Arcade Fire "Reflektor" (2013)

Reflektor
release date: Oct. 29, 2013
format: digital (2-disc)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,96]
producer: Arcade Fire, Markus Dravs, James Murphy
label: Merge Records - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "Reflektor" (3,5 / 5) - 2. "Flashbulb Eyes" - 4. "Here Comes the Night Time" - 5. "Normal Person" - 9. "Here Comes the Night Time II" - 13. "Afterlife"

4th studio album by Arcade Fire is a double cd released on Sonovox in Canada, and it follows three years after The Suburbs.

The style has altered - again. I guess, that's what they do. The chamber pop style is almost completely gone, and instead the album has a touch of electronic, or alt. dance.
My initial thoughts on the album were not positive and after some time I must say that I'm not convinced about this band anymore, as they have sort of ceased to interest me. Reflektor is somewhat boring, without glimpses of... interest. I think its close to mediocre and feel like handing it 3 out of 5 stars. It's not really bad, I just don't ever feel like listening to it 'cause nothing on it appeals to me.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 4,5 / 5, NME 4 / 5 stars ]

Efterklang "Piramida" (2012)

Piramida
release date: Sep. 24, 2012
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]
producer: Efterklang
label: Rumraket / 4AD Records - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Hollow Mountain" - 2. "Apples" - 3. "Sedna" - 4. "Told to Be Fine" - 7. "Black Summer" - 10. "Monument"

[ Trailer for the new album ]

4th studio album by Efterklang following 2½ years since the last album Magic Chairs (2010). Since that, Thomas Husmer left the band and Efterklang was then reduced to a trio consisting of vocalist and songwriter Casper Clausen, keyboardist Mads Brauer and bassist Rasmus Stolberg. German electronic musician Nils Frahm feature on tracks #1, #7, and #8.

Here the band take their style further into indie-pop territory but also explore a dream pop universe and more so leave some of the classical and art rock experiments somewhat behind. Before recording the album, the band went to the deserted arctic island of Spitsbergen, Norway, to make field recordings and by the use of senses gather up a natural source of sound structure that would eventually make a starting point and a foundation for their successive writing of songs for the album.

It's still unmistakably the sound of Efterklang with progressive song structures filled with rich organic textures and influences from ambient electronic but still with more focus on traditional song structure, and here and there (tracks #2-4, and #10) Casper Clausen makes me think of Matt Berninger of The National. I really enjoy this new-found blend of theirs and easily find it the band's so far best album.

[ allmusic.com, Under the Radar 4 / 5, 👍PopMatters 3,5 / 5, Drowned in Sound 4,5 / 5 stars ]

Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari' "Fly" (2006)

Fly
release date: Sep. 22, 2006
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]

Track highlights: 1. "Bacco perbacco" - 2. "Un kilo" - 3. "Occhi" (4 / 5) - 6. "È delicato" - 7. "L'amore è nell'aria" - 10. "Troppa fedeltà"

Released as 'Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari'. A fine return to a more singer / songwriter universe. Mind you, the changes are not big, Zucchero still plays blues and pop soul but the album is more subtle and emotional. My favourite is "Occhi" but it has several fine tracks. The release comes in various versions. There's an international English version having a different tracklist, and e.g. "Flying Away", an English version of "Occchi", among others. A bonus track version also exists, which includes most of the different versions.

Pearl Jam "Backspacer" (2009)

Backspacer
release date: Sep. 20, 2009
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,55]

producer: Brendan O'Brien
label: Monkeywrench Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Gonna See My Friend" - 3. "The Fixer" (4 / 5) - 6. "Amongst the Waves" - 7. "Unthought Known" - 10. "Force of Nature" - 11. "The End"

9th studio album by Pearl Jam released on Monkeywrench - a label founded by the band, from 2007 initially for the band's live recordings, but with this, also for future studio albums - sees a return to producer Brendan O'Brien.
The album was met by some mixed reviews, but I actually find it one of their better albums. Pearl Jam has always made great songs but always on albums with many fillers or music that I'm generally not that fond of. Hard rock or music that is to heavy rock-founded is normally not in my interest, and by gosh they have produced a lot of that on e.g. Binaural (2000), Riot Act (2002), and Pearl Jam (2006), so this is refreshing as some of the highlighted tracks are more "clean" alt. rock and / or energetic folk rock-fused.
"...fight to get it back ag-a-ain!", the biggest US rock band is back with Eddie Vedder as every good American loves him.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, The Guardian, Q, Spin, Rolling Stone 4 / 5, Drowned in Sound 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Anna von Hausswolff "Dead Magic" (2018)

Dead Magic
release date: Mar. 2, 2018
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,62]
producer: Randall Dunn
label: City Slang - nationality: Sweden

Tracklist: 1. "The Truth, the Glow, the Fall" - 2. "The Mysterious Vanishing of Electra" (live) - 3. "Ugly and Vengeful" (live) - 4. "The Marble Eye" - 5. "Källans återuppståndelse"

4th studio album by Anna von Hausswolff with new producer Randall Dunn builds on some of the same stylistic ingredients she revealed on her previous album, The Miraculous from 2015. The difference here, at a first listen, is the more lengthy compositions with two tracks above 10 minutes playing time and "just" 5 tracks in total, but it's also a collection of songs that sees the artist embrace elements from a huge variety of styles and genres. It's art pop, chamber pop, experimental rock, neoclassical darkwave and it's post rock, but without settling on one specific style - and that's a huge accomplishment as the end result - thanks to the original sound and the arrangements - is a very coherent yet extremely varied album.
The album was met by positive reviews, and once again places Anna von Hausswolff at the peak of her career with her so far finest release. What I really enjoy about this, is the inclusion of brighter and lighter pieces in her usually dark and sinister soundscape. It's not just the explorations of dark matter, but a journey through various musical landscapes that convey an uplifting sensation. Where her previous albums shared more with Diamanda Galás, she has now turned up more on her Kate Bush kinship - which really suits her sound.
Recommendable.
[ allmusic.com, Mojo and Q all hand it 4 / 5, PopMatters and SputnikMusic 4,5 / 5 stars ]

Marie Key "Giganter" (2018)

Giganter

release date: Jul. 20, 2018

format: vinyl / digital (14 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,67]

producer: Rasmus Bille Bähncke, Jannik Brandt Thomsen

label: Genlyd / Sony Music - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 2. "Bruge dig" - 3. "Det vi sagde" - 5. "Regn" - 6. "Stjernerne falder (feat. Medina)" - 7. "Giganter" - 9. "Korn" - 10. "Spot (feat. Benal)" - 14. "Frie"

4th studio album by Marie Key following nearly 3½ years after Tænker du vi danser (Feb. 2015) marks a change in more than one way. Previously, she has teamed up with producer Andreas 'Maskinen' Sommer, who also arranged the music, but he is not credited on this new album. Instead, the majority of the songs are composed by Rasmus Bille Bähncke (producer of primarily dance-pop), and three songs co-composed by Jannik Thomsen (aka Jay - part of the Danish pop-duo Nik & Jay), who also features as vocalist on track #9, and the other half of the duo, Niclas Genkel Petersen (aka Nik) is co-writer and co-vocalist on track #14. And then also both the two Danish artists Medina and Benal feature on one song each (tracks #6 and #10 respectively).

With pop, hip hop-duo Nik & Jay, dance-pop vocalist Medina, and hip hop artist Benal as featuring artists, the album is a bolder pop and hip hop outing than her previous albums, which is also stressed by the choice of producer (Bähncke) and mixer Alex Epton (aka XXXchange).

Key's two previous albums both topped the Danish albums chart but Giganter 'only' peaked as number #9, briefly, and on the year-end list, the album wasn't included in top-100 - and no singles have registrered entries, although both "Det vi sagde", "Regn", "Stjernerne falder", and the title track were on heavy rotation on DR P3.

Imo, I think Giganter is Marie Key's perhaps second best. But despite an attempt to showcase a new sound formula, my only little grain of critique is that some songs here tend to follow melodic paths, where she has taken us before and the pop scene is not where she rightfully belongs. That said, this new collection of songs only serves to prove her status as one of the most vital contemporary Danish artist.

Recommended.

[ Gaffa.dk, Soundvenue, Ekstra Bladet 3 / 6, Politiken 5 / 6 stars ]

Mogwai "Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will" (2011)

Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will

release date: Feb. 2, 2011

format: 2 cd (Japan issue)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,48]

producer: Paul Savage & Mogwai

label: Rock Action / Hostess Entertainment Unlimited - nationality: Scotland, UK

Track highlights: 1. "White Noise" - 2. "Mexican Grand Prix" - 3. "Rano Pano" - 4. "Death Rays" - 7. "George Square Thatcher Death Party" - 8. "How to Be a Werewolf" - 10. "You're Lionel Richie" - *11. "Slight Domestic"

*bonus track on Japanese issue

7th studio album succeeding a nearly fixed 2½ years period in between albums following The Hawk Is Howling (Sep. 2008), preceeding Rave Tapes (2014), and following their first live album Special Moves (released Aug. 2010). This Japanese issue comes with three bonus tracks - two added to the standard album making it a 10 tracks album of 62 minutes (9 minutes longer than the standard version) and with one extra track on a bonus disc containing a 23 minutes composition.

Compared to the 2008 album this seems like a general improvement. The music may reflect a more dominant quietness than usually with Mogwai, although, it doesn't come through as an ambient soundtrack album - there's just more space on the individual compositions and then it doesn't sound as if they build on any particular period of theirs. In that respect it sounds more like a fresh start combining piano parts with dominance of guitars, and then there's just less room for the ordinary slow / fast, soft / hard-opposites. Instead, the songs come out as more progressive structures, which could be interpreted as a sign of maturity, but which ultimately only proves that Mogwai are still capable of looking forward and evolve.

[ allmusic.com, NME, Drowned in Sound 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, 👍Pitchfork 6,6 / 10, PopMatters 3 / 5 stars ]

The National "Sleep Well Beast" (2017)

Sleep Well Beast
release date: Sep. 8, 2017
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,67]
producer: Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner
label: 4AD Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Nobody Else Will Be There" - 2. "Day I Die" - 4. "The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness" - 8. "I'll Still Destroy You" - 9. "Guilty Party" - 10. "Carin at the Liquor Store" - 12. "Sleep Well Beast"

7th studio album by The National, produced by the Dessner brothers follows nearly 4½ years after the fine Trouble Will Find Me (May 2013). Apparently, the album doesn't add much new to the band's well-known formula of a softer version of post-punk revival in combination with chamber pop, and it does start much like what could sound as a collection of left-overs from the 2013 album. But it only appears that way, 'cause it also reveals a slight twist / a new dimension to their sound, adding layers of synths, electronic sound effects, and drum programming to their familiar soundscape. It's done in a highly sophisticated manner, where the overall impression of a change of style isn't disrupted by obvious additions. The long list of additional brass and strings musicians also suggest a bolder chamber pop direction than the end result actually reveals, all because of intelligent layering and arrangements that support an idea - or: the whole picture.
The album may not contain a new "Bloodbuzz Ohio" or "I Need My Girl" but less will do, and I think, that the notion of 'less is more' really frames this album pretty neatly.
The quintet remains the same as The National has established from its second album out, but a few adjustments have seen the daylight since then, e.g. the entire band often used to be credited the various songs on their early albums, or the individual compositions had various songwriters from band members - mostly with vocalist Matt Berninger as songwriter, but with this, the majority of the songs have lyrics by Berninger and his wife Carin Besser [the 'Carin at the Liquor Store'?], and the music is mostly composed by the Dessner brothers, or just Aaron Dessner.
The album was generally met by positive reviews and it has become the band's internationally best-charting album to date topping the chart lists in countries such as Canada, Ireland, and the UK despite not performing as well as the band's former albums in the US. No less than five singles were released from this album with track #4 as first single - followed in order by tracks #9, #10, #2, and #8 with the first and the second as the best charting single releases.
What may appear as the grey and dull replica of former material has definitely turned out as a grower, imho. Recommended.
[ allmusic.com, The Guardian, Q Magazine, Mojo, NME, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

Sällskapet "Disparition" (2018)

Disparition

release date: Mar. 16, 2018

format: digital

[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,15]

producer: Sällskapet

label: BMG Music - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights 2. "Morgenlicht" - 4. "Westerplatte" - 5. "L'autostrada"

3rd studio album by the Swedish duo-project Sällskapet and its first without founding member Joachim Thåström, who left guitarist Pelle Ossler and multi-instrumentalist Niklas Hellberg in 2015. Here, the two have composed nine new songs with German guest vocalist Andrea Schroeder, who is credited as songwriter of eight songs - track #4 is an instrumental, and Thåström appears as guest musician on two compositions. Scroeder has previously released three solo albums - all with titles and lyrics in English, and she plays a major role on Engle og dæmoner (2012) by Danish band Farmen, and she appears on Thåström's Centralmassivet (2017) with backing vocals on one song.

Musically, it's related to Nowy Port from 2013, although, the soundscape has lost some of the experimental bits and instead focused more on scarse instrumentation and melody-structure, which may be referred to as 'ambient-industrial', and then of course it makes a considerable change having German as vocal side. Schroeder's singing voice actually fits the dark arrangements nicely. Her alto coloured tone echoes the sound of Edith Piaf and Marlene Dietrich without sharing obvious original qualities but it adds a certain 'pop noir' quality, but the music tends to stay much on the same track throughout most of all 43 minutes, which makes it a bit of a bland experience.

Not all bad, but mostly interesting without breaking musical boundaries.

Andrew Hung "Realisationship" (2017)

Realisationship [debut]

release date: Oct. 13, 2017

format: digital (9 x File, FLAC)

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

producer: Andrew Hung

label: Lex Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Say What You Want" - 2. "Elbow" - 4. "Private Commercial" - 5. "Whispers" - 7. "Sugar Pops" - 8. "Animal" - 9. "Open Your Eyes"

Studio album debut by electronic artist Andrew Hung, one-half of the duo Fuck Buttons, following his soundtrack to the British comedy film "The Greasy Strangler" (2016) by Jim Hosking.

Stylistically, this falls quite far from music by Fuck Buttons by being much more founded on melody, vocals, and traditional music compositions. Blanck Mass [Benjamin John Power], the other half of Fuck Buttons, released his third album World Eater earlier this year, and if you'd expect something similar from Hung that's not really the case. Instrumentally, the music is still electronica, but where Fuck Buttons, and to some extent Blanck Mass, both focus on instrumental progression and complexity, Realisationship is more simple with loanes from Aphex Twin and LCD Soundsystem, and in a way, it's like a condensation of that.

I find it much in common with the alt. dance and indietronica of LCD Soundsystem with focus on synthpop and drum beats, but the music here is commonly labelled as 'chiptune' - which implies sounds stemming from early computer systems and video games. On top of melody-based compositions, Hung swings and sings through nine compositions running a total of 37 minutes. There's a fine positive dance-related energy and still a highly simplistic tone - at times it feels a bit too narrow, but it still sounds like a refreshing breeze. It's not too complicated, but also with only little to offer in terms of impressive arrangements and strong songs. It's fine, it's definitely good, and not so much more.

[ Uncut 3,5 / 5, SputnikMusic 4 / 5 stars ]

Tom Waits "Bad as Me" (2011)

Bad as Me
release date: Oct. 24, 2011
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,12]
producer: Tom Waits & Kathleen Brennan
label: ANTI- - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Chicago" (4 / 5) - 2. "Raised Right Men" (4 / 5) - 3. "Talking at the Same Time" - 4. "Get Lost" (4,5 / 5) - 6. "Pay Me" - 7. "Back in the Crowd" - 8. "Bad as Me" (4,5 / 5) - 10. "Satisfied" (4 / 5) - 12. "Hell Broke Luce" (5 / 5) - 13. "New Year's Eve"

17the studio album by Tom Waits following Real Gone (2004) with seven full years.

What a comeback album! Everyone should own a copy. Much of what makes it so great is Waits ability to combine all the styles he has experimented with over four decades into one harmonious release. Bad as Me contains vocal jazz, electric blues rock, cabaret music with ties to Kurt Weill, and it contains experimental art rock tunes linking to Captain Beefheart - all of this mixed well and thoroughly together into single compositions, as well as being poured over the entire album.

Still, there are quite big differences between the individual tracks and there is of course the special Tom Waits touch to hold it all together. Also, I think this is the first time he really succeeds with his most experimental expression since Swordfishtrombones (1983) and through it manages to create songs of the highest quality.

2011 Favourite releases: 1. The Streets Computers and Blues - 2. Tom Waits Bad as Me - 3. Liz Green O, Devotion!

LCD Soundsystem "American Dream" (2017)

American Dream
release date: Sep. 1, 2017
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,84]
producer: James Murphy
label: DFA / Columbia - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Oh Baby" (live) - 2. "Other Voices" - 3. "I Used To" - 4. "Change Yr Mind" - 6. "Tonite" - 7. "Call the Police" - 9. "Emotional Haircut"

4th studio album by LCD Soundsystem who had re-united in 2016 is like the third album basically a James Murphy project-album featuring old associates. Looking at the credit list for the album, Murphy plays almost all instruments, though Al Doyle also contribute on several tracks, but official band members Pat Mahoney, Nancy Whang, Tyler Pope, Gavin Rayna Russom, Matt Thornley and Korey Richey nearly only appear on one or two tracks.
Stylistically, LCD Soundsystem still plays on some of the same sources - with some tracks being more electronic, some in the rock genre of alt. dance and dance-punk, and then there are more bold elements of synthpop scattered all over the album, which together with the electronic bits makes it a rather fresh and energetic collection of songs that makes me think of Underworld - only with more power.
In my mind, this is not only the best studio album and a nice surprise by LCD Soundsystem, it's also one of the best albums of 2017.
[ allmusic.com, Mojo, Q Magazine, Rolling Stone 4 / 5, Daily Telegraph, NME, The Guardian 5 / 5 stars ]