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