Chet Baker "Chet Is Back!" (1962)

Chet Is Back!
release date: Jan. 1962
format: digital
[album rate: 4 / 5]

Studio album by Chet Baker. It's one of his most well-renowned albums, and I think it's more than good, only, it's not the style that first comes to my mind when I'm thinking of Chet Baker. This is great jazz bop, which is a style much more in a field of John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Stan Getz, and Charlie Mingus. Here, Chet shows how he's more than capable of that style as well. And well, I guess all great jazz artists just had to play music according to that style at some point from the mid 50s to mid 60s. It also contains one or two tracks in his real trademark: cool jazz but no vocal jazz or that fine combo of easy listening and standards that I love when played by Chet. The album's title refers to the fact that Chet had spent almost a year and a half in prison in Italy because of possession of drugs.

Wilmer X "13 Våningar upp" (2005)

13 Våningar upp
released: Jan. 26, 2005
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]
producer: Chips K. (aka Chips Kiesbye)
label: Amigo - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 1. "Blind Mans Bluff" - 2. "Fem ett fem" - 3. "Han måste ut ur mitt liv" - 4. "Dämma upp alla floder" - 5. "Stackars Valentin" - 7. "God god lust" - 9. "Tror du udda är jämt" - 10. "Tuff puck att svälja" - 13. "Bara muskelminnet kvar"

A very strong and up-tempo studio album by Wilmer X in their classic and characteristic blues rock rock & roll combo. Unfortunately, this was only issued in digital format. This is one of their better albums.

Robin Guthrie & Harold Budd "White Bird in a Blizzard" (OST) (2014)

White Bird in a Blizzard (soundtrack)

release date: Sep. 23, 2014

format: cd

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

producer: Robin Guthrie

label: Lakeshore Records - nationality: Scotland, UK / USA

Track highlights: 1. "Visions of Eve" - 2. "Brock's Theme" - 4. "Curious" - 5. "Forever Changed" - 11. "I'm Here, Kat, I'm Here" - 12. "White Bird"

[ full album ] [ film trailer ]

Soundtrack by Robin Guthrie & Harold Budd for the film of the same name directed by Gregg Araki, who also directed the 2005 film "Mysterious Skin" for which Guthrie and Budd also provided the musical score, which was their first actual exclusive collaboration, released as Mysterious Skin: Music From the Film. Almost two decades earlier, however, they had made their first album together: The Moon and the Melodies (1986) as a collaboration with Elizabeth Fraser and Simon Raymonde - Guthrie's other two partners from The Cocteau Twins.

White Bird in a Blizzard would turn out to be their last recordings together. December 2020 saw the release of the album Another Flower, but the tracks here, like the tracks for White Bird in a Blizzard, were already recorded in 2013. Perhaps the compositions for both albums stem from the same recording session? It consolidates unmistakably the same moods and soundscape, although the soundtrack overall contains more varied music, which is largely due to the fact that the individual tracks are not, like the 2020 album, attributed both artists - only tracks #4 and #8 are credited both, and exactly those two could easily have be included on Another Flower without changing the overall expression. The soundtrack consists of twelve compositions with a total playing time of 41 minutes. Guthrie is credited tracks #1, #2, #5, #7, #11, and #12, while Budd is exclusive composer of tracks #3, #6, #9, and #10. Quite naturally, you'll notice a distinct dream pop style to Guthrie's tracks, with Budd's compositions being far more minimalistic. However, there are no explicit signs indicating that they do not contribute to each other's compositions, but you may note how Budd's instrumentals are without string instrumentation, and in isolation these stand a bit on their own. Compared to their first film score collaboration, the album here stands stronger because it's more varied without being disjointed. Personally, I prefer Guthrie's compositions but the collaboration with Budd is certainly not without quality, even if Budd's own piano and keyboard variations are a little too new age-styled to my liking. Together, they certainly make relevant music, and I feel as this album surpasses their previous collaborations.

Recommended.

Björk "Vulnicura" (2015)

Vulnicura
release date: Jan. 20, 2015
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,52]
producer: Björk, Arca
label: One Little Indian - nationality: Iceland

Track highlights: 1. "Stonemilker" - 2. "Lionsong" - 4. "Black Lake" - 5. "Family" - 7. "Atom Dance" (feat. Anohni) - 8. "Mouth Mantra" - 9. "Quicksand"

8th studio album by Björk is co-produced by Venezuelan electronic producer / musician Arca [aka Alejandro Ghersi]. Stylistically, a Björk studio album is always within an art pop universe, and here she attributes that with chamber, ambient pop and electronic. It's not far from what she has released before - perhaps the biggest change is the distance to her most recent album Biophilia (Oct. 2011), although, they share the common theme of nature. In many ways this is closer to a mix of her three consecutive albums around the new millennium: Homogenic (1997), Vespertine (2001), Medúlla (2004), and frankly, Vulnicura sounds much like the outcome of a combo of all three albums.
Without containing obvious hits, I think the result is her most interesting album in more than 14 years. An alternative title could have been 'Homogeneous', 'cause that's also what it is.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, NME, Spin 4 / 5 stars ]
=> Needledrop review

Nanna Bech "I Could Kill You in a Thousand Ways" (2018)

I Could Kill You in a Thousand Ways [debut]

release date: Nov. 16, 2018

format: vinyl

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

producer: ? (rec. by Dennis Ahlgren)

label: self-released - nationality: Denmark

Tracklist: A) 1. "Never Quiet" - 2. "Lips" (live session) - 3. "One Day" - 4. "The Fool" - - B) 1. "Traffic Light" (Radio Edit) - 2. "The Town" - 3. "I Could Kill You in a Thousand Ways" - 4. "Still Here" - 5. "Lost"

Studio album debut by Danish musician Nanna Bech is a self-released album with nine compositions written, and composed by Bech and co-arranged with Dennis Ahlgren, who also contributes on guitar, bass, synths, and percussion. Aside from singing, Bech also handles piano and ukulele parts.

Musically, it's in a quieter corner of indie pop with strong influences from folk, Nordic folklore, and it could also come with a sticker labelling it as neofolk.

Bech has a delicate singing voice, which adds a destinct quality to all songs, and the arrangements are made with an ear for rhythm and melody, which allows for Bech's funny and story-telling lyrics to stand out on their own terms. The songs have a common theme of the macabre but the stories are wrapped up in serene colours, in softness, and with a lightness that all function as deliberate oppposites showing you a wink as an invitation for a smile. Frankly, I don't think this album comes with any fillers, and to pick the highlights is more than ordinarily hard, and instead of handing the listener with an album of hit song potential, it's really the whole package and the uplifting state it may settle you in that ensures this as a succesful and most recommended debut.

Now, having heard Nanna Bech live, I only wish she would grant us with more of her talent, and perhaps issue an album of songs with lyrics in Danish.

[ Gaffa.dk, Gfrock.dk 4 / 6 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.

Arctic Monkeys "Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino" (2018)

Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino
release date: May 11, 2018
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,92]
producer: Alex Turner, James Ford
label: Domino Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Star Treatment" - 4. "Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino" - 6. "Four Out of Five"

6th studio album by Arctic Monkeys released after a five-year hiatus is produced by composer, vocalist and guitarist Alex Turner with James Ford, who has been in the producer seat on all of the band's releases except the debut - just as Ford is found in that role on Turner's last project: The Last Shadow Puppets' second album from 2016 Everything You've Come to Expect. The ice-cold monkeys have come a long way since the debut from 2006 but also since the brilliant AM from 2013, and so has Mr. Turner. He has always been the undisputed leader of this band, but here he is not only part of the production-team, he has also written all songs and dare I say: turned Arctic Monkeys into a Turner-project. Stylistically and sound-wise, this has much in common with The Last Shadow Puppets most recent album. It sounds like over-polished lounge-like chamber pop and psychedelic pop with Turner crooning like a new-born American jet-setter in his modern aristocratically mumblings about right and wrong. I know that doesn't sound like an appetizer but despite Alex Turner being an incredibly talented musician I don't really enjoy his recent artistic detours.
The album received positive to luke-warm reviews. I only find it boring and even less interesting than Turner's Shadow project. To quote Alexis Petridis of The Guardian: "The problem is that a smart guy is sometimes all Turner seems to be. The songs can feel like less than the sum of their parts: a selection of one-liners, wry observations and knowing winks to camera that leave you struggling to work out what he’s driving at – and wondering if he knows, or cares – and to locate any real emotional connection or impact." That is spot on how I perceive this one, which leaves me as indifferent as when listening to Bowie's last album Black Star from 2016, and Alex Turner has never sounded this much like Bowie as he comes through on this one. Form over matter. Have we seen that before?! Too often, but it's part of the game, and when you're a certified talent, it's obviously difficult not to make some misses.
Not recommended.
[ allmusic.com, Uncut 3,5 / 5, 👎NME 4 / 5, 👍The Guardian 3 / 5, Rolling Stone 2 / 5 stars ]

Interpol "Marauder" (2018)

Marauder
release date: Aug. 24, 2018
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,65]
producer: Dave Fridmann
label: Matador - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "If You Really Love Nothing" - 2. "The Rover" (4 / 5) - 3. "Complications" - 5. "Stay in Touch" - 7. "Mountain Child" - 8. "Nysmaw" (4 / 5) (live)

6th studio album by Interpol, who continues to release albums every four years and in the meantime stays very low. Here, they have put it in the hands of established producer Dave Fridmann. The band seems to regain its post-punk revival flair and do what they have proven to do best: play tight melody-based post-punk. Actually, the album sounds as made in the early 2000s and would easily have followed Antics (2004) or the debut from 2002, and with the album cover they don't even try to take big leaps from their own heritage - on the contrary, in fact, and maybe there's even a message in that.
I guess, critics would argue that the band has only moved few inches since their acclaimed debut and that there are no evident traces of the band's later album releases from 2007, 2010 and 2014. The differences may be small, but not microscopical, and what makes this a more mature album is what appears as perfection in details. The songs are simple, yet delightfully progressive in small dozes - it's subtle form and a significant depth that makes this the band's best album since the debut in 2002.
I like it - it's a grower.
Recommended.
[ allmusic.com, NME, The Guardian, Slant 4 / 5 stars ]

Elvis Costello "Kojak Variety" (1995)

Kojak Variety
release date: May 9, 1995
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,22]
producer: Elvis Costello and Kevin Killen
label: Warner Bros. Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "Hidden Charms" ["Screamin' Jay" Hawkins] - 5. "Leave My Kitten Alone" [Little Willie John] - 6. "Everybody's Crying Mercy" [Mose Allison] - 9. "Must You Throw Dirt in My Face?" [Bill Anderson] - 11. "The Very Thought of You" [Ray Noble] - 15. "Days" [Ray Davies]

15th studio album by Elvis Costello following one year after Brutal Youth is an album consisting exclusively of cover versions of songs from traditional rhythm & blues, soul, beat and rock & roll - all songs from his youth. The album contains 15 tracks recorded in the period 1989-94 and they include songs (1-15) made famous by 'Screamin' Jay' Hawkins, Willie Dixon, The Supremes, Bob Dylan, Little Willie John, Mose Allison, Randy Newman, Little Richard, Louvin Brothers, James Carr, Nat 'King' Cole, Jesse Winchester, The Drifters, Aretha Franklin, and The Kinks. Costello's cover of "Days" by Ray Davies was recorded for the film "Until the end of the World" (1991) by Wim Wenders.

[ allmusic.com, Q Magazine 2 / 5, Rolling Stone 2,5 / 5, Blender, Mojo, Uncut 3 / 5 stars ]

St. Vincent "MassEducation" (2018)

MassEducation

release date: Oct. 12, 2018

format: digital (12 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,26]

producer: St. Vincent & Thomas Bartlett

label: Loma Vista - nationality: USA

6th studio album by St. Vincent follows one year after Masseduction (Oct. 2019) is an acoustic version of the predecessor recorded with pianist Thomas Bartlett. Together, they reworked and mixed the tracks from Masseduction, resulting in completely sparsely arranged songs centered around piano-driven versions of the songs from the 2017 album.

It may be a clever stunt - certainly af safe one and perhaps not exactly the most demanding process but still, these new takes reflect a completely different life, and some songs sound better in the more minimalist arrangements while others simply lack variety. And that's probably also the great weakness about it - that the songs at one and the same time carry elements of something easily recognisable, not particularly distant from the original and then also doesn't offer a new musical scope. Of course, the songs have more or less the same vocal sound - although Annie Clark sings differently here - and the accompanying piano just never add any big changes throughout the album. And in that way, this is far more of a curiosity than a must.

Lise Westzynthius "JA" (2018)

JA

release date: Sep. 14, 2018

format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,22]

producer: Camillo Gino, Lise Westzynthius

label: Heavypop / DME - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Mommo" - 2. "Flyv mig ind" - 3. "Kaster dig op" - 4. "Laura Palmer" - 8. "På den anden side" - 10. "Fuck. Du forlader mig aldrig"

5th studio album by Lise Westzynthius following 6½ years after Tæt på en kold favn (Mar. 2012) issued on Westzynthius own label Heavypop via Danish Music & Entertainment and co-produced by Westzynthius and Camillo Gino (Askjær) (guitarist in the Danish band Rum 37). All songs are credited Westzynthius alone except two compositions: tracks #3 and #4, which are both co-written by Bjørn Rasmussen. Btw. "Laura Palmer" is translated dialogue (by David Lynch) taken from the Twin Peaks TV-series.

Apparently, and according to Westzynthius herself, she spent some years after her 2012 album finding back on her feet. From her own website it's described as she took "...a deeper dive into her inner self. This lead to a journey of 6-7 years within the fields of body work, shamanism, hypnosis, ayahuasca, tantra, meditation, etc. All along the way, new songs were born, and Lise slowly started working on them together with a good friend, Camillo Gino."  According to Westzynthius this journey was a healing process, where she focussed on being more minded on her physical conditions because she has had a natural way of dealing with emotional aspects, and she need more grounding. In this regard, JA ["YES"] is a way of meeting and focussing on positive aspects of life, and if that includes being stark-naked, Westzynthius has no reservations with that.

Musically, the album mostly follows the tone of her 2012 album. The biggest difference is her extreme positivism, which at times tend to be an expression touching on naivety. Lyrically, she has certainly evolved. Where early lyrics bore traits of obscurity and mysticism, which involved some kind of deciphering of her lyrics, she now expresses herself in a much more direct manner. Thematically, she hasn't completely left her divorce, she returns to the memory of her ex-husband in several lyrics, e.g. on "På den anden side", which also recounts the title of the debut album by her ex-husband, and at the same time she keeps repeating that she's looking forward to meeting his real self "On the Other Side" [of what? When they are dead? Or, when she's finally over the break-up and they can meet again?], but the overall impression is an artist, who appears more willing to experiment. I'm not fully convinced about the end result, though. There's a blue-eyed and near new-religious tone to most of her songs that keeps bothering me but apart from that, it's just nice to have Westzynthius back.

[ Gaffa.dk, Soundvenue 5 / 6, Undertoner 2,5 / 6 stars, Information review ]

De efterladte "Synger dagen ind" (2018)

Synger dagen ind

release date: Oct. 18, 2018

format: digital (10 x FILE, FLAC - melo016)

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

producer: Boi Holm, Michael Lund, Peter H. Olesen

label: Melodika - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 2. "Jeg bilder dig ind vi kan se helt til Sverige" - 3. "Nattens lys" - 4. "Aldrig ind i denne dag" - 5. "Jeg ser udsigten" - 9. "Bliv hos mig"

4th studio album by Danish americana trio De efterladte following two years after Adjø tristesse (Sep. 2016). As usual the new collection of songs are credited songwriter and vocalist Peter H. Olesen and composer and guitarist Michael Lund, and also to the usual procedure, Boi Holm holds a central part as sound engineer and producer. One track (track #6) is entirely arranged as a spoken-word composition, which also follows the usual pattern of theirs. The album has a relatively short total running time only reaching 32 minutes.

De efterladte makes their very own blend of alt. folk mixed with americana in a distinct singer / songwriter tradition where Olesen excells with his Danish linguistic acrobacy as if involuntarily cloning Stuart Staples and Leonard Cohen, but still in an original mix.

Synger dagen ind is mostly like a second chapter to their 2016 album and to such an extent that it touches a bit of a stand-still. Only on "Aldrig ind i denne dag" the three show a will to explore new-found territory with the use of an industrial touch - which they could have explored and used on several other songs. The end result is that the band hasn't progressed much. The narratives are still vivid, the music albeit minimalist it still feels like built on original ideas. They cleverly mix folkish music with electronic bits - I reckon, thanks to Boi Holm, but still, with this their fourth album they don't exactly showcase that many new ideas, and then on the other hand they stay true to their own strengths, which guarantees quality and makes it all a pleasant journey.

[ bandcamp ]

Etta James "Tell Mama" (1968)

Tell Mama
release date: Aug. 21, 1968
format: digital (2001 reissue) / vinyl (2014 reissue)
[album rate: 4 / 5]
producer: Rick Hall
label: MCA / Bear Family - nationality: USA

Tracklist: 1. "Tell Mama" - 2. "I'd Rather Go Blind" (4 / 5) - 3. "Watch Dog" - 4. "The Love of My Man" (4 / 5) - 5. "I'm Gonna Take What He's Got" - 6. "The Same Rope" - 7. "Security" (4 / 5) - 8. "Steal Away" - 9. "My Mother In-Law" - 10. "Don't Lose Your Good Thing" - 11. "It Hurts Me So Much" - 12. "Just a Little Bit"

8th studio album by Etta James originally released on Cadet Records and produced by Rick Hall. This is a wonderful soul and r&b album by one of vocal jazz great voices. All tracks are credited various composers, which was a typical procedure of the 1950s and 60s, but Etta's gift is to understand and make them all her own. A must-have for lovers of soul. The extended 2001 MCA cd reissue with the added subtitle "The Complete Muscle Shoals Sessions" comes with an additional 10 bonus tracks. The 2014 vinyl issue is a replica of the original album and with the same original 12 tracks.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]

2014 vinyl reissue

Chet Baker "Chet Baker Sings" (1954)

Chet Baker Sings
release date: Apr. / May 1954
format: vinyl (2018 reissue, yellow vinyl) / digital
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,94]
producer: Richard Bock
label: WaxTime In Color

A very young (23 years old) Chet sings vocal jazz and standards of the time. He is often mentioned as the jazz world's first pop star, or at least a kind of role model celebrity. Photos of him from the 1950s show how he was promoted almost in the same manner as Sinatra, and later stars like James Dean and Cliff Richard - a pop star with a message to all teenagers.

The album came out at the time when Elvis and Sinatra were top of the pop, and Chet was launched accordingly to that tradition, although his music was very different. His singing voice isn't all that fantastic but it has its very own beauty. The album is the first where Baker sings, as he had previously been promoted exclusively as an instrumentalist. The original issue of the album was released by Pacific Jazz in 10'' and 2 x 7'' formats only and contained eight tracks. In 1956 the label reissued the album for 12'' format with 14 tracks - the same songs appear on the 2018 remaster on WaxTime In Color. The original album contained the following songs: "But Not for Me", "Time After Time", "My Funny Valentine", "I Fall in Love Too Easily", "There Will Never Be Another You", "I Get Along Without You Very Well", "The Thrill Is Gone", "Look for the Silver Lining".

The album originally came out to luke-warm reviews, and some critics found Baker's vocal unsuited for commercial releases, to put it mildly 'cause he was also publicly mocked; however, the album was a commercial success and led in 1956 led to the expanded version and earlier it was followed by Chet Baker Sings and Plays (1955).

Highly recommended.

[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings 3,5 / 4 stars ]

1954 original issue
on Pacific Jazz

Paul Weller "A Kind Revolution" (2017)

A Kind Revolution
release date: May 12, 2017
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,02]
producer: Paul Weller
label: Parlophone - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 3. "Long Long Road" (live on later) - 4. "She Moves With the Fayre" - 5. "The Cranes Are Back" (live on later) - 6. "Hopper" - 8. "One Tear" - 9. "Satellite Kid" - 10. "The Impossible Idea"

13th solo studio album by Paul Weller is his first album to be entirely produced by himself only. Musically, it follows closely in the steps laid out on his splendid Saturns Pattern from 2015. It's full of style influences but mainly falls in the genre of alt. rock and singer / songwriter where he once again explores the style of pop soul. Some tracks are energetic rockers, some are ballad-like and rich of strings - touching on chamber pop, others reflect his many tours into the many stylistic landscapes of modern popular music.
This is another strong release from Weller just before his 59th birthday showing just how well he's doing in his senior years. He hasn't always been able to combine all his stylistic influences into coherent albums, but lately he seems to have found the formula to bring everything into a synthesis.
This is one of the best albums in 2017 and thus a highly recommended album.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, 👍The Guardian 4 / 5, PopMatters 4,5 / 5 stars ]

2017 Favourite releases: 1. St. Vincent Masseduction - 2. Paul Weller A Kind of Revolution - 3. Love Shop Risiko

Kent - 12 Studio Albums Listed 1-12

Pos.		Album		Year		Rate
1.		Röd		2009		4,35
2.		Du & jag Döden		2005		4,32
3.		Vapen & ammunition		2002		4,12
4.		Tigerdrottningen		2012		4,08
5.		Hagnesta Hill		1999		3,94
6.		Tillbaka till samtiden		2007		3,88
7.		Isola		1997		3,86
8.		En plats i solen		2010		3,84
9.		Då som nu för alltid		2016		3,68
10.		Jag är inte rädd för mörkret		2012		3,62
11.		Verkligan		1996		3,62
12.		Kent		1995		3,48

The Good, The Bad & The Queen "Merrie Land" (2018)

Merrie Land
release date: Nov. 16, 2018
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,78]
producer: Tony Visconti, The Good, The Bad & The Queen
label: Studio 13 - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "Merrie Land" - 3. "Gun to the Head" - 4. "Nineteen Seventeen" (live video) - 5. "The Great Fire" - 6. "Lady Boston" - 7. "Drifters & Trawlers" (live) - 9 . "Ribbons" - 11. "The Poison Tree"

2nd studio album by the Damon Albarn-led "super band" The Good, The Bad & The Queen released on the band's own newly-founded label is the follow-up album to the debut from 2007. It's quite remarkable how the band stays the same after eleven years and after a relatively inactive period of time. Of course Albarn is the driving force and it could easily be regarded as his solo-project if not all songs are credited the band. And band... Yes! Finally, earlier this year, the band officially announced to go by the name it has been commonly known as for the past decade. Even Albarn had to follow-suit on that - despite he may have been the mastermind of the [bad] idea to have a band with no name.
Thematically, the band continues to examine the past. "Merrie" is not a literal reference to the history of England as much as it's a confrontation of a nostalgic and biased image. The songs deal with inhuman life conditions, personal tragedies and general poverty as a state of late Middle Age England. This is underlined in the front cover with the puppet master holding his hand to the mouth of the puppet to prevent it from telling the ugly truth.
Stylistically, this also represents a huge mix of styles, but even so a much more coherent attempt to combine various styles without losing focus. There's a foundation that binds it all together that I didn't hear on the debut. It's still first and foremost art pop and neo-psychedelia with influences from various other styles. Tracks #6 and #7 makes me think of Joe Strummer - not just because of bassist Paul Simonon but there's a tone on several tracks that sound inspired by his wonderful style, which again is influenced by Jamaican music. This is a slower but more consistent release than the first album from the project, and it strikes me, how it's also the studio album with Damon Albarn in front to come out as the most successful non-Albarn-like album in many years. That is: it sounds more like a release by a band featuring Damon Albarn than a Albarn-lead project. Perhaps this is also by merit of producer Visconti - but the end result is a much better and coherent album than the 2007 debut. Does this man ever rest? It's only six months ago he released the sixth full-length album with Gorillaz - a completely different kind of a release.
Merrie Land has generally been granted positive reviews - some actually calling it one of the best of the year. I may not put it on top of my list but it's surely bettering the predecessor by a clear margin and the album is together with Now Now by Gorillaz a truly fine effort by Albarn.
Recommended.
[ 👍allmusic.com, Mojo, Drowned in Sound, Q Magazine 4 / 5, Uncut, The Guardian 3,5 / 5 stars ]

The Divine Comedy "Live at Somerset House" (2010) (live)

Live at Somerset House (live)

release date: Dec. 2010
format: digital (24 x File, FLAC)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,82]
producer: Nel Hannon
label: Concert Live - nationality: Northern Ireland, UK

12th album release by The Divine Comedy is a double live album from a concert at Somerset House, London, Jul. 17, 2010 released on the label Concert Live.
The album consists of 24 tracks (some issues: 22) and it contains many great songs, and it truly serves to document Neil Hannon as the great amusing entertainer, he really is.
Quite enjoyable.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

Happy Mondays "Uncle Dysfunktional" (2007)

Uncle Dysfunktional

release date: Jul. 2, 2007

format: digital (13 x File, MP3)

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

producer: Sunny Levine

label: Sequel Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Jellybean" - 2. "Angels and Whores" - 5. "Cuntry Disco" - 7. "Anti Warhole (On the Dancefloor)" - 8. "Rush Rush"

5th studio album by Happy Mondays following 15 years after ... Yes Please (1992) is the bands first album with a new line-up, and as of 2018 also the so far final album by The Mondays. After the disbandment in '93, Shaun Ryder and Bez went on to form Black Grape but after two albums and another disbandment, Ryder once again took the initiative to reform his old band with younger brother Paul, best mate Bez and drummer Gary Whelan from the initial line-up but now without keyboardist Paul Davis and guitarist Mark Day. This line-up was expanded with new guitarist "Wags" [Paul Wagstaff], former backing vocalist Rowetta, rapper "Nuts", keyboardist Ben Leach and percussionist Lea Mullen making the band a nonet [nine members]. With this line-up the band was active from 1999 to 2001, and during this short period, they succesfully toured the world and played concerts without releasing other than the Thin Lizzy cover of "The Boys Are Back in Town" (1999). It all came to an end in 2001 after Shaun in Melbourne, Australia, got together with Shane Norton, Pete Carroll and Stephen Mallinder and recorded a bunch of new songs - first to be released in 2003 as Amateur Night in the Big Top. - after which Paul left The Mondays and the band dissolved - again. In 2004, Shaun, Bez and Whelan revived the band by recruiting guitarist Kavin Sandhu, bassist Mike Shine, keyboardist Dave Parkinson as well as guitarist John Dunn making it a septet. After a while, Parkinson was replaced by Dan Broad, and shortly prior to the recordings, also Dunn left the band,. So here the Mondays are "the old core" of Shaun Ryder, Bez, and Gary Whelan, and a complete septet together with Kav Sandhu, Mike Shine, Dan Broad and Julie Gordon.

Musically, it's clear that the band aims to make another 'classic' Happy Mondays album by mixing neo-psychedelia, pop soul, funk and alt. dance, but it's also striking how old-school it all sounds. Not much has happened since the 90s it seems, and the album simply lacks good songs. The album was met by mixed reviews and it peaked at a low number #73 on the UK albums chart list, and the two singles, "Jellybean" and "Dysfunctional Uncle" (track #9) failed to chart.

Uncle Dysfunctional surely revives the style and sound of The Mondays, but it mainly serves to maintain the impression of an existing legendary band - and they are able to tour and make a living. The band has continued in various line-ups since. In 2012 Ryder announced that they would continue in the original line-up with a welcome back to his brother Paul on bass, Mike Day on guitar, Paul Davis on keyboards and Rowetta on vocals. They also proclaimed to be working on new material, although, that has yet to materialise. In 2015 Davis left the band and was subsequently replaced by Dan Broad.

Shaun Ryder apparently argued that he could've released the album under the Black Grape band name, but with respect to Bez and Whelan, he went with the Mondays [and yes, Bez was actually in both bands but ended up leaving Black Grape - so there U have that].

Not good, but still better than ... Yes Please, which unfortunately doesn't say much, tho'.

Not recommended.

[ 👍allmusic.com, The Guardian 3 / 5, NME 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Jean-Michel Jarre "Equinoxe Infinity" (2018)

Equinoxe Infinity
release date: Nov. 16, 2018
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,42]
producer: Jean-Michel Jarre
label: Columbia Records - nationality: France

Track highlights: 1. "The Watchers (Movement 1)" - 2. "Flying Totems (Movement 2)" - 3. "Robots Don't Cry (Movement 3)" - 6. "Infinity (Movement 6)" - 8. "The Opening (Movement 8)" - 10. "Equinoxe Infinity (Movement 10)"
[ Official trailer: "the making of the album" ]

19th (or: 20th/21st/22nd ?) studio album by (now) 70-year-old Jean-Michel Jarre is the sequel to his classic 1978 album Equinoxe celebrating that album's 40th anniversary, much to the same formula he applied by releasing Oxygène 3 in 2016 to celebrate his '76 masterpiece Oxygène. The album contains ten tracks and has a running time just below 40 mins.
Musically, it's no big surprise when he pays tribute to his old classic - as he did with the "Oxygène"-trilogy by remodelling new compositions to echo his previous work in a way where you understand the reference point but also by incorporating new elements from progressive and minimal house as well as other styles of electronica to add something contemporary. He takes the listener back in time and shows us many of his own inspirational sources of modern electronica and the whole thing is moulded with grace and technical finesse of an experienced composer, who is familiar with all the twists and turns and every detail in the big pool of electronica to make it such a pleasant journey.
Yes, you have to like non-vocal-based progressive compositions, and if you fall into that segment, it's most likely that you too will find this a mighty fine accomplishment, and one of Jarre's better albums in recent years.
[ Gaffa.dk 5 / 6 stars ]