Sigur Rós "Átta" (2023)

Átta

release date: Jun. 23, 2023

format: 2 lp vinyl (gatefold - 45 rpm) / digital (10 x File, FLAC)

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

producer: Sigur Rós, Paul Corley

label: Von Dur / Krúnk - nationality: Iceland

Track highlights: 1. "Glóð" - 2. "Blóðberg" - 3. "Skel" - 4. "Klettur" - 7. "Gold" - 10. "Átta"

8th studio album by Sigur Rós following a whole decade after Kveikur. Since then, the band has released the remix album Route One, the 'endless mixtape' Liminal, Limnial 2, and the soundtrack Odin's Raven Magic (Dec. 2020). In early '22 the band announced that Kjartan Sveinsson had rejoined the band - he had left in early 2012 - again, making it a trio of Jónsi, Hólm and Sveinsson, but still no replacement for drummer Orri Dýrason, the band has made the new album with little focus on drums and percussion. Former touring member (2012-13) Ólafur Ólafsson is credited as additional personnel playing percussion on an album, which also counts London Contemporary Orchestra and several horn instrumentalists. The album is produced by the band and with American sound artist Paul Corley, who was installed as music director for Sigur Rós in 2016.

The album both reinstates former virtues of harmony-driven melodies with especially Jónsi delivering his characteristic singing style but it also appears as a new version combining a quiet ambient sound of keyboards and synths in unison with the addition of strings and horns. It's almost made completely without traces of drums, bass or guitars, but with a compositional 'progressive' ingredient, the songs echo former album moments of sheer beauty.

At first, the album may appear as closed and very etheral, but it contains more when given the attention it deserves. It's not necessarily among the band's most audience-friendly experiences - it may denote introspectiveness and fragility but it comes with 'hidden' layers to unfold, and I really enjoy the musical journey it invites us on. With Átta, Sigur Rós is definitely back on full sails.

Highly recommended.

[ Pitchfork 7,2 / 10, 👍NME, Clash, Exclaim! 4 / 5 stars ]

2023 Favourite releases: 1. Anohni and the Johnsons My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross - 2. Ukendt Kunstner Dansktop - 3. Sigur Rós Átta

Lotte Kestner "Walk Unfraid" (2023) (single)

Walk Unafraid, single

release date: May 30, 2023

format: digital (1 x File, FLAC)

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

producer: self-produced

label: self-released (bandcamp) - nationality: USA

Tracklist: "Walk Unfraid (R.E.M. cover)"

Single release by Lotte Kestner released via the artist's bandcamp-profile in support of #bravehood ('a community of many supporting children in emergency situations').

The original is taken from the R.E.M. album Up (1998), and the song is one of my personal all-time favourites by the great band from Athens, Georgia. Kestner is famous for making cover versions, and this one is a highly remarkable and original version by being a lo-fi stripped-down song but also a multi-layered track by the way she has made use of several tracks in the mixing of the recording - to some extent in an unusual manner in the case of Kestner covers that are often quite simple arrangements. That alone makes it a most interesting version, as she has made lots of covers using only guitar with vocal, or piano with vocal, but to hear how she maintains a minimalist expression while turning up on the arrangement-button is something new and a most welcome introduction to her soundscape.

Wet Leg "Wet Leg" (2022)

Wet Leg [debut]

release date: Apr. 8, 2022

format: digital (12 x File, MP3)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,54]

producer: Dan Carey

label: Domino Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Being in Love" - 2. "Chaise Longue" - 4. "I Don't Wanna Go Out" - 5. "Wet Dream" - 8. "Ur Mum" - 10. "Piece of Shit" - 12. "Too Late Now"

Studio album debut by Isle of Wight-founded duo Wet Leg consisting of lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter Rhian Teasdale and lead guitarist Hester Chambers who appears to have formed the duo in 2019. Several singles have been released from this album - actually, no less than six singles preceded this release with "Chaise Longue" issued as the duo's first hit already in Jun. 2021 followed by "Wet Dream", Sep. '21, and then the double-single "Oh No" / "Too Late Now" followed in Nov. '21. In early 2022 "Angelica" (Feb. 2022) and "Ur Mum" (Apr. 2022) all were issued prior to an actual album release. Despite being promoted as a duo, the two are backed by a list of stable names, which include multi-instrumentalist Joshua Mobaraki, bassist Michael Champion, drummer Henry Holmes, and producer and keyboardist Dan Carey.

Musically, the duo embrace a simple garage rock and indie rock sound, which to my remembrance sounds inspired by stylistic variations from both sides of the Atlantic: a late 1980s / early 1990s college rock / indie rock / grunge rock-inspiration stemming from US artists and what could be British indie pop / dream pop / post-punk-sources from the same period. And then of course there's that something else, which makes it quite a refreshing cocktail, although, I keep getting that echo from former songs and bands when listening to this.

The album was met by general acclaim going all the way to the number #1 spot on the UK albums chart list, number #14 on the US Billboard 200, and it won the Grammy category as 'Best Alternative Music Album' in 2023, which is why I gave it a listen and I do enjoy it, although, I don't find it a strong original album, it's nevertheless worth more than a spin or two.

[ allmusic.com, The Guardian, Rolling Stone 4 / 5, 👍Pitchfork 7,2 / 10, The Observer 3 / 5, NME 5 / 5 stars ]

Cat Power "Covers" (2022)

Covers

release date: Jan. 14, 2022

format: cd (BRC687, Japan)

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

producer: Chan Marshall

label: Domino / Beat - nationality:

Track highlights: 1. "Bad Religion" (live) - 3. "Pa Pa Power" - 6. "Against the Wind" - 8. "These Days" - 10. "I Had a Dream Joe" - 12. "I'll Be Seeing You" (4 / 5)

11th studio album by Cat Power following nearly 3½ years after Wanderer (Oct. 2018) is Power's first with Domino after leaving Matador. Cat Power has previously made covers and made it one of her strongest assets. And as the title here suggests, this one appears as a sequel to her The Covers Record from 2000. This new selection more or less copies the idea of covering songs from a large variety of styles and periods. The diversity in the original material is extremely wide, as she covers songs of neo-soul (Frank Ocean), vocal jazz (Billie Holiday), country rock (Bob Seger), celtic rock (The Pogues), folk pop (Jackson Browne), and punk blues (Nick Cave), just to mention one half of the songs. It's an extreme span, although, yes, Cat Power ensures stylistic connection in these new arrangements. I'm just not entirely convinced about the idea to grab songs from any musical shelf to see if it will work. It's possible, yes, but is it that original? And then, she even challenges the idea of having a mutual foundation in the arrangements 'cause there is no common foundation there. "I Had a Dream Joe" comes so close to the original that it somehow sticks out, and several other songs do exactly that - so there goes coherency like it does on her 2000 album. In that regard it's somewhat like repeating what could have been an obvious mistake from her first covers album, although, this new collection betters the former. Chan Marshall is a gifted arranger, and she could possibly have done better when chosing original songs. What on the other hand work really well, is her intense emmotional contribution to well-known songs. She seems capable of covering whatever song and still make it hers. She's an absolute wonderful interpretor and performer - just love that vocal.

Recommendation: probably mostly for fans.

[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Pitchfork 7,7 / 10, 👍The Guardian 3 / 5 stars ]