Massive Attack - "Mezzanine" (1998)

I have known and loved Massive Attack's most famous song, Teardrop, for years, but would have been stumped to identify any other songs from the trip hop pioneers. As I've been delving into more of the genre this year (trip hop playlists make for good background music to work too), I took the time to listen to its parent album, Mezzanine. This hour long collection of spacious and subtle electronic mood-pieces ebb and flow from tense and claustrophobic, to relaxed and laid-back. I wouldn't say it is as much a chill-out album as other trip hop releases, but it certainly has a real late-night vibe to it.

The album opens with Angel, a track I would have previously recognised from edgy perfume adverts on at Christmas. It opens with a rumbling bass-line and rattling hi-hats. Ominous sound effects and some enchanting vocals join the mix, ramping up the tension as the bass becomes more prominent. All this tension is released as a whining guitar floods in with the vocals repeating "Love you, love you, love you...". The next track, Risingson, is far less cathartic, sounding very industrial and alien. The vocals on this track just have this creepy non-emotional quality to them, which combined with the mechanical beats of the track make it feel so off-kilter and alien.

Teardrop follows this, and couldn't be further from the inhumanity of Risingson. The song features real gut-punching chord progressions as Cocteau Twins' Elizabeth Fraser soars above them with some beautiful vocals. She was inspired to write the lyrics after the death of her friend (and excellent musician and songwriter) Jeff Buckley, and you can really feel the grief and pain in her voice. Once again, this emotion is punctuated by the return of the more intense and industrial Inertia Creeps. This song isn't as alien as Risingson, with a thunderous drum beat and mantra like hook of "Moving up slowly, inertia creeps". The guitars which come in at various points of the song and the beat inspired by Turkish Tsifteteli rhythms give the track a dirty and dangerous atmosphere. Exchange gives the first real breather in the album, a purely instrumental cut which is straight out of some beach-side bar on some Mediterranean coast. It is such a chilled song, with a bouncy bass and some gliding keyboard notes on top.

The tracks on the second half of the record aren't quite as contrasting or stand out from each-other quite as much as they do in the first half, but seep into each other to build a real moody atmosphere. Dissolved Girl's sensual but sarcastic vocals from Sarah Jay Hawley and wild guitar which breaks out midway through give it a Garbage-esque vibe that I really do enjoy. Man Next Door is built around a sample of the iconic drum riff in Led Zeppelin's When The Levee Breaks, but it is twisted and mutated into something more distant and spacious than the thunderous drumming in the original. This is combined with a sample of the Cure's 10:15 Saturday Night, to make a strange groovy instrumental base for the cover of an originally reggae song to sit on top of.

Black Milk is a very gentle song which sees the return of Fraser's soothing vocals. The track doesn't explode or change up, so acts as nice breathing room after the groovy Man Next Door. The title track returns to the emotionless vocals of Risingson, but with sparser instrumentation, with makes the track feel very tense and restrictive. This leads into Group Four, a similarly sparse song, yet Fraser's vocals contrast the rest of the song, being smooth and angelic. This really juxtaposes against DJ Ninja's mechanical and methodical vocals on the track. The album closes with a reprise of Exchange (titled (Exchange)), with added vocals. This almost acts as a wind-down for the tension built up across the second half, allowing it to dissipate as the soft keyboard note glide along.

Mezzanine is fantastic, start to finish, maintaining a consistent tone yet covering so many styles within the 12 tracks. It is very much an album just to sit back and take it all in. That being said, particularly the tracks on the first half can stand very much on their own in isolation. This might be the best entry point into this side of electronic music I've come across, being that I loved this on first listen, where things like Portishead's Dummy and the more electronic side of Radiohead took longer to sink their teeth into me.

Top Tracks: Angel, Risingson, Teardrop, Inertia Creeps, Exchange, Dissolved Girl, Man Next Door, Black Milk

9/10

Coldplay - "Everyday Life" (2019)

Coldplay have had a pretty underwhelming decade compared to the 2000s, all things considered. They kicked things off with 2011's Mylo Xyloto, a pop rock concept album that I will defend more than most, however it was probably their weakest release at that time. They then followed this up with the sombre break-up album, 2014's Ghost Stories, which won some people back with its moodiness more akin to the bands earlier albums. However, the weak writing and incredibly stiff, lifeless instrumentation and production make this by far my least favourite Coldplay release. Just a year later, they then moved onto A Head Full of Dreams, which stepped further into pop than Mylo Xyloto, and returned some of the colour which was so devoid in Ghost Stories. The last we heard from the band was the 2017 Kaleidoscope EP, a project that contained a mix of the typical safe, radio-friendly Coldplay tracks and a couple of weirder, less mainstream ones which hearkened back to some of their more ambitious work from the 2000s. So I had a feeling that whatever the band was going to do next, it wasn't going to be just 'A Head Full of Dreams 2'.

And that is exactly what happened. Everyday Life is a double album that takes influence from world music, showing the bands artier side that hasn't really seen much light since Viva La Vida in 2008. The two halves are titled Sunrise and Sunset and deal with far more global and political topics that Coldplay are generally know for.

Sunrise opens with its title track, a beautiful short string piece which sounds like it would accompany a sunrise quite perfectly. This leads into Church, a relaxed, sunny tune with Chris Martin's joyous vocals floating above a shuffling drum beat and chiming guitar. It's the first of many religious references within the album, and certainly the best of them. Trouble In Town takes a turn away from the serene atmosphere of the album so far, starting as a very moody, Latin inspired tune about police violence. The back half of the song explodes into this Radiohead-like frenzy while an audio clip of some police violently harassing someone is added to the mix. The other truly fantastic song on the Sunrise half (and my favourite from the entire album) is Arabesque, a song built around this French-pop groove as Martin sings about how we 'share the same blood', even singing in French for a verse. A stomping Nigerian brass band then enter the tune, giving it this massive sounding quality as it builds to the climax where Martin drops his first ever F-bomb in a Coldplay song.

The rest of the first half is fine, if completely unremarkable. BrokEn is a bog standard gospel song, WOTW/POTP (standing for Wonders Of The World/Power Of The People) is a cute but clearly unfinished acoustic song in desperate need for a memorable hook, and Daddy is as about as awkwardly soppy as Coldplay have ever been. Sunrise concludes with When I Need A Friend, a song done in the style of traditional church hymns, and for me this style just sucks the life out of the track, making it sound pretty uninteresting to me.

Sunset, unlike the first half, doesn't have a title track; instead opening with Guns, a sarcastic tune where Martin lists off plenty of the worlds injustices (including America's apparent love for solving their gun problem with more guns) while he strums his acoustic guitar so ferociously it starts to go out of tune by the short track's end. I love the intensity of this track, but I think it could've done with another pass as its chorus of Martin declaring everything is crazy and he might be crazy too creates a fair amount of tonal dissonance within the song. The album's big single, Orphans, also suffers from this. The track is literally about teenagers who have lost their homes and everything in the war in Syria, yet features a typical Coldplay party chorus about just wanting to get drunk with their friends (complete with millennial whoops and all). Cry Cry Cry is a cringy faux-retro doo-wop tune complete with fake vinyl crackles, and is half finished to say the least. Old Friends is much better, a sentimental, simple but effective acoustic tune that gives me Parachutes vibes.

The last two tracks are far more complete than much of whats on the Sunset half, and do seem to give the album some direction in its latter stages. Champion Of The World is a song dedicated to Frightened Rabbit singer, Scott Hutchinson, and I appreciate the intent of the song but it isn't Martin's strongest set of lyrics, so the track lands in this awkward sense of sentimentality but also being too generic to truly resonate. Everyday Life, the closer and overall title track, also falls into this trap, as the songs message basically amounts to 'why can't everyone just be nice to each other'. Not that is inherently a bad thing (much of the Beatles' music amounted to the same), but here Coldplay just don't quite land it.

Everyday Life is certainly the bands messiest album. It goes in loads of different musical directions, and attempts to address some massive themes and ideas with a tracklist that is full of half finished songs. However, the musical concepts the band has been going for in this one is much more to my tastes than the squeaky clean pop of 'A Head Full Of Dreams' and the stiff electronics of 'Ghost Stories', making it a much more enjoyable listen even if those albums were more polished and carefully constructed. I'm also glad that the band is prioritising their own artistic ambitions over commercial appeal, and despite Everyday Life's faults I'm exited for whatever they do next.

Top Tracks: Sunrise, Church, Trouble In Town, Arabesque, Guns, Old Friends

6/10

Elbow - "Giants of All Sizes" (2019)

Elbow consistently release albums every 3 years, so I wasn't expecting to hear anything from them so soon after 2017's excellent Little Fictions. The band have sped up pace with this one, rolling out the first single and opening track, Dexter & Sinister, in August, with the album dropping last month. I'm glad I've waited to talk about it, as it feels quite different from past releases. Elbow Albums generally feel like a warm hug (except their debut), whereas this one is much colder and world-weary. If Little Fictions is about finding peace of mind in friends and family despite all of the world's troubles, Giants of All Sizes gets caught up in the ongoing chaos of Brexit, the Grenfell tragedy, and the deaths of loved ones and strangers alike.

Musically, the album also leans into Elbow's proggier side far more often than any of their preceding records. Dexter & Sinister opens the record with weird electronic glitching before moving into a chunky guitar riff for a large part of the 6 minute tune. In the middle there's a piano solo and the song finishes with an extended coda that features a very OK Computer-esque descending guitar line with angelic vocals from Jessica Hoop. Empires is built around echoy and cavernous percussion, with no real break in Guy Garvey's vocals for any sort of musical breathing room. This creates a suffocating atmosphere to the track which reflects the lyrical content, detailing Garvey's grief after his father's passing.

The Delayed 3:15 is a track about a fellow who jumped on the tracks in-front of a train Guy was on. It's a hauntingly beautiful tune, where Garvey first details how run-down and neglected this area of train and asks why he chose there as opposed to a much more beautiful portion 'just a mile down the line', then going on to discuss the 'First-class tuts' who don't seem to care about this man, only that their journey is delayed. He finishes talking about how the man didn't make the news and how he couldn't find out who he was before a slightly discordant outro of woodwind and strings, as a sort of regretful send-off to this man.

Seven Veils is equally beautiful. It has a soft and pillowy atmosphere, and features some bittersweet imagery. The song appears to be about letting go of someone, and includes such phrases as 'I let you saw me in two / because that's what illusionists do', 'There's no roses in this garden / no sun melting in the sea' and the main hook of the chorus, 'Take your seven veils and sail the seven seas'.

Doldrums provides a delirious and kind of psychedelic melody, with faded and disembodied background vocals. This really fits a song, that from what I can tell, is about Theresa May's somewhat ridiculous term as Prime Minister. 'Staring down busses protected by God' is a lyric which really amuses me, it captures the feeling of her inevitable demise. White Noise White Heat also delves into the current UK situation, specifically Guy Garvey's loss of hope and belief in himself as an actual force of good, all framed around the Grenfell Tower fire. This is also the most direct song on the record, with crunchy guitars and an anthemic chorus.

The tail end of the record does bring back some optimism, with the last two tracks having a hopeful message. On Deronda Road is an ode to Garvey's new family home in South London. The track is probably one of Elbow's most daring, built around this glitchy Radiohead-esque beat, with rough choral vocals from the band plus The Plumadores. The Closer, the aptly titled Weightless, is a light, airy tune about Garvey's newborn son. The little guitar noodles and the chiming piano riff bring the album to the real sense of optimism that Elbow are known for.

I'm glad I've let this album sink in, because I really didn't know how to feel about it when it first released. I could see the band's usual high quality, but it wasn't making me feel the way an Elbow album usually does. Now I can say that while it's not my favourite from the band, it is a distinct and memorable addition to their discography.

Top Tracks: Dexter & Sinister, Seven Veils, Empires, The Delayed 3:15, White Noise White Heat, Doldrums

8/10

Foals - "Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part 2" (2019)

I've been gone quite a while, blame going back to uni and a bunch of hassle around it for that. So it seems quite a good restart to posting on here to talk about the sequel to the first post I wrote, about the part 1 of Foals' Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost released earlier this year.

It was safe to say that I was pretty exited for this record, as part 1 has been one of my most enjoyed releases this year and also my personal favourite Foals album. However, as the singles rolled out I found myself a little apprehensive, and ultimately the full album has disappointed me somewhat overall. It's far from a bad album and not even Foals' worst in my opinion, but it is quite a step down from part 1.

Starting with the singles, Black Bull was the first to drop and I was initially underwhelmed. The track felt like a neutered, 3 minute version of What Went Down (the bands most ferocious, hard rock, riffs 'n' screaming track). The track has grown to be one of my favourites on the album, with Phillipakis' paranoid vocals set to these massive riffs. It doesn't hold a candle to What Went Down, and wouldn't make my list of best Foals tracks, but is an enjoyable track on its own. The second single, The Runner, hasn't grown on me in such a way. The track opens with a chunky riff, much like Holy Fire's Inhaler, but then shifts to sounding more like Mountain At My Gates as the chorus hits. The lyrical mantra of "If I fall down, I'll keep on running" feels pretty cliche and played out. It doesn't hit the anthemic optimism of Mountain At My Gates or the explosivity of Inhaler.

This is one of my problems with the record as a whole; it doesn't feel like a sequel to part 1, lyrically or sonically. Part 1 detailed a confusing and paranoid world, backed by equally panicky and frantic dance rock grooves more reminiscent of the bands early work than their big hits. This album just feels like more Foals rather than any continuation to really deem this a part 2 of a united whole. The lyrics don't provide anything to counter or compliment part 1, it's just generic "I won't give up" feel-good-ism that the band have done for years. The music is also more straight-forward indie and alternative rock than the propulsive rhythms of part 1.

The production is also a bit wobbly. Foals have always had an issue with an over-reliance on reverb, but on top of it here the tracks just seem completely blown out and impact-less. The band promised part 2 to be heavier, and I don't really think that's the case; it's just louder. To be honest, I actually think part 1 is the more explosive and impactful. The most low-key song on the record, Into The Surf, is built around the creepy keys and effects of part 1's Surf pt 1 interlude, but the track is washed out with reverb to an absurd degree. It completely takes the personality out of a track I would otherwise really like.

Not that there aren't highlights on the album, Wash Off would fit snugly on part 1 with its dance-able groove and chanted backing vocals.The chorus does kind of fall victim to the albums production, but the verses of Dreaming Of are propulsive and driven with Phillipakis' vocals mimicking the chunky and choppy groove. 10,000 Feet has this almost Coldplay-esque keyboard line matched against a loud and heavy bass line that does give the track a real sense of drama as it shifts between the quieter verses and the massive chorus. The ten minute closer, Neptune, recalls a post-rock sound the band haven't really explored since Total Life Forever and has a real weight and swell to it that much of album lacks. 

I think there enough tracks on here I enjoy (and enough that I would enjoy a whole lot more if the production wasn't as blown out) for it to be more than just mediocre, but it is a real step down compared to part 1 and leaves me feeling as if it might've been better for the band to condense down he best tracks from both albums and release a longer single 'Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost' album.

Top Tracks: Wash Off, Black Bull, Neptune

6/10

Kendrick Lamar - "untitled unmastered." (2016)

untitled unmastered. is a collection of unfinished tracks from the sessions of Kendrick's previous album, To Pimp A Butterfly. I must reiterate that they are unfinished, because they seriously don't sound like it. This compilation for me acts like an expansion to TPAB, because these tracks are genuinely great. Rather than having traditional song titles, each of the 8 tracks here are given a number and a date.

These songs are very much in the same vain as TPAB, being politically and socially charged jazz rap bangers. Kendrick's flow and character is just as strong, and the tracks bounce around from weird, dark psychedelic tunes (in the form of untitled 01) to fun and funky (untitled 03 and 06). untitled 02 and 07 even lean into the more trap sound of Kendrick's next album, DAMN. untitled 02 fuses this with the jazz rap he was playing with at the time, and it's really unique and kind of hypnotic. untitled 07 is probably my least favourite of the bunch, as it's rather devoid of the jazzy instrumentation and the trap beat on its own is kind of dull. untitled 05 opens as this rolling jazz beat, and stays that way for a while with some smooth vocals on top from Anna Wise. It takes two minutes for Kendrick to start rapping, and he comes in with a real punch. This is really contrasting to the smooth jazz of the instrumentation. The vocal hook by Cee Lo Green on untitled 06 is really fun and gives the track this sort of lounge vibe. Like rap for hotel lobbies. 

This album is a testament to Kendrick's talent, as it is and album of unfinished off-cuts, and it is this good. The shorter run time also makes it an easier listen; for as great as TPAB is, it's length and heaviness means I'm not always in the mood for it. Although I don't know it all that well, I have now listened to the rest of Kendrick's discography and this is definitely my second favourite after To Pimp A Butterfly.

Top Tracks: untitled 01, untitled 02, untitled 03, untitled 05, untitled 06

8/10

Circa Waves - "What's That Left Over There?" (2019)

Following the band's rather underwhelming third album earlier this year, they have dropped this EP consisting of two tracks which didn't make the record and alternate versions of two tracks which did, The Way We Say Goodbye and Times Won't Change Me.

These new versions are stripped back tracks, with The Way We Say Goodbye being piano-led and Times Won't Change Me being played on an acoustic guitar. Without all the extra instrumentation and production, The Way We Say Goodbye comes across even more bland and formulaic. The swap from piano to acoustic guitar on Times Won't Change Me does make the track feel a little more rough and raw, however the track still retains its complete lack of any lyrical substance, which is what turned me off it originally.

The two new tracks however, are pretty good. Something More is this new wave style song with emotion but understated vocals. The drum machine and early-80s sounding synths give it a real throwback vibe. Hunters is a folky acoustic tune, which also sounds very restrained. These songs don't feel forced, or lacking in any lyrical substance, like much of the album. I'm surprised that they didn't make the album to be honest, since it was so short anyway.

This EP has restored a bit of my faith in the band, showing that they can still write a decent tune. Hopefully album 4 matches their usual quality.

Top Tracks: Something More, Hunters

6/10

Tame Impala - "InnerSpeaker" (2010)

After Currents, I moved back through Tame Impala's discography to their debut album, InnerSpeaker. This record is in the same wheelhouse as Lonerism, being a semi-throwback styled psychedelic rock album, as opposed to Currents' weird mix of psychedelic pop, art pop and disco. However their are distinct differences between this and what Kevin Parker would go on to create in Lonerism.

The biggest of these is the use of synths. Here they only play a small part, where they are a dominant force on Lonerism. In their place the guitars show up in full force, with plenty of driving bluesy riffs. These accompanied by some thunderous drumming give the tracks a sense of propulsiveness to them, and are more uptempo than the majority of the tracks on the groups following releases. The vocals are also more simple than on Lonerism. There aren't to many effects placed on them and they tend to sit in one place in the mix from track to track. Kevin Parker also sounds even more like John Lennon on this one.

These contribute to these tracks feeling a lot more straightforward and less dynamic than the groups later work. The tracks don't generally have as many parts to them, and don't radically change-up mid-song. I wouldn't say this a bad thing, however. It creates a different experience which helps the album stand on its own. Where Lonerism feels like an adventure when listening, InnerSpeaker feels like a drive through the countryside, with sunlight shining through the trees.

The lyrical content is also more contempt. Where Lonerism was longing and moody, and Currents' was down right self-pitying; here Kevin Parker seems comfortable being himself. The opening track, It Is Not Meant To Be, discusses this girl Kevin seems interested in but she's not interested in the kind of lifestyle he has, so he just shrugs and says 'it's not meant to be'. Solitude Is Bliss is literally a track about how he enjoys being alone.

While the more simple approach here makes some of the tracks feel a little redundant compared to the best on the record, those best moments are just so damn fun. The aforementioned Solitude Is Bliss is light and airy, and Desire Be Desire Go opens with a energetic guitar line with the main hook of the song following it. Jeremy's Storm is an entirely instrumental cut which ebs and flows just like a real storm and The Bold Arrow Of Time is this sluggish, sludgy, Led Zeppelin-esque riff-monster for one moment then a Pink Floyd infused space rock song the next.

This record is a lot of fun. Lonerism is certainly the more ambitious, more unique release of the two, but this one is just as entertaining in a different way. It's a loud, noisy, psyched out record which never lets you take a moment to breath. It just propels you forward from one track to the next.

Top Tracks: Desire Be, Desire Go, Lucidity, Solitude Is Bliss, Jeremy's Storm, The Bold Arrow Of Time, I Don't Really Mind

8/10

Pink Floyd - "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" (1967)

There are so many classic artists which I really like their greatest hits but have never explored any of their discography beyond that: David Bowie, Depeche Mode, basically every britpop band. Pink Floyd are one such act, so I've finally started with their debut album. This album is unique in the groups discography, as it is the only one to feature founding front-man Syd Barrett on vocals (he contributed some guitar to the bands follow-up), as his declining mental state due to LSD use caused him to leave the band in 1968. At this point in the band's career, they were making pretty revolutionary psychedelic and experimental rock, and it shows. This album is absolutely nuts, almost too nuts! It's exiting to no end, but rather messy and scattershot in my opinion.

The album opens with Astronomy Domine, a spacey, psychedelic track with space-age beeps and tense guitar melodies which rise and fall. This is followed by Lucifer Sam, at track from what I can gather is about a cat. This track is much faster and has this cool spy film-esque guitar. These tracks are miles apart, sonically and thematically, and the album continues like this. Exploring one sound for a single track then dropping it for something entirely new.

Matilda Mother is dark and moody, like some weird, psychedelic folk tune, but then snaps into some expressive guitar solos that come out of nowhere. Pow R. Toc. H opens with odd percussion a the band making strange noises for 30 seconds but then settles into this groovy, piano-led tune. This is before the weirdness comes back for the middle portion of the song which builds into this guitar led outro. There are no lyrics in this song and it really builds this strange, alien atmosphere. The closer, Bike, is perhaps the silliest song here, with lyrics referencing lending someone a bike and having a mouse friend called Gerald. It is just so amusing and endearing with over the top instrumentation.

The centrepiece of the record is the almost 10 minute Interstellar Overdrive; a proggy, multi-phase song which opens on this heavy, bluesy riff before moving on into a noisy, psychodelic section. The track gets more intense as instruments are added in, and then strips back to this creepy section with dissonant sounding plucked guitars. After this follows a section of ambient instrumental swells which then finally releases the tension, returning to the guitar riff which opened the track.

This album is all over the place, and none of the tracks flow together in any cohesive way; yet it is so off the wall that it remains entertaining. The lack of any overarching idea, or theme does make it less enjoyable to sit down and listen to in one go, but the best tracks in isolation are weird and wacky and captivating.

Top Tracks: Astronomy Domine, Lucifer Sam, Pow R. Toc. H, Interstellar Overdrive, Bike

7/10

Little Simz - "GREY Area" (2019)

I was first made aware of Little Simz through her performance on the Gorillaz track Garage Palace a few years ago. The energy and charisma she brought to the track made it one of the better Gorillaz tracks from the Humanz era (I'm suprised it didn't make that record if I'm being honest). So when basically every outlet under the sun praised her new album to no end (It's now bagged a Mercury Music Prize nomination) I'd thought I'd check it out. I'm so glad I did, because this record is definitely one of my favourites from this year.

Simz has an intense and exciting flow, rapping over equally powerful and snappy instrumentation. She wears her heart on her sleeve, baring many sides of her for us to see. She starts the record in a sassy, righteous state on the first two tracks, Offence and Boss. Offence is driven by this groovy bass line as Simz convincingly bigs herself up and sells that she is such a great rapper. The track provides some great quotables, "I'm Jay-Z on a bad day, Shakespeare on my worst days" and "I settle with my chest and I don't care who I offend, uh-huh!". The lavish woodwind and strings which garnish the track give it this intense sense of drama. It just sounds so cool. Boss is just as empowered and intense, but rather than selling herself to the listener, Simz is taking fire at a previous partner, and absolutely destroys it on the mic. Her performance is filled with power and anger, as she demonstrates what this person has lost by messing her around so much.

This failed relationship takes a large bulk of the lyrical content here, as Simz approaches it from different angles.On the following track, Selfish, she takes a more self-questioning stance, with some restrained and reflective vocals from Cleo Sol on the hook. The track is smooth and gentle, as opposed to the brashness of the opening two songs. The Little Dragon assisted track, Pressure, details how Simz is experiencing so much pressure in her life through other factors, and now the person she relied on to release that pressure has now become one of those contributing factors. These different approaches to this traumatic break up create this raw and real sense of confusion and hurt throughout the album. This all comes to a head in the back to back tracks of Therapy and Sherbet Sunset. Therapy details Simz's experiences with therapy and how it hasn't helped her. It's raw and poignant, as she goes on about how she's not a charity case and 'doesn't need saving'. Sherbet Sunset goes the deepest into the relationship and is blatant and honest about Simz's confusion and hurt. The placement of these two tracks gives the idea that her work is her therapy. While traditional therapy doesn't seem to work for her, she can pour her heart out into these songs and get some perspective and catharsis out of it. 

Not everything on the record revolves around this, though. 101 FM is an ode to her childhood with references to playing Playstation games and pirate radio in London's tower blocks. The track has this East-Asian styled beat and is just a lot of fun. Wounds is this reggae infused track about gun violence. Venom is exactly what the title suggests, venomous. Simz speedily and harshly raps about how she is just as dangerous as any guy and that the fact she's a women isn't a detriment, and in fact it's an asset. The closer, Flowers, is very reminiscent of To Pimp A Butterfly. It slowly winds the album down and ties the ideas together, as Simz talks about the 27 Club. It's lush and warm, and seems like a final moment of clarity as the album closes.

While writing this I realised that it isn't just one of my favourite albums of the year so far, it is my favourite. Simz has crafted this incredibly tight, cohesive album, where every track tackles something different (or something from a different angle) but it all comes together to form this fantastic whole. The instrumentation is lively and exciting, and is so lushly produced. All of the features absolutely knock it out the park, and are perfect for the tracks they appear on. A simply excellent album.

Top Tracks: Offence, Boss, Selfish, 101 FM, Pressure, Therapy, Sherbet Sunset, Flowers

9/10

Loyle Carner - "Yesterday's Gone" (2017)

With his sophomore album released this year, I've really started enjoying Loyle's debut. Before now, I was casually familiar with this record as my group of friends would often play tracks from it. However, I had never really taken the time to get to know it properly and let it sink in.

Loyle's style on the mic is a low-key, soulful approach; backed by equally mellow, jazzy instrumentation. This creates an pretty relaxed and spacious atmosphere, allowing room for Loyle's lyrics to shine. He is a strong lyricist with a knack for a smooth and catchy flow. The beats are also primarily samples of real instruments (rather than electronic beats), which I feel enhances the intimacy and connection of the record.

The lyric's are introspective, dealing with interpersonal relationships, Loyle's state of mind, and growing up. There are references to debt and having little money, but these are more in relation to Loyle's personal experiences than some wider statement. I enjoy that this record is just an expression of Loyle, rather than an attempt at any kind of profound statement. It definitely makes the album more accessible and ready for any situation.

That being said, I do gravitate to the more intense tracks here. Ain't Nothing Changed references student loans and debt with an angsty chorus, where Loyle berates the fact that 'ain't nothing changed'. Stars & Shards and No CD are groovier songs driven by an electric guitar, the latter being the albums closest thing to the typical hip hop self aggrandising bluster. It's a track about his love for the genre really, but it has this confident swagger not particularly present on the rest of the record. The one detractor this album has is that it is almost a little too chill at points. Some of the tracks, while working great on the album, don't have enough to draw me in for a listen outside of the record.

This album is such an accessible one, and a great one for newcomers to the genre. It's chilled out and cool, with engaging and emotional lyrics. It might be a little too unprofound for me to truly love this record, but it's is certainly enjoyable all the way through.

Top Tracks: Mean It In The Morning, Damselfly, Ain't Nothing Changed, Stars & Shards, No CD

7/10

Hozier - "Wasteland, Baby!" (2019)

I was initially incredibly disappointed by this record. Hozier's 2014 self titled debut was this intensely soulful release, packed full of blissful highs and deep, dark lows with a very twisted and sinister imagery regarding lust, religion and death. Last year he also dropped a great teaser EP for this release titled Nina Cried Power, so I was expecting good things from this. Although I feel the record is better than my initial reaction to it, it is not without its flaws which do bog down the enjoyment for me.

The album opens with the title track of last years EP, a stomping protest song featuring excellent vocals from the incredibly talented Mavis Staples. While I did really enjoy the song when I first heard it, over the subsequent listens of the EP and album I feel like I have got all I can out of the song and there's nothing new it can give me. I think this is probably due to the vagueness of the lyrics making it feel like it isn't really saying anything I can get behind, besides the general 'let's inspire people!'. The next track, Almost (Sweet Music), is where the problems start to show. The tune is this light, upbeat, poppy one; which in itself is fine. However the bass and drums are so overdone in the mix that it sounds somewhere in-between some kind of Ibiza club tune and one of those annoyingly ear-wormy Shaun Mendez singles.

This kind of awkward commercialisation of Hozier's style is rampant in the first half of the record. Movement is this album's attempt at the dark, brooding, building single (a la Take Me To Church). However this song feels so pristine and manufactured, without any of the sinister imagery which made those moments work on the first album. It sounds like someone trying to imitate Hozier's style without any of the nuance. The only truly great moment on the first half is No Plan, a slick song with a groovy bass about just living life and not worrying about a plan. Hozier's vocals soar above this effortlessly cool tune. All the edgeless commercialisation comes to a head in To Noise Making (Sing), a track about as cringily twee as a Train song.

Luckily after this point the album really regains some footing, and while not every song is a complete smash, there is a consistent level of quality the record maintains. Every song is at least decent. Highlights include the back to back folk due of As It Was and Shrike, and Dinner & Diatribes. As It Was is moody and dark, whereas Shrike (also featured on the Nina Cried Power EP) is much more relaxed. Both tracks are simple and restrained, allowing Hozier's soulful lyrics to shine. Dinner & Diatribes, on the other hand, is loud and frantic. The rising and falling guitar line and pounding drums give this tribal vibe to the track. I love the little synth melody which follows the last line of the chorus in this call and response style. It really adds to the intense atmosphere of the track. The album closes out with the title track, a quiet tune about two people falling in love in the midst of the apocalypse. Hozier's voice is buried in vibrato, making him a feel a subtler part of the track than usual. It's a hopeful note to end the record on.

Wasteland, Baby! is a strange album. It is so front-loaded with overproduced, commercial songs; and yet the the back half is consistently good. You can honestly feel the shift at the half way mark. Removing the radio-tailored nothing tracks would have made it a more enjoyable (and less bloated) listen.

Top Tracks: No Plan, As It Was, Shrike, Dinner & Diatribes, Wasteland, Baby!

6/10

Slaves - "The Velvet Ditch" (2019)

While working on the bands last album, last years Acts Of Fear And love, Slaves wanted to keep that record as lean and tight as possible. All killer and no filler as they say. That resulted in the duo having a few ideas and tracks left over after the release, things which wouldn't necessarily have worked on the record or unfinished ideas that didn't have time to blossom, hence this EP. Unfortunately, these odds and ends feel just like that - unfinished.

The opener is the most fully formed of the bunch. It's a track about being trapped in your home town and the rather unpleasant people you inevitably meet there, titled One More Day Won't Hurt. Supposedly inspired by the group's attempt at making a grime beat, the song sounds like typical Slaves. Isaac Holman's angry, shouted vocals sit on top of his thunderous drumming and Laurie Vincent's grimy, heavy guitar riffs. While the track is as loud as any punk song, it crescendos massively towards the end.

The other tracks don't really come close to matching this. The following song is a short thrashing punk jam called It Makes Me Sick, but doesn't really match the humour of the likes of Fuck The Hi-Hat (a similarly loud and short tune). The title track is easily the most forgettable, slowing the pace down with a twangy country-style acoustic guitar, and that's it. The melody is simple and forgettable, the lyrics are simple. There's just not much there to latch on to. The closing track is also slower, being a heartfelt piano balled with some engaging lyrics. However, there's nothing else introduced into the song and it doesn't really go anywhere. It really feels like it could've been expanded upon into a really great song.

It's a shame this EP feels unfinished, because the basis is here for some good songs, especially with the band branching out into new territory with the last two tracks. As it stands, it is fine. While perfectly listenable, it just feels rather unimportant.

Top Tracks: One More Day Wont Hurt

5/10

Kendrick Lamar - "To Pimp A Butterfly" (2015)

I don't have a musical background in hip hop (at all), but over the past couple of years I have been (very) slowly exploring the genre, starting from this album. This was the first truly hip hop album I ever listened to, outside genre crossover acts like Gorillaz and Rage Against The Machine, and I was blown away even at the first listen.

I was captivated by Kendrick's enigmatic and powerful delivery, dynamically switching up his pace and flow, as well as tone and presence. Sometimes hard and purposeful, like on Hood Politics; sometimes bragging and flashy, like on King Kunta; sometimes reflective and thoughtful, for example How Much A Dollar Cost. On u, Kendrick puts on a voice that sounds mid-mental breakdown, and it really adds an intense emotional edge to the song. The instrumentation is equally creative and dynamic. The album is stuffed full with funky and jazzy beats which constantly switch up and change direction, sometimes multiple times in a song. They are consistently entertaining, and never take the backseat to Kendrick's vocals. It is exceptional that these two elements work so well in tandem, it never feels like there's any kind of back and forth considering the complexity of both elements.

Kendrick's lyrics are engrossing, covering multiple topics including: life as a black American, institutionalised racism, growing up in Compton, the exploitation of an artists work in the music industry, and his own personal struggles with religion and his role in society. He switches between these topics effortlessly between songs and even within them. His lyrics are so dense that every time I've listened to this record over the past couple of years I discover something new, it's like a gift that keeps on giving. I don't pretend that I fully understand everything he mentions here, and I don't think I ever will, which draws me in further.

The album goes on such a run from For Free? through to Alright. All of these tracks are fantastic. For Free?, much like u, employs some of Kendrick's more deranged vocals. That combined with the frantic jazzy instrumentation gives the track a uniquely entertaining vibe. King Kunta takes shots at other rappers, and Institutionalized references growing up in Compton and has a great guest verse from Snoop Dog. These Walls and Alright have more fun to them, however still have intelligent lyrics and incredibly catchy choruses. The Story told on How Much A Dollar Cost is personal and spiritual, detailing an event where Kendrick came across a beggar who he initially dismissed as a scam artist, who then is revealed to be Jesus and that this was a test of his faith. This track is set to a moody piano line and some restrained saxophones, adding to this spooky and otherworldly atmosphere. The Blacker The Berry goes for the jugular, with Lamar aggressively rapping about the endless cycle of institutionalised racism and gang violence, and how even he can't get away from it despite being one of the biggest rappers in the world.

The closer, Mortal Man is slow track which winds down the album and its many ideas well, and after the track finishes there is a section where Kendrick has edited an old Tupac interview to make it seem as if they are having a conversation. This could come of a little awkward, however it is edited so well that it is very endearing, especially the end where Kendrick Shouts out "PAC!" as if hes disappeared, obliviously in reference to Tupac's untimely death.

This record is fantastic. It is bursting it's seems with creativity and character, as well as being poignant and thought provoking. It's focus on instrumentation also provides a nice starting point for people getting into the genre. Of the few hip hop releases I have listened to since, none have come close to beating this one, even some of Kendrick's other work. If you ave never been into hip hop, this record may change that.

Top Tracks: For Free? King Kunta, Instiutionalized, These Walls, u, Alright, Hood Politics, How Much A Dollar Cost, The Blacker The Berry, Mortal Man

9/10

Tame Impala - "Currents" (2015)

Currents is a quite the shift from Tame Impalas previous record, Lonerism. It ditches many of the guitars for more of a psychedelic synth-pop style. This new approach makes the record feel much more sonically dense than Lonerism, which I'm not really latching on to as much (I really liked the spacious atmosphere of Lonerism). I find it slightly impenetrable, as if I can't really get absorbed by the record.

The album opens with its best cut, Let It Happen, a track driven by its thumping, dance-able bass riff. The track goes through multiple phases, one of which where the track chops up like old scratched CDs do, only to do it again and then more frequently until the track bursts out of it with the return of the bass line. The Less I Know The Better has a similar bass line, with Kevin Parker singing some pretty catchy falsetto vocals. I also get a bit of a disco vibe from this track with the strings which float around in the mix in the back half of the song.

Disciples sounds far more similar to Lonerism than anything off this record, being a more guitar driven track. It's such a shame that it is so short, as it has the spaciousness the rest of the album lacks. I feel like Nangs is the best exploration of the synth style, which is also far shorter than it could be. The track is rich in atmosphere, having this wobbling, warbling noises. I also feel it benefits from having no vocals. The vocals across the album are in this heavily processed falsetto style, which works on some tracks, including the aforementioned Let It Happen and The Less I Know The Better, as well as Reality In Motion. However they feel far less dynamic than on Lonerism, just sitting on top of the mix where they used to dart around all over the place. 

A friend also brought to my attention that the lyrics feel just a little whiny. While Tame Impala has always had somewhat sad undertones, there are points on this record which verge into self-pity. The worst offender for this is Past Life, a track which has these really cringy pitch-shifted spoken word vocals about a previous partner. The track also has this incredibly bad sounding distortion effect placed on the entire mix at points which really doesn't mix well with the rest of the tune.

Current's is an incredibly made and produced album, but almost too so. Outside of some really great tracks (I mean Let It Happen is phenomenal), it's just too dense for me to really find myself being absorbed by the music. It is still enjoyable to have on in the background and has creative moments in most of the tracks which I appreciate. I can imagine someone else with slightly different tastes digging it a lot more than I did.

Top Tracks: Let It Happen, Nangs, The Moment, The Less I Know The Better, Disciples, Reality In Motion

6/10

Thom Yorke - "ANIMA" (2019)

Despite being a big Radiohead fan, I've never gotten around to checking out any of Thom Yorke's solo material until now. This record dropped a couple of weeks ago alongside an arty Netflix short film featuring 3 of the songs and some more of Thom's meme worthy dancing. ANIMA explores Yorke's more electronic leaning tendencies that are apparent in Radiohead's more experimental albums. ANIMA, however, feels a whole lot more consistent than the likes of Amnesiac or The King Of Limbs. Perhaps it is because Thom is only focused on electronic sounds and textures, making the album feel less like a balancing act, and more of a full exploration of the genre.

Another distinction I feel between this and a lot of Radiohead's electronic work is the emphasis on more ambience and texture, as opposed to the hypnotic rhythms they tend to build their tracks around. Loops and rhythm are still an integral part to the album, but it feels as if they're not the focus this time. For example, the opener, Traffic, is built up from layers of looping synthetic beats, but swells of synthesisers rise and fall and different elements are introduced throughout the track. Thom's vocals are soaked in reverb, creating a strange yet human atmosphere as they contrast to the music they're paired with. Twist starts off with a looped sample of Thom just saying "twist" which slowly fades out of the mix as ethereal vocals glide over the top. A sample of kids cheering is also introduced which gives the track a slight sense of fun. However the track feels like it should've ended after its first phase, as it really feels dragged out over its 7 minute runtime. Not The News has tense beebs and boops driving the track forward with some momentum as Thom's voice sounds paranoid and confused, which echo effects applied at just the right moment to add to the tension. Strings come in slowly as the song moves forward, turning it from something tense and synthetic, to something lush and rich. This paranoia carries on through the seamless transition into The Axe, where Yorke wails 'I Thought We Had A Deal' over these chiming guitar notes buried in effects lower in the mix.

Dawn Chorus is built from some incredibly sad, slightly dissonant chords and not much else. Yorke's deadpan, emotionless depiction of modern day to day actions with lines such as "You've quit your job again" and "I don't like leaving, doors shut". This completely devastated track evokes similar feelings to the likes of Motion Picture Soundtrack and True Love Waits, as if there is nothing left for him in this life. I Am a Very Rude Person fits in rather well afterwards, with it's spacious beats and cool bass guitar refreshing the album after the defeated atmosphere of the last track. Impossible Knots is also built around a chunky looped bass riff and some sped up drum patterns, courtesy of Radiohead's drummer Philip Selway. Honestly at this point it doesn't sound to far of the basis of a typical Foals track. Synths layer on top of this, along with more of Thom's ethereal vocals.

Last I Heard (... He Was Circling The Drain) is my least favourite of the bunch, reminding me of Radiohead's more underwhelming electronic tracks, such The Gloaming. The siri-esque computerised vocals on the closer, Runwayaway, also don't really appeal to me; and the track as a whole doesn't feel like it progresses to anywhere particularly interesting.

This album has certainly become one of my favourite releases this year, with these engaging ambient tracks which have so much detail and texture to them. The beats and grooves drive the tracks without them feeling as if the rhythm is the sole focus of them. It's a really great album and a good way to follow on from the likes of Kid A and Amnesiac through to full-on electronica.

Top Tracks: Traffic, Dawn Chorus, I Am A Very Rude Person, Not The News, The Axe, Impossible Knots

8/10

Catfish and the Bottlemen - "The Balance" (2019)

This record came out 2 months ago now and I keep putting off talking about it because it is simply so bland and predictable. As with so many bands over the past 15 years, Catfish put out an incredibly exciting and enjoyable debut in 2014's The Balcony, and then followed it up with a mostly mediocre The Ride in 2016, an album that had some stellar singles but most of the deep cuts sounded like bland Oasis demos which never left the studio for a reason. While there was always hope that the band could turn it around for their third release, I wasn't surprised it turned out like it did.

And there was hope for a while, the first two singles (also the first two tracks on the record) were legitimately enjoyable indie pop rock tunes. While nothing revolutionary, Longshot aims for an anthemic feel-good vibe and actually gets there, and also ditches the oasis cover band style of the last album. Fluctuate is easily the best the record has to offer, retaining much of the energy and angst that made the first album work so well. The way the guitar and bass play off each other during the verses is some legitimately creative songwriting. But then we get to third track and single, 2all. This is when I knew how this album was going to turn out. The instrumentation is bland and uninspired, and the lyrical content is just complete anthemic nothingness. Another (admittedly petty) gripe I have with this track is that title. It seems as if the band are more committed to their aesthetic of single word titles than actually making one that doesn't look incredibly dumb on its own.

The whole album feels like this to be honest, engineered to maintain the bands aesthetic and appeal to the fans. The same cover art style, the same "The ..." title, the same one word song titles, the same awkward cut-off at the end of the last song just because it happened by accident when they recorded Tyrants for the first album. It's even more awkward here than on The Ride, because the last song, Overlap, doesn't even sound like a big finale song. It just sounds like every over song on the album, just with the end missing...

All the songs follow the same structure, opening with the first verse at a certain tempo, with a big buildup into the chorus which is either faster or slower than the verse. Then repeat for the second verse and chorus, and then finally jump into a guitar solo or a bridge and then the big anthemic final chorus. The lyrical topics are also generally the same throughout the album (as they were the last time), generic relationship struggles that are just detailed enough to remain relatable, but not intense or introspective enough to feel like there's really any stakes.

I know I've really grilled this album, but it is well performed and well made, and does an energy to it that you can bop your head to in the backround. Individual guitar lines and some of Van McCann's vocals do grab me, but they're put into songs that overall sound all the same as each other, and all the same as what the band has done before. If you're a fan of what the band has done before and is not looking for any changes, then you'll probably really enjoy this record. However, for me, I would just rather listen to their first record, or something from the myriad of bands that have sounded like this over the past 15 years.

Top Tracks: Longshot, Fluctuate

4/10

Portishead - "Dummy" (1994)

Portishead's debut album, Dummy, is the record which broke trip hop into the mainstream, winning the Mercury Prize in 1995. I've been really enjoying having it on when I've been working or just chilling out to in the evenings. The band incorporate elements of film noire aesthetics to the standard trip hop fusion of break beats, electronica and jazz to create a smokey and introspective atmosphere unique from many other trip hop acts of the time.

The incredibly low bass and roughly produced drum beats give off a slightly industrial vibe across the record, like some heavy machinery working quietly in the night. Ominous and spooky synths layer on top smothering the mix like a thick fog, with Beth Gibbons' vocals gliding on top with plenty of  breathing room. Her lyrics detail isolation, longing, desire and self reflection.

Despite maintaining a consistent aesthetic across the 11 tracks, each one has unique flourishes which maintains my engagement. Mysterons opens the album with some spooky synths which rise and fall, creating a kind of alien vibe. Sour Times has a low-fi beat with a smooth guitar and bass, while Gibbons' sings the hook "Nobody loves me, it's true, not like you". The film noire feel really comes across in this track, I just get the sense of some dark seedy club. Numb and Wandering Star have the hip hop style scratches which give the tracks a sense of 'bounce'. The beat doesn't come in right away in It's A Fire, leaving Gibbons' vocals alone with organ sounding synths. The chord progression they follow gives a quietly triumphant sound to the song. Roads benefits from an even slower pace than usual trip hop and a simpler mix, allowing Gibbons' incredibly sad vocals to shine through over the vibrato affected chords and guitar. A sax sample breaks out half way through Pedestal, and Strangers has a lot of funky guitar and horns in the mix. The closer, Glory Box is louder than the other tracks with this screeching guitar over the top of the groovy sample of Isaac Hayes' Ike's Rap II. The track even ends with a big drop and breakdown before fading out.

This album is incredibly low key, but that's the point. It has a great late-night atmosphere to wind down and chill out to. It easily works in the background, however has a lot of subtleties which provide an engaging experience when you pay attention to it. The film noire vibe really comes across in the music, giving it a dark and moody edge that some might not like, but I think really adds to the engagement I have with the record.

Top Tracks: Mysterions, Sour Times, Strangers, It Could Be Sweet, It's A Fire, Numb, Roads, Pedestal, Glory Box

9/10

Joy Division - "Unknown Pleasures" (1979)

I intended this blog to be more about new music I am discovering, but here's another anniversary so I've been tempted to talk about this amazing record. Unknown Pleasures turned 40 over the weekend and is widely considered to be one of the most influential records of the post-punk scene in the late 70s / early 80s.

The band and producer, Martin Hannett, crafted a truly unique sound on this record. It is characterised by this very intense but spacious atmosphere, giving you this feeling of being smothered and suffocated. The incredibly sharp production on the drums and percussion makes them stab right through the oppressive atmosphere, creating a sense of uncomfort and urgency which drives the album along. Ian Curtis' dark and intense lyrics layer on top of this, detailing disconnect, loss of control, and the creeping feeling of impending doom. I find this album to be Curtis' vocal peak; there's a sense of angst and passion to his approach here which shifted to complete depression and desolation by the time of Closer.

Disorder opens the record with a driving bass and chiming guitar, with Curtis' vocals fast and very rhythmic vocals meshing in. This turns into more of a chant in the back end of the track as these spacey, sci-fi noises are introduced into the mix. Following this is the much Slower and more tense The Day of the Lords. The production on the guitar here is incredible. It sounds like its almost about to explode into complete noise but then retains it's restraint and winds down, over and over throughout the whole song. This creates a knife-edge tension that isn't released at all in the song, leaving it feeling strange and unresolved. Insight is backed by these very alien beeps and bops, reminding me of another isolating, atmospheric masterpiece turning 40 this year, Ridley Scott's Alien. The drums on She's Lost Control pierce right through the mix, keeping the song tense and uncomfortable. More beeps enter this song on the drum hits and gradually increase in volume until the end where they completely overpower the song and remind me of the beeps of a cardiogram you might find in a hospital. This give the song a very sinister feeling, as if the titular character has lost control to the point that they're in mortal danger. Shadowplay has an incredibly simplistic and catchy guitar solo. The driving bass riff propels the song forward. It's dark and sinister, detailing dark city streets and assassins. The album's tension comes to head in Interzone, where the guitar is finally allowed to go as wild as possible, sounding brutal after so much absence. With all the tension gone, the closer I Remember Nothing sounds like a glimpse of their much more gothic sound on Closer.

It honestly astounds me that nothing really sounded like this before, because you can trace elements of so many band's sounds back to this album. It is also really interesting to me that this sound is almost entirely down to Hannett and Curtis, with the rest of the band (particularly Peter Hook) not really understanding its appeal and initially not even really liking it. Honestly this album is fantastic and also really benefits from decent speakers/headphones. My laptop speaker really doesn't do justice to the atmosphere and space the album creates and it sounds so much better when I'm playing it through my speaker.

Top Tracks: Disorder, Day of  the Lords, Candidate, Insight, New Dawn Fades, She's Lost Control, Shadowplay, Wilderness, Interzone, I Remember Nothing

10/10

Biffy Clyro - "Balance, Not Symmetry" (2019)

While touring their 7th album, Ellipsis, Biffy Clyro mentioned they were working on a soundtrack album. And then we heard nothing until the day before it dropped with the release of the title track and the announcement it was coming the following day. This 17 track album is the soundtrack to a film of the same name, apparently an imagining of Romeo and Juliet but from Juliet's perspective. The band have definitely used this slight change in format to explore some of their weirder tendencies which have been largely smoothed off in recent years as the band have become more popular.

The album opens with the title track, where Simon Neil screams the opening line then settles into an off-kilter rhythm against this angular drum pattern. It has a typical anthemic Biffy chorus then dives right back into the weirdness for the second verse. The second and third track are softer emotional tracks that you would find in any film score and don't do much for me, but following that is Sunrise. This track opens with about 30 seconds of intense thrashing on not just the bands typical instruments but also there's some piano in there as well. All this noise forms into this monstrous Rage Against The Machine style riff. The stomping verses of this track build into another anthemic chorus, with the captivating lyrics of "I didn't wanna break but I broke" and "I didn't try and speak but I Spoke". After this comes Pink, the first of three short, wholly instrumental mood pieces. The first five tracks are a microcosm of the variety on this album, with the band exploring entirely new sounds and ideas.

Gates Of Heaven has a chiming piano as the lead instrument and a guitar as only an accompanying instrument. The track shows a level of restraint from the band, it doesn't go overboard. Fever Dream is a reverb heavy electronic track which has vast soups of atmosphere. Skittering synths lace Neil's voice, singing "Where the fuck is God?". The reverb and echo effects slowly builds at the back end of the track, turning the fever dream into what sounds like some kind of nightmare. As a pinnacle of the throw everything at the wall and see what sticks weirdness, Tunnels And Trees samples a floor board creaking as a part of the percussion. The band really are just doing whatever they feel like on this record.

This vast variety of sounds and the fact that it is a soundtrack album (which doesn't lend itself to a traditional studio album structure), does mean it doesn't flow as well as other Biffy records. There are a handful of tracks I don't care for and while the instrumental tracks are likely necessary as an accompaniment to the movie, they do kind of pad out the album a bit. Overall, there are some absolute bangers on here, but its lengthy 17 track long runtime makes them easy to miss.

Top Tracks: Balance, Not Symmetry, Sunrise, Gates Of Heaven, Fever Dream, Plead, Touch, Jasabiab, Following Master

7/10

Tame Impala - "Lonerism" (2012)

Tame Impala is one of those critically acclaimed artists that I have never really listened to before, and with a new album on the horizon I thought I'd better check them out. Listening to both this and Currents, it was Lonerism which I gravitated to more. It's (slightly) less produced, more spacious sound reminded me more of the little I know of 60's psychedelia (basically studio years Beatles and early Pink Floyd, and that I don't know as well as I'd like).

Across these detailed but spacious tracks, different melodies and moments pop into the forefront and then fade back into the distance, leaving room for another idea to take its place. Kevin Parker's vocals sometimes glide above the tracks, and then without notice plunge deep into the mix buried in effects. I don't know if it is intentional, but his voice is incredibly reminiscent of the likes of John Lennon and Syd Barrett in places, which adds to the throwback aesthetic. The lyrics give off the general vibe of longing and loss, however they're never really the draw of this kind of music, and are here to serve the atmosphere rather than to be read into too deeply.

Be Above It sounds raw and primal with its repeated chanting, and all the opening of Music To Walk Home By for some reason gives me the feeling of diving headfirst into a swimming pool. The bridge on Why Won't They Talk To Me? also always grabs my attention as the track strips back leaving this groovy drum pattern and some very 60's sounding synths. Feels Like We Only Go Backwards catchy as anything despite all the psychedelia and lo-fi buzz on Keep On Lying's synths and guitars slowly mesh together, raising the intensity of the track over time. Elephant stands out from the rest of the tracklist as despite its psychedelic flourishes, it's very much a bluesy stoner-rock song at it's core with its chunky riff and thunderous drums. Unfortunately the last couple of tracks don't really stand out and just fade into the background, which is disappointing considering most of the tracks have something which grabs me and draws me in.

Psychedelia isn't for everyone, but if it is something you can dig, this is a great album to stick on in the background when doing something or just chilling out. The bright, summery atmosphere is perfect for this time of year (when the weather is nice, which isn't always the case).

Top Tracks: Be Above It, Endors Toi, Music To Walk Home By, Why Won't They Talk To Me?, Feels Like We Only Go Backwards, Keep On Lying, Elephant

8/10

Sundara Karma - "Ulfias' Alphabet" (2019)

Sundara Karma gained a lot of attention with their 2017 debut "Youth Is Only Fun In Retrospect" and it's anthemic, coming of age, indie rock singles. However their was an arty, more ambitious element to that album which resulted in the band sounding split between two identities, unsure of which road to take. I was initially disappointed when the band started rolling out singles for the follow up, seemingly ditching the sound that made the likes of Flame and Explore such enjoyable songs, rather delving deeper into their art rock tendencies. This worry was quickly dismissed when the album released, as it just works, and I am enjoying it more with each listen.

Gone are the indie dance floor tracks about going out and young romance, replaced with songs about colourful characters and bizarre places. There is a very David Bowie feel to this album, not just in Oscar Pollock's distinct voice but also the lyrics and themes. The single One Last Night On This Earth is about an alien crash landing on Earth and discovering love. You can't get more Bowie than that. The album darts from one place to another, making huge stylistic shifts between songs. This, for me, means not every song connects, but the constantly changing sound keeps me engaged. Some highlights include the sizzling electronic rock of Higher Stakes, a track which sound like it would fit perfectly in the soundtrack to some futuristic racing game like F-Zero. Little Smart Houses bounces along as Oscar sings about being 'warm and dumb' in our 'little smart houses'. The vocals on the title track are processed with some vibrato and reverb to sound echoey an distant, coupled with the lush piano make it sound like the track is taking place in a thunderstorm. The best moment is Rainbow Body, a tense and atmospheric post-punk tune which bursts into colour towards the end.

While the album lacks the feel-good singles which drew them so much attention, I do feel it is a better album overall than the debut. It's less bloated and more ambitious, and the band sound committed to the direction they've taken.

Top Tracks: Higher Stakes, Illusions, Little Smart Houses, Rainbow Body, Ulfias' Alphabet

7/10

The Cure - "Disintegration" (1989)

This masterpiece turned 30 this week. On the eve of his 29th birthday, Robert Smith was musing about how all his idols had produced their masterpieces before they reached 30 and then in his eyes declined in quality since, and that The Cure had yet to create their magnum opus. So he began writing what is now considered it. This feeling of the bands impending demise combined with tensions within the group over Lol Tolhurst's (the only other remaining founding member besides Smith) growing alcohol problem and inability to work to create one of the bands darkest and most isolating releases. It is long, slow, dense but also spacious and sonically rich and it just commands you to sink into the apocalyptic world it creates for you.

The album opens with Plainsong, a track which could be the closer for any other album. The shimmering synths and heavy reverb have an open finality to them, and Smith's allusions to the end of the world sound like there has been this huge world ending event before the album has even started. That really sets the tone for the next 72 minutes, the world has already fallen apart and Smith is just living in the aftermath. The next song, Pictures Of You, is beautifully nostalgic about past good times and incredibly melancholic about the fact they are over. Despite its seven and a half minute run-time, I reckon it is one of the most accessible on the record. It has such a universal topic that everyone can relate to.

Despite its oppressive atmosphere, the record actually has a couple of really big hits on it. Lovesong and Lullaby are incredibly catchy pop songs at their core, they are just dressed up and the melancholia which floods the rest of the album. Both songs have some of the most catchy bass lines the band have ever recorded. Lovesong has the same universality as Pictures Of You, detailing just pure, unabashed devotion to someone. Lullaby is weirder, as the bass bounces along Smith sings about a creepy nightmare creature in a soft ASMR-style voice. Following Lullaby is Fascination Street, which sounds like some kind of nihilistic apocalypse anthem. "Move to the music like you know that it's over" Smith shouts during the chorus.

On the second half of the album, the songs get longer, denser and darker. Prayers For Rain feels like it is completely smothering you with its rich atmosphere. It legitimately feels like the song is taking place in a thunderstorm. In fact, the transition between it and Same Deep Water As You is the sound of a thunderstorm. Where Prayers For Rain feels like you are being forced down by its audio thunderstorm, Same Deep Water As You feels like letting yourself get washed away by the ensuing flood. The title track is perhaps the most intense of all of them, opening with the sound of a glass smashing and slowly builds over 8 minutes as Smith works himself into a self destructive meltdown. It feels like every emotion is pouring out of him to the point of exhaustion. Following this is Homesick, which feels perfectly placed after Disintegration. Smith determinedly sings "I'll never go home", which I can't help but feel is related to the previous track. Smith just wants to run away from everything that went down on the previous track. The closer, Untitled, leaves the album in much the same way Plainsong opened it, open and empty. But it does this to an even greater extent. There isn't much of a sense of completion to the track, it just leaves the listener in a frail, depressed state, hoping things might get better.

This album is near enough flawless, and completely transcends age. It sounds as fresh and unique as any album today. If you have an hour and twelve minutes to spare, just plug your headphones in and let it absorb you. You will bound to find something that you can relate to. Smith got his magnum opus, and if I'm going to be honest he predicted his downfall as well. The band have never been quite this good since.

Top Tracks: Plainsong, Pictures Of You, Closedown, Lovesong, Last Dance, Lullaby, Fascination Street, Prayers For Rain, Same Deep Water As You, Disintegration, Homesick, Untitled

10/10

Circa Waves - "What's It Like Over There?" (2019)

Circa Waves' 2017 sophomore album, Different Creatures, was a great development from their debut. It added darker and heavier elements to their youthful indie rock sound, creating a more sonically diverse album that still retained its blistering energy. So when frontman Keiran Shudall started talking about how the next album would be even more visceral and cinematic, I was exited. Unfortunately, it's not very cinematic, just underwritten, overproduced and sonically all over the place.

The album is short, 30 minutes long, with only 10 tracks. One of which, the title track, is only a intro track to the album. This track is literally the sound of some gulls and a van door closing, which I find frankly bizarre as it doesn't feel like it connects to the actual first track at all. So there's actually 9 proper tracks, in a 30 minute timespan which cover completely different styles. There's no flow or running thread throughout the album, just a bunch of vastly disparate songs.

And the songs, they aren't great. The actual first track, Sorry I'm Yours, sets the album off on a bad foot with typical Imagine Dragons style overblown bass and percussion during the chorus. It is such a turn off for me. Then follows Times Wont Change Me, a stomping piano rock tune that does initially have some bite. That is until about 50 seconds in when Keiran has sung the line 'these times wont change me now' about 4 times already and you realise hes going to sing it about 400 more times before the song finishes. That's a big problem that runs through much of the album, most of the songs feel really underwritten. The verses don't seem to have much detail or depth, and the choruses are just the song titles repeated 4 times over. Me Myself And Hollywood has this problem as well. The track has these really chilled verses with this lackadaisical Arctic Monkeys Humbug style guitar. But the title is legitimately the title repeated 4 times. What does 'me myself and Hollywood' even mean? Be Somebody Good is perhaps strangest mess on the whole album. It opens with a really nice angst ridden opening verse that's set to programmed drums and it builds in intensity until the chorus hits, which consists of Keiran singing 'I wanna be somebody good' over and over against the returning overblown pop-rock drums and bass. There is a really nice sounding guitar solo at the end of the track, but it really comes out of nowhere and is over in 6 seconds, so feels really out of place. The Way We Say Goodbye and Motorcade are more consistent sounding songs, but are rather underwhelming attempts at their respective genres (the former being mid-2000s soft rock akin to Coldplay and Snow Patrol, and the latter being a more electronic rock leaning sound). The best the album has to offer is lead single Movies and the closer Saviour. Movies is a pretty standard Circa Waves song, with their trademark youthful energy. Savour is the bands attempt at blues rock and definitely feels like the loosest song on the album, and also seems the most poignant, with lyrics about class divisions.

It's strange after the political songwriting on Different Creatures that this album is so devoid of it. Apparently Keiran was fighting writers block when creating this album, and you can definitely tell with all the repeated phrases and the fact these songs don't really appear to be about much beyond their vague pontificating. The frustrating thing is that there is something I like about every song on this record; I like Keiran's performance of chorus on Sorry I'm Yours, I like the backing vocals and production on Passport, I like the general aesthetic of Me Myself and Hollywood. But they're all assembled into these hodgepodge, clunky songs. If they were struggling to write something meaningful, maybe the band should've taken a break for a bit instead of heading right into the studio.

Top Track: Movies, Saviour

4/10

Nothing But Thieves - "What Did You Think When You Made Me This Way?" (2018)

UK rock group Nothing But Thieves were quick to follow up their 2017 sophomore album, Broken Machine, with this 4 track EP written on the road touring that album; released just over a year later. While I enjoyed the promo single, Forever And Ever More, I pretty much forgot about the EP until it's release a few months later. I expected a bunch of pretty good tracks, just to hold fans over until the next full LP. What I got was a couple of the best tracks the band has ever recorded, with the other two being pretty great as well.

Forever And Ever More opens the EP with a crunchy guitar line and Conor Mason's characteristic falsetto vocals. The track deals with the bands usual themes of feeling emotionally trapped, embracing the worst impulses, but now with an added fun, vampiric twist. Gods starts off sounding straight out of Bends-era Radiohead, with the muddy acoustic guitar and Conor's dry, hoarse vocals. That is until the chorus hits and utterly explodes into one of the bands loudest cuts. The breakdown towards the end of this track is absolutely ferocious. After that You Know Me Too Well slows things down, sounding more akin to some of the slower moments from their debut. The rich production and Conor's gentle vocals create a sensual atmosphere which really draws you in. The final track, Take This Lonely Heart, is up there with the very best the band has created in my opinion. The loud, anthemic tune just builds and builds in intensity as Conor's souring vocals seethe so much raw emotion.

This EP is really great and has me even more exited for where the band goes next than Broken Machine did (I think that album is also pretty great). Its definitely their best produced and most consistent release yet.

Top Tracks: Forever And Ever More, Gods, You Know Me Too Well, Take This Lonely Heart

8/10