St. Vincent "All Born Screaming" (2024)

All Born Screaming

release date: Apr. 26, 2024

format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)

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

producer: St. Vincent

label: Total Pleasure - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Hell Is Near" - 2. "Reckless" (live) - 3. "Broken Man" (live) - 4. "Flea" - 6. "Violent Times" - 7. "The Power's Out" - 8. "Sweetest Fruit"

8th studio album by St. Vincent follows three years after the generally acclaimed Daddy's Home (May 2021), though, I'm not a fan of that. Actually, The Nowhere Inn (Sep. 2021) is filed as her most recent release but being a soundtrack it doesn't officially belong amongst her studio releases, although, it's more than an ordinary soundtrack being music to afilm with script by Annie Clark and starring Clark herself.

Anyway, this new album unfolds as her so far most electrified and angry album to date. In that regard, it's a warm welcome back to Annie Clark the guitarist; however, in the case of St. Vincent things are not meant to be and cannot be categorised in terms of rock-standards. Clark is a modern musician with a musically schooled background and she is probably one of the most non-conformist acts around, who grabs stylistic impulses like you would pick books on a shelf. Sometimes she builds on a predominantly psychedelic rock tradition but it doesn't take more than a listen to two to three songs here and you have soul, blues, r&b, contemporary pop, indie pop and a whole bunch of other influences blended in.

So what's it like then? Well, critics can't be wrong, can they? They all like it. Alexis Petridis of The Guardian calls it "...the unmasking of a great American songwriter" and claims the album is 'packed with ideas' and yet he also points to the impression that's it contains 'shape-shifting music'. Undoubtedly, the album sounds like the music from no one else - in that regard, St. Vincent is a guarantee of unique music. The other side of that coin is that it sounds exactly like St. Vincent. Some songs build on a stereo-typical matrix of arrangements and of chorus-structures that we've heard about seven times before. Perhaps, critics focus on lyrics and narrative ideas? It's never enough when dealing with music. For me, it leaves me slightly indifferent. No track in particular stand out as one I really enjoy and return to, but yes, it's generally good, and it's better than a lot of other albums, but it's not great. What I really like about it, is the absence of strong influence from one Mr. David Byrne. Apparently, it has taken twelve years to get further into her own soundscape, and that's the most positive, I hear on All Born Screaming, which basically sounds like Clark's continued journey following her best album Mercy from 2011.

Recommended.

[ allmusic.com, NME, Slant 4,5 / 5, Mojo, Rolling Stone 4 / 5, Pitchfork 7,8 / 10, 👉Exclaim! 3,5 / 5, 🙀The Guardian 5 / 5, stars ]

[ digital album may be purchased here ]

Pearl Jam "Dark Matter" (2024)

Dark Matter

release date: Apr. 19, 2024

format: digital (11 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]

producer: Andrew Watt

label: Monkeywrench - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Scared of Fear" - 2. "React, Respond" - 3. "Wreckage" (live) - 4. "Dark Matter" - 5. "Won't Tell" - 10. "Got to Give" - 11. "Setting Sun"

12th studio album by old-time rockers, Pearl Jam following four full years after the predictable and rather redundant Gigaton (Mar. 2020) has been made with young upcoming producer Andrew Watt. Four years is usually quite a long time in between studio albums but in the case of Pearl Jam, it's actually seen as a short interval. And then of course, the band hasn't missed an opportunity to release other material. The live album Give Way (Apr. 2023) had previously been circulating as a popular Australian pirate material recording of a 1998 concert in Melbourne and it has been released under various titles such as From Down Under, Human Behaviour, and Brain of JJJ, and then also as of '98 as Give Way, a limited promotion release, which was quickly withdrawn as it hadn't been officially approved of. So, not until '23 it saw the light of day as an official release. The relative long intervals in between studio albums probably also derives from how this band has made it customary to release live recordings of its concert performances every now and then - or more frequently: 'every now', actually. In 2023, the band released no less than eight official so-called live bootleg albums, and in 2022 that number is much higher, which is quite telling in terms of how to make an 'extra' income on your live concerts these days. Bruce Springsteen is another artist who has understood this to near perfection.

Dark Matter pretty much feels like a return to the band's heydays with producer Brendan O'Brien, also in the arrangements where you find the sharp energy-fused songs blended with tracks of more ballad-oriented material, and Andrew Watt does exactly what was intended by introducing a new spark. Vedder sounds like you know him, and the band comes out as a vital and tight unit, which by no means makes you think of an act with limited potential. On the other hand, there's hardly anything new in the repertoire here, which in many ways builds on former releases and former peaks.

Without being a 'Backspacer, part 2', or a new Yield, Dark Matter actually succeeds unexpectedly well and it even betters the 2009 album, at least from my perspective, and I havent found the band this vital since then, or since 1998 for that matter. I know, the 2009 album was regarded as a step in the wrong direction by some. Yes, "Wreckage" may sound like Pearl Jam blending some of their old classic catalogue, but who really would expect this band to sound like some other act?! And in that way Dark Matter unfolds just like a Pearl Jam album 'should'.

Dark Matter is an unexpected warm revisit from old friends telling us they're still sound and alive. I like it!

[ allmusic.com, NME 4 / 5, 👉Pitchfork 6,4 / 10 stars ]

Black Grape "Orange Head" (2024)

Orange Head

release date: Jan. 19, 2024

format: cd (Deluxe Edition)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,70]

producer: Youth (aka Martin Glover)

label: Dgaff Recordings - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Dirt" - 2. "Pimp Wars" - 3. "Button Eyes" - 4. "Quincy" - 5. "In the Ground" - 6. "Loser" - 7. "Milk" - 8. "Panda" - 9. "Self Harm" - 10. "Sex on the Beach" - *12. "Part of Everything"

*Bonus track on Deluxe Edition

4th studio album by Black Grape following seven years after Pop Voodoo (Jul. 2017) is a return of Shaun Ryder in unison with Kermit (aka Paul Leveridge), and also Youth was producer on the predecessor. Seven years in between albums would normally be regarded as a no-go in the music business but Ryder has made it his modus operandi one that doesn't adjust to traditions or standard approaches. Besides, he's never been an artist who sticks to one horse only. In 2021 he released his second solo titled Visits From Future Technology (Aug. 2021), and then he has been busy touring and performing as either Happy Mondays or Black Grape.

Not surprisingly, Orange Head sounds much like we've come to know of Shaun Ryder from whatever disguise he has chosen. sometimes it's positive party dance-oriented, at other times there's more darkness and even some The Prodigy-inspired techno-rave-stuff thrown in here and there. That said, Ryder certainly represents a most lively style that I somehow feel addicted to. His notorious, slight nasal, speak-singing is one of the most original voices in modern pop music. He even jokes about this on "Button Eyes" when going "I find it funny that I can't sing!". All lyrics are basically always taking a starting point in actual lived life situations mixed with skewed perspectives on politics and culture in general where you both find easily understandable references and what appears as cryptic narratives. Just like the music, it's one huge pot of styles. But it works so well and it's always delivered with a sneer, a wink, and / or both. The great thing is, that since Ryder bounced back - both after serious financial troubles and from years with heavy substance abuse, he sparkles and shines like never before. He's in his 60s, life has given him obvious ups and downs and part of that is family: four ex-wives, six children, and a new perspective on life, but he's now better than ever and it's just a treat to listen to Ryder, Kermit and Youth delivering their own blend of modern pop music with loans from this and that.

It's addictive and recommended.

[ musicOMH, Louder Than War, Buzzmag 4 / 5, Uncut 3,5 / 5 stars - 👉Guardian interview ]

And Also the Trees "Mother-of-pearl Moon" (2024)

Mother-of-pearl Moon

release date: Feb. 23, 2024

format: digital (11 x File, FLAC)

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

producer: Matthew Devenish

label: AATT - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "The Whaler" (4 / 5) - 3. "Town Square" - 4. "Mother-of-pearl Moon" - 5. "This Path Through the Meadow" - 6. "Valdrada" - 8. "Visions of a Stray" - 9. "Field After Field" - 10. "Ypsilon"

[ album playlist ]

16th studio album by And Also the Trees follows 1½ years after The Bone Carver (Sep. 2023) and is like that made with producer Matthew Devenish and to the usual procedure the album is released on the band's own label.

The album shows a will to explore stylistic ground anew, and in that regard this new collection of songs differ from the band's most recent releases, which have all shown a stronger audible bond to the band's origins in a gothic rock setting. Mother-of-Pearl Moon invites us on a more mellow and subtle type of transport, which is both like a movement through different familiar places as well as a journey through time - and not as such back to the 1980s as much as much further back to another Century. Songwriter Simon Jones shapes these poetic pieces with his dark vocal as centre structure coloured by delicate percussion, bass and strings, which takes us through ancient European landscapes, often inspired by an atmosphere you would be likely to locate to 19th Century Paris or London. Originally, the band expressed itself with excessive theatrical postures - the link to a world of plays still lures on all tracks but in a much more refined manner provoking to your stolen attention, because the music cannot lie when it opens up and reveal its true nature. And that's a truly remarkable and fascinating creature they have come up with this time.

Mother-of-pearl Moon is no less than a great release from one of Britain's underestimated acts.

Highly recommended.

[ SputnikMusic 4 / 5 stars ]

[ bandcamp ]

Solen Er Sexet "Solen er sexet" (2022)

Solen er sexet [debut]

release date: Jun. 3, 2022

format: digital (sPlotify)

[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,36]

producer: various

label: Cloudland Records - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 3. "Kyndelmisse kys mig"

Conceptual project album from Solen Er Sexet - here represented by a Danish music collective led by songwriter Lise Westzynthius and author and playwright Bjørn Rasmussen. Both are credited the majority of the songs here and both contribute as vocalists. The album feature a vast group of individuals, some of which have co-written the songs with Westzynthius and Rasmussen and participants count performers with aliases like HunBjørn, Solveig, GRO, Vakle, peachlyfe, Princess Waterfall, O/RIOH, alongside the following: Anna Brønsted, Frederik Valentin, Laurids Bruun Rørvig, Søren Bigum, Niels Gröndahl, Maria Laurette Friis, and Henrik Vibskov - the latter also took part in the Danish band Luksus together with Westzynthius. Producer credits of the individual songs seems based on the featuring 'guest(s)'.

Lise Westzynthius most recently released the album JA (Sep. 2018), which already pointed to a new focal point of her music, which I experienced as having a new-religous tone of naivety. This is indeed another leap into an extraordinary field of performative expression. I'm fully aware that the album has been met by some positive reviews from established national newspapers and music magazines. That said, I have been in doubt about how to meet this release. My first reaction was one of big surprise and something I found was a disbelief - both when listening to sheer musical qualities and then when confronted by the lyrics. Put together, there's undoubtedly musicality at stake. I think that's a most positive notion and probably the one I'm able to utter 'cause fact is, it's more extreme than good. In some ways, and without further comparison, it's a bit like what I experienced upon listening to Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter's SAVED (2023) in terms of an immediate sense of disbelief. And there's a lot of that going on when listening to Solen er sexet, which btw. translates to 'The Sun Is Sexy', and the end result unfortunately also include my personal rejection of the music, which it also did in the case of Hayter. Musically, it's mostly anything but challenging and completely held in a harmony-driven gear like someone who only hits the white keys on the keyboard. Lyrically, the songs reflect composer skills but not without a strong implication of not only simplicity but also a new age-/new-found-Christian-/new-nature-religious-like naivety. The whole music collective seems fully emerged in a nature-eros lifestyle, which oozes through music and lyrical content. Without pointing any fingers at the performing collective, they obviously represent and embrace non-binary and multiple sexualities; however, their common musical product here reek anything but deeper intellectual thoughts, which in many ways actually reflect the strongest asset but also, and that's most critical: it also imbellishes an amateurish approach that too often reminds me of what you would expect from a secondary school or high-school musical happening.

The songs are positive in subject treatment and even showcase creative, original rhyming phrases. And that's when focusing on a positive feedback regarding artistic intention, but most choruses, and even in the verses, the language is extremely naive and repetitious. "Skødesløse lænder", "Kom i mit smil", "Hej gud", "Heidi her", "Fiskes liste" are all hard to listen to because of downright amateurish language. To me, this is bad on too many parameters and frankly below mediocre. I think, I actually rate it higher only due to the positive starting point and the all-embracing vibes because how can you not welcome someone, when their only desire is to reach out and to preach peace, love, and harmony?

[ Gaffa.dk, Side 33 4 / 6 stars ]

Sharon Van Etten "We've Been Going About This All Wrong" (2022)

We've Been Going About This All Wrong

release date: May 6, 2022

format: digital (14 x File, FLAC) (Deluxe Edition)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]

producer: Sharon Van Etten and Daniel Knowles

label: Jagjaguwar - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Darkness Fades" - 5. "Born" - 6. "Headspace" - 7. "Come Back" - 9. "Mistakes" - *12. "Porta" - *14. "When I Die"

*bonus track on Deluxe Edition

6th studio album by Sharon Van Etten follows more than 3 years after Remind Me Tomorrow (Jan. 2019). The album has been described by Etten as her 'pandemic record', and that becomes clearer upon listening to a more introvert and desolate collection of songs than what she normally puts out - and that even says quite a bit 'cause Van Etten is an artist who has released albums that reek inner perspective more than anything. In that regard, this new album is two-tongued exposing inner thoughts and sentiments but at the same dealing with a pandemic catastrophe as an outer dialogue. It's about climate, about making the wrong choices on behalf of humanity and life as such. The cover nicely depicts the danger with luring flames, threating homes and nature by eating up everything. The standard edition of the album comes with ten tracks running for a total of 39 minutes - the Deluxe Edition extends it to 55 minutes.

Much as usual, a new Van Etten album takes processing. At first it may sound familiar and alike her previous releases, as a mock up of sorts but given attention, it stands much on its own, with fragility as a common determinator of every song on yet another fine album.

Recommended.

[ Exclaim!, PopMatters 4 / 5, Pitchfork 7,8 / 10, 👉Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, 👎The Guardian, NME 3 / 5 stars ]

Brittany Howard "What Now" (2024)

What Now

release date: Feb. 9, 2024

format: digital (12 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,82]

producer: Brittany Howard, Shawn Everett

label: Island - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Earth Sign" - 2. "I Don't" - 3. "What Now" - 4. "Red Flags" - 5. "To Be Still" - 8. "Prove It to You" - 9. "Samson" - 11. "Power to Undo" - 12. "Every Color in Blue"

2nd solo album by Brittany Howard is the more than four year old follow-up to Jaime (Sep. 2019). Bassist Zac Cockrell of Alabama Shakes is credited on this, just as he featured on her solo debut, which also counts drummer Nate Smith as recurring musician. The album was generally made with only a handful of performers, which include the two keyboardists, Lloyd Buchanan and Paul Horton, and aside from these four only guitarist Brad Williams and trumpeter Rod McGaha feature on two songs each.

What Now is showcasing all the various styles Howard seems influenced by, but under her guidance it never feels as too many styles have been involved. Actually, to me, this is a bit like echoing how Prince used to arrange songs with that little detail that this is ever so much better. What Now simply appears as Brittany Howard's best release in her post-Alabama Shakes period. Now why doesn't she release music more often?! Ah well, better have a great album than one with only a few good songs, and this one is a most delightful release despite containing songs about negative aspects of life such as climate changes, global crisis, and political climate / turmoil of her home country, and then: these are appropriate subjects to address at the current time, so better deal with what's at stake. And thanks to Howard's musicality, she manages to wrap her songs up in great music and ultimately, simply hands us one of this year's best albums.

This is highly recommended and one to pay attention to.

[ allmusic.com Mojo, NME 4 / 5, 👍Pitchfork 8,3 / 10, Uncut 4,5 / 5, The Guardian 5 / 5 stars ]

Hurray for the Riff Raff "The Past Is Still Alive" (2024)

The Past Is Still Alive

release date: Feb. 23, 2024

format: vinyl (translucent orange crush) / digital (11 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,08]

producer: Brad Cook

label: Nonesuch - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Alibi" (4 / 5) (live) - 2. "Buffalo" - 3. "Hawkmoon" (4 / 5) - 4. "Colossus of Roads" (4 / 5) - 5. "Snake Plant (The Past Is Still Alive)" (4 / 5) (live) - 6. "Vetiver" - 8. "Dynamo" - 9. "The World Is Dangerous"

9th studio album by Hurray for the Riff Raff following two years after the acclaimed Life on Earth (Feb. 2022) and is like that made with producer Brad Cook, who also plays bass on the album. Alynda Segarra is credited all songs.

Stylewise, the album is more folk-oriented as opposed to the indie rock feel of the 2022 album, and although the predecessor is a true gem this definitely has other strengths but most of all only establishes Segarra as one of the finest contemporary American singer /songwriters.

The Past Is Still Alive is one of this year's best albums and as such an album you should know.

Highly recommended.

EDIT Aug. 13, 2024:

Last night I experienced Hurray for the Riff Raff live at Voxhall, Aarhus, and that was just an absolute fabulous concert with a playfull four-piece and Alynda in peak performance. The band mostly played the songs from this new album, but instead of just repeating the studio arrangements, they trew the rock-version at us. I really enjoy the album but I must say: in a rock-frame these songs all shined ever so brightly. The releative small audience were all cheering and clapping for more 'cause Segarra and the band showed us what a great act they are. At times they played tight, soulful and bluesy reminding me of Neil Young & Crazy Horse or Alabama Shakes, at other times they hit repetive intervals that made me think of Band of Horses, at other times it was southern guitar rock in the style of Kings of Leon, and then most of the time they just sounded like no one else and led by one shiny Alynda Segarra. Over time and with a matured set of songs, this album has come out even stronger, and I feel it's closing in on another peak for Hurray for the Riff Raff as a strong contender to album of the year.

[ allmusic.com, Line of Best Fit 4,5 / 5, BeatsPerMinute 85 / 100, Pitchfork 8,3 / 10, Exclaim! 4 / 5 stars ]

2024 Favourite releases: 1. Adrienne Lenker Bright Future - 2. Hurray for the Riff-Raff The Past Is Still Alive - 3. Cassandra Jenkins My Light, My Destroyer

Gossip "Real Power" (2024)

Real Power

release date: Mar. 22, 2024

format: digital (11 x File, FLAC)

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

producer: Rick Rubin

label: Columbia - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Act of God" - 2. "Real Power" - 3. "Don't Be Afraid" - 4. "Crazy Again" (4 / 5) - 5. "Edge of the Sun" - 6. "Give It Up for Love" - 8. "Tell Me Something" - 9. "Light It Up"

6th studio album by Gossip following 12 years after A Joyful Noise (May 2012), which up until this year has been regarded as the band's final album after which front figure Beth Ditto pursued a solo career and concentrated on her own clothing line. Ditto released her solo debut Fake Sugar in 2017 and in 2019 the band reformed to perform a ten year anniversary concert of Music for Men (2009) but it was still under the charge of Ditto with no announcements of an official reformation. In 2023 Ditto got together with Nathan Howdeshell to write material for Ditto's second solo album and when facing producer Rubin who took part in the band's 2009 album, Ditto and Howdeshell apparently saw it as a natural opportunity to include Hannah Blilie, thus basically making it a Gossip album instead.

The trio is back, which is a wonderful thing, as they have been sorely missed. Rubin secures a tight path on well-known soil, and Real Power comes out as something closer to the 2009 album than what was regarded their final breath in 2012. That said, time has passed, and obviously the three are somewhere else than they were more than a decade ago, and the album simply betters Ditto's fine solo from 2017, which in a way positioned itself in the outskirts of A Joyjul of Noise without really delivering a substantial stylistic footprint. All tracks here are credited Ditto and multi-instrumentalist Howdeshell and in that regard it's naturally something entirely different than Ditto solo working with other composers, and how could a legendary trio of this caliber come out with something new without people would compare it with their previous works?! It's a statement to call it a Gossip album, as opposed to Ditto's second solo, and it's still great news. Musically, it's original - of course, and with the band history and all in mind, I do think it's a fine accomplishment without it being absolutely great. And then: lesser will do. I think, they succeed in reproducing some of the band's original energy - the genuine garage-sound, and mixed up with a poppier mood they come up with a modernised version of Gossip. Officially, Ditto and Howdeshell are the providers of this new material but I wonder why they don't acknowledge that without Blilie they wouldn't be Gossip? It's a pity, but on the other hand, it's a not seldom seen practise to leave out the drummer in credits, but I just wonder how music is composed without a drummer adding his / her personal touch to the songs...

The album may not come with absolute stunning singles but the energy, the crafty output - and that voice on top of these simple, yet powerful arrangements!! And then there's still a certain quality lurking there all over, which lifts it above normality - 'cause what is that exactly?! Ditto belongs in front of Howdeshell and Blilie, and that constellation is all we need. It's like a living torch for humanity. Stay together, you three (PLZ), and the next album will be magic!

[ 👍allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Pitchfork 7,1 / 10, NME, DIY 4 / 5, 👎The Guardian 3 / 5 stars ]

Sleater-Kinney "Little Rope" (2024)

Little Rope

release date: Jan. 19, 2024

format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,64]

producer: John Congleton

label: Loma Vista - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Hell" - 2. "Needlessly Wild" - 3. "Say It Like You Mean It" (4 / 5) (live on KEXP) - 4. "Hunt You Down" - 6. "Don’t Feel Right" - 9. "Dress Yourself"

[ full KEXP live-performance ]

11th studio album by American rock-duo Sleater-Kinney following Path of Wellness (Jun. 2021). The band was formed by its two current members Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker, both credited vocals and guitars, but the band has formerly been an actual band of three members, which earlier and for the longest period also included drummer Janet Weiss, who left the band reduced to its founding members after the band's ninth album The Center Won't Hold (Aug. 2019). Little Rope is Sleater-Kinney's first on Loma Vista, and producer Congleton (St. Vincent, Sharon Van Etten, Lucy Dacus, Marilyn Manson, Conor Oberst, Gossip, Phoebe Bridgers, Lana Del Rey, The Killers, Goldfrapp) secures a tight and energetic edge, which makes the album a more powerful expression than the band's previous outings.

Lyrically, it's stripped down, angry and filled with personal despair. The background is the sinister lived-tragedy when Tucker's parents were both killed in a car accident in Italy back in 2022 - a central story to the ten compositions. In that way the process of writing new material might as well have resulted in something closer to Nick Cave's Skeleton, but Little Rope is more like its opposite, full of energy and opposing sensations, and all cleverly held together by great hooks and melodies, which both reminds us of The Undertones, Breeders, and St. Vincent without the bad taste of mere copyist 'cause Sleater-Kinney is much more in their own right.

Imo, Little Rope is possibly the best album from Sleater-Kinney.

Recommended.

[ Mojo, Record Collector 4 / 5, 👉Pitchfork 7,7 / 10, Slant, Uncut 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Best of 2024: Adrianne Lenker "Bright Future" (2024)

Bright Future

release date: Mar. 22, 2024

format: vinyl / digital (12 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,12]

producer: Philip Weinrobe

label: 4AD - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Real House" (4 / 5) - 2. "Sadness as a Gift" (live from Greenwich Village with Nick Hakim) - 4. "No Machine" - 5. "Free Treasure" (live on The Tonight Show)- 6. "Vampire Empire" - 8. "Candleflame" - 9. "Already Lost" - 10. "Cell Phone Says" - 11. "Donut Seam" - 12. "Ruined" (live from Greenwich Village with Nick Hakim)

Studio album by Adrianne Lenker in between albums with Big Thief, and most recently the band released the acclaimed Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You (Feb. 2022). Lenker's most recent solo album was Songs & Instrumentals (Oct. 2020), and this new collection is more like her other solo efforts, more naked, more clean folk and singer / songwriter-oriented. That said, Bright Future contains other performers than Lenker's vocal on top of a lonesome strumming guitar as was the case on her quiet 2020 album. It's still not in the same fully-bodied arrangements as you'll find on albums by Big Thief - only "Vampire Empire" sounds like a song written with the band in mind as the instrumentation appear to be similar with violin, piano, percussion, banjo, guitar, and harmony vocals, but generally, the songs here are played in a much more subtle fashion, as only to turn focus on Lenker's narratives.

Bright Future is so far easily this year's best album and highly recommended.

[ Mojo 4 / 5, Pitchfork 8,4 / 10, Exclaim! 9 / 10 stars ]

[ bandcamp ]

2024 Favourite releases: 1. Adrienne Lenker Bright Future - 2. Hurray for the Riff-Raff The Past Is Still Alive - 3. Cassandra Jenkins My Light, My Destroyer

The Jesus and Mary Chain "Just Like Honey" (1985) (single)

Just Like Honey, 12'' single

release date: Oct. 1985

format: vinyl (NEG 17T)

[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,55]

producer: The Jesus and Mary Chain

label: Blanco y Negro - nationality: Scotland, UK

Tracklist: A) 1. "Just Like Honey" - 2. "Head" - - B) 1. "Cracked" - 2. "Just Like Honey (Demo - Oct 84)"

Single release by The Jesus and Mary Chain is the band's third and final single taken from its forthcoming debut album Psychocandy (Nov. 1985). The single follows You Trip Me Up (May 1985), which followed Never Understand (Feb. 1985). The A-side tracks also constitute the regular 7'' single issue, which was released in Sep. '85.

Chelsea Wolfe "She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She" (2024)

She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She

release date: Feb. 9, 2024

format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,95]

producer: Dave Sitek

label: Loma Vista - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Whispers in the Echo Chamber" - 3. "Everything Turns Blue" - 5. "The Liminal" - 6. "Eyes Like Nightshade" - 8. "Unseen World"

7th studio album by Chelsea Wolfe following Birth of Violence (Sep. 2019) is her first album on Loma Vista and it also introduces a certain change in producer-collaboration as most of her former releases were mostle made with co-composer Ben Chisholm, who remains as one her stable collaborators (since 2012) together with drummer Jess Gowrie and mastering engineer Heba Kadry (both since 2017).

A new producer and a new label doesn't mean much new, though. And despite the fact that Wolfe has been influenced by various styles, this new collection of songs still stand with feets buried in a darkwave arena. That said, Wolfe has often sought to colour her songs from new perspectives - with twists of electronica, stronger influnced by / or with the absense of industrial rock, and in that sense her new album doesn't appear as something entirely different. Wolfe belongs to the dark - no doubt about that, and she usually makes her songs with Chisholm - here credited as co-composer, keyboardist and for drum programming. And especially the drum aspect is what basically makes this a different breed than her (brighter) 2019-album. Drums are up-front, energetic pulsating, and attract attention on an album that takes Wolfe back on an industrial, electronic path of dark colours.

The album has mostly been met by acclaim as an original output from an innovative artist, who never seem to walk on already known paths. To me, it doesn't quite invite me in, and I think my reluctant stance has to do with the incoherency I find on the album. It's both strongly electronic with synths and programming providing a new side-step to her darkwave tones, and at the same time it bonds with industrial rock - it wants to be 'hard', and then Wolfe has makes attempts pop-imagery, nicely placed hooks of sweetness, which makes it difficult to digest. It's like, she tries too hard to make her music grandiose and by that she unfortunately also loses contact with authenticity. Is it a spicy treat, or, just a light dessert? I dunno!! And the different flavours do not meet one another that well, I think. And ultimately, Wolfe has been better.

[ 😮allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Exclaim! 4 / 5, Pitchfork 7,6 / 10, Uncut 3,5 / 5, 👉PopMatters 3 / 5 stars ]

Goat "World Music" (2012)

World Music [debut]

release date: Aug. 20, 2012

format: cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]

producer: ?

label: Rocket Recordings - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 1. "Diarabi" - 2. "Goatman" - 3. "Goathead" - 5. "Golden Dawn" (live) - 7. "Run to Your Mama" (live) - 9. "Det som aldrig förändras / Diarabi"

Studio album debut by Swedish music collective Goat [stylised: GOAT] founded in Gothenburg, and according to the band's bandcamp profile originating from the (Swedish!) village of Korpolombolo, thus implying connections to ancient voodoo cult religion. All members have masked their identity and also perform masked - not unlike The Residents. One of the three 'core' members has been identified as Christian Johansson. Track #1 is a cover credited Malian musician Boubacar Traoré (included on his 1990 debut album Mariama), whereas the remaining compositions are all credited the band.

Musically, World Music represents a huge melting pot of stylistic influences, just as the title indicates with inspiration from various parts of the planet, and then you could add that everything is made with psychedelia at the centre of attention. Some tracks are afro-pop-founded, some are more krautrock-inspired, others reek a certain jazz fusion-feel, but you'll also find hard rock bits and everything is nearly naturally experimental and mostly progressive instrumental, although, some tracks are made with clear vocal harmonies. A fitting description is found on the album site explaining: "The band takes in many influences, from the Afro groove that is central to the album, through to head nodding psych, post-punk, turkish rock, kraut repetition and astral folk."

The album has generally been met by positive words from international critics - only Swedish music magazine Gaffa is more reluctant in its review. Imo, it takes a few spins to get accustomised, but if you happen to enjoy early Zappa / The Mothers of Invention and think a cocktail with 1980s The B-52's sounds like an interesting mix, then GOAT may be what you're looking for. Despite the wide stylistic variations, it actually feels like a musical whole, which is a great accomplishment.

Recommended.

[ The Guardian 5 / 5, Clash, musicOMH, PopMatters 4 / 5, Pitchfork 8,1 / 10, Gaffa.se 3 / 6 stars ]

The Smile "Wall of Eyes" (2024)

Wall of Eyes

release date: Jan. 26, 2024

format: digital (8 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]

producer: Sam Petts-Davies

label: XL Recordings - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Wall of Eyes" (4 / 5) - 2. "Teleharmonic" - 3. "Read the Room" - 4. "Under Our Pillows" - 7. "Bending Hectic"

2nd studio album by The Smile following nearly two years after A Light for Attracting Attention (May 2022) with Petts-Davis as producer - he previously produced Thom Yorke's solo soundtrack Suspiria (2018) for Luca Guadagnino's remake of a Dario Argento horror classic.

Although, the album has been made with a new producer, it really doesn't fall far from the trio's first album and you could also argue that the project here doesn't expose a tone that essentially differs from that of Radiohead, perhaps because that band's musical centre is constituted by Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood who are 2/3 of The Smile. And although, many compositions were nearly finished by Greenwood and Yorke in the Summer of '23, all songs and music here is credited the band only.

The now two studio albums by The Smile are so much alike that it's tempting to regard them as two chapters of the same book, or two sides of the same coin, and that's the only snag to a otherwise fine follow-up. On the positive side, you could add that it's really nice to have renowned artists like Yorke, Greenwood, and Skinner, who choose to make an album with focus on musical experimentation instead of going mainstream pop, and in that regard, the trio still offers a refreshing and challenging side-step to the Grammy Awards' self-centrered spotlight of make-believe where everything is about performance.

Recommended.

[ allmusic.com, The Guardian, NME, Rolling Stone 4 / 5, 😮Pitchfork 8,5 / 10, 👎Exclaim! 3 / 5 stars ]

Jan & Kjeld "Banjo Boy" (1959) (single)

Banjo Boy, 7'' single

release date: 1959

format: vinyl (1960) (TD 45 49)

[single rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,66]

producer: ?

label: Triola - nationality: Denmark

Tracklist: A) "Banjo Boy" - - B) "Mach doch nicht so viel Wind"

Single release by Danish duo Jan & Kjeld, who had an international hit with this song, especially in Germany, where they had started performing in the late 1950s with German schlagers, and also in The Netherlands where the single was released in '59. The Danish release came out in 1960 alongside a full-length album with the same title. The two siblings Jan and Kjeld Lennart Wennick first played on national TV in '57 after which they were promoted as musical 'wonderkids'. They had a few more hit singles in Germany, and they stayed to their style of playing popular covers of standards and schlagers. Their heydays were a ten-year period from their breakthrough and up around 1966 after which they kept touring for another decade before ending their engagements [ Danish wiki ].

This copy was part of my parents' record collection, and it was a single I used to play on a portable turntable at 6-8 years of age. It never was a single I found particular good - it was more of an obscurity, I think. 'Yes, they were kids and yeah, they knew how to play and sing, Okay. But it's not really that great'.

This is one of my very first music memories that wasn't purely children's songs, although, in this case: played by children.

👉 Another one from that earliest stage.

~ ~ ~

This post is part of MyMusicJourney, which enlists key releases that have shaped my musical taste when growing up and until age 14. Most of these releases come from my parents' and / or my older brother's collection.

Protomartyr "Formal Growth in the Desert" (2023)

Formal Growth in the Desert

release date: Jun. 2, 2023

format: digital (12 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,86]

producer: Greg Ahee, Jake Aron

label: Domino - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Make Way" - 2. "For Tomorrow" - 3. "Elimination Dances" (4 / 5) - 4. "Fun in Hi Skool" (live) - 5. "Let's Tip the Creator" - 6. "Graft vs. Host" - 7. "3800 Tigers" - 8. "Polacrilex Kid" (live) - 10. "We Know the Rats" (4 / 5) - 12. "Rain Garden"

6th studio album by post-punk revivalists Protomartyr following three years after the acclaimed Ultimate Success Today (Jul. 2020) is another high quality release from a band who understands to stay true to its origins while exploring new territory.

Musically, it's fierce alt. rock building on an American college rock-tradition where both Pixies and Modest Mouse play equal parts with more classic British punk rock and post-punk roots. And then still, Protomartyr sounds just like no one else. They play with a nuanced understanding of balancing quiet and loud and delicate with the brutal, and lead vocalist Joe Casey's political comments are mixed with surreal / cryptic messages that fronts Greg Ahee's white noisy guitar constructs in perfect balanced disorder.

Formal Growth in the Desert gives us Protomartyr as a highly vital American band with something to offer than just a fabrication of mainstream sound.

Highly recommended. [Get the album here].

[ 👍allmusic.com, Uncut, Slant 4 / 5, 👍SputnikMusic 4,1 / 5, TheLineOfBestFit 4,5 / 5, Pitchfork 7,6 / 10 stars ]

Bo sundström "Mitt dumma jag - svensk jazz" (2018)

Mitt dumma jag - svensk jazz

release date: Jan. 26, 2018

format: vinyl / cd

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,78]

producer: Jonas Kullhammar

label: Columbia / Sony Music / Mr RADAR - nationality: Sweden

Second solo album by lead vocalist Bo (Sigvard) Sundström of Swedish band Bo Kaspers Orkester. His solo debut Skåne was released as early as 2005 and that showed an artist trying out pop ballads with various stylistic influences, but this is something entirely different as indicated in the subtitle "svensk jazz" ['Swedish jazz']. All ten songs are old staples from vocal jazz with new lyrics - mostly by Sundström. The end result is a new take on the world of classic jazz and with lyrics in Swedish combined with Sundström's gift for jazz pop as heard on several albums with his usual band and this turns out as a most welcome album. The subtitle delicately hints as the legendary Swedish jazz album of them all: Jazz på svenska by Jan Johansson, and it's in this light you should listen to Mitt dumma jag. All compositions have been handed Swedish titles - only on the back cover the original titles are added, and it's quality titles like "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons", "The Way You Look Tonight", "Once Upon a Summertime",... "My Foolish Heart", the latter translated to "Mitt dumma jag" (track #5). There's also "Waltz for Debby" translated to "Monicas vals" of course in memory of Monica Zetterlund, who made that song an international hit with Bill Evans, and then there's the end-track "Danny's Dream", originally a 1954 Swedish jazz instrumental by Lars Gullin - here with the addition of lyrics written by contemporary Swedish pop diva Lisa Nilsson.

The album is no less than a truly positive surprise. It's not the jazz pop, as some would expect, neither is it pop / rock-styled but instead genuine contemporary vocal jazz in a Swedish tradition that goes hand in hand with jazz greats of former ages.

Recommended.

Blur "The Ballad of Darren" (2023)

The Ballad of Darren

release date: Jul. 21, 2023

format: digital (12 x File, FLAC) (Deluxe)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,52]

producer: James Ford

label: Parlophone - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 3. "Barbaric" - 2. "St. Charles Square" - 4. "Russian Strings" - 6. "The Narcissist" - 7. "Goodbye Alert" - 10. "The Heights"

9th studio album by Blur marks a long-awaited reunion following more than eight years after The Magic Whip (Apr. 2015), which then was another reunion album following 12 years after Think Tank (May 2003). The Ballad... is produced by James Ford, who has made a name for his work with e.g. Arctic Monkeys, Last Shadow Puppets, and in this context: for his work on albums by Gorillaz. The band remains intact and all tracks are credited the band of Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James, and Dave Rowntree. Together with Gorillaz, Albarn released Cracker Island (Feb. 2023), and basically, Blur now appears as just another brain-child of Albarn's. Blur is still something else, and markedly different from albums by Gorillaz, but there are apparent similarities with the music by the Albarn-led project The Good, The Bad & The Queen (e.g. "Goodbye Alert" and "Far Away Island"), who most recently - as of Nov. 2018 released Merrie Land.

The album was met by positive reviews - I didn't immediately embrace it as an improvement, and frankly thought of it as on par with the band's 2015 album, but one year down the road, I consider it better than my initial verdict. It's not up there among the best by Blur but it surely has its moments, and Coxon is a most treasured guarantee in delivering classic Blur guitar-riffs, which securely puts it somewhere in the middle on the Blur shelf.

[ 👎allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, The Guardian, Mojo, NME, 👍Pitchfork 7,2 / 10 stars ]

Caroline Polachek "Desire, I Want to Turn Into You" (2023)

Desire, I Want to Turn Into You

release date: Feb. 14, 2023

format: digital (12 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,72]

producer: Caroline Polachek & Danny L Harle

label: Perpetual Novice - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Welcome to My Island" - 4. "Sunset" - 6. "I Believe"

4th studio album by Caroline (Elizabeth) Polachek and her second album under her given name. After releasing three albums with synthpop band Chairlift from 2008 to 2016, Polachek focussed on her solo career, which she had already initiated while being in the band, and she then released her solo debut Arcadia (Apr. 2014) under the name of Ramona Lisa. Her second solo Drawing the Target Around the Arrow (Jan. 2017) under the name CEP (abbreviation of her name), and preceeding her 2023 album she released Pang in Oct. 2019.

Both albums by Chairlift and her solo releases have generally been met by positive reviews and they also gained public acclaim.

Polachek's newest album is by some regarded as one of the best albums of 2023, but I'm not really a huge fan. Yes, the production is state of the art top-notch, and there's much positive energy in most of her songs - it's just... all heard before, isn't it!? I guess I'm not part of her target fan base and all but still, I simply cannot come to terms with much of the new synthpop and indie pop artists, who spit out new songs that showcase the same arrangements, the same instrumentation, the same song structures, and similar soundscapes! I know Lana Del Rey, Beyoncé, Drake, Taylor Swift, etc. all make different kinds of music, but to me, they nevertheless showcase a common strategy of making music that loans heavily on pre-made music - whether it's music by themselves or others making some of the same 'generic' pop. It leaves me indifferent - at best! But mostly, it only makes me change radio channel or give me an urge to hear something... substantial. Something worthwhile. I don't care how many copies they sell or how many awards they are awarded. I currently don't know anything about Chairlift, or Polachek's earlier albums, and frankly, this album doesn't make me one bit curious about her past. And that's regardless all the good reviews their albums have garnered.

Not recommended.

[ 👎allmusic.com, Clash 4,5 / 5, 🙉PopMatters 5 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5, 👉NME 3 / 5 stars ]