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