the band's own newly-founded label is the follow-up album to the debut from 2007. It's quite remarkable how the band stays the same after eleven years and after a relatively inactive period of time. Of course Albarn is the driving force and it could easily be regarded as his solo-project if not all songs are credited the band. And band... Yes! Finally, earlier this year, the band officially announced to go by the name it has been commonly known as for the past decade. Even Albarn had to follow-suit on that - despite he may have been the mastermind of the [bad] idea to have a band with no name.
Thematically, the band continues to examine the past. "Merrie" is not a literal reference to the history of England as much as it's a confrontation of a nostalgic and biased image. The songs deal with inhuman life conditions, personal tragedies and general poverty as a state of late Middle Age England. This is underlined in the front cover with the puppet master holding his hand to the mouth of the puppet to prevent it from telling the ugly truth.
Stylistically, this also represents a huge mix of styles, but even so a much more coherent attempt to combine various styles without losing focus. There's a foundation that binds it all together that I didn't hear on the debut. It's still first and foremost art pop and neo-psychedelia with influences from various other styles. Tracks #6 and #7 makes me think of Joe Strummer - not just because of bassist Paul Simonon but there's a tone on several tracks that sound inspired by his wonderful style, which again is influenced by Jamaican music. This is a slower but more consistent release than the first album from the project, and it strikes me, how it's also the studio album with Damon Albarn in front to come out as the most successful non-Albarn-like album in many years. That is: it sounds more like a release by a band featuring Damon Albarn than a Albarn-lead project. Perhaps this is also by merit of producer Visconti - but the end result is a much better and coherent album than the 2007 debut. Does this man ever rest? It's only six months ago he released the sixth full-length album with Gorillaz - a completely different kind of a release.
Merrie Land has generally been granted positive reviews - some actually calling it one of the best of the year. I may not put it on top of my list but it's surely bettering the predecessor by a clear margin and the album is together with Now Now by Gorillaz a truly fine effort by Albarn.
Recommended.
[ 👍allmusic.com, Mojo, Drowned in Sound, Q Magazine 4 / 5, Uncut, The Guardian 3,5 / 5 stars ]

The Divine Comedy "Live at Somerset House" (2010) (live)

Live at Somerset House (live)

release date: Dec. 2010
format: digital (24 x File, FLAC)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,82]
producer: Nel Hannon
label: Concert Live - nationality: Northern Ireland, UK

12th album release by The Divine Comedy is a double live album from a concert at Somerset House, London, Jul. 17, 2010 released on the label Concert Live.
The album consists of 24 tracks (some issues: 22) and it contains many great songs, and it truly serves to document Neil Hannon as the great amusing entertainer, he also is.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

Happy Mondays "Uncle Dysfunktional" (2007)

Uncle Dysfunktional

release date: Jul. 2, 2007

format: digital (13 x File, MP3)

[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,88]

producer: Sunny Levine

label: Sequel Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Jellybean" - 2. "Angels and Whores" - 5. "Cuntry Disco" - 7. "Anti Warhole (On the Dancefloor)" - 8. "Rush Rush"

5th studio album by Happy Mondays following 15 years after ... Yes Please (1992) is the bands first album with a new line-up, and as of 2018 also the so far final album by The Mondays. After the disbandment in '93, Shaun Ryder and Bez went on to form Black Grape but after two albums and another disbandment, Ryder once again took the initiative to reform his old band with younger brother Paul, best mate Bez and drummer Gary Whelan from the initial line-up but now without keyboardist Paul Davis and guitarist Mark Day. This line-up was expanded with new guitarist "Wags" [Paul Wagstaff], former backing vocalist Rowetta, rapper "Nuts", keyboardist Ben Leach and percussionist Lea Mullen making the band a nonet [nine members]. With this line-up the band was active from 1999 to 2001, and during this short period, they succesfully toured the world and played concerts without releasing other than the Thin Lizzy cover of "The Boys Are Back in Town" (1999). It all came to an end in 2001 after Shaun in Melbourne, Australia, got together with Shane Norton, Pete Carroll and Stephen Mallinder and recorded a bunch of new songs - first to be released in 2003 as Amateur Night in the Big Top. - after which Paul left The Mondays and the band dissolved - again. In 2004, Shaun, Bez and Whelan revived the band by recruiting guitarist Kavin Sandhu, bassist Mike Shine, keyboardist Dave Parkinson as well as guitarist John Dunn making it a septet. After a while, Parkinson was replaced by Dan Broad, and shortly prior to the recordings, also Dunn left the band,. So here the Mondays are "the old core" of Shaun Ryder, Bez, and Gary Whelan, and a complete septet together with Kav Sandhu, Mike Shine, Dan Broad and Julie Gordon.

Musically, it's clear that the band aims to make another 'classic' Happy Mondays album by mixing neo-psychedelia, pop soul, funk and alt. dance, but it's also striking how old-school it all sounds. Not much has happened since the 90s it seems, and the album simply lacks good songs. The album was met by mixed reviews and it peaked at a low number #73 on the UK albums chart list, and the two singles, "Jellybean" and "Dysfunctional Uncle" (track #9) failed to chart.

Uncle Dysfunctional surely revives the style and sound of The Mondays, but it mainly serves to maintain the impression of an existing legendary band - and they are able to tour and make a living. The band has continued in various line-ups since. In 2012 Ryder announced that they would continue in the original line-up with a welcome back to his brother Paul on bass, Mike Day on guitar, Paul Davis on keyboards and Rowetta on vocals. They also proclaimed to be working on new material, although, that has yet to materialise. In 2015 Davis left the band and was subsequently replaced by Dan Broad.

Shaun Ryder apparently argued that he could've released the album under the Black Grape band name, but with respect to Bez and Whelan, he went with the Mondays [and yes, Bez was actually in both bands but ended up leaving Black Grape - so there U have that].

Not good, but still better than ... Yes Please, which unfortunately doesn't say much, tho'.

Not recommended.

[ 👍allmusic.com, The Guardian 3 / 5, NME 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Jean-Michel Jarre "Equinoxe Infinity" (2018)

Equinoxe Infinity
release date: Nov. 16, 2018
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,42]
producer: Jean-Michel Jarre
label: Columbia Records - nationality: France

Track highlights: 1. "The Watchers (Movement 1)" - 2. "Flying Totems (Movement 2)" - 3. "Robots Don't Cry (Movement 3)" - 6. "Infinity (Movement 6)" - 8. "The Opening (Movement 8)" - 10. "Equinoxe Infinity (Movement 10)"
[ Official trailer: "the making of the album" ]

19th (or: 20th/21st/22nd ?) studio album by (now) 70-year-old Jean-Michel Jarre is the sequel to his classic 1978 album Equinoxe celebrating that album's 40th anniversary, much to the same formula he applied by releasing Oxygène 3 in 2016 to celebrate his '76 masterpiece Oxygène. The album contains ten tracks and has a running time just below 40 mins.
Musically, it's no big surprise when he pays tribute to his old classic - as he did with the "Oxygène"-trilogy by remodelling new compositions to echo his previous work in a way where you understand the reference point but also by incorporating new elements from progressive and minimal house as well as other styles of electronica to add something contemporary. He takes the listener back in time and shows us many of his own inspirational sources of modern electronica and the whole thing is moulded with grace and technical finesse of an experienced composer, who is familiar with all the twists and turns and every detail in the big pool of electronica to make it such a pleasant journey.
Yes, you have to like non-vocal-based progressive compositions, and if you fall into that segment, it's most likely that you too will find this a mighty fine accomplishment, and one of Jarre's better albums in recent years.
[ Gaffa.dk 5 / 6 stars ]

Last Dinosaurs "Yumeno Garden" (2018)

Yumeno Garden

release date: Oct. 5, 2018

format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,72]

producer: Last Dinosaurs, Jean-Paul Fung

label: Dew Process - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "Eleven" - 2. "Dominos" - 3. "Bass God" - 4. "Sense - 5. "Happy" - 7. "Italo Disco" - 9. "Shallow Boy"

3rd studio album by Last Dinosaurs following three years after Wellness (Aug. 2015) is a welcome back to producer Fung, who produced the band's 2012 full-length debut In a Million Years (Mar. 2012), although, this appears as the first album with the band in the role as co-producer.

It's still first and foremost indie pop but Yumeno Garden introduces a stronger dimension of dream pop, which immediately had me thinking of Swedish band The Radio Dept. e.g. Pet Grief (2006). The band sticks firmly to a basic soundscape of simplistic indie pop, and you could argue that the band doesn't seem eager to explore new territory or to experiment with styles, but with a gift for pop and harmony-driven arrangements Yumeno Garden stands as the band's so far best album.

Recommended.

[ AlbumOfTheYear 75 / 100, TheMusic.com.au 3 / 5 stars ]

Papir "Stundom" (2011)

Stundom

release date: Nov. 28, 2011

format: digital (6 x File, FLAC - Impetus Series 03)

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

producer: Jonas Munk

label: El Paraiso Records - nationality: Denmark

Tracklist: 1. "Sunday #1" - 2. "Saturday" - 3. "Monday" - 4. "Sunday #2" - 5. "Tuesday #1" - 6. "Tuesday #2"

2nd studio album by Danish instrumental rock-trio Papir is produced by Jonas Munk from the (Danish) band Causa Sui (the artwork is by Jakob Skøtt, drummer of Causa Sui), and the album is released by the label founded by Munk and Skøtt: El Paraiso. Stundum is the follow-up to the one year old debut, and 'stundum' is arcaic Danish corresponding 'occasionally', and all tracks have titles after weekdays. Where the 2010 album contained four tracks and had a total running time just above 30 mins, this one comes with six tracks and a total running time almost touching 80 mins.

Where the debut basically was experimental krautrock, I would argue that this second attempt has a much more apparrent experimental post-rock feel on top of the prog rock foundation, which in my mind makes it a bit more interesting. At times it becomes too jam-oriented - the style takes a fusion rock turn, probably due to studio improvs, but nevertheless, some parts tend to sound like free-associations, and then a new theme is picked up and a forward movement is taking place. It's difficult to sum up, but it's like a fascinating trip, and all you have to do, is to go along, let it unfold and see if it takes you somewhere. Overall, I think it's bettering the debut - only, I wish they would be more focused.

[ bandcamp ]

Sun Kil Moon "Tiny Cities" (2005)

Tiny Cities
release date: Nov. 4, 2005
format: cd (CV001)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,84]
producer: Mark Kozelek
label: Caldo Verde Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Exit Does Not Exist" - 2. "Tiny Cities Made of Ashes" - 3. "Neverending Math Equation" - 4. "Space Travel Is Boring" - 6. "Jesus Christ Was an Only Child" - 8. "Grey Ice Water" - 9. "Convenient Parking" - 10. "Trucker's Atlas" - 11. "Ocean Breathes Salty"

2nd studio album by Sun Kil Moon is the band's first to be released on the newly-founded record label, Caldo Verde founded by Mark Kozelek - and the release is issued with the identification number CV001. The music is closely related to the debut Ghost of the Great Highway (2003) BUT this is like most of lead vocalist Mark Kozelek's other albums - either as pure solo artist or with Red House Painters - mostly alt. folk and singer / songwriter material without the characteristics of folk rock with electrified guitars, thus being more acoustic-founded and by some referred to as an example of 'slow core'. Also, on this Kozelek has taken up his "tradition" of re-arranging other artists' compositions into his own alt-folk and singer / songwriter-styled songs. All songs here are originally composed and performed by American indie rock band, Modest Mouse. The title is a derivation from track #2 taken from the album The Moon & Antarctica (2000).

Now, this is far from bad, and it really contains some fine ballads and arrangements and it's a bit of a task to pin out the best tracks here 'cause it all sounds like one whole. It's amazing how Kozelek is capable of making these songs sound so much like his own. It does bear much in common with other releases by "Kozelek and Co", however, all other and successive albums under the name of Sun Kil Moon are reserved to material written by Kozelek, and in that sense this is an exception.

Recommended.

[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, 👎Rolling Stone 2,5 / 5 stars ]

Gorillaz "The Now Now" (2018)

The Now Now
release date: Jun. 29, 2018
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,82]
producer: Gorillaz, James Ford, Remi Kabaka
label: Parlophone - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Humility" (feat. George Benson) - 2. "Tranz" - 3. "Hollywood" (feat. Snoop Dogg & Jamie Principle) - 4. "Kansas" - 5. "Sorcererz" - 7. "Lake Zurich" - 8. "Magic City" - 11. "Souk Eye"

6th studio album by Gorillaz released 14 months after Humanz (2017). The album is credited Gorillaz consisting of live band musicians James Ford, Remi Kabaka together with Damon Albarn featuring a (smaller) bunch (than ordinary) of additional musicians; however, in reality, the only permanent band members are Albarn and visual artist (and lyricist) Jamie Hewlett - the latter only responsible for the artwork on this release. Gorillaz is and has always been Albarn's musical outlet where he experiments with a variety of guest artists, and for this album, he has "invited" Gorillaz' live musicians James Ford, who is credited for handling drums, bass, guitar and synthesiser, and Remi Kabaka, only credited for playing percussion on track #7, to join "the band" to record an album, which means: Albarn has directed, composed and let others participate in the process - just like old-timer guitarist George Benson, rapper Snoop Dogg and house musician Jamie Principle all do on selected tracks, but also a few other featuring artists playing bass, percussion, or additional vocalists on specific songs are all credited as co-composers. This also includes Albarn's former Blur-associate guitarist Graham Coxon featuring on track 8.
The Now Now is rather different from its predecessor by being more laid back. The 2017 album was loaded with guest appearances - and loaded to a degree where the sensation of a whole album was put in a drawer on the expense of the single compositions. This is much more in the spirit of an album like The Fall from 2010, where it's not so much about showcasing hit singles but rather the embodiment of a tone or a specific mood. In that way, it also reminds me of Albarn's so far only solo album Everyday Robots from 2014. Instead of having 'euro-pop' dance floor hits, there's simply much more focus on neo-psychedelia and synth funk to make it "hit" material. But altogether, it's undoubtedly Gorillaz as we have come to know "them", and also more of a grower.
The album was met by lukewarm to positive reviews, and the main reason seems to be a founding natural ingredient in all productions by this project: a need to experiment and incorporate various styles, inviting other artists in the process-making - and yes, sometimes it went that way, sometimes another way, and this time... this way. It all depends on how things turn out while Albarn is at the steering wheel. But he is also that "one component" that binds everything together - and pretty much as always: that ain't bad.
I really enjoyed Humanz, which wasn't liked by a lot of music critics, but I find that this is a much more coherent album, but also a much more delightful listen, and to me, The Now Now is not only the band's best album in years, it's simply Albarn's best effort, ever.
[ allmusic.com, Uncut 3,5 / 5, 👍Rolling Stone, Q Magazine, SputnikMusic, NME 4 / 5 stars ]

2018 Favourite releases: 1. Robyn Honey - 2. Nils Frahm All Melody - 3. Gorillaz The Now Now

Jon Hopkins "Singularity" (2018)

Singularity

release date: May 4, 2018

format: digital (9 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]

producer: Jon Hopkins

label: Domino - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Singularity" (4 / 5) (official shorter video) - 2. "Emerald Rush" - 3. "Neon Pattern Drum" - 4. "Everything Connected" - 6. "C O S M" - 8. "Luminous Beings"

[ full album ]

5th studio album by Jon Hopkins follows five years after Immunity (Jun. 2013). Five years is quite a long time in the music business, and it hasn't been time wasted for Hopkins, who has been a much sought for producer, co-writer, and composer on various releases. He has worked for Coldplay and toured with the band, and he has made the soundtrack album How I Live Now for the drama film by Kevin Mcdonald.

The album is a different creature than the acclaimed predecessor, and it's actually impressive how varied the album is, when it's still an extremenly coherent whole. Immunity also excelled with progressive compositions and patterns that keep evolving but that's something you dsicover is taken much further here. Stylewise, it's still in the same ballgame where tech house meets downtempo and where the experimental ingredient is ever-present. All that remains, but on top of that all compositions have that ambient quality that proppels you on a forward trip into unknown territory of deep space. Listening to this, have me thinking that it's liekly the closest you can get to have an experience that equels that of tripping from Crystal Meth without actually having taken a drug. Of course you don't hallucinate, you still consciously know where you are but may have an impression of sinking into some kind of transmission and feel an out-of-body-experience. Anyway, I get it.

Singularity is Hopkin's first and only album to top the UK Dance charts and it's also his best charting album on the general albums chart list peaking at number #9, which I do understand. His 2013 album rightfully provided him international fame and this newest album only underlines his status as one of Britain's most fascinating composers of electronic music.

Highly recommended.

[ 👍Pitchfork 8,3 / 10, Mojo, Q Magazine 4 / 5, Uncut 3,5 / 5, NME 5 / 5, 👎The Guardian 2 / 5 stars ]

[ Jon Hopkins on bandcamp ]

Latin Quarter "Modern Times" (1985)

Modern Times [debut]
release date: 1985
format: digital (1989 reissue)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]
producer: Pete Hammond & Latin Quarter
label: Rocking Horse / RCA - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Modern Times" (4 / 5) (live in 2012) - 3. "Radio Africa" (4 / 5) (live in 2012) - 5. "America for Beginners" - 6. "Eddie" - 10. "Truth About John"

Studio album debut by London-based Latin Quarter released on the smaller Arista-owned company Rocking Horse (reissued in '89 by RCA). The band has been through various line-ups over the years but here they count eight [!] members fronted by Steve Skaith as lead vocalist and guitarist, Richard Wright on guitar and backing vocals, Greg Harewood on bass, Yona Dunsford as vocalist and on piano, Steve Jeffries on keyboards and backing vocals, Carol Douet as vocalist and on percussion, Richard Stevens on drums and percussion, and with Mike Jones, who alone is credited as songwriter.

The music is characterised by a solid (left-wing) political stand as well as a socially-engaged attitude with roots in reggae, world music but still framed in a pop / rock kontext with stress on 'pop'.

I believe, the first tracks, I ever heard on the radio by this band were the title song and "Radio Africa". Both still hold quite nicely, although, they are shrouded by stemming from another period, mostly due to their strong political content and the use of synthetic drums. Other songs have aged with lesser success and mostly appear as naiive. Stilewise, the band could sound as a pop-clone of music by Peter Gabriel, Men At Work and the later, and likewise politically and socially engaged collective, Chumbawumba.

[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

Robin Guthrie "Fortune" (2012)

Fortune

release date: Nov. 26, 2012

format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,56]

producer: Robin Guthrie

label: Soleil Après Minuit - nationality: Scotland, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Cadence" - 2. "Circus Circus" - 3. "Ladybird" - 4. "Tigermilk" - 7. "Forever Never"

5th solo album by Robin Guthrie follows 1½ years after Emeralds (May 2011) and is possibly the first to only be issued on Guthrie's own label Soleil Après Minuit, although most of his solo material and collaboration albums also have been released in some secondary format on the label.

Fortune doesn't stir anyone's image of Robin Guthrie. In fact it sound very much like the "B-side" to Emeralds with an ethereal and ambient style built around Guthrie's slow-burning guitar harmonies with as much echo and delay effects you can get.

The album has been issued via Darla Records for vinyl issues, but it seems he's no longer being promoted, which explains why it's difficult to find any official reviews. Quite naturally, Guthrie doesn't sell in large numbers - I think his income may depend on projects: film scores, producer or mixing credits, and that his new releases to a large extent are financed via his technical status. And that again may explain why his music sound so much alike. For Guthrie, it's no more a desire to create new styles, better selling albums, but much more the result of his love for a specific kind of sound. He doesn't care if critics, distributors or radio stations find his music dull or off the target. Still, when you're familiar with his collaboration works with Harold Budd, his solo albums Carousel (2009) and Emeralds (2011), then you may begin to wish as I do: what if Robin Guthrie had someone else produce his album - his next solo release? Wouldn't that be something! He has developed a sound that is almost touching on sterile, where every effect-pedal needs a fixed position, so that the guitar swirls in the exact same way it did one or maybe even two decades ago. Yes, he is a sound engineer and a sound wizard, but how I wish he could learn some new tricks.

That said, Fortune is warm honey for your ears. So find yourself a moment of peace. Turn up the volume and put on Fortune. Sit down in your favourite chair. Close your eyes. Wait. Wait. Wait. Listen!

Recommended.

Zucchero "All the Best" (2007)

All the Best (compilation)
release date: Nov. 23, 2007
format: digital (2-disc)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]

Released as 'Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari'. This is a fine double compilation album if you don't have Zucchero in your collection. It contains 35 tracks most of which are in Italian. It also contains "Wonderful Life", a song by British singer Black from his debut album Wonderful Life (1987), also released as a cover version by Zucchero as a single release earlier in 2007, which didn't make it to an album but was a rather big hit, again as it was for Black.

This is a highly recommendable album.

Nils Frahm "All Melody" (2018)

All Melody
release date: Jan. 26, 2018
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,86]
producer: Nils Frahm
label: Erased Tapes - nationality: Germany

Track highlights: 2. "Sunson" - 3. "A Place" - 5. "Human Range" - 6. "Forever Changeless" - 7. "All Melody" (live) - 8. "#2" - 11. "Kaleidoscope"

9th studio album by Nils Frahm, who has released albums on independent English label Erased Tapes since 2009. This is modern classical and minimalism fusioned with electronic, and perhaps with the addition of ambient, although, that may be an integral part of the aforementioned styles combined. It's difficult to label as either part of an experimental electronic genre, or rather think of it as avant-garde within the classical sphere. It's really transgressing the idea of fixed music genres as belonging to either popular music or classical, almost in a "wave versus particle" theory - this is really both depending on perspective.
It's simplistic, and at times truly minimalist but also built using melodic harmonies in a very organic way. And there's an ever-present sensation of ambience, which makes me think of a modern version of Jean-Michel Jarre - at least when thinking of his earliest works - just without traditional synths.
Previously, I have seen Frahm as an artist who makes music that requires ones full attention, but with All Melody he has moved into the hemisphere of popular music where manifestations may be listened to with randomised attention, so to speak. And speaking of manifestations - Frahm was musical composer to the fabulous Julian Rosefeldt film "Manifesto" (2015) featuring Cate Blanchett, in which she brilliantly plays a dozen different characters, and the music plays its very own prominent part.
Perhaps there's some need of sharpened attention when listening to All Melody but that doesn't mean you necessarily need to put on a pair of headphones to absorb the message; however, you may very well do just that and thereby extend your experience. I come to think of Philip Glass - the seemingly repetitious intervals that you meet along the way in most of the compositions here, but also Jarre and a sense of ethereal spaciousness.
Sometimes listening to this album makes me imagine watching an imaginary Godfrey Reggio sequel to "Powaqqatsi" where you're exposed to unexpected lifeforms seen from the flight of a drone, through the eyes of a seagull, or through the lenses of an underwater camera following a herd of dolphins to a secret place in the outskirts of Atlantis.
I really enjoy this, and think of it as one of the top 3 albums of the year.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Drowned in Sound 5 / 5 stars ]

2018 Favourite releases: 1. Robyn Honey - 2. Nils Frahm All Melody - 3. Gorillaz The Now Now

BEST OF 2003:Sun Kil Moon "Ghosts of the Great Highway" (2003)

2018 reissue

Ghosts of the Great Highway [debut]
release date: Nov. 4, 2003
format: 2 lp vinyl (2018 reissue - gatefold) / 2 cd (2007 reissue)
[album rate: 4,5 / 5] [4,65]
producer: Mark Kozelek
label: Rough Trade / Caldo Verde - nationality: USA

Tracklist: 1. "Glenn Tipton" (4 / 5) - 2. "Carry Me Ohio" (5 / 5) (acoustic live) - 3. "Salvador Sanchez" (5 / 5) (live) - 4. "Last Tide" (4 / 5) - 5. "Floating" (4 / 5) - 6. "Gentle Moon" (5 / 5) (live) - 7. "Lily and Parrots" (4 / 5) - 8. "Duk Koo Kim" (5 / 5) (live) - 9. "Sí, Paloma" (4 / 5) - 10. "Pancho Villa" (4 / 5) - *11. "Gentle Moon" (acoustic)

*Bonus track on 2018 vinyl issue - The 2007 2 cd issue contains 6 bonus tracks.

Studio album debut by Sun Kil Moon originally released on Jetset Records (reissued in 2007 as a double cd containing 6 bonus tracks issued on Kozelek's own label Caldo Verde Records and reissued in 2018 by Caldo Verde in the US and by Rough Trade in the UK). The album follows 2½ years after the Kozelek-led band Red House Painters' final album Old Ramon (Apr. 2001).

This is gentle, voluminous music only requiring ears that will find... joy. "Mark Kozelek & Co." you could call it, since Kozelek was founder, singer, composer, guitarist and bandleader of Red House Painters before Sun Kil Moon, and his solo albums are hard to distinguish from both bands' releases. Despite the fact that Kozelek wrote both music and lyrics, this album stands out, however, being the most electrified indie folk rock of "his" albums so far. Apart from Kozelek the band consists of two bassists, Jerry Vessel (former bassist of Red House Painters) and Geoff Stanfield, as well as two drummers, Anthony Koutsos (former drummer of Red House Painters) and Tim Mooney. Guitarist Phil Carney of Red House Painters is not credited on the album but he would join Sun Kil Moon on a later point, although only for live performances.

Mark must have a certain fascination for boxing, it appears. The band name Sun Kil Moon is a direct reference to the Korean boxer, Sung-Kil Moon, and three of the tracks on this album are named after boxers who faced untimely deaths - the "ghosts of the great highway", presumably. Salvador Sanchez was a Mexican boxer who died in a car crash in 1982; "Duk Koo Kim" [an absolutely amazing track lasting 14:30 min.] is the moniker [real name is Kim Deuk-Gu] of the Korean boxer who died after a knock-out in a title match against Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini that put him in a coma in 1982 - a sad story of tragic deaths, which had serious effects on both Mancini and Kim's mother; and Pancho Villa [aka Francisco Guilledo] died after a tooth extraction in 1925. The two tracks "Salvador Sanchez" and "Pancho Villa" have the exact same lyrics and song structure but the first is with electric guitar and the latter is only with acoustic guitar. Although, most music by 'Kozelek & Co.' normally is quiet folk-oriented music, he is influenced or inspired by heavy metal and hard rock. The track "Glen Tipton" is simply named after the guitarist of the British heavy metal band, Judas Priest, and his earlier solo debut album What's Next to the Moon (Feb. 2001) only features Kozelek's musical adaptations of AC/DC songs (insofar, he has only kept the lyrics but completely altered the music).

Musically, this is indie rock and folk rock with a fine balance of swirling electric guitar-arrangements as well as subtle and gentle parts with strings and acoustic instrumentation. Sometimes it's raw energy that may be influenced by Neil Young with Crazy Horse without plagiarism, other times it's more in the domain of Simon & Garfunkel or Nick Drake, sometimes to Spanish composer Andrés Segovia; but most of all, it's without confining bonds to others with a highly original style embracing it all.

I really enjoy his more quiet acoustic guitar folk-based releases but they do have a tendency to sound a bit much alike - this one, however, is simply out of this world altogether fantabulous.

Imho, this is no less than the best album of a decade and naturally a highly recommend listen.

[ allmusic.com, Pitchfork, Uncut 4 / 5, 👎Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, 👉Sputnikmusic 5 / 5 stars ]

2003 Favourite releases: 1. Sun Kil Moon Ghosts of the Great Highway - 2. Rufus Wainwright Want One - 3. Bo Kaspers Orkester Vilka tror vi att vi är

Arcade Fire "Everything Now" (2017)

Everything Now
release date: Jul. 28, 2017
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,92]
producer: Arcade Fire and various
label: Columbia - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 2. "Everything Now" - 4. "Creature Comfort" - 5. "Peter Pan" - 7. "Infinite Content" - 11. "Put Your Money on Me"

5th studio album by Arcade Fire is self-produced by the band with various co-producers on selected tracks sees the band on their perhaps most radical stylistic change. Reflektor had the band try on disco and alt. dance on a number of tracks, but with this, the band has completely moved into a new territory of dance-oriented music.The title track is extended in 3 songs: track 1 "Everything_Now (Continued)", with an underscore continue track 13 "Everything Now (Continued)" without the underscore and plays with the media as to underline what is proposed in the two track titles "Infinite Content" (#7) and "Infinite_Content" (#8) - the whole album is meant to play indefinitely.
It's not that it's bad, 'cause the production sound is there - it's more so a question about what they contribute with. Yes, they can play whatever they feel like, but going synthpop on the dancefloor means that you should add something to the genre - new danceable tunes. But this is just all so ever cute without that thangg. Where are the more than just interesting songs? The title song has been playing on my radio for months, and I'm so tired of that tune. It never was a great one after all, but that's how the music business works these days. Some tracks are cheesy, some have indie pop potential ('Peter Pan', 'Infinite Content'), some sound as drawn after other successful dance songs by New Order ('Creature Comfort'), Daft Punk / Chemical Brothers ('Signs of Life', 'Electric Blue').
Looking down the Arcade Fire path, I see greatness in the wilderness, but I no longer have strong expectations about this band for the future. They jumped right onto the big scene, and perhaps too soon to be able to navigate and continue in what would have been a natural progression.
The album cover is made in numerous editions with different colours and titles in native languages.
This is not really recommended.
[ 👍allmusic.com, Q Magazine, The Guardian 3 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

Best of 2018:Robyn "Honey" (2018)

Honey
release date: Oct. 26, 2018
format: digital (9 x File, FLAC)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]
producer: Joseph Mount (primary)
label: Konichiwa Records - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 1. "Missing U" (live on Later) - 2. "Human Being (feat. Zhala)" - 3. "Because It's in the Music" - 4. "Baby Forgive Me" - 6. "Honey" (live on Later) - 7. "Between the Lines" - 9. "Ever Again"

6th studio album by Robyn released some 8 years since her previous studio album Body Talk from 2010. The album has various producers - with Joseph Mount as the album's main producer on 6 out of 9 tracks, and with Klas Åhlund (Robyn's main co-writer on 5 tracks), as producer on 4 of the songs.
The album spawned the two singles, "Missing U" released in August and the title track released the following month reaching number #13 and #23 respectively on the Swedish singles charts. The album topped the charts in Sweden and it's her best-faring album on the US albums chart list as number #40, and it was soon attributed positive reviews from major music magazines and sites world-wide, which I fully understand.
A first listen doesn't necessarily convince the listener of a major development when comparing to her previous albums, but already on a second or third confrontation I notice how the songs are composed with a slower and more progressive approach where the single songs stand out as near-monumental compositions - musically as well as lyrically. There's a presence of maturity all over the album - something one cannot ascribe her previous seven albums, and the sensation is more indirect but perhaps more life-strong as contrary to her bolder dance-floor hits.
As the field of best albums of 2018 is narrowing down, I simply find this to be one of her best and most coherent albums to date, as well as best album of the year. She dunnit again!
Highly recommendable.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 4,5 / 5, 👍NME, Q Magazine, The Times 4 / 5 stars ]

2018 Favourite releases: 1. Robyn Honey - 2. Nils Frahm All Melody - 3. Gorillaz The Now Now

The Wainwright Sisters "Songs in the Dark" (2015)

Songs in the Dark [debut]

release date: Nov. 13, 2015

format: digital

[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,84]

producer: Brad Albetta (recorded by)

label: Play It Again Sam - nationality: Canada / USA

Track highlights: 2. "Hobo's Lullaby" (live) - 9. "Long Lankin"

Debut album from The Wainwright Sisters counting Canadian Martha Wainwright and her younger American half-sister Lucy Wainwright Roche, daughter of their common father, Loudon Wainwright III and Suzzy Roche, American vocalist and known from the vocal group The Roches. Prior to this, in 2013 Martha Wainwright released the soundtrack album Trauma: Chansons de la Série Télé, Saison #4 - collecting the music from the entire season 4 of the Canadian edition of the TV series "Trauma", and her latest studio album is Come Home to Mama (Oct. 2012). Lucy most recently released her second solo studio album There's a Last Time for Everything (Oct. 2013) and earlier that year she released Fairytale and Myth (Mar. 2013) as a duo release with her mother Suzzy Roche.

Songs in the Dark consists of 16 classic lullabies in the form of folk and singer/songwriter compositions mainly from the 60s, but also from earlier, as well as from the following decade. These include compositions of their familial ancestry: from their father, Loudon, Martha's mother Kate McGarrigle, and tracks from Lucy's aunt, Terre Roche. In addition, you'll find songs by Paul Simon, Richard Thompson, Townes Van Zandt, Cindy Walker, Irving Berlin, as well as three traditionals often known in versions by Woody Guthrie (including track #2). The album's credit list includes several family members: Aunt Anne McGarrigle and her children, Lily and Sylvan Ranken, and Aunt Jane McGarrigle.

These are acoustic tracks held in typical vocal-based arrangements accompanied only by acoustic guitar, sometimes by violin and bass, and generally characterised by the absence of percussion and other rhythmic instruments other than the sporadic sound of bells. In general, it is a slightly one-sided album, where vocal dynamism is missing. Like the sisters Anne & Kate McGarrigle, the two half-sisters here are known for strong vocals but on the album you'll find few challenging melodies, where you miss the fine two-partness that Anne and Kate mastered, and perhaps the intention is just to collect a series of lullabies and play those as they should and should be used: to put people to sleep. At least it's a bit of a long-sufferance.

Recommended mostly for 'little ones' who are ready to sleep.

[👎 allmusic.com 4 / 5, PopMatters 3,5 / 5, Q Magazine, 👍Mojo 3 / 5 stars ]

Etta James "Rocks the House" (1964) (live)

Rocks the House (live)
release date: Jan. 23, 1964
format: digital
[album rate: 4 / 5]

First live and 5th overall album release by Etta James released on Argo Records and produced by Leonard Chess and Etta James. The album is the recordings of a concerts held on the nights of Sep. 27 and 28, 1963 at the New Era Club in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. The album is very fine r&b, soul album with one of the genre's best vocal artists and is considered one of her best live albums ever recorded.
[ allmusic.com 5 / 5 stars ]

Let's Eat Grandma "I'm All Ears" (2018)

I'm All Ears
release date: Jun. 29, 2018
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,78]
producer: David Wrench
label: Transgressive Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Whitewater" - 3. "It's Not Just Me"

2nd studio album by Norwich-founded electropop-duo, Let's Eat Grandma consisting of the friends Jenny Hollingworth and Rosa Walton.
The album offers an energetic release with electropop tunes with a twist of something in between art pop and indietronica and sometimes fused with progressive pop. It's mostly moulded as a warm, positive sound, but it also contains a bitter-sweet tone and plenty of classic synth pop.
I'm All Ears has generally harvested critical acclaim from near and afar - which is the main reason for my interest here. I just don't quite understand the general reception. It's nice, and it's fine. I believe, that's the most positive, I can come up with. I don't find it specifically original, and the majority of the songs are easily forgotten. The singing voices of the two front figures are much alike and all together not impressive as musical instruments. I find elements of songs that I really like, but as an overall experience, I'm bewildered and confused 'cause it must contain something, I just don't appreciate. The best thing about the band is its name.
Not recommendable.
[ allmusic.com, Mojo, NME, The Times 4 / 5, Q, The Guardian 5 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]