CMAT "Euro-Country" (2025)

Euro-Country

udgivet: 29. aug. 2025

format: digital (12 x File, FLAC)

[vurdering: 4 / 5] [3,78]

producer: Oli Deakin

selskab: CMATBaby / AWAL - nationalitet: Irland

Udvalgte numre: 2. "Euro-Country" (4 / 5) - 3. "When a Good Man Cries" (live) - 5. "Tree Six Foive" - 6. "Take a Sexy Picture of Me" (4 / 5) (live on Later) - 8. "Iceberg" - 10. "Lord, Let That Tesla Crash" - 11. "Running / Planning" (live on Later)

3. studiealbum fra CMAT, eller fra Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, som hun retteligen hedder, er opfølgeren til 2023-albummet CrazyMad for Me (okt. 2023) [en omfortolkning af 'CMAT'] som igen efterfulgte den dengang 1½ år 'gamle' og ganske fine debut If My Wife New I’d Be Dead (feb. 2022).

CMAT er allerede garant for stærk sangskrivning med fokus på personlige emner med et twist - ofte med humoren i højsædet og en god portion irsk ironi. Hendes to øvrige albums indeholder begge iørefaldende numre, men med Euro-Country har hun givet den et godt nyk opad, og numre som titelnummeret, "When a Good Man Cries", "Runnin / Planning" og især "Take a Sexy Picture of Me" er allerede hyppigt spillede på allestedsnærværende streamingtjenester. Der er noget forfriskende syrligt og sødt over CMAT, som Lily Allen og The Streets for år tilbage viste deres styrker med, og der er da også særlige kendetegn, som måske kan siges kun at være hjemmehørende for de britiske øer. Der er masser af selvironi og finurlige samtidsperspektiver iblandet tydelig alvor, som gør det hele så godt.

Stilmæssigt, er det svært at placere - og det gør bestemt ikke noget. Indimellem er der strejf fra Lana Del Rey eller førnævnte Allen, mens det andre gange er mere særegent med tydelig inspiration fra traditionel pop / rock, fra indie og art pop, og selvsagt også fra country. Det hele er formfuldent arrangeret, produceret og mixet med stærk sans for variation og helstøbthed. På den måde hæver album og kunstner sig over det meste fra året, og derfor er Euro-Country også at finde på flere lister over årets bedste udgivelser.

Albummets cover spejler fint CMAT's musikalske univers, og det er første gang, hun selv optræder som front-figur, da de to øvrige albums og mange single-udgivelser har været kendetegnet af et særligt grafisk naiivistisk udtryk holdt i et tegneserieagtigt format.

Stor anbefaling.

[ NME, The Guardian 5 / 5, The Irish Times 4 / 5, 👍Pitchfork 7,7 / 10 stjerner ]

Anna Ternheim "Psalmer från sjunde himlen" (2025)

Psalmer från sjunde himlen

udgivet: 17. jan. 2025

format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[vurdering: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]

producer: Joakim Berg, Martin Sköld

selskab: Universal - nationalitet: Sverige

Udvalgte numre: 1. "Kom tilbaks" - 2. "Nära dig" (4 / 5) - 3. "Orkanen" - 4. "Hit men inte längre" - 6. "Lämnar alla bakom" - 8. "Kalifornien" - 9. "Sjunde himlen" - 10. "Små mirakel"

[ Promo-video ]

8. studiealbum fra Anna Ternheim, som følger op på albummet A Space for Lost Time fra 2019, byder på noget markant anderledes end det, hun hidtil har udgivet som solist. Den tidligere Kent-frontfigur Joakim Berg er her krediteret som komponist på samtlige numre, og den tidligere Kent-bassist og producer Martin Sköld er ligeledes krediteret som medkomponist på halvdelen af disse ti nye sange. Berg og Ternheim udgør desuden 2/3 af projektbandet Dead People, som gav i 2022 albumdebuterede med We Love - et album, der afspejler en stil, som blander folk-pop og synthpop, hvilket i bund og grund også er det, der møder os på albummet her fra Ternheim. I den forstand markerer det et stort skifte fra hendes mere nøgne folk-udgivelse fra 2019. Berg arbejdede tidligere sammen med Veronica Maggio på hendes Fiender är tråkigt (okt. 2019), hvor Berg var medkomponist på 9 sange, og det er fristende at pege på netop dét album, når man lytter til Psalmer från sjunde himlen. Vokalisten er skiftet ud, men Bergs fingeraftryk er overalt på dette album, og han har virkelig en gave for at kunne skrive melodiske popsange. For at færdiggøre den fristende sammenligning med Maggios soloudgivelse, så er den holdt i mere uptempo synthpop-arrangementer, hvilket på mange måder passer bedre til hendes vokal, hvorimod Ternheim i højere grad fremstår som en sangerinde, der har det med at brillere i de blå toner. Når det er sagt, er albummet bemærkelsesværdigt uptempo sammenlignet med Ternheims øvrige diskografi, og det er samtidig hendes første, som udelukkende er med tekster på svensk.

Alt i alt er albummet et forfriskende nyt træk på Ternheims musikalske sti. Til tider fornemmer jeg referencer til Kents bagkatalog, og visse sange oser af en vis forenklet naivitet - men omvendt er der netop eksplicit tale om "salmer fra den 7. himmel", og det bør ikke komme som et chok for nogen, at det primært indebærer positive melodier. Det er mest af alt bare honning for ører og sind, og i sidste ende føles hele albummet som et frisk pust. Og har vi ikke allesammen brug for det? Psalmer från sjunde himlen hører til blandt Ternheims bedste albums, og det får en varm anbefaling herfra.

[ Aftonbladet.se 4 / 5 stjerner ]

Barry Ryan "We Did It Together" (1970) (single)

We Did It Together, 7'' single

udgivet: 1970

format: vinyl

[vurdering: 2,5 / 5] [2,58]

producer: Paul Ryan

selskab: Polydor - nationalitet: England, UK

Numre: A) "We Did It Together" - - B) "Lay Down"

Singleudgivelse af den engelske sangskriver og fotograf Barry Ryan (Sapherson, også kendt som Barry Davison) fra tvillingebroder-duoen Paul & Barry Ryan. Denne single ser ud til at stamme fra en tid, hvor Barry koncentrerede sig om en solokarriere, mens tvillingebroderen Paul havde trukket sig tilbage fra rampelyset for at hjælpe Barry med sangskrivning og produktion. Titelnummeret her fungerer på sin vis som en passende beskrivelse af, hvordan de to brødre fandt deres vej i showbizz.

Denne specifikke danske udgave stammer sandsynligvis fra min storebrors pladesamling. Jeg kan huske, at jeg spillede den i 7-12-årsalderen, men den fangede aldrig rigtig min interesse. Stilistisk lyder den inspireret af The Walker Brothers og deres kærlighed for tunge, orkestrerede arrangementer. Barry og Paul oplevede en del succes, efter Barry gik solo – for eksempel med hit-singlen "Eloise" (1968), som et årti senere også blev et singlehit for punkrockbandet The Damned.

~ ~ ~

Dette opslag er en del af MyMusicJourney, som lister de vigtigste udgivelser, der har formet min musiksmag gennem min opvækst og frem til 14-årsalderen. De fleste af disse udgivelser stammer fra mine forældres og / eller min storebrors samling.

Anita Lindblom "Sån't är livet" (1961) (single)

Sån't är livet, 7'' single

release date: 1961

format: vinyl (271 201 TF)

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

producer: ?

label: Fontana - nationality: Sweden

Tracklist: A) "Sån't är livet" (5 / 5) (fan video) - - B) "Det är nå't mysko"

Single release by Anita Lindblom is a cover of a Roy Hamilton 1961 song "You Can Have Her" written by Bill Cook. The Swedish version has lyrics by Stig Rossner (aka Stikkan Anderson), and Lindblom's version was a major hit in all of Scandinavia.

This single was part of my parents' record collection, it's a song I vividly remember from my childhood as a song I have always loved. Not only was the song played on our turntable, but it was and it has been a stable song on national radio ever since the 1960s. It may not be played that often nowadays, but it has status as one of the most played and a highly loved modern standard.

Hamilton's version of the song is fine and strong, and he is one of the many forgotten stars who experienced lesser careers all because Elvis found inspiration in their performances and vocal styles, and he rightfully deserves more recognition. That said, Lindblom's version outshines the original. Her powerful vocal is up there among the greatest, although, she didn't exclusively choose a singing career, but this song more than proves her worth.

~ ~ ~

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.

OMD "Bauhaus Staircase" (2023)

Bauhaus Staircase

release date: Oct. 27, 2023

format: digital (12 x File, FLAC)

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

producer: OMD

label: 100% Records / White Noise - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Bauhaus Staircase" - 2. "Anthropocene" - 4. "G.E.M." - 5. "Where We Started" - 6. "Veruschka" - 8. "Don't Go" - 10. "Aphrodite's Favourite Child"

14th studio album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - the fourth since the band's reformation in 2006, follows six full years after The Punishment of Luxury (Sep. 2017). As all the band's four studio albums of the new Millennium, the album production is credited the band and most tracks are written and composed by Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys with the former taking the strongest role as songwriter - business as usual. The band hasn't exactly lived without exchanging members and the line-up with the two founding members McCluskey and Humpreys alongside keyboardist Martin Cooper are now on their fourth consecutive album together, whereas drummer Stuart Kershaw, who took part in the writing of five tracks on Liberator (1993), debuted on the 2017 album.

Bauhaus Staircase not only continues where the band left us in 2017 but basically adopts the sound they have stuck to since the reformation and the release of History of Modern (2010), and the title referencing the German art school pretty much sums up what kind of legacy they aim for - and they do know how it connotates an early electronic European tradition, which implies both Jean-Michel Jarre and Kraftwerk. The album cover reflects the same perspective, as we've seen it with their four most recent albums. From the Pacific Age (1986) to Universal (1996) OMD found themselves - if not on a downward spiral, then at least on a negative trend, where they seemed to be caught on the wrong foot, searching of a proper style, which ultimately had McCluskey dissolve the band in '96. After the reunion, however, the band acts very determined to stick to a simple synth-pop founded on synths, drums, and melodic uptempo tunes that somehow all incorporate some of the characteristics of the band's earliest years. Since 2008 they have released live-versions of their most popular albums and been on tours only performing the albums Dazzle Ships and Architecture & Morality, and they have released the live album Access All Areas (2015) dedicated to hits of their heydays.

I feel somewhat undecided on this as I sense much reproduction and not much new, and then on the other hand I acknowledge that they really understand their own strengths and keep to these in a predictable, yet also quite charming way. My first impression was basically a complete rejection, and I thought it was game over. And again, I have to hand it to McCluskey & Co. as they know how to keep the torch alive.

Recommended.

[ Mojo, PopMatters, Record Collector, Uncut 4 / 5, Clash 4,5 / 5 stars ]

Karen Carpenter "Karen Carpenter" (1996)

Karen Carpenter [debut]

release date: Sep. 11, 1996

format: cd

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

producer: Phil Ramone

label: A&M Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Lovelines" (4 / 5) - 3. "If I Had You" - 4. "Making Love in the Afternoon" - 5. "If We Try" - 6. "Remember When Lovin' Took All Night" - 9. "Make Believe It's Your First Time" - 11. "Still Crazy After All These Years" - 12. "Last One Singin' the Blues" (bonus track)

Studio debut and only album by Karen Carpenter recorded and mixed in between albums with the Carpenters. In the chronology of the duo, the album stands in between Christmas Portrait (1978) and Made in America (1981), the duo's ninth and tenth albums and recorded at a time when Richard Carpenter went through treatment for substance addiction. With Richard being indisposed, Karen was curious to see if she could do something as a solo artist and A&M Records were in support of the idea. That is, until executives (and brother Richard) listened to the final mix of the album and the management then decided to shelve the album - naturally, to Karen's regret. Alledgedly, they found it missing something. Or: they had their minds up for something else. Karen didn't experience the album release, which wasn't approved of until 1996. In the liner notes, both Richard Carpenter and producer Phil Ramone recount a few of the details about the recordings as well as their wish to see the album released the way it had been mixed in 1980. Track #9 was soon re-recorded but first found its way to the final album by the Carpenters Voice of the Heart (Oct. 1983), and four other songs (tracks #1, #3, #5, and #6) were all included on the thirteenth studio album Lovelines (Oct. 1989), posthumously issued after Karen's passing - Richard had assembled previously unreleased songs for the occasion. Two songs (tracks #8 and #11) later found their way to the compilation album From the Top (1991). All of this documents the weight of this album, although, key people thought otherwise back in the day.

To me, the album is like a rough diamond. It's full of great tracks with Karen's wonderful vocal making everything more delightful. Yes, there are attempts of making this sound more like other contemporary artists as contrary to the Carpenters' unique sound but I think, Ramone did a mighty fine job. Some tracks have a certain otherness - misinterpreted as Karen's detachment, or missing involvement. I think, mainly due to her approach to singing other people's songs. "Lovelines" is up there among the absolute best tracks by the duo, and it's only confusing why record label executives weren't able to see this as pure gold. The only explanation is that they had their minds set on 'something else' than what they already had and this was too close to that.

With Karen Carpenter we're blessed by the existence of unique recordings, although, in 1996 they appear as somewhat out of time. But only somewhat 'cause Karen's vocal will sell sand in the Sahara and everyone should know that.

Recommended.

Veronica Maggio "Och som vanligt händer det något hemskt" (2022)

Och som vanligt händer det något hemskt

release date: May 22, 2022

format: digital (12 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,32]

producer: Agrin Rahmani, Simon Hassle

label: Universal - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 2. "Se mig" - 3. "Låt mig gå" - 5. "Varsomhelst / Närsomhelst" - 6. "Höghusdrömmar" - 8. "Förlorat mot världen" - 9. "Var är du?" - 10. "Heaven med dig"

7th studio album by Veronica Maggio following 2½ years after Fiender är tråkigt (Oct. 2019) is once again mainly produced by Rahmani and Hassle. Actually, half of the album (six tracks) with the subtitle Kapitel 1 was released as a 6-track EP as early as Oct. 2021 - this was a first half of the full albums total of 12 tracks but released in the following order: #12, #9, #2, #5, #11, and #8, and as of May 22, the full-length album was issued, though no Kapitel 2 has been released, so if you purchased the EP and only need the remaining tracks, only option is download, or to buy the full album. This is modern and smart marketing! It's almost a natural consequence that Maggio's albums top the Swedish albums chart, but she's not only popular at home, as she in Feb. 2022 reportedly was the first artist to round 1 billion streaming hits for a Swedish-language-only performer.

Then how is the new album from one of the most popular Swedish artists? It's really everything you have come to expect. Maggio goes in the obvious direction. Popularity points and off she goes! Sales numbers are probably glowing hot and live shows will be sold out, but imho, it has become too much of what we've already heard before. As Håkan Steen in the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet commented in May '22: 'she has nearly become too skilled in sounding like herself'. And then this marketing smartness really is an new player. Six tracks were issued half a year earlier as promotion gimmick, which would have been sort of Okay had they released the first half but by picking a different running order makes it bothersome, and then in addition, another four new tracks were released as singles from Mar. to May as small dripples from what was to come, so when the full album finally was released, all but two songs had already been issued. That's smart isn't it?! And not really helpful for fans - and I'm not really the strongest one there, so I just awaited the full album, but still feel fans are not treated well with this bothersome initiative. Anyway, I'm not impressed by this new outing, and frankly, I find it a dull and almost mediocre reproduction of her most recent two albums - perhaps because I normally really enjoy her albums. Even the two highlighted songs "Låt mig gå" and "Var är du?" sound a bit too familiar, and you may think they were part of one of her other albums.

Not her best, but still better than most contemporary pop albums.

[ 👍Aftonbladet 3 / 5 stars ]

Olivia Newton-John / Electric Light Orchestra "Xanadu" (1980) (single)

Xanadu, 7'' single

release date: Jun. 1980

format: vinyl

[single rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,54]

producer: Jeff Lynne / John Farrar

label: Jet Records - nationality: Australia / UK

Tracklist: A) "Xanadu" - - B) "Fool Country"

Single release by Olivia Newton-John and Electric Light Orchestra with the title track taken from the 1980 musical film "Xanadu" directed by Robert Greenwald and featuring Newton-John. The A-side is credited Jeff Lynne of ELO, and the B-side is a track performed by Newton-John and credited John Farrar.

I think, that I may actually have purchased this item without really knowing the song yet. I didn't watch the film, and possibly just got it on sale 'cause I never was a fan of Newton-John, and especially never fell for the music by ELO. I do know, however, that I didn't play this on many occasions.

Toyah "Desire" (1987)

Desire

release date: Jun. 1, 1987

format: digital (11 x File, FLAC)

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

producer: Mike Hedges

label: E.G. Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Echo Beach" - 2. "Moonlight Dancing" - 3. "Revive the World" - 8. "Deadly as a Woman" - 11. "Desire"

2nd solo album by Toyah following two years after Minx (Jul. 1985) and now with new wave and post-punk producer Mike Hedges. The album consists of songs by Wilcox and former members of the band Toyah - two songs co-composed by Simon Darlow, one with Adrian Lee and one with long-time associate Joel Bogen. Apart from these, Toyah wrote two songs with Nick Graham, one with Bruce Wooley, and the title track with husband Robert Fripp. The album also features two covers: track #1 originally a 1980 song by Martha and the Muffins, and track #6 originally a '77 single by Donna Summer.

Desire appears as an attempt to regain some of the aura but also the sound from the heydays with the band Toyah instead of being a natural follow-up to the poppier Minx. In that way the new album sounds more as something stemming from the early 80s with a stronger new wave appeal. "Echo Beach" preceded the album as a minor single hit reaching number #54 on the singles chart. The second single was "Moonlight Dancing", which doesn't reflect any chart entries, and despite I find it the best song here, it might have fitted better on the band's 1982 album The Changeling - and fact is, the song was co-written by two other band members and also contains the lyrics from the song "Dawn Chorus" from that very album.

The album didn't perform too well and basically didn't enter the albums chart, and it mostly sounds as a bit of a dated release when thinking 1987, and Toyah issues this album that sounds more like 1983-ish. Some of the songs are filled with keyboards and a drum sound that makes me think 'early Nena' or 'Toyah 1980s', and I wonder if some of the tracks are outtakes or alternative versions of older songs, because that's mostly what the sound yells. A few songs take up a tone from Love Is the Law (1983) or Minx but the overall sensation goes back to another time - also underlined in the lyrics. It's the pale imitation of a well-documented period and therefore not recommended.

John Travolta / Olivia Newton-John "You're the One That I Want" (1978) (single)

You're the One That I Want, 7'' single

release date: Mar. 1978

format: vinyl

[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]

producer: John Farrar

label: RSO - nationality: Australia / USA

Tracklist: A) "You're the One That I Want" - - B) "Alone at a Drive-in Movie (instrumental)"

Single release taken from the 1978 musical film "Grease" by Randal Kleiser. I think I may have purchased this particular item myself at the age of 14, probably after watching the film. I can't say that I was a fan of neither Newton-John nor of Travolta, but I do recall liking the film and the energy of the title track.

~ ~ ~

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.

Lily Allen "Sheezus" (2014)

Sheezus

release date: May 5, 2014

format: digital (14 x File, MP3)

[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,06]

producer: various

label: Parlophone - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "L8 CMMR" - 4. "Our Time" - 7. "As Long as I Got You" - 8. "Close Your Eyes" - 12. "Hard Out Here" (4 / 5) (live)

3rd studio album by Lily Allen following more than 5 years after It's Not Me, It's You (Feb. 2009) again features producer and songwriter Greg Kurstin, but here in a smaller part compared to the 2009-album.

Thematically, Allen stays much to the same formula of singing about relationships - explicit details of what you really wouldn't want to experience in that particular arena of your private life, and she has found her own funny way of exposing everything from sex and the downsides of her partner to artistic competition as part of contemporary music business. Yes, Allen has always been outspoken about the use of her first person's fictional stories as completely and 100% made-up narratives. Still, it's striking how these stories share similarities with that of her own life. Regardless that, she onfolds witty stories that make it all that more interesting. That is generally speaking because on Sheezus - the title being an obvious wordplay of 'She' and 'Jesus' (i.e. a she-version of Jesus) - the musical aspect doesn't deliver on a scale we have become accustomed to when speaking of Lily Allen. Stylewise, it's a mixed bag of britpop and electropop with the latter style being reduced somewhat on this one compared to the predecessor. Tracks like "L8 CMMR" and "Air Balloon" does sound like paler imitations of songs and a style presented by M.I.A. but what's most crutially missing are obvious hits.

The promotion single "Hard Out Here" is a mighty fine pick to introduce an upcoming album but when it stands alone on the actual full-length release it's not hard to understand the lukewarm reviews the album garnered. Four following singles are simply not on the same level, and clever lyrics, bucketfuls of irony, and a bunch of witty songs are not really enough to save this from being Allen's least favourable album to date. That said, Allen is still someone to watch out for with the songs she has put out on two consecutive albums. This is indeed her first miss and in the long run, Sheezus is an album that drowns in indecisiveness and immitations, and / or: generic pop sounding too much like Katy Perry, M.I.A., Kate Nash, you name it, instead of carrying an original tone of its own.

Not recommended.

[ allmusic.com, Spin 2,5 / 5, 👍Pitchfork 5,4 / 10, The Guardian, Rolling Stone 3 / 5, Slant 3,5 / 5, NME 1,5 / 5 stars ]

Lily Allen "It's Not Me, It's You" (2009)

It's Not Me, It's You

release date: Feb 4, 2009

format: digital (12 x File, MP3)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,62]

producer: Greg Kurstin

label: Regal - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "The Fear" (4 / 5) - 3. "Not Fair" (4 / 5) (official video) - 4. "22" - 7. "Never Gonna Happen" - 8. "Fuck You" (clean video version) (live) - 10. "Chinese" - 11. "Him"

2nd album by Lily Allen following close to 3 years after a near Earth-shattering succesful debut with Alright, Still (Jun. 2006). Kurstin produced three tracks on the predecessor but is here sole producer and likewise, all but one cover song are written by Allen and Kurstin together, which really makes this a different approach. Another striking difference comes to mind when listening to stylistic influences. The debut showed a near-abundance of styles, and then here, it's basically an electropop album, through and through. Yes, there's still room for ballad-like tunes and really up-beat bangers, but the overall sensation is much more narrow. "The Fear", "Not Fair" and "Fuck You" stand out as obvious singles but the remaning tracks actually don't differ that much, and that's what makes it a more coherent album than the promising debut.

Personally, I still enjoy "Smile" and "LDN" more than any tracks from this one but Allen comes out as a matured songwriter, and although, I really enjoyed the ska and grime-influence, this new album also strikes me as more personal. On the debut, she demonstrated strong influences that made me think of Winehouse and Mike Skinner, but here, it leaves me thinking Lily Allen is an artist that will continue to impress. All in all, Allen does more than well by making a follow-up that doesn't repeat the recipe from a certified banger but explores new territory and still proves her worth as someone to follow.

Recommended.

[ allmusic.com, NME, The Guardian 4 / 5, 👍Spin 3,5 / 5, Pitchfork 6,6 / 10, Rolling Stone 3 / 5 stars ]

Kate Nash "Made of Bricks" (2007)

Made of Bricks [debut]

release date: Aug. 6, 2007

format: cd

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

producer: Paul Epworth

label: Fiction Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "Foundations" (4 / 5) (official censored version) live on later) - 3. "Mouthwash" - 4. "Dickhead" - 5. "Birds" - 6. "We Get On" - 8. "Shit Song" - 11. "Nicest Thing"

Studio album debut by Kate [Marie] Nash following the release of the non-album single of Feb. "Caroline's a Victim" with "Birds" (demo) as B-side, which is included on this album.

Thematically, Nash follows in the footprints of Lily Allen, who paved a new way for female artists singing in an original British dialect about relationships and modern society's unwritten standards wrapped up in witty, direct and often explicit lyrics. The style, however, differs somewhat from that of Allen by being more contemporary shaped without strong bonds to former styles. Sometimes it's uptempo synth-and-electropop-founded - at other times, which is most of the time on this album - the music is arranged with acoustic guitar, piano, strings and horns - Nash both plays the piano, guitar, bass, and synths herself.

The single "Foundations" (Jun. 2007) preceded the album and it was an immediate hit and the absolute right choice as it remains the only top-10 single hit by Nash reaching number #2 on the national singles chart list. Three othr singles then follwed: "Mouthwash" and then "Pumpkin Soup" both peaking at number #23, followed by "Merry Happy", which didn't enter top-100. Two other songs became Nash staples: "Nicest Thing" and "Dickhead", and the album simply topped the charts by Sep. 2007 selling 2x Platinum (more than 600.000 items - in comparison Back to Black by Amy Winehouse from that same year sold 15 x Platinum and more than 4,5 mil. copies in the UK alone).

I do recall how "Foundations" and "Mouthwash" were both played numerous times that year, and also remember how I found it somewhat difficult to distinguish the music by Nash from that of Lily Allen, and this is a comparison she has been confronted with throughout her career.

Made of Bricks is a strong debut. Imo it contains some fine, memorable and quite original songs but I don't consider it great altogether and some of the album songs, especially in the second half of the album, don't quite match the quality of the first three songs but it's defintely an album worth checking out and considerably better than some of the British reviews suggest. It's an album among many during this period that actually made people listen to the lyrics by contemporary female artists.

Recommended.

[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, 👍PopMatters, Slant 3,5 / 5, Pitchfork 5,5 / 10, 👎The Guardian, Drowned in Sound 2 / 5 stars ]

Veronica Maggio "Fiender är tråkigt" (2019)

Fiender är tråkigt
release date: Oct. 25, 2019
format: vinyl (pop-up gatefold) (clear vinyl) / cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,86]
producer: Simon Hassle; Agrin Rahmani
label: Universal Music - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 1. "Kurt Cobain" - 3. "Tillfälligheter" (live - akustisk live) - 4. "Jag kastar bort mitt liv" (4 / 5) - 6. "Fiender är tråkigt" - 9. "5 minuter"

6th studio album release by Swedish Veronica Maggio following nearly 3½ years after the fine Den första är alltid gratis (May 2016). The first five tracks from the album saw an early pre-release in the form of an ep in Jun. 2019 and four months later the full album was released adding the five final tracks to a release with same title and cover as the ep. This time, Maggio has written nine of the album's ten tracks in colaboration with former Kent lead vocalist Joakim Berg and producer Simon Hassle, and it has definitely rubbed off on the songs. Agrin Rahmani contributes as co-composer on four songs.

Stylistically, the album doesn't offer the huge changes to Maggio's musical universe. As usual, the songs revolve around relationships and the entanglements in what appears as her own social life. Perhaps you'll notice a touch more lightness in the songs compared to earlier ones, but otherwise the album sounds much like the continuation of Den första är alltid gratis. Musically, there is now room for tracks with a simpler synthpop sound that suits the lyrical aspect.

The album is her fourth consecutive since Satan i gatan from 2011 going all the way to the top of the chart in Sweden. As on her 2016 album, some tracks have a slightly uptempo dance pop feel, but otherwise, the impression is that it's now more clean pop-founded than outright electropop à la Robyn.

Three singles have been released from the album - the first single "Kurt Kobain" and later "Tillfälligheter", both of which peaked as number #4 on the national singles chart. The third and final single is "5 minuter" peaking at No. #7 on the same list. In this way, all of Maggio's singles from the same album have found their way into the top-10 singles list, but she has not had a top-1 single hit since "Jag kommer" from 2011. Despite three excellent tracks as singles, it's nevertheless my impression that the clearly best song is track #4, "Jag kastar bort mitt liv", which has a clear uptempo and simple synthpop quality, which with clear persuasion tells us that Joakim Berg, from the (unfortunately) defunct band Kent, is present as songwriter and perhaps also co-composer, as he is credited on several other of the album's songs - the most apparent link to the music and sound by Kent is probably heard on "Jag kaster bort mitt liv".

Overall, this new collection is once again among Maggio's better albums. It sits somewhere in between absolutely banging with something keeping it from full blossom; but this IS also the story of Maggio, who just seems to be almost there in making that truly exceptional album that really hits the mark - that great coherent release without fillers. That said, the album is well above average and compared to her previous releases, it's more than on par with the predecessor, and it's still only her 2011 album that performed better. Maggio has her very own melancholic and fragile vocal that both signals energetic rebellion in small dozes and gentle dewy-eyed sweetness, and when you realise she hasn't made the album of the decade, once again, it's still a pleasant experience listening once more to Swedish-Italian pop of high standard. Imho, this is Maggio's second best album to date.

Recommended.

[ Aftonbladet 3 / 5, Expressen.se (ep review) 4 / 5 stars ] - both in Swedish

Carpenters "The Singles 1969-1973" (1973)

The Singles 1969-1973 (compilation)
release date: Nov. 9, 1973
format: vinyl (1991 reissue) / cd (2014 remaster)
[album rate: 4 / 5]
producer: Richard Carpenter
label: A&M Records - nationality: USA

Compilation of 12 singles by the brother-sister duo the Carpenters - older sister Karen (1950 - 83) and Richard (born 1946) - released over a four year period is an amazing quality collection of baroque pop songs. The album was released after the duo had issued 5 studio albums of a total of 11. Five yearsfollowing this one, a compilation sequel was issued titled The Singles 1974-1978 (Nov. 1978), which is another nice to have album.
I vividly recall listening to the Carpenters in my pre-teen years. They were among the most frequently played international artists on national radio alongside Sinatra, The Beatles, and Elvis Presley. I didn't know of any of their full albums but many of these songs were part of a preferred musical selection from very early on and just listening to Karen's singing voice makes me remember the house of my childhood.
I also recall how the duo in a way divided people. Everyone would acknowledge the qualities of their original sound and yet, somehow they sort of represented anything else than contemporary trends and still didn't belong to a classic line-up with the aforementioned stars, and although the Carpenters started out later than The Beatles, the American duo appealed more to an older generation. There was something innocent and safe about the Carpenters that put them on the same pop scene with Simon & Garfunkel, Dusty Springfield, Bee Gees, The Osmonds, and John Denver, and all of that wasn't part of the fast evolving rock-scene that grew in various directions, appealing more to younger generations; however, music by the Carpenters had a distinct and unquestionable quality stamp to whatever they produced. The duo didn't start at the top - in fact its debut album was basically unnoticed - but they quickly became a household name, and already the second album out Close to You (Aug. 1971) made it to number #2 on the Billboard 200 in the US (number #1 in Canada). Then followed three albums that all made it to top-5, securing a spot as one of the best known American acts. The duo's sixth album Horizon (Jun. 1975) 'only' peaked at number #13, still sellling Platinum but with the seventh studio album A Kind of Hush (Jun. 1976), which peaked at number #33, the duo experienced its first dissapointing sales numbers and a decline from top of the business was slowly initiated. Their final four albums all performed outside top-40, and the 11th album Voice of the Heart (Oct. 1983) was released after the death of Karen Carpenter - and although two more studio albums were released, the last in 1989, the '83-album stands as the formal finale (Richard released another Christmas album in 1984 and the '89-album based on outtakes and alternate recordings).
After having purchased The Singles 1969-1973 I have come across all of the duo's many studio releases, and what really strikes me is how persistent the high musical quality is listening to the debut from 1969 and all through to the '83 album. Richard's arrangements, not forgetting he's a fine vocalist, actually, are in the league of Burt Bacharach but the super-natural and utmost remarkable quality of the duo are Karen's vocal performances. And then people typically forget that she was often credited as drummer on their albums. But that voice. She sang with such ease and original colour and it lifted any song - be it cheerful and happy-go-lucky ones, or ballads, melancholic, sad ones and even vocal jazz standards were enriched with delicacy. It was something... unfathomable.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

Not this particular album as such, but the Carpenters plays a big part of my earliest music memories that wasn't purely children's songs.

👉 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.

Gangway "Whatever It Is" (2019)

Whatever It Is

release date: Apr. 5, 2019

format: cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]

producer: Janus Nevel Ringsted, Henrik Balling

label: RCA, Sony Music - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "The Sea the Moon and the Stars" - 2. "Colourful Combinations" - 3. "See If I Care" - 4. "Confident and Ordinary" - 6. "Don't Want to Go Home" - 10. "Always Crying"

8th studio album by Gangway follows more than two decades (22½ years) (!) after That's Life (Sep. 1996), which up to this surprisingly new collection of brand new material has been filed as the band's final. Perhaps, because the end-result never felt as a decent attempt to main songwriter Henrik Balling, he managed to re-unite the band in its original line-up as it was some 20 years ago with Allan Jensen on lead and backing vocals, Torben Johansen on keyboards, guitar & backing vocals, and with Henrik Balling on guitar, keyboards, programming & backing vocals. Co-producer Janus N. Ringsted is additionally credited keyboards, programming, drums and percussion. As of 2017 Balling already announced the band's ressurection, which led to a series of concerts as their comeback.

Stylistically, it doesn't seem like two decades has passed, and at times it does seem a bit dated when they take up tones of drum'n'bass and techno-pop reminding us all of the 1990s and especially Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys. And then, is this new album actually bettering their '96 album? The short answer is yes! It's definitely better, although, it's not up there among the band's best efforts. The national press met the album with appraisal and positive reviews - and the song "Colourful Combinations" - preceding the album as a single release in Jun. 2018 - has been played from the Summer of 2018 up until the album release on local and national radio stations, but that's almost the only great song on an entire album, although, it was followed by two more singles before launching the album: "Don't Want to Go Home" (Nov. 2018) and "Confident and Ordinary" (Mar. 2019).

The best thing is that the band got back together, and only the future will tell if they managed to follow-up on the good reviews. Thanks for the attempt, but it's not really great.

[ Gaffa.dk, Politiken, Ekstra Bladet 4 / 6, Jyllands-Posten 5 / 6 stars ]

Lana Del Rey "Norman Fucking Rockwell!" (2019)

Norman Fucking Rockwell!
release date: Aug. 30, 2019
format: digital (14 x File, FLAC)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,36]
producer: Jack Antonoff and Lana Del Rey
label: Interscope Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Norman Fucking Rockwell" - 2. "Mariners Apartment Complex" - 3. "Venice Bitch" - 5. "Doin' Time" - 6. "Love Song" - 8. "How to Disappear" - 10. "The Next Best American Record"

6th studio album by Lana Del Rey (aka Elizabeth Woolridge Grant) is primarily produced by Jack Antonoff and Del Rey - producing 11 of the album's 14 tracks, which has a total running time exceeding 78 minutes.
Lana Del Rey is undoubtedly one of America's contemporary major pop stars selling millions of albums all over the world. Her polished melancholy femme fatale style has never really caught me as something... desirable or highly original. Music for the masses, our time's Tina Turner, Kim Wilde and The Bangles - artists I never bothered listening to in the 80s. Regardless, her status and musicality on the safe side of the road, I have to grant her that this is her best effort ever. The album contains some nice half-daring tunes and especially strong lyrics. Much as usual, the new album has been followed by a (long) list of singles, where both tracks #2 and #3 "Venice Bitch", were released a year earlier - the latter being a major hit in a considerably shortened version, which makes much sense 'cause the album version at 9:37 minutes seems unnecessarily long. Track #14 ("Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have - But I Have It") was released Jan. 2019 without making any notable entry on the singles charts. Also track #5 was released before the album in May, a song that has also had some airplay. Succeeding the album release, tracks #11 and #4 are so far the only singles to be released, both without any top entries on the singles charts; however, the album has been met by critical acclaim, and it has so far made it to #3 on the Billboard 200 in the US, but peaks at the top in both Switzerland and in the UK.
I think it's truly a bunch of nicely produced songs where the common denominator is more than meets the eye. This is much more than a nicely wrapping, and I do understand the positive reviews, although, I think many are way over the top in critical acclaim. But it's music meant to please, and nothing's wrong with that, and then it offers a layer on top of that, which is nice. In a way, this complexity is also suggested in the front cover. At first, you see a so-so kind of stereo-typical pop music cover with no deeper meaning to it, and then you realise that the sunset glow in back of the image really is a whole country on fire - both hinting at contemporary physical forest fires and the symbolism of a fire running through a country and / or modern society.
Anyway, I'm still not really a big Lana Del Rey fan - never was. It's music for the broad masses, major radio stations will love it - apart from all the beeps 'cause Lana, she makes a fair use of explicit lyrics - and I even think my old mum will enjoy it, though I will probably not listen much to this despite all my recognition 'cause I don't enjoy the singing voice of Lana, which to me is someone trying too hard to sound like Hope Sandoval [see Mazzy Star] and then she stays too much in the same pitch regardless the subject and I just find the whole wrapping too pure mainstream colourless to my liking. All that said, it's undoubtedly still her so far best album.
[ 👎allmusic.com, Rolling Stone, 4,5 / 5, Slant 4 / 5, 👍The Guardian 3 / 5, NME 5 / 5 stars ]

Lily Allen "Alright, Still" (2006)

Alright, Still [debut]

release date: Jul. 26, 2006

format: cd

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

producer: various

label: Regal / EMI - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Smile" (4 / 5) - 2. "Knock 'Em Out" - 3. "LDN" (4 / 5) - 4. "Everything's Just Wonderful" - 5. "Not Big" - 6. "Friday Night" - 8. "Littlest Things" - 11. "Alfie"

Studio album debut by Lily (Rose Beatrice) Allen is produced by a long list of various producers just as the songs on the album are credited a different group of people with Allen as central songwriter.

The album rocketed to number #2 on the albums chart list well promoted by the number #1 single hit "Smile", which came out a fourthnight earlier, and the second single "LDN" from Sep. made it to number #6 on the singles chart list - Allen had basically taken Britain by storm playing a simple retro-style of pop, which both paires artists like Amy Winehouse, The Streets, and Blur with a mix strongly influenced by ska, reggae, and grime, and Allen appears as the first UK artist to blend these styles in simple arrangements combined with humour-founded lyrics from a fictional character's everyday-life. A year later, Katy Perry and Kate Nash looked to Allen and both experienced solo success with music bonded to this very debut.

I recall being quite pleased by the first two singles from the album, and although, the album does contain other fine songs, it still comes out as a bit shallow, easily forgettable but yet perfectly refreshing.

Recommended.

[ allmusic.com, Spin 4 / 5, Pitchfork 8,3 / 10, 🤯The Guardian 5 / 5, Rolling Stone, 👍NME 3,5 / 5, Q Magazine 3 / 5 stars ]

Lisa Ekdahl "More of the Good" (2018)

More of the Good
release date: Nov. 9, 2018
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]
producer: Mathias Blomdahl
label: Sony Music - nationality: Sweden

10th studio album by Lisa Ekdahl released a 1½ years following När alla vägar leder hem. All songs are written and composed entirely by Ekdahl herself and all songs are with English lyrics. Perhaps the has released this new album also to satisfy her relatively broad international fans coming from English-speaking countries and also more traditional latin jazz-associated countries (Portugal, Spain, France, Italy).
You may prefer her native Swedish songs, but you can't reject that she's a fine vocalist and interpreter of contemporary easy listening and latin jazz, which is what this album contains most of all. I'm not a huge fan of her English lyrics but it really is one of her better attempts with English songs. It does, however, sound much like a huge conglomerate of previously released material and there are no new surprises under the hood. But if you like what works, this is a solid release of well-established themes.

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 ]