M.I.A. "M.I.7" (2026)

M.I.7

udgivet: 17. apr. 2026

format: digital (16 x File, FLAC)

[vurdering: 2,5 / 5] [2,56]

producer: diverse

selskab: Ohmni - nationalitet: England, UK

Udvalgte numre: 2. "Prayer 777" - 5. "Sacred Heart (feat. Kala)" - 7. "Money" - 15. "Everything"

7. studiealbum fra M.I.A. følger 3½ år efter MATA (okt. 2022) og er allerede et meget omtalt album. Mest i negative vendinger. Der er dog også uenighed omkring både kunster og album, men uagtet, hvem man læner sig opad, så er M.I.7 et anderledes album fra M.I.A. alene ved at indeholde gennemført kristne budskaber, der tager afsæt i 'Johannes' Åbenbaring' [sic]. Tillige ses 7 symboler på albummets front cover, som skulle symbolisere 'Syv segl fra Åbenbaringen', hvilket gør albummet til et kristent konceptalbum. Det indeholder 16 numre og har en total spillelængde på 64 min., men det, der er ret væsentligt i den forbindelse, er måden hvorpå de mere end 60 min. fordeles. De første 15 numre alene varer i alt blot 31 min., og af albummets 16 numre er der 7 med titlen "Trumpet" efterfulgt af en fortløben nummerering fra 1-7 - alle disse fremstår som deklamationer á la "God thanked it. Said time for the [second] trumpet"... hvorefter nummeret er slut efter en varighed fra 27 til 60 sekunder. Disse kan derfor ses som afspejlinger af de 7 segl... Ja. Andre numre indeholder ikke overraskende tydelige kristne budskaber, som fx #1. "Prayer 777", #4. "Jesus (feat. Sunday Service Choir)", #5. "Sacred Heart (feat. Kala)", #11. "Calling (feat. Sunday Service Choir)", og hele albummet er generelt naturligt 'sovset godt ind' i tydelige kristne budskaber, som en afspejlning af M.I.A.'s nyeste positionering i hendes (hidtil) velbevandrede kunstneriske og personlige søgen. Efter nogle år med forsøg på at markedsføre diverse tøjkollektioner med fokus på bæredygtighed og skærmning mod 5G og 10G stråling [jo jo!] mm., hvilket bl.a. forklarer ventetiden siden sidste album, så ser det nu ud til, at hun har fundet meningen (med det hele) og derfor udbringer det glade budskab med M.I.7. Og deraf følgende har, som indledningsvis indikeret, album og kunstner været genstand for en del mestendels negativ kritik, men ikke kun, forstås.

Personligt, gør det ikke nødvendigvis musik til noget dårligt, hvis det afspejler en tydelig religiøs overbevisning. Det kan det ofte, men Ray Charles, Van Morrison og fx Stevie Wonder har alle lavet flere udmærkede albums, hvor deres spirituelle holdninger har fyldt en del, men hvor musikken alligevel har gjort det til originale og lytteværdige værker. Religiøsiteten fylder i den grad på dette album, og hvad værre er, så mangler albummet egentlig musikalsk resonans. Der er intet nyt fra M.I.A. andet end gentagelser af musikalske mønstre - og det er så, når det er bedst. For det meste føles det uden involvering og substans. Albummets sidste nummer "30 Minutes of Silence" [!] mere end fordobler albummets spilletid - det bemærkelsesværdige er, at nummeret kommer med 30 minutters stilhed [tid til spirituel eftertænksomhed] efterfulgt af et kristent budskab næsten uden hørbar instrumentering.

M.I.7 er en original udgivelse. Det er det utvivlsomt. Det er bare ikke én af den slags, der giver mig lyst til at finde lignende albums, og hvad M.I.A. angår, så lader hun til at være tilpas skråsikker i sit nervesystem til at forholde sig til nuancer, faldgruber, og diverse former for manipulation - nej vel!! Albummet her falder ganske hårdt eller fladt og placerer sig som hendes indtil videre suverænt ringeste.

Det er ikke anbefalet - som i slet ikke. Måske min vurdering ligger i den høje ende af skalaen? Som Fantano tænker jeg: Det.er.ikke.godt.

[ needledrop: 'NOT GOOD' , 👍Slant 2,5 / 5,👎Pitchfork 7,4 / 10 stjerner ]

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 ]

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.

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 ]

André 3000 "New Blue Sun" (2023)

New Blue Sun [debut]

release date: Nov. 17, 2023

format: digital (8 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,68]

producer: André 3000 & Carlos Niño

label: Epic Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a 'Rap' Album but This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time" - 7. "Ants to You, Gods to Who ?"

Actual solo album debut by André 3000 (aka André Lauren Benjamin), who hasn't released full-length album music of his own since the Idlewild (2006) album by Outkast - one of the most succesful hip hop projects. Speakerboxx / The Love Below (2003) by Outkast has gone down in music history as the best-selling hip hop album ever to be released. André 3000 did, however, release the EP Look Ma No Hands in 2018, but other than that he has made featuring appearances on various singles and albums, although, a solo album was anticipated but never released, that's is, until now. Instead, he was cast as actor in a number of TV-series, also in a leading role in 2012, when he played Jimi Hendrix in John Ridley's film "Jimi: All Is by My Side" (premiered in 2014). Outkast reunited in 2014 for live concerts only, and since then André has lived life somewhat away from the brightest limelight and has been focusing on the production aspect of both music and films. André has been mentioned amongst the best rappers of all-time, and his songwriting and compositional touch has made people yearn for something more substantial - and something that would make everyone remember the famous riffs from the Outkast heydays.

New Blue Sun is anything but rap or hip hop. In fact, it's quiete a loooong way from what could be labelled as pop music. The album runs for more than 87 mins - almost 1½ hours of music, and only enlists eight tracks. All songs - or: they are not really songs but instrumentals as André doesn't add his famous vocal to one single track [!]. The shortest composition is track #5 "Ninety Three 'Til Infinity and Beyoncé", which has one of the shortest titles - the longest being "That Night in Hawaii When I Turned Into a Panther and Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn't Control ... SH¥T Was Wild" (tracks #3), which runs for 10½ mins, but that aint even the longest track. The longest composition is track #8 with its running time exceeding 17 mins. All compositions are credited André mostly together with co-producer Carlos Niñho, Nate Mercereau, and often also Surya Botofasina. André himself is aside for producing and mixing credited wind instruments, including flute, baritone flute, and wind controller aka 'wind synthesizer'. Only vocals on the abum is credited Mia Doi Todd.

Musically, this falls in a category of new age and ambient. It's slow and delicate, and André has also described parts of the compositions as improvisations, where he experiments with sound. The album has actually and mostly been met by positive reviews. Some suggest the music transcends the very idea and the general perception of what (modern) music is and what it should sound like, but most critics simply admire André's musical project as something extremely unique, and an utter brave decision from someone, who could have chosen the easy way. Instead he turns to music, and to experimentation, and by that shows his genuine love for music itself.

I dunno. I'm in doubts here. The artistic journey aside, I don't think the album as such delivers on that many parameters. To me, it's the kind of music that seems suited for meditation or relaxation, and since I'm not a huge fan of new age in general, it's a bit of a difficult listen. Parts of compositions provide me with a positive energy, and parts are beautifully arranged. There's, however, long periods of almost nothingness, where you try to focus on a palette that's hardly recognisable. I do also think other artists of the genre are able to produce more interesting music. Imho, this is far from entirely bad. It's just not the kind of music I turn to except from when needing a subtle background to lean on when taking a nap.

Not really recommended but still worth knowing.

[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Clash 3 / 5, The Standard 2 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5, Pitchfork 8,3 / 10 stars ]

U2 "Songs of Surrender" (2023)

Songs of Surrender

release date: Mar. 17, 2023

format: digital (40 x File, MP3)

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

producer: The Edge [aka David Evans]

label: Island Records - nationality: Ireland

Album by U2 released as a new studio album, which means it succeeds Songs of Experience (Dec. 2017). The album comes in a standard 16 tracks edition (1 disc cd / 2 lp vinyl), or a 'Deluxe Edition' (4 disc cd / 4 lp vinyl) and a number of special issues. At a first glance it could look like a clever marketing construct as all songs here are newly recorded mostly acoustic versions of old songs - all compiled and put together by The Edge, who has 'invited' Bono to put new vocal arrangements to the recordings. Half of the band didn't have to do anything as Clayton and Mullen Jr. didn't even put any work into this The Edge solo project of utilising old recordings and recorded tracks to re-arrange what appears as a coincidental selection.

Old wine on new bottles? Yes, and no. Firstly, the songs are not really new - people, or at least: fans should be familiar with every single composition. And secondly, other artists have with or without success made this type of re-recordings of a back catalogue; however, in this particular case, I don't really spot ANY improvements, and to issue costly deluxe editions of something like this is difficult to see as anything else than profit thinking. I don't find any great versions - perhaps because I already feel done and over with this once great and innovative band, but bottom line: I just don't like it. For me, this band made its last relevant album back in the year 2009, and before that in 2000, and those albums weren't even close to great. Their last truly remarkable album remains Achtung Baby from 1991.

You've probably noticed how their most recent albums share bonding titles, like a smart marketing scoop of sorts, complete without limitations - you may imagine 'Songs of Wonders', 'Songs of Patience'... 'Lust', 'Greed', 'Profit' - at least there's room for many follow-ups in that category: Songs of Innocence, Songs of Experience, and now a 'Surrender'-version. Who knows, perhaps a fitting title for an upcoming album is 'Songs of Redundance'? Like the other two, this is not recommended.

[ 👍Pitchfork 5.7 / 10, The Guardian, NME 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.

Efterklang "Windflowers" (2021)

Windflowers

release date: Oct. 8, 2021

format: digital (9 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,64]

producer: Efterklang

label: City Slang - nationality: Denmark

6th studio album by Efterklang following two years after Altid sammen, entirely held in Danish and exclusively produced by the trio, which currently has been associated with the label City Slang.

On the predecessor, it was something completely new with lyrics in Danish only, but here they have taken the leap back to the English language. Musically, the band has always tried to push the boundaries to a stylistic expression grounded in the ambient department of electronica. Efterklang has released music with neo-classical elements, large-scale orchestral arrangements, music with a greater focus on bass and drums, and they have released music with experimental organic touch. It has always been clearly based on ambient, and that is also the case here on this one. On the other hand, it has become the English language again. And unfortunately, I'm tempted to say, because on Windflowers they no longer sound quite as unique as they beautifully succeeded with the predecessor. It's a collection of compositions with lots of music in major notes and a sense of uniformity creeps in quite quickly in all of the bright candyfloss. The music is large-scaled, with high-to-the-ceiling synthesizers and pompous arrangements, and lead singer Casper Clausen glides merrily into the sky in a hot air balloon through chamber pop pink and light blue clouds.

Sorry, but it wasn't this way, boys! After a few listens, I must state that Efterklang does not, as usual, manage to successfully explore new boundaries within the band's musical landscape. They recycle too much what they may think the world is longing for. It is without nerve, and the end result is reminiscent of a product from the cookie factory Karen Volf: too much sugar, too little originality, but in return lots of added filling.

Ikke anbefalet.

[ bandcamp ]

[ Gaffa.dk 5 / 6, The Line of Best Fit 4 / 5 stars ]

Toyah "Minx" (1985)

Minx
release date: Jul. 25, 1985
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,72]
producer: Christopher Neil
label: Portrait Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Soldier of Fortune, Terrorist of Love" - 2. "Don't Fall in Love (I Said)" - 3. "Soul Passing Through Soul" - 11. "America for Beginners"

Studio solo debut by Toyah Wilcox, although it's also the sixth album credited Toyah. After Love Is the Law (Oct. 1983) the band faced declining sales figures and interest, and most of the band members became engaged in other acts, basically, leaving Wilcox and Joel Bogen alone - once again. Except this time, Toyah Wilcox now signed a contract with CBS subsidiary Portrait as a solo artist. Songwriting duo Wilcox / Bogen is here credited a single song (track #7), while most of the other tracks are credited Wilcox and keyboardist Simon Darlow. The album also feature a total of four covers - songs originally released by Rare Bird (track #4), DATA (track #6), Alice Cooper (track #9), and Latin Quarter (track #11).

Alledgedly, the money men of the label had much to say in terms of details about the sound and style of the album, and also regarding what specific tracks they wanted on an album that appears to have been produced with an American market in mind, i.e. with clear focus on a mainstream style within a pop / rock bubble at a time when synthpop and the contemporary soft version of new wave with toned-down art pop was state-of-the-art. The arrangements show bold use of vocal harmonies, keyboards, and the typical '80s drum sound, as well as the use of strings. Even the front cover highlights a shift towards a different audience in mind with a Toyah Wilcox [in a Sheena Easton / Frida / Tina Turner look-a-like] style and definitely not meant for punk rock associations.

The album actually performed quite well, peaking at number #24 on the national albums chart, and the first single "Don't Fall in Love (I Said)" peaked as number #22. Tracks #3 and #10 were also issued as singles and landed as No. #57 and #93, respectively.

Both musically and stylistically, Toyah simply ceased to appeal to me after Love Is the Law, and this very album just cemented my lack of interest. I believe much of the relatively significant commercial success that she faced after all is largely due to her background as an actor in a number of British films, TV series, and in roles as TV presenter on various BBC-productions. From a musical historical perspective, the band Toyah and soloist Toyah Wilcox released only a few really substantial albums, where Anthem (1981) is the only truly outstanding original.

One year following Minx, Wilcox married guitarist Robert Fripp, and she continued to release solo albums up until '96, after which the pace of new releases slowed considerably. The 2008 album In the Court of the Crimson Queen - paying tribute to husband Fripp's band King Crimson's acclaimed debut In the Court of the Crimson King from 1969 - from the beginning of 2021, is Wilcox's most recent studio album.

Not recommended.

Out of the Woods "Birds and Beasts" (2020)

Birds and Beasts [debut]

release date: Jun. 12, 2020

format: vinyl (gatefold - OOTWLP1)

[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,48]

producer: Ditte Grube Barild

label: self-released - nationality:

Studio album debut by Out of the Woods aka Ditte Grube Barild who has written, arranged, recorded, and produced all songs.

I purchased this on the evening of a concert with Nanna Bech and Out of the Woods in my hometown back in 2020. I must confess that I found the performance and the music by Bech superior to this but still wanted to support two performing artists by purchasing their music. However, I do find this lacking an original tone and frankly think of it as non-inspiring. That said, Ditte Grube has produced everything on her own, which calls for much respect, but as a an original work of art, as a musical statement, I think the album suffers on several parameters. The songs and the albums as such are quite a coherent whole but also lacking colours that enables you to distinguish the single tracks from one another., and then the arrangements of it all simply call for supporting instrumentation. Not all music needs melody lines and musical hooks in a traditional sense, but if you aim to construct music in other ways, you need something else to grab the listener's attention - and this is where Birds and Beasts fail, 'cause the narratives are not strong enough, the music is too anonymous, and I guess you could say the same about the vocal performance by Ditte Grube.

Not recommended.

Toyah "The Blue Meaning" (1980)

The Blue Meaning
release date: Jun. 6, 1980
format: digital (2002 reissue)
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,52]
producer: Steve James, Toyah
label: Safari Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Ieya" - 7. "Visions" - 9. "Love Me"

2nd studio album by Toyah succeeding Sheep Farming in Barnet by less than three months. Here the band already demonstrates its ever-changing line-ups as bassist Mark Henry has been replaced by Charlie Francis.

Apart from the line-up change, The Blue Meaning is very much like the other side of the coin to the debut with ten new pompous arrangements and a little more screaming - Wilcox is credited for "verbals & unusual sounds"... [sic], and she has taken an even stronger theatrical sound, which may have seemed avantgarde and experimental at the time. By doing so, she may have looked to both appearances by Kate Bush and Siouxsie Sioux, but in retrospect it only seems rather forced - to put it mildly.

The album was a minor success as it went as high as #40 on the UK albums chart list - at a time when the public in Britain became familiar with her through her acting career. Wilcox appeared in two movies by Derek Jarman: "Jubilee" (1978) and "The Tempest" (1979), she played a minor role in The Who's "Quadrophenia" (1979), and then she also appeared in several TV-series from the late '70s including "Quatermass" (1979), "Minder" (1980) and she was TV-presenter on the BBC programme "Look! Here!".

Had Wilcox not been such a familiar face, it is doubtful that this album would have entered the albums chart list in 1980.

Is it any better or worse than the debut? That's hard to say, really. But as an original piece of music it's not recommended.

[ Smash Hits 1,5 / 5 stars ]

Toyah "Sheep Farming in Barnet" (1980)

Sheep Farming in Barnet
release date: Feb. 22, 1980
format: digital (2002 reissue)
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,48]
producer: Steve James, Keith Hale
label: Safari Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Neon Womb" - 2. "Indecision" - 5. "Victims of the Riddle" - 8. "Danced"

Studio album debut by British band Toyah - named after the band's lead vocalist Toyah Ann Wilcox. The album was originally released as a 6-track ep in '79, which six months later was expanded to an 11-track album. Already as of '80 it was released as a compilation with the band's second album The Blue Meaning (Jun. 1980). The band consists of vocalist Toyah Wilcox, guitarist and main composer Joel Bogen, bassist Mark Henry, keyboardist Peter Bush, and drummer Steve Bray.

Toyah began as a punk rock band and quickly combined all sorts of contemporary influences from post punk, art punk, art pop and new wave with Toyah Wilcox, to a large extent, impersonating German punk queen, Nina Hagen.

I didn't came across this album until the early '00s, and being familiar with Anthem (1981), Changeling (1982) and Love Is the Law (1983) it is a strange experience to go through the band's first two albums. Sheep Farming in Barnet, to me, sounds pretty much like a British version of Nina Hagen Band in a bizarre cocktail with synthesizer inputs from Brian Eno.

The band was probably given a great deal more attention than their music deserved, and it's likely that the band's initial success was linked with Wilcox participating in national TV-series. Imho, the first two albums by Toyah are not more than historical artefacts and only serve to show us from what they spawned.

Not recommended.

[ 👎NME 3 / 5 stars ]

Billie Eilish "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?" (2019)

When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? [debut]
release date: Mar. 29, 2019
format: digital (14 x File, MP3)
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,48]
producer: Finneas O'Connell
label: Interscope Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 2. "Bad Guy" - 3. "Xanny" - 7. "When the Party's Over"

Studio album debut by 17-year old Billie Eilish (full name: Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell - yeah...) produced by her older brother, 21 year old Finneas O'Connell [aka FINNEAS]. The two are children of actors Maggie Baird and Patrick O'Connell.
Stylised as new enfant terrible prodigy Billie and brother Finneas have made a tight collection of art pop and electropop compositions that are... nicely bottled.
The album and Eilish have been lauded with critical acclaim almost world-wide where common denominators use phrases as "game-changer", "artistic vison[ary]", "haunting", "impressive cohesiveness" and Will Hodgkinson of The Times describes the nature of the album, when stating that it "captures one of those rare moments when an artist knows exactly how her audience feels because she feels the same way too." All right, all right, hold your horses, Will... when will that ever occur??
I do not agree, and others also point to opposite stands when eg Roisin O'Connor of The Independent says it's "dull and bloated" and simply rates the album below average. Because once you have listened through the album, it turns out more like a collection of artsy fartsy material that the music industry promptly swallows up like art critics when facing new art by Jeff Koons. All others find themselves as uninvited guests asking themselves what it is they don't get - and what the in-crowd praise as a new-found treasure.
I don't enjoy it one bit. It's over-the-hill hyped because she's predestined to fill out some spot (that really wasn't there). Nothing more. And there's nothing there except The Emperor's New Clothes. After having read several positive reviews it's quite a disappointing affair.
Not recommended.
[ 👎allmusic.com, The Guardian, Q Magazine 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, 👉The Independent 2 / 5 stars ]

Anadol "Hatıralar" (2017)

Hatıralar

release date: Mar. 24, 2017

format: digital (16 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,58]

producer: Anadol, Işık Sarıhan

label: Inverted Spectrum / Pingipung - nationality: Germany

Second album by Anadol (aka Turkish-born Gözen Atila Kaya) originally recorded in 2011-12 in Turkey and Berlin and released on Inverted Spectrum Records, Turkey. The debut comes in various versions - apparently, the original was a memory-stick release, which was reissued by Pingipung as a 12-track vinyl lp and as downloadable album via Anadol's bandcamp profile. 'Hatıralar' is Turkish for 'memories.

Anadol is a musical project primarily playing instrumental psychedelic synth folk - a unique combo where the sound artist combines musical influence from Turkish folklore, Western music and various types of world music to produce simple melodic patterns using synthesizers with sporadic added instrumenation.

EDIT 2023:

The album has been reissued in a remastered and remixed version counting 12 compositions.

The Cure "4:13 Dream" (2008)

4:13 Dream
release date: Oct. 27, 2008
format: cd
[album rate: 2,5 / 5]
producer: Robert Smith, Keith Uddin
label: Geffen Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "The Only One" - 4. "Freakshow" - 6. "Real Snow White" - 8. "Switch"

13th studio album by The Cure. After O'Donnell and Bamonte was fired in 2005 the band toured as a trio with Robert Smith, Simon Gallup and Jason Cooper, but later in 2005 Porl Thompson rejoined the band. Another four years under its way, it's hard to see much progression from its predecessor The Cure (2004). I only find it an even more obvious mission for the band to thread the same steps like Franz Ferdinand ('Freakshow'), Bloc Party ('Switch') or other contemporary artists of post-punk revival wave. Unfortunately, the album turns out as yet another mediocre album from Robert Smith & Co, and by 2014 this has been the last studio album from the band, meaning no other album cam out in 2012. On the band members list it has also been in and out like it has for many years. O'Donnell and Tolhurst both have toured with the band, and Thompson on the other hand has announced no wish to continue in the band. Reeves Gabrels, famous guitarist in various art rock bands including Tin Machine and other work with David Bowie has toured and played in The Cure. Concerning new material, rumor has it that a new album is on its way, although, it has also been proclaimed that it would be outtakes from this album, which initially had been intended as a double album.
[ allmusic.com 2 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Shaun Ryder "Amateur Night in the Big Top" (2003)

original cover

Amateur Night in the Big Top [debut]

release date: Sep. 2, 2003

format: digital (2012 reissue)

[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,68]

producer: Pete Carroll, Stephen Mallinder, Shane Norton

label: Offworld Sounds - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "The Story" - 2. "Long Legs (Parts 1, 2, 3)" - 3. "Scooter Girl" - 6. "Northern Soul Brother (Shapeshifter)"

Studio solo debut album with the subtitle "Clowns and Pet Sounds" by Shaun Ryder [aka Shaun William George Ryder], or: a collaboration album credited 'Amateur Night in the Big Top' consisting of Shaun Ryder, Shane Norton, Pete Carroll, and Stephen Mallinder. Well, that's what it was originally; however, in 2012 the album was re-issued as Shaun Ryder's solo debut. Dunno about ownership rights but I do know this: being literally the [exact] same album, it should still reflect that, but it doesn't, and that's where ownership rights enters the big picture. Anyway, by the end of Happy Mondays' partecipation [which also happens to be the end of The Happy Mondays' second incarnation] in the "Big Day Out" festival tour of Australia in 2001, Ryder gathered up in a studio in Melbourne, Australia with Norton, Carroll and Mallinder, who composed, mixed and produced music to Ryder's semi-autobiographical lyrics, and within a week's time they were left with this, which was subsequently released on the small Australian label. When re-issued in 2012 it seems Ryder had gained the ownership rights to release it as his solo debut, although, he didn't regard it as a genuine attempt to make a solo effort.

It's not really in style with the music of Happy Mondays, nor that of Black Grape for that matter, which does suggest that Ryder wasn't really in control of the composing part. It's mainly an electronic and big beat-styled collection of songs with some neo-psychedelia to it. It's not all bad, but it does reflect some quick-mass-up-in-the-studio-recordings, and according to Ryder and his recollection of the recordings as described in his auto-biography "Twisting My Mellon" he was having a bad time, wasn't up for new studio sessions, and mostly was heavily influenced by his substance abuse, which he thinks is quite obvious when listening to the album.

It's too bad, Ryder was down and out while babbling along 'cause fact is, he is a gifted narrator, but it does at times remind you of similar destinies in the music industry.

Not all bad, but somewhat unfocused and somewhat tedious after the first three tracks.

Not recommended.

2012 reissue

Keld & The Donkeys "Det er så skønt" (1967)

Det er så skønt, 7'' single

release date: 1967

format: vinyl (X 9005)

[single rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,44]

producer: ?

label: HMV / EMI - nationality: Denmark

Tracklist: A) "Det er så skønt" - - B) "Hvorfor er alt nu forbi"

Single release by Keld & The Donkeys. The A-side is credited 'Ubert-Prod - Keld Heick' and it's a cover of a song by Ubert-Prod (alias for Swedish songwriter Ebbe Nilsson), and the song was originally released as a single by Swedish schlager / pop-group Sten & Stanley as Det är så skönt in 1966 - Sten & Stanley was a quintet consisting of the three brothers Nilsson: Sten, Ebbe, and Per together with Stanley Granström and Bo Carlén.

This single was part of my parents' record collection, and it's a single I knew of at age 6-10 but never really enjoyed - probably because it's styled as schlager music.

~ ~ ~

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.

Elvis Costello & The Brodsky Quartet "The Juliet Letters" (1993)

The Juliet Letters
release date: Jan. 19, 1993
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,68]
producer: Brodsky Quartet, Elvis Costello and Kevin Killen
label: Warner Bros. - nationality: England, UK

Studio album by the music crossover-project featuring pop / rock artist Elvis Costello and British classical string ensemble (the) Brodsky Quartet consisting of Ian Belton and Michael Thomas on violin, Paul Cassidy on viola and Jaqueline Thomas on cello.

The album was released to mostly positive reviews and the project also perfomed live to critical acclaim. I just don't think it works that well. Costello performs songs from his most delicate jazzy corner à la "Almost Blue" / "Shipbuilding" with the string quartet as instrumental appendix trying to fit in, or simply communicate that this is true art. I find it boring, uninspiring altogether, and see it as more of a media stunt he pulled through.

[ allmusic.com 3 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

Greyhounds "I (Who Have Nothing)" (1969) (single)

I (Who Have Nothing), 7'' single

release date: 1969

format: vinyl (SC 1106)

[single rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,68]

producer: ?

label: Scan-Disc - nationality: Sweden

Tracklist: A) "I (Who Have Nothing)" - - B) "Theme From the Wild Angels"

Single release from Swedish rock band Greyhounds. The A-side is credited 'Mogul - Donida - Leiber - Stoller'. Now, I know who Leiber & Stoller are. Mogul was a moniker for Italian songwriter Giulio Rapetti and Carlo Donida was an Italian composer and together they made the song "Uno dei tanti" ['One of the Many' / 'One Among Many'], which was transposed to English with new lyrics by songwriter-duo Jerome Leiber & Mike Stoller. The Italian song was originally performed by Joe Sentieri in 1961, and the translated version was initially performed by Ben E. King in 1963 [see more info on other versions here]. The B-side is credited Mike Curb, who made music to Roger Corman's 1966 film "The Wild Angels". There's not much other info on the vinyl labels or on the cover, which has identical sides, but the band appears to consisting of lead vocalist Bo Hellström, guitarist Roger Blomdahl, bassist Rolf Ahlin, keyboardist and vocalist Willy Björkman, and drummer Hasse Andersson.

This single probably comes from my older brother's record collection. I think, the cover somehow signals more than their music - and they could have only just watched Dennis Hopper's "Easy Rider", which premiered Jul. 1969, but most certainly knew of Corman's "The Wild Angels", in which the B-side original is found - and they try really hard to pose as a Swedish Steppenwolf copy.

I recall putting the single on the turntable as a kid and being disappointed about not really finding any enjoyment in it. Now, some five decades later, I still don't find much pleasure from it.

~ ~ ~

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.

The Durutti Column "Chronicle" (2011)

Chronicle
release date: Apr. 30, 2011
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5]

Tracklist: 1. "Fanfare" - 2. "Synergetic" - 3. "Ananda" - 4. "Accord" - 5. "Time to Lift" - 6. "Anguish of the Text Message" - 7. "What Is It Worth" - 8. "Someone Got Away" - 9. "Jeeves and Wooster" - 10. "Friends" - 11. "Emptyness" - 12. "No More Close to Me" - 13. "Resolution"

22nd studio album release by The Durutti Column issued on Kooky Records and produced by ? [Vini Reilly?]. The style and music here is in the same area as Idiot Savants (2007) and Rebellion (2001), which is to say, a return to ambient dream pop, though, I think, it has some post rock feel, or at least a meditative progressiveness.
The album release comes after Vini Reilly has experienced a heavy degree of misfortune - firstly, his relationship with Poppy Morgan came to an end during the recording process, something he mentions in the liner notes had a huge impact on the finalising of the album, and once the album was put together, he was inflicted by two consecutive minor strokes in late 2010 - another followed in early 2011. The result of this has made it impossible for him to play the guitar, thus it seems unlikely that any new guitar music will be realised from his hands.
The overall experience is not that it's one of his best albums. Some tracks sound like outtakes or rough demos, and I find it hard to rate fully. It's also a typical The Durutti Column album that touches on modern classical.