Everything but the Girl "Fuse" (2023)

Fuse

release date: Apr. 21, 2023

format: vinyl (LTD. green vinyl) + digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,80]

producer: EBTG

label: Buzzin' Fly / Virgin Music / Verve - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Nothing Left to Lose" (4,5 / 5) - 3. "Caution to the Wind" - 4. "When You Mess Up" - 6. "No One Knows We're Dancing" - 7. "Lost" (4 / 5) - 8. "Forever" - 10. "Karaoke"

11th studio album following Temperamental by more than 23 years!!! Yes! The waiting game is over - it's finally here! I received this the day after its official release. And it still feels a bit early to hand a 'fixed' grade, and I may change it over the following months. The album has quite naturally been met by positive response. Alone the wait secures this a decent response, though, it's damn nice that not all artists wait that long in between albums. Both Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt have released solo albums since what was until now seen as their final album as a duo, and they have both experienced some artistic success, although, their key brand is EBTG.

Now, if the cover art doesn't exactly look and feel like an EBTG album, the music surely does. In every possible way this is an album for people who love this duo - for what their legacy means. It appears to combine [the fuse?] almost all their stylistic variations from jazzy bits, a great deal of sophisti-pop and parts of their late electronic period. In that way, it doesn't bring about something extraordinary or introduce us to a new move. Where Walking Wounded (1996) was a major step into electronic clubland and Temperamental (1999) kicked in doors to new combinations, this one takes off as a more gentle kind. Not that EBTG has ever been 'hard' or extreme, it's obvious to point to a maturity, when in fact it's probably more the result of a condensed expression - highlighting many of the styles they have been involved with. Or: at least these are my personal initial thoughts 'cause they really sound like EBTG without hitting a copy / paste function.

"Nothing Left to Lose" is a monster of a song that brings to mind the very best from their late period, but again, it's not a copy but something that brings the band into a new era. It's really wonderful to have another album from this highly influential duo. Watt knows about colouring the mix and Thorn... well, she just blows you over with her enchanting vocal. Strong as ever. Again. I already love it!

Highly recommended.

[ 👉allmusic.com, Mojo, NME 4 / 5, Pitchfork 7,7 / 10, Clash 4,5 / 5 stars ]

Scatterbrain "Strip the Future" (1983), single

Strip the Future, 12'' single
release date: 1983
format: vinyl (neu 80-4405)
[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,32]
producer: Scatterbrain
label: Neuland Tonträger - nationality: Denmark

Tracklist: A) "Strip the Future" - - B) 1. "Diversity" - 2. "Angry Young Men"

Single release by Danish experimental electro-synth and synth rock band Scatterbrain following the release of the album Keep Dancing (Aug. 1981). The line-up has been expanded with keyboardists Jesper Ranum, who took part in the follow-up tour of the album release, and also with Michael Kastrup Hansen. For this recording, also Henrik Heigren and Anders Brill (from Kliche) contribute.
The single was originally released in '82 as a 7'' single on Irmgardz... with this 12'' single consisting of new recordings and new arrangements made for the German market. After this, the line-up changed again with Ranum leaving the band, and drummer Gorm Ravn-Jonsen (later in Gangway) was shortly a new member, then Anders Brill was promoted to new stable drummer togeher with Torben Kirkholt (of Næste Uges TV), and as the band then released its final album Mountains Go Rhythmic (1984) this was made with actual drummers, thus representing a change of sound, which in essence was what would later be labeled as industrial rock, and in that regard the band has as an important part in shaping new stylistic foundation somewhere in the outskirts of new wave and synthpop.

Love Shop "Blues Europa" (2023)

Blues Europa

release date: Oct. 13, 2023

format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)

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

producer: Mikkel Damgård

label: Risiko Records - nationality: Denmark

14th studio album by Danish project Love Shop is yet another ambitious chapter in the band's long and winding career. The album showcase the familiar mix of melancholic tunes and lyrical depth that has come to charachterise Love Shop on their most recent albums. It's garnered with a original sound and with thought-provoking narratives, which just seems to stick to the profile of project-leader Jens Unmack.

Right from the start, you sense the special nostalgic mood and that unique reflectiveness Unmack is so sharp on. These new songs only miss some of the potent power of a recognisable touch and the album does feel less impactful compared to their last three albums. The predecessor, Levende mænd i døde forhold (Oct. 2021), was perhaps most notable for its lyrical depth and together with Brænder boksen med smukke ting (Mar. 2019) and Risiko (Mar. 2017) this trilogy all showcase well-crafted arrangements and emotional weight, cementing these as vintage years and also as some of the band's finest records. Blues Europa doesn’t fully replicate this tendency with the fourth in a row, though lyrically strong, it lacks some originality that are the trademarks of the predecessors.

On a national scale, the album has been met by what appears as universal acclaim, and as I do feel that it certainly provides a strong listen with tracks reflecting on themes of European identity and where the ambition is clear, I just sense that there's something in the execution that feels forced, making parts come out more like statements rather than a genuine musical journey. For all its minor flaws, Blues Europa still showcases fine moments, reminding fans why they love Love Shop in the first place. There's no big surprises in that regard - perhaps there's a sensation of going down well-known paths that makes it too evident, in a way. In the end, though, it's still an album worth exploring, especially for loyal followers of the band, who will probably see it as a confirmation of sorts, even if it doesn’t quite live up to the standards set by their recent works. I'm a bit doubtful about a conclusive grade, as I have come across some very positive reviews, and still, I'm not a convinced fan and have so far settled my mind on 3,5 out of 5 stars, as I feel that it doesn't reach the level of the most recent three, which in the end puts it more alongside Kærlighed og straf from 2014.

[ Gaffa.dk, Politiken 5 / 6 stars ]

The Smile "A Light for Attracting Attention" (2022)

A Light for Attracting Attention [debut]

release date: May 13, 2022

format: digital (13 x File, FLAC - XL1196DA

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

producer: Nigel Godrich

label: XL Recordings - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "The Same" - 2. "The Opposite" - 3. "You Will Never Work in Television Again" (live on KEXP) - 6. "Speech Bubbles" (live) - 7. "Thin Thing" - 9. "Free in the Knowledge" - 11. "Waving a White Flag" - 13. "Skrting on the Surface" (live)

[ full KEXP live performance, Dec. 2022 ]

Studio debut by project-trio The Smile consisting of the two Radiohead members Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood together with Sons of Kemet-drummer Tom Skinner. The project is one of many offspring-projects during the COVID-19 lockdown. The album counts 13 tracks with a total running time of 53 mins.

Sonically, it appears as another take on the Radiohead / Atoms for Peace musical universe founded on experimental progressive (art) rock - and here with stronger focus on the electric guitar as opposed to Yorke's solo works and the music Yorke made with Atoms for Peace, where electronic equipment takes up a more present role, but it's also music where the rhythm section really unfolds thanks to Tom Skinner's sense for jazz drumming. In that regard, The Smile offers more room for Greenwood and Skinner - and then, it doesn't fall far from later albums by Radiohead except for being more loose.

Thom Yorke is credited as vocalist and for other instrumentation, he's songwriter and together with Greenwood, Skinner and producer Godrich they're all credited as composers.

The album was met by critical acclaim - several critics noting that there's not much new going on but also answering that it doesn't matter too much because the songs feel new and it just sounds great.

Recommended.

[ 👍allmusic.com, Rolling Stone, NME, The Guardian 4 / 5, Pitchfork 8,6 / 10 stars ]

Scatterbrain "Keep Dancing" (1981)

Keep Dancing [debut]

release date: Aug. 1981

format: vinyl (IRMG 3) / digital (10 x File, FLAC) (2005 remaster)

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

producer: Scatterbrain, Anders Lind

label: Irmgardz... / Glorious Records - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Neo-Love Tango" - 3. "Vatican Reggae" - 4. "Crosses of Verdun" - 6. "Ice Age" - 8. "Insect Danger" - 10. "Keep Dancing!"

Studio album debut by Danish band Scatterbrain originally released on Irmgardz... The band here consists of founding members Jesper Siberg on vocals, keyboards & electronic percussion, Hilmer Hassig on guitars & synths, Jens Erik Mose on bass & synths, and Morten Torp on vocals & synths. Despite only releasing two albums, Scatterbrain has quite a substantial legacy in Danish music history, where the band stands as forerunners and as the first actual synth-rock band coming out on the punk rock scene.

In retrospect, the band appears influenced by Joy division and to what was perceived as a growing art punk scene at the time counting artist like Magazine, Visage, Gary Numan, and Ultravox and apart from these musical contemporaries it also seems that artists like King Crimson, Brian Eno, and Kraftwerk should be included amongst the band's natural sources of inspiration. This also include inspiration from artistic ideas of visual arts and authors, and Scatterbrain build on cold war politics and a de-humanisation of society, which is also reflected in some of the aforementioned artists' music (with bonds to David Bowie and Lou Reed) and also a similar starting point of contemporary Danish author Michael Strunge and his poetry, e.g. "Skrigerne" (1980) and "Vi folder drømmens faner ud" (1981).

Keep Dancing came out to positive reviews but the band and its music didn't attract a wider audience and Scatterbrain was first and foremost a cult-like band. In retrospect, however, Keep dancing and the band's second album Mountains Go Rhythmic (1984) both stands as highly original releases with the debut as an album that has found status as a cornerstone in modern Danish rock-history.

At the time, I came across the debut and I kept an illegal copy of the record, which I both found challenging but also quite fascinating and unforgettable, although, I also saw it as strange and too experimental for my liking. Many years later, as of 2023, I got hold of the original vinyl issue, and it's definitely an album to know of.

Recommended.

Gorillaz "Cracker Island" (2023)

Cracker Island

release date: Feb. 23, 2023

format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,65]

producer: Gorillaz and Greg Kurstin

label: Parlophone / Warner - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Cracker Island" (feat. Thundercat) - 2. "Oil" (feat. Stevie Nicks) - 3. "The Tired Influencer" - 4. "Silent Running" (feat. Adeleye Omotayo) - 7. "Tarantula" (feat. Bad Bunny) - 9. "Skinny Ape"

8th studio album under the Gorillaz alias, Damon Albarn once again finds time and room to continue his virtual albeit quite succesful band whenever he's not consuming time with The Good, The Bad & The Queen, or producing stuff for Blur, or he's doing solo projects. The majority of the songs are credited Albarn and new producer Greg Kurstin, but as has become the usual working process, several tracks are co-written with various others. On this it's primarily artists of hip hop and rap. Also, longtime associate Remi Kabaka Jr. is co-producer on four tracks and co-composer on track #8, which also feature Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny (aka Benito Martinez). Track #1 feature Thundercat (aka Stephen Bruner), track #5 feature both Tame Impala and Bootie Brown - the latter first featured on a Gorillaz' single on the track "Dirty Harry" on the band's second album, and then the album also feature two major artists: Stevie Nicks on vocals exclusively on track #2 and Beck (aka Beck Hansen), also as co-composer, on the end track.

Albarn just never seems to disappoint. In contemporary popular music he acts like a fish in water. Whatever he's involved in comes out as right on current parameters for music in tune with what's being asked for. He's no entertainer in a traditional sence, but he certainly knows how to produce entertaining music. At a first listen I thought this one - for once - wasn't quite there, on the spot. But after a few spins, I have to confess, there's absolutely nothing wrong with Cracker Island. It's funky, and it's danceable and entertaining as f...., and thanks to the decision not to dwell on an earlier will to write and compose with various artists from (too) diverse genres and styles, the album is with aid from Remi and Kurstin the experience of one whole rather than a compilation of sorts - as his nonetheless great predecessor Song Machine, Season One - Strange Timez from 2020.

The album has found its way to the top of the British albums chart and has generally been well-received internationally.

Highly recommended.

[ allmusic.com, Clash, NME, 👍The Guardian 4 / 5, PopMatters 4,5 / 5, 👎Pitchfork 6,5 / 10 stars ]

Robert Forster "The Candle and the Flame" (2023)

The Candle and the Flame

release date: Feb. 3, 2023

format: digital (9 x File, FLAC)

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

producer: Robert Forster, Karin Bäumler, Louis Forster

label: Tapete Records - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "She's a Fighter" - 2. "Tender Years" - 5. "I Don't Do Drugs I Do Time" - 8. "Go Free"

8th studio album by Robert Forster in his own name follows three years after the fine Inferno (Mar. 2019) and is like that released on the German label, Tapete. His wife Karin Baümler plays a more vital part than normally, as she has become the center of these new songs after having gone through cancer treatment. Aparently, most songs were already written before her diagnosis, but both album title and the first song here sets a tone that nicely fits with the rest of the songs.

Forster is as always a good narrator, and for that this album should be valued, although, you could argue that he doesn't hand us much new with this one. The first track is a bit off in respect to the colour of the album with it's rougher and energetic starting tone, which in some ways point back in time and reminds us where he began a long lasting musical career with Grant McLennan. The rest is more so-so - nothing daring in style and more simplistic folk with Forster strumming his guitar as support to his personal stories and not a whole lot in musical arrangements other than Adele Pickvance or his son Louis on bass as support to his and Karin's vocal harmonies. It's also a family thing with Robert and Karin being joined by their son and daughter Loretta, who plays second guitar.

I'm sure folk enthusiasts - people who send thanks to almighty Dylan - will embrace this as a warm and mature classic-styled album, but for me, I've heard better from this songwriter giant and it just doesn't provide me with enough substance, melody nor originality to have it on rotation that often.

[ The Guardian 4 / 5, Pitchfork 7,5 / 10 stars ]

The Gist "Embrace the Herd"

Embrace the Herd

release date: 1982

format: cd (2007 reissue)

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

producer: Phil Legg

label: Cherry Red - nationality: Wales, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Far Concern" - 2. "Love at First Sight" (4 / 5) - 3. "Fretting Away" - 4. "Public Girls" - 9. "Carnival Headache" - 10. "Concrete Slopes" - 11. "The Long Run"

Studio album debut and only album originally released on Rough Trade is by Welsh band, The Gist, formed after the disbandmentment of Young Marble Giants by the two Moxham brothers, Philip and Stuart with the latter being credited almost all songs and playing most instruments on an album of twelve songs. The trio Young Marble Giants released Colossal Youth in Feb. 1980 to fine reviews, and the album went as high as number #3 on the UK independent albums list. The Gist is often mentioned as a band when in fact it may just be regarded as a one-man project of Stuart Moxham. His brother Philip plays bass on three compositions, guitarist Dave Dearnaley features on another three, Stuarts girlfriend Wendy Smith lends her voice on two tracks and former band member of YMG, Alison Statton, sings on one song, but apart from only few people contributing here and there, the album is entirely made alone by Stuart Moxham.

Stylistically, it's quite simple and yet it incorporates various styles to form a highly original stripped down soundscape. Some tracks points toward later jangle pop and twee pop styles, whereas other songs seem more bonded to a synthpop version of 70s art rock, e.g. music influenced by Brian Eno.

Embrace the Herd hasn't achieved the same status as the debut by Young Marble Giants, and it's quite likely that it goes down in music history books as the album, which includes the hit single "Love at First Sight", which also was my entry to the band after finding it on the compilation album Rough Trade Records / MNW (1983). Several songs on the album stick out as original music, and especially the composition "Concrete Slopes", which was probably inspired by Eno, however, listening to this early electronic piece only makes me think of The Prodigy and the formation of big beat electronica in the 90s.

This very album may point in many directions, and it's not a collection of memorable harmonies but it's still a quite simple and unique construct and one of musical historic interest.

Last Dinosaurs "From Mexico with Love" (2022)

From Mexico with Love

release date: Nov. 4, 2022

format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,48]

producer: James Angus

label: Nettwerk - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 2. "Look Back" - 3. "CDMX" (4,5 / 5) - 5. "Auto-Sabotage" - 8. "The Hating"

4th studio album by Australian indie pop quartet Last Dinosaurs following their so far best album Yumeno Garden (Oct. 2018).

The album showcases a bolder mainstream sound, somewhat in contrast to their recent turn to a more complex rock-sound but it's also a return to the soundscape of the debut, although, with the implication of more nuanced arrangements perhaps more suited for a radio-friendly target.

From Mexico with Love both contains uptempo beats, well-placed guitar-hooks and then some recycling with loans from previous songs, which doesn't establish the album as one of the band's more original ones. The song "CDMX" is the one stand-out single with a happy-go-lucky indie pop lightness and equal share of lush blue-eyed pop and the right amount of Cardigans charm, which really proves the band's potential. The album as such is good, it's fine, and it's also a bit on repeat, although, it's far from mediocre.

[ Atwood Magazine review ]

Hifi Sean & David McAlmont "Happy Ending" (2022)

Happy Ending

release date: Sep. 23, 2022

format: digital (12 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,92]

producer: Hifi Sean

label: Plastique Recordings - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Happy Ending" - 2. "The Fever" - 3. "Beautiful" - 5. "All in the World" - 6. "Diamond Dust" - 7. "The Skin I'm In" - 8. "Maybe" - 10. "Real Thoughts in Real Time"

Studio album debut by a duo who appears to have been working together for a few years. The album was released as double vinyl album in Sep. 2022 and on cd and for digital download via bandcamp on Feb 3. 2023. Hifi Sean (aka Sean Dickson) is a producer and composer and McAlmont - apart from being an art historian (a degree he took in 2016) - simply possesses one of Britain's finest voices. Their first single release was "Bunker to Bunker" (Jun. 2020), but McAlmont collaborated with Hifi Sean on the track "Like Josephine Baker" appearing on Sean's 2016 solo album Ft.. During 2022 they have released a number of singles that have all been included on this one

McAlmont has made it his thing doing collaborations. I guess, he just needs to work with a strong musical composer and arranger, as his own strengths are as songwriter and vocalist. He became an international star working with Bernard Butler on their two albums The Sound of McAlmont & Butler (1995) and on Bring It Back (2002), and then he has made collaborative releases from time to time, typically with a pianist and composer: the albums The Glare (2009) with Michael Nyman, under the name of David McAlmont & Michael Nyman, Smokehouse E.P. (2011) with Guy Davies, released under their band name Fingersnap, and The Last Bohemians (2019) with Alex Webb under the name of McAlmont & Webb.

Happy Ending is a fine soul-fueled combo of house, electro-pop and neo-soul with bits of disco and jazz, and despite the huge combo of styles, it works more than ordinarily well, I think, and primarily thanks to the vocal performances by McAlmont, who shines nicely on most of the tracks but also thanks to Sean Dickson's arranger/producer skills. Happy Endings is such a warm and lovely album.

[ The Line of Best Fit👍, Mojo 4 / 5, MusicOMH 4,5 / 5, The Guardian👎 3 / 5 stars ]

Modest Mouse "The Golden Casket" (2021)

The Golden Casket

release date: Jun. 25, 2021

format: digital (12 x File, FLAC)

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

producer: Dave Sardy, Jacknife Lee

label: Epic Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Fuck Your Acid Trip" - 2. "We Are Between" (live) - 3. "We’re Lucky" - 5. "Wooden Soldiers" - 7. "The Sun Hasn't Left" - 8. "Lace Your Shoes" - 9. "Never Fuck a Spider on the Fly" - 10. "Leave a Light On" - 11. "Japanese Trees" - 12. "Back to the Middle"

7th studio album by Modest Mouse follows almost six full years after Strangers to Ourselves (Mar. 2015), and once again the line-up is an issue with Darrin Wiener having briefly been a band member but more seriously, Lisa Molinaro and Jim Fairchild both left the band shortly prior to the album release; and then 1½ years later, founding member Jeremiah Green died.

Stylistically, the album introduces a new sound thanks to the inclusion of electronic instrumentation and a neo-psychedelic tone. Drum machines, synths, and musical loops provides the album with a more modern expression, although, traditional rock instrumentation is still very much part of the band's sound - the focus has just changed making more room for electronics. Isaac Brock still fills out every song with his characteristic vocal, and as is mostly the case with this band the single tracks may point in various directions but the album still maintains a solid sensation of a coherent product.

Not a lot binds this together with Good News for People... from 2004, or any earlier albums for that matter, but it follows closely on the same path as the 2015 album. In that regard the band has always been evolving - constantly moving further down their own evolutionary road and it's not too difficult to follow the whole progression. Their biggest stylistic leap happened when they released their best-selling 2004 album and since then the road has been a bit more predictable, which by no means is the same as uninspiring 'cause Modest Mouse is still a most daring band who could easily have chosen to go with a broader fan base.

I generally enjoy this new album. It's really good, still growing on me - it hasn't reached 'exceptional' nor 'great' but it doesn't appear to have any fillers, so it's definitely worth knowing.

[ 👍Pitchfork 7,3 / 10, NME 5 / 5, Slant Magazine 4 / 5, 👎Rolling Stone 2,5 / 5 stars ]

And Also the Trees "The Bone Carver" (2022)

The Bone Carver

release date: Sep. 9, 2022

format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,48]

producer: Matthew Devenish

label: AATT - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "In a Bed in Yugoslavia" (official video) - 2. "Beyond Action and Reaction" - 4. "The Girl Who Walks the City" - 5. "The Book Burners" - 7. "Another Town Another Face" - 8. "Last of the Larkspurs" - 9. "The Bone Carver"

15th studio album by And Also the Trees following 6½ years after Born Into the Waves (Mar. 2016). The album doesn't actually mention producer credits but suffice to mention recording engineer Matthew Devenish, who have worked with the band as mixer and recording engineer since the making of Further From the Truth (2003). The band's bassist since (Listen For) The Rag and Bone Man (2007) Ian Jenkins has here been replaced by Grant Gordon.

Stylewise, this is yet another darkwave-founded release as the natural follow-up to the band's last two albums. It adds a few more fine tracks to a long list of compositions that are linked to an original gothic rock scene of the 80s without sounding as if recorded back then, but the band doesn't exactly hand us a bunch of challening new material, and in that way it has become increasingly more difficult to tell their recent albums from one another. In one way, it's a band that positively stays true to its original sound and then neither seems to be really interested in artistic progression. Another positive side to it, is the quality of the songs, as it appears without any fillers.

Still, The Bone Carver is a worthwhile listen.

Dead People "We Love" (2022)

We Love [debut]

release date: Nov. 11, 2022

format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,42]

producer: Dead People

label: Universal Music - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 1. "Safety Lines" - 2. "River" - 3. "Stay Dead" - 4. "We All Fall" - 5. "Black Hole" - 6. "Life Is Good" - 7. "Kiss This Goodbye"

Studio album debut by this Swedish 'super-group' consisting of the three Swedes, Joakim Berg - former frontman of Kent, Anna Ternheim - alt. folk and singer / songwriter soloist, and Malcolm Pardon, producer, composer and former bassist of British band Kinky Machine, member of Swedish band, Girlsmen, and part of the duo, Roll the Dice. Apparently, this project is one of the many established collaborations that has come about due to COVID-19 restrictions and via networking from a personal home base. Under his own name, Pardon released his ambient and electronic solo album Hello Death in Juli '21. Berg had been writing songs for movies and other artists, and he also launched his first actual solo album Jag fortsätter glömma (May this year), and Ternheim released her most recent album A Space for Lost Time in 2019. As Dead People, the three managed to issue several singles from mid '21 until late '22 without revealing their actual identities. They were known as Mother and Two Sons, and they wrote and composed music for the Netflix film "Black Crab" by Adam Berg (Joakim's brother).

Musically, this sounds like nothing else the three have previously been involved in. Perhaps, Berg comes closest with the synthpop sound of late Kent, but here all songs have vocals by Ternheim with occassional male backing vocals by Pardon, and the music is by the three together. Stylewise it's something you would refer to as light indie pop, and the singles that were released individually from mid-'21 to mid-'22 are all included on the album.

We Love is not new musical territory. In fact, it sounds a bit like a lot of other artists, and with a style of light mainstream pop it doesn't appeal all that much to me, but it's well-executed and nicely produced music. The album contains 10 tracks and has a rather short total running time at just under 35 minutes.

[ 👍Aftonbladet 3 / 5 stars ]

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 ]

Papir "7" (2022)

7

release date: Jan. 14, 2022

format: digital (4 x file, FLAC)

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

producer: Lars Lundholm (rec.]; Troels Bech [mast.]; Papir [mix.]

label: Stickman Records - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "7.1 (part I-III)" - 2. "7.2" - 4. "7.4"

7th studio album by Papir following close to three years after VI (May 2019) is the band's third album on Stickman. This new album comes with four compositions and with a total running time at nearly 41 mins. The first track - consisting of three parts - is by far the longest with a running time at almost 20 mins, whereas the three remainders are all well under 10 mins each. Also being released on vinyl, the first track takes up all of the A-side, with the three shorter tracks filling the B-side, it seems natural if all three would have been labelled '7.II (part I-III)' - but they're not. Perhaps the band just think of them as too different, or they want to have you ponder in the dark?

7 is yet another instrumental journey within a post-rock universe but it's also something new to this trio as dreampop-founded AND without the space rock characteristics. Track "7.3" is literally ambient, and that's taking it a bit too far for my taste, but they have successfully tuned down on the fabulating instrumental excess and instead found a calm and slow evolving progress, which to me, sounds as an improvement.

In my ears, this is bliss and it's also the band's so far best album.

[ bandcamp ]

[ 👉SputnikMusic 4 / 5 stars ]

Mazzy Star "Among My Swan" (1996)

Among My Swan
release date: Oct. 29, 1996
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,42]
producer: David Roback, Hope Sandoval
label: Capitol Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Disappear" - 2. "Flowers in December" (4 / 5) (live) - 3. "Rhymes of an Hour" - 5. "Take Everything" - 7. "All Your Sisters" - 8. "I've Been Let Down"

3rd studio album by Mazzy Star follows (another) three years after their sophomore So Tonight That I Might See (1993). All songs here are credited David Roback and Hope Sandoval.

The album introduces a change of style as the album is primarily founded on the use of acoustic guitars instead of the feedback electric guitar sound on the first two albums, and the bond to both the 'baroque pop' of the '60s as well as to Velvet Underground has been accentuated.

The album produced the UK top-40 single "Flowers in December" but apart from that the album was seen as a lesser album, and also music critics seemed less drawn to the change of style.

After the release, the band went on a live tour and also began work on a follow-up, but they found the demands of the record label management intolerable with "the money people" interfering in their creative craftmanship and Sandoval and Roback eventually asked to be released from their contractual obligations. Without officially dissolving, the band went on a hiatus in '97 that should last fourteen years and Among My Swan was eventually followed by the fourth album in 2013, Seasons of Your Day.

I find this one on a completely different level than the first two albums. It simply tastes too much of the '60s. It's good but not really essential.

[ allmusic.com 3.5 / 5 stars ]

Grant-Lee Phillips "All That You Can Dream" (2022)

All That You Can Dream

release date: May 20, 2022

format: digital (11 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,60]

producer: Grant-Lee Phillips

label: Yep Roc - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 3. "Peace Is a Delicate Thing" - 4. "All That You Can Dream" - 5. "Rats in a Barrel" (acoustic live performance) - 8. "You Can't Hide" - 9. "My Eyes Have Seen" - 10. "Remember This" - 11. "All by Heart"

11th studio album by Grant-Lee Phillips following 20 months after Lightning, Show Us Your Stuff (Sep. 2020). Phillips has long time ago taken hold of his own music management including the release of his music on his own label, and that is usually something that echoes into the music from artists who works in this controlled manner. Grant-Lee has also found his own expression, which stays close to a preferred path and in the case of this newest outing, it's almost like the sequel to his 2020 album. That doesn't make it a lesser album because it implies worked-through compositions where lesser is more in terms of arrangements and accompanying musicians - things just add up as meaningful music. Grant-Lee performs as a multi-instrumentalist, which of course makes the recordings an easier process, and he has teamed up with a few recurring instrumentalists, which count Eric Heywood on pedal steel and guitarist, Jennifer Condos on bass and with Jay Bellerose on drums, who all played on Phillips' 2020 album.

Despite a narrow field of instruments, it never feels uninspiring nor repetitious, and that's some sign of craftmanship, which proves his worth as composer as well as arranger. Also the mixing and production has the traits of live recordings in the studio, where you sense a presence of the vocalist and of the strumming of a guitar.

I like it, it's good. It's not one of his top 3 albums but it's a collection reaking of genuine quality.

Btw.: the front is a painting by Grant-Lee Phillips, who also happens to enjoy painting landscapes (with this a an exception).

[ allmusic.com, Uncut, Classic Rock 3,5 / 5, Mojo 4 / 5 stars ]

Editors "EBM" (2022)

EBM

release date: Sep. 22, 2022

format: digital (11 x File, FLAC) (Deluxe)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,85]

producer: Blanck Mass, Justin Lockey, Elliott Williams

label: Play It Again Sam - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Heart Attack" (4 / 5) - 2. "Picturesque" - 3. "Karma Climb" - 4. "Kiss" - 6. "Strawberry Lemonade" - 7. "Vibe" - 8. "Educate"

7th studio album by Editors follows 4½ years after Violence (Mar. 2018), an album that lacked some of the coherency they showed on The Weight of Your Love from 2013. Since their sixth album Benjamin John Power has become a new member, and he is heard all over an album that fixates the band on an electronic path. Power is also known as Blank Mass and that's also how he's credited here. The album title thus refering to 'Editors Blanck Mass'. Powers played a vital part on the predecessor but the band didn't find the way to utilise Powers' contributions back then and instead ended up with tracks pointing here and there and with an album that seemed unfocused. One year after the release of Violence Editors released The Blanck Mass Sessions containing the initial recordings by Blanck Mass, which led to the album versions, and those early recordings contain some ideas that were ultimately lost on the final album. You could argue they were stronger electronically-founded, which only reflect how the band had to digest the input from Power before realising that he actually laid out a new musical direction for the band to follow.

With Banck Mass aboard Editors comes out as a revitalised band. They make the songs by Tom Smith work on top of an electronic base that gives room for bass and synths and the result is surprisingly good. Blanck Mass is noticeable all over the album, but together they are in positive synergy.

Undoubtedly, this new electronic style will challenge some of the old post-punk revivalists, and although I really enjoyed their initial albums, I like this new constellation!

[ allmusic.com, Record Collector 4 / 5 stars ]

Eee Gee "Winning" (2022)

Winning [debut]

release date: Feb. 25, 2022

format: digital (14 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,76]

producer: Rasmus Bille Bähncke

label: Future Classic - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Favourite Lover" (4 / 5) - 2. "You Don't Have to Tell Me It's Over" - 5. "Contraband" (live session) - 6. "Bad Person" - 7. "Love Hurts" - 8. "Winning" - 10. "All or Nothing" - 11. "Killing It" (4 / 5)

Studio album debut by Danish act Eee Gee [stylised 'eee gee'] aka Emma Grankvist is virtually a debut-out-of-the-blue. I first listened to the song "Favourite Lover" and then "Bad Person" without knowing anything about artist or nationality, and I remember thinking it must be yet another one blending Lana Del Rey and Billie Eilish, although still doing that quite nicely. But after realising it's music by Danish songwriter Emma Grankvist and upon listening to the whole album, I have to admit it's much more than a copy and quite a remarkable achievement. Why hadn't we heard about her before? And speaking of influences, I also found it's waaaay too simple to mention the aforementioned two American stars as only sources 'cause there's also traces of much else. There's a tongue-in-cheek (Lily Allen-like) presence and songs that are stronger singer / songwriter or alt. folk related that reminds me of Cat Power or Sharon Van Etten, or was it Ane Brun leaning on Joni Mitchell? And then why even compare?!

The album has a total running time above 45 minutes with songs written by Grankvist, and most of the music is co-composed with producer Bähncke. Granted, this may not be highly original, but it's a most powerful collection of personal songs produced in high-end arrangements. Yes, there's influence and traces of others, but looking at the whole picture instead, this is simply one of the strongest Danish debut albums in years.

Highly recommended.

[ Politiken, 👉Soundvenue 5 / 6, Undertoner 4 / 6 stars ]

Pino Daniele "Terra mia" (1977)

Terra mia[debut]

release date: 1977

format: vinyl (2015 reissue)

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

producer: Claudio Poggi

label: EMI - nationality: Italy

Studio album debut by Pino Daniele (aka Giuseppe Daniele). This reissue was made available following Daniele's death, Mar. 2015.