Black Country, New Road - "Forever Howlong" (2025)

Forever Howlong is the third studio LP from the now critical darlings Black Country, New Road. And it has been hotly anticipated following the release of their truly sublime second record, 2022's Ants From Up There, which has grown into mine and many other's favourite record of the 2020s so far. It is such an unashamedly raw and heart-breaking look into the psyche of frontman Isaac Wood. The man was clearly heavily struggling during the creation of the record: and as has become part of the albums 'mythos' at this point, left the band just days before the albums release due to protect his mental health.

This left the band in a difficult spot, having lost their vocalist and one of the biggest driving forces behind the bands direction - and a tour booked that they did not want to cancel. They quickly wrote a bunch of songs to fill the set with, resulting in the release of the Live at Bush Hall live record. While honestly still a really great record, it certainly felt like a transitional moment for the group. While it retained some of the moodier post-rock and experimental rock stylings, it was nowhere near has dark and harrowing as the band's output with Isaac. Instead the band further delved into the chamber pop instrumentation that AFUT toyed with, and included more influence from 60's prog rock and folk music. Similarly, to ease the pressure of any one member being the primary vocalist, three members came forward to share vocal duties: bassist Tyler Hyde, keyboardist May Kershaw, and saxophonist Lewis Evans. And now with the release of Forever Howlong, the live album very much feels like a mid-point between the old and the new.

Forever Howlong pretty much does away with any of the remaining edge that was retained in Live at Bush Hall, basically being a full on baroque pop and progressive folk record. There is barely any electric guitar on the record. Evans has also has stepped away from vocal duties, having decided that its just not something he enjoys. In his place, Georgia Ellery (the group's violinist) has filled the third slot. This makes the most sense to be honest, as Georgia also fronts the art pop duo Jockstrap and is probably the most suited to the limelight in the band. The opening cut and lead single, Besties, exemplifies the records ethos compared to the band's past output. It is a lush, twee, somewhat Beatles-y baroque pop ode to friendship. It is very straight up and earnest, with none of the deflective references or tortured lyrism of before. All in all, it is a very cute tune and sets out the albums vibe and atmosphere very well.

Ellery takes the lead on two other tracks; Two Horses at the mid-point of the record, and the closer Goodbye (Don't Tell Me). These are two of my favourites on the record as Georgia has very confident vocal presence and the tracks as a whole are two of the least understated songs on the album. They feel like tentpole moments with their placement at the middle and end of the record. Two Horses is a galloping, multi-phased prog-folk tune that is initially quite stripped back and moody. The instrumentation slowly builds up, through the woodwind, mandolin and strings. Half way through, the percussion kicks in and the pace picks up. The plucked guitar style gives off a very Nick Drake feel to me. The track then gallops over itself into a sinister sounding climax as the protagonist of the song is betrayed and her titular horses are killed by her former love interest. It is a fantastical and theatrical song that really doesn't get old for me. Goodbye (Don't Tell Me) is probably the closest to an indie rock song, with its gentle acoustic strumming, whooshes of reverby electric guitar and quite a catchy hook. It nicely rounds off the themes of friendship that run through Georgia's tracks; and to bring back The Beatles comparison, it has that kind of full-circle feeling that Stg. Peppers has.

Kershaw also takes three songs, and much like Live From Bush Hall, they are most whimsical on the record. The Big Spin makes reference to fruit and vegetables and baking in a very retro, 'cottage-core' way; however has this subtext of letting go and cutting someone off in a way that seems like quite a traumatic experience. The title track also has this very whimsical presentation of mundanity of daily life, with lyrics about the waves of tiktok wellbeing videos and daylight lamps used for seasonal depression. Both tracks are understatedly really quite sad, but in a hazy, malaise-like way. This is is further enhanced by the very stripped back and spacious instrumentation on Forever Howlong, which is mainly focused around the woodwind section, with a handful of flourishes from the other instruments. For the Cold Country is certainly the most dramatic sounding of May's songs, and follows on from the fantastical story telling on Two Horses. It reads as a tragic lovestory between a knight and a maiden where he goes off to fight for glory and ultimately meets his downfall. The song develops from something very stark and simple into an elaborate, crashing crescendo that is one of the few moments on the record that sounds akin to AFUT.

As I expected from Live From Bush Hall, Hyde takes the most leads on the record; with those songs being the more moody and sombre tracks on the album. Socks initially meanders around spacious instrumentation, but at the 2 minute mark the percussion kicks in and all the other instruments slot into groove for the chorus. It all drops out again for the second verse before settling into a very 60's vintage pop sounding bridge and outro. Salem Sisters is also quite dynamic, but at just over 3 minutes it does feel like the track is doing a bit too much in not enough time. It features some great backing vocals from May and Georgia. Mary similarly acts as a bit of a reset in the middle of the album after the drama of Two Horses, and is a fine enough song but not a massive highlight of the album for me.

Tyler's two most significant songs on the record are her two on the back end, Happy Birthday and Nancy Tries to Take the Night. Happy Birthday is easily the rockiest song on the record, with some crunchy electric guitars popping into the mix. The themes around inherent sadness in people who, on the surface, appear to have everything they need is also quite poignant and well written. It has one of the punchiest hooks and radio-friendly climaxes of the record - probably why it was chosen as the second single. Nancy Tries to Take the Night is a multi-versed opus telling the tale of the fallout and stigma of an unexpected pregnancy. It is the kind of melodramatic showpiece that the band has steered away from since Isaac left; and while it doesn't have the wailing screams and cacophonies of sound of tracks like Sunglasses or Basketball Shoes, it certainly feels like one of the weightiest and commanding tracks on the record.

One thing I will say about record, and it is not necessarily a criticism, is that each song feels rather segmented from each other - leaving the arc and flow of the record as a whole quite flat. In some ways I quite like it, as it almost feels like the record is out of time and frozen in another place where the world doesn't move so quickly. But on the other hand, the sequencing of the record feels like it really doesn't matter, and most of these tracks could be placed anywhere else on the record (the fact that there is a collectors edition out there with different sequencing further highlights this).

I'm glad I've let Forever Howlong sit with me for a little bit, because it is a slow burner. But the longer I let it seep in, the more I like it. It's imaginative and unique, and takes me out of the grim realities of the modern world with these whimsical and fantastic stories. But they are all layered with a very real and meaningful subtext, making them very multifaceted. It doesn't feel quite as focused or cohesive as the groups first two record; but on a track by track level it is as good as the debut for sure.

Top Tracks: Besties, The Big Spin, Socks, Two Horses, Happy Birthday, For the Cold Country, Nancy Tries to Take the Night, Forever Howlong, Goodbye (Don't Tell Me)

8/10

Lucy Dacus - "Forever Is A Feeling" (2025)

Lucy Dacus is the first to return with fresh solo music following Boygenius' debut in 2023 significantly rocketed the singer / songwriter trio's exposure (comprised of Dacus, alongside Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker). I was already a fan of Bridgers, but following the Boygenius record I delved deeper into Dacus and Baker's solo work and I really took a liking to Lucy's raw and earnest lyrical style and very straightforward, vintage combination of singer / songwriter, indie rock and folk. While really emotionally resonant in places, her music is not flashy or particularly in your face, leaving it sounding quite versatile and timeless for me.

With Forever Is A Feeling, Lucy doubles down on this very lowkey, stripped back approach; swapping out the slightly more harder edged, fuzzy blues rock elements of her sound for gentle acoustic guitars and delicate chamber pop instrumentation. This is all to service the records narrative, which is very obviously about Dacus' blossoming romance with Baker following the closing out of the Boygenius era. The lyrics are sweet and saccharine, filled with the tepid excitement and hope alongside the worries and risk of falling for a friend. Following a short string prelude, the opening cut Big Deal tells the story of the growing feelings between the two, and that how Lucy was not prepared to take that risk and was surprised that Julien was. Set against gentle strumming and swooning strings, the song is beautifully bittersweet and really acts as the tone setter for the record.

The following track and lead single, Ankles, dives headfirst into euphoric jangle pop as Lucy indulges in fantasising about the exciting possibilities and potential futures this new relationship presents. The other teaser track, Best Guess, is similarly sweet and summery although takes a more grounded and pragmatic approach to the new relationship. Dacus frames the idea of romance as a best guess and that you never know if it will work out in the long run. It is an interesting idea for a song that is still incredibly positive and forward looking. Limerence was released as the B-side to Ankles and has a very different vibe. It's a slow and sparse, piano driven break up ballad. I'm not sure how it fits into the records narrative; whether this break up occurred immediately before Lucy's new relationship to Julien or sometime before. But lyrically, it is so dry and funny as Lucy describes falling out of limerence with this person while watching her friends chat and play video games. It's so nonchalant while also being quite heart aching, really. Lucy doesn't want to hurt this person, but she just doesn't love them anymore.

While it starts and ends quite well, the record's breezy and listless atmosphere unfortunately floats off into the clouds during the middle section. The subtle vocal approach and twee instrumentation sands off pretty much any tension or drive behind the tracks. Talk is on paper the heaviest track on the record, and while it does feature a couple of great lines, it is one of the most tepid interpretations of 90s alt rock I have heard in a long time. And its not like Lucy is out of her ball park here, there are plenty of tracks from her past couple of albums that go for this style and have way more bite to them. For Keeps through to Come Out just breeze by leaving little impact, and its only when Best Guess kicks off the final third of the album that I come back round to being engaged.

Bullseye is a jangly folky ballad with Hozier that I think works out. Hozier tends to dominate his duets, and with how tame the instrumentation is here that could've been the case on this one also; but he remains restrained and overall I think the song works out quite well. Most Wanted Man, similarly is a duet with Baker. The track initially presents itself as a twangy vintage rocker reminiscent of Revolver era Beatles, but as it progresses it morphs into more of a slacker rock jam with it's loose lo-fi guitar riffs and hazy vocals. You can really feel the energy and chemistry between the two on the song. Lost Time is an earnest and heartfelt slowburn to close out the album. The song starts as a gentle acoustic ballad, but slowly builds into a thick and heavy climax that once again brings back Julien for backing vocals.

Much like Lucy's previous records, Forever Is A Feeling doesn't rewrite the indie playbook - but is a solid, well written album that is a good time from start to finish. It does feel a little lightweight in places, so I don't think it tops Historian as her best. I still like it quite a bit and I think its a great record to have in rotation for the chill summer evenings or slow weekend mornings this year.

Top Tracks: Big Deal, Ankles, Limerence, Modigliani, Best Guess, Most Wanted Man

7/10

Lucy Dacus - "Historian" (2018)

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm trying to get back to talking about older stuff on here, not just new releases, and this was one of my discoveries in 2023 that I really got into. As I've been exploring the rest of Lucy Dacus' and Julien Baker's discographies following the boygenius debut last year, this (Dacus' 2nd album) is the one that I have kept coming back to throughout the year. The record really leans into the rough and ready indie rock stylings that I thoroughly enjoyed from the boygenius album, as well as the raw and heart-on-sleeve lyricism that Dacus' brought to her songs on that project.

The absolutely phenomenal opener, Night Shift, demonstrates what the album is about perfectly. It is a slow burning break-up power ballad. The song starts off quiet and mournful, before progressing into a noisy, fuzzed out 90's alt rock second half where Dacus' vocals morph into something much more bitter and resentful. It is a really dramatic and powerful tune that showcases Lucy's talent as a songwriter and performer. This launches straight into the much more jaunty and jangly Addictions - with much more straightforward indie and chamber pop instrumentation. The song has such a vintage feel to it, focusing on the core sound and vibe without too many bells and whistles.

I think that's what makes this album tick for me. It's focused on being a collection of tight and well written indie rock and singer / songwriter tunes without any guise or image to deflect into. Lucy is earnest and open in the lyrics, there's no smarmy wit or deflective irony here. Nonbeliever tells the story of the rejection and confusion that comes with deciding you don't believe in God in small town America. Similarly to Night Shift, the track starts small and linearly progresses into the swells of strings and guitar. Yours & Mine has a chugging country rhythm section as Dacus despairs in the current state of the USA at the time, and how she doesn't feel like she belongs there anymore.

Timefighter is about coming to terms with the passing of time and the impermanence of life, where Lucy quite bluntly sings on the chorus "I fought time, it won in a landslide". The song is super bluesy and heavy, with a thick baseline and hazy vocals. The track is moody and menacing, and topped off with a rapturous guitar solo on the back end. Next of Kin returns to the jangly vintage indie from Addictions, and is super sweet with its tale of insecurity to being at peace with the world. The penultimate song, Pillar of Truth is a gorgeous ode to Lucy's grandmother, a slow burning Americana jam with twangy guitars and triumphant horns. The track slowly builds to an immense, joyous climax and captures the adoration Dacus feels towards her grandmother perfectly. The record closes out with the quiet and moody Historians. It's a decent enough 'quiet closer', but it feels a bit of a downer after Pillar of Truth and just the general uptempo and forward looking second half of the record.

Historians is a great, straightforward indie rock and singer / songwriter record. No pretence, just well written and emotive tunes that really effectively convey the stories they are describing in the lyrics.

Top Tracks: Night Shift, Addictions, Nonbeliever, Yours & Mine, Timefighter, Next of Kin, Pillar of Truth

8/10

Hozier - "Unreal Unearth" (2023)

 

Hozier's debut record has held up well for me over the years, being a brooding and sinister record in places, but also witty and tongue in cheek in others. Tracks like Jackie And Wilson and From Eden are basically non-skips for me when they come up in shuffle. 2019's follow-up, Wasteland Baby!, on the other hand, really didn't stick with me. I felt it was just so much less inspired and far more commercial and generic. The only track that I regularly come back to from it is No Plan these days.

Unreal Unearth is certainly more ambitious, being an hour long semi-narrative record loosely following Dante's Inferno. I'm not really a literary guy, so I can't really comment on how well the album captures the themes of the book or whether it adds anything interesting to them, but it definitely has a greater feeling of heft and importance than Wasteland Baby! ever did. This is evident from the opening two part De Selby. The first part being this moody and sinister folk tune where Hozier sings in Irish about the connection to self and God, the second being a bombastic pop soul tune showing the flip side, where he sings about running fast enough to escape the things he doesn't want to face. I felt Part 2 was a little clean and polished when I first heard it, it felt like everything in the song had been turned up to 11. It's grown on me a fair amount since then, as Hozier gives it all in the performance and the hook on the song is damn catchy.

I have similar feelings about Francesca, the massive 'Take Me To Church'-esque single from the album. Initially I thought it was fairly standard Hozier, nothing we haven't heard from him before, and with a little more gloss than I would like. But the song at the core of it is pretty damn great and outshines the slightly overblown and unimaginative production. Eat Your Young is definitely the album highlight, with gorgeous cinematic strings soaring over bluesy guitars and Hozier's very dry, sarcastic lyrics tackling the logical extremes of neo-liberal, late stage capitalism. The gory imagery of 'eat your young' is about the closest the album gets to some of the more morbid stuff from the debut that was always really engaging.

While the cinematic and overblown production benefits some of the songs on the album, it certainly hinders others. Damage Gets Done is probably the worst offender, as it just seems every decision on that track knee-caps it in every way. It's a blown out new wave duet with horrendous booming reverb gated drums. It's not a style that I think Hozier is particularly equipped to pull off, but everything about the track is so garish and un-delicate. Hozier and Brandi Carlile spend the entire time fighting to be heard against each other and the ridiculously overpowering drums. On the whole, due to the albums length and how its mixed, I'm finding I'm getting ear fatigue by the end of it. Every track turns it up to 11 and there's just no space to breath. It's not an abrasive record, its just too loud and too overproduced.

The two tracks that really sell the cinematic atmosphere are the midpoint interlude, Son of Nyx, and the closer, First Light. They both use the string section to maximum effect. Son of Nyx is subtle and mysterious, and First Light is the linear, building, uplifting closer that the record needs to bring it out of the darkness and into the light. This is definitely Hozier's most downbeat album, and it can come off a little needlessly self serious at points - it does get a little bogged down in the second half and by the time Unknown / Nth draws to a close I am in desperate need of the uplift that First Light brings.

Unreal Unearth is definitely a more interesting and ambitious album than Wasteland Baby!, but its definitely has its issues and is a long way off the high bar set by the debut. There are a handful of really catchy soul and singer / songwriter songs that I really enjoy, but their wrapped up in an album that is a bit too bloated, a little too self serious, and way too overproduced. It's definitely a pick your favourites and save them kind of release.

Top Tracks: De Selby (Part 1), De Selby (Part 2), Francesca, Eat Your Young, Son of Nyx, First Light

6/10

Black Country, New Road - "Live at Bush Hall" (2023)

This is the first time I've reviewed a live record on the blog, as admittedly I tend to dismiss them as less essential parts of an artist's catalogue (a totally wrong assumption I know!). However, this one has a particular significance that I think will define it as an important listen years from now when going through the band's discography. That being that this is the first release since the departure of the group's vocalist and integral member, Isaac Wood. So unlike a typical live album, this isn't versions of songs we have already heard, but entirely new ones that the group have written and toured live since Isaac's departure last year. And judging by comments the band has made in relation to this live album, it's unlikely they are going to get the studio treatment for the groups third LP. So in effect, this live album is the band's third studio album, except that it is recorded live and in front of an audience.

I've been anticipating what direction the band will take since Isaac left, as his unabashedly honest and neurotic (and sometimes borderline unhinged) persona behind the mic was a big draw of the band for me and many others. While there are a lot of changes to the sound, I am surprised by how consistently it follows on from last years LP, Ants From Up There. Despite how Isaac's personality is so intrinsically tired to that record, the band quite effortlessly follow on in that musical direction on this album. It leans a little more into the chamber pop and indie sides of AFUT rather than the progressive and post-rock parts of that record, and the band has chosen to have three lead vocalists rather than one, but its not a hard switch up in sound (I'd say the progression from the debut to AFUT is more jarring).

The record opens up with the Triumphant Up Song, which comes across as the mission statement of the record. Crashing baroque pop crescendos are matched up against bassist Tyler Hyde's emotive but optimistic vocals singing the group's catchiest pop hook yet - "Look at what we did together, BC, NR friends forever!". The song feels very much like a celebration of the band's achievements thus far, while still be forward looking and optimistic for their future without Isaac. Regardless of whether it ever ends up on a studio release, it feels like an anthem which will remain in their live set for a long time. The record ends with a reprise of the song, which only amplifies the weight of it to the band.

Hyde has the most leads on the record, singing on 3 of the remaining 7 tunes, which I can see her being positioned as the band's lead vocalist going forward. This makes sense as her vocal and lyrical style is the closest to Isaac's out of the three. While nowhere near as dark and uncomfortable, she brings a sense of upfront rawness that lines up with the band's output on the studio albums. I Won't Always Love You quite bluntly progresses through the slow disillusionment felt at the end of a relationship, with the first line being "I will always love you" and the last being "I won't always want you". The track linearly builds from slow, folky acoustic guitar through to some meaty bass and finally a cacophonous  crescendo of piano, sax and guitar. Laughing Song shows the other side of the coin, with Hyde quite obviously blaming herself for the end of this relationship, exposing her character flaws and claiming that she let the 'best person she knows walk away' on the bridge. The track is one of the slower and more reserved on the record, but still feels like it has so much weight and heft to it as it builds to it's thunderous refrain. The last of Hyde's tracks is the penultimate song, Dancers. It's the only track here that I haven't really connected with like the others, it's the only one that does feel like it's a work in progress. The story of the song isn't particularly fleshed out, and the refrain of "Dancers stand very still on the stage" does start to wear thin by the end of the track. 

Saxophonist Lewis Evans and keyboardist May Kershaw lead two tracks each, and both bring a very different vibe and tone to the songs they feature on. Evans' tracks have a earnest sense of joyousness and hope to them, with his slightly nasal and very English sounding vocals. His presence on these songs gives me the same vibe as the awkward, lovable English guy that Martin Freeman and Eddie Redmayne are typecast in films. Across The Pond Friend is so sweet, telling the story of a long distance relationship and the longing that comes when you're an ocean apart. It's just very wholesome with its ascending piano lines and swells of sax. The Wrong Trousers is similarly earnest, with Evan's revealing the impact of Isaac's departure from the band on him. The track is more low key than Across The Pond Friend, and presents the situation from that same awkward, lovable guy perspective. Lewis is not mad that Isaac left, just proud of what they achieved together as a band. The Wallace and Gromit reference in the title is also a great touch.

Kershaw's songs are definitely the most different from anything else from the band's output, both with Isaac and on this record, being very indebted to folk and singer / songwriter styles. The record's second track, The Boy is a folky, multi-part story of a robin with a broken wing on a journey through the forest to find someone who can fix it for him. It has quite a theatrical and vintage feel to it, like something you'll here in a local folk festival (as opposed to the band than made a track like Sunglasses 3 years ago). It's very different for the group and works incredibly well. Kershaw's other track is the nearly 10 minute slow burn, Turbines/Pigs. The song starts off as a simple tune comprised off a simple piano melody and Kershaw's vocals, slowly progressing through the song allowing her isolating and evocative lyrics to resonate deeply. Kershaw imagines herself as pig flying up into the air, above turbines, leaving everyone and everything behind. It's hauntingly self deprecating as she sings "Don't waste your pearls on me", as if she's telling us she doesn't feel good enough for anyone's affection. The track slowly builds to a cathartic climax. It's a beautiful song and one of the real highlights of the record.

Live at Bush Hall is definitely more than a footnote in the BC, NR's story, and it clearly shows the band are still on top form despite such an important shift in personnel. It's not quite on the same level as AFUT, but that is a ridiculously high bar to set. I do hope a fair few of these songs get the full studio treatment, as they absolutely deserve it. I'm left even more intrigued about the band's next steps now, as on this record it doesn't seem like there are any definitive direction's on who the lead singer will be going forward (or whether it will remain all three), or quite what style they should follow for LP 3. I also think it might be a good gateway into the band for people who found Isaac's vocals and lyrics a little to off-putting and pretentious.

Top Tracks: Up Song, The Boy, I Won't Always Love You, Across The Pond Friend, Laughing Song, The Wrong Trousers, Turbines/Pigs

8/10

Arctic Monkeys - "The Car" (2022)

Arctic Monkey's last album, 2018's Tranquillity Base Hotel + Casino, proved to be quite divisive - discarding AM's pop rock riffs and coked up bravado that blew them up into global superstars in favour of a tongue-in-cheek 70's-esque lounge pop sound and Alex Turner rambling about about a hotel on the moon. I, for one, loved it. AM's swaggering cockiness always felt a little one note to me, and the shift to taking themselves a little less seriously (once again) made for a much more interesting listen. It also helps that the songs are actually really well written and there is a fair amount to dig into with the themes and subtext of the record beyond Alex pretending to be some washed up rockstar singing in a lobby of a fictional moon resort. The Car, on the surface, appears to be following in TBH+C's footsteps, forgoing any semblance to indie rock for a 70's inspired baroque pop and soul record. But when digging a little deeper, it feels a lot closer to AM than TBH+C, and not in a good way.

What I mean by that is that it feels much more earnest and self-serious, and somewhat of a pastiche (or even a novelty) of the genres it's mimicking. AM borrowed from 70's hard rock riffs and matched them with Alex's fairly generic 'rockstar' posturing - 'sex, drugs and rock'n'roll' and the like. The Car does the same thing, but replaces these elements with layers of lavish strings and pastiche funk guitar likes, and Alex's formless, lounge-y vocals sprawling over these tracks with little regard for metre or consistency. He did this a bit on TBH+C, but it was much more restrained there, and also fitted with the character he was playing on that album. However, when this album is clearly trying to be taken a lot more earnestly, it just comes of as a kind of bad vocal performance. In places, it feels like he is trying (and failing) to do his best Bowie impression, which made me associate the album with a phrase Bowie said to describe his foray into soul and funk - "plastic soul". Bowie used it as a reference to how he originally wasn't part of the soul scene and he was a plastic imitation of it (I disagree - and I'll get back to the Bowie reviews I promise); but that descriptor seems apt for The Car. While as lavish and ornate as it sounds, it just feels plastic-y and uncanny.

The record opens with by far its best track, the lead single There'd Better Be A Mirrorball. It's the only song I wholeheartedly love on the album and I think best represents what the band is going for on here. It is a heartfelt and sentimental break up ballad set to swooning and cinematic strings and a warbling synth line. The lyrics are some of the sweetest and most grounded Alex has ever written, and the track builds such an atmosphere to accompany them. It certainly feels like it could accompany a movie scene of someone walking back to their car in the rain post-breakup. This atmosphere is unfortunately killed right away by the following track (and first one they teased live) I Ain't Quite Where I Think I Am and its tacky 'wah-wah' funk lead guitar part. The song just feels like such a hodgepodge of ideas that never really connect together. The lyrics are disconnected and all over the place, supposedly reflecting a disconnect Alex feels between himself and the environments he finds himself in, but there's too many obtuse references and metaphors masking any sort of depth in the lyrics. I do quite like the string instrumentation that comes in for the chorus, but the cheesy funk guitar comes straight back in for the second verse and takes me straight out of the song. The song feels like a half formed b-side, not one of the big singles from the record.

Sculptures Of Anything Goes has drawn comparisons to AM, which I can certainly see as the mix is mainly comprised of Alex's vocals set against a super-heavy Moog synth bass part - similarly to AM's bass heavy mixes. Once again there are parts of the song I do like; the focus on the synth bass gives the track a lot of tension, and the contrast between it and the strings in the back half of the song is some of the most dynamic use of the orchestra on the album. However, similarly to I Ain't Quite Where I Think I Am, the themes of the song are buried in obtuse references that take away from the emotional resonance; and Alex's performance frankly doesn't do it any favours - he just sounds so underwhelming when set against the drama of music. Jet Skis On A Moat is perhaps my least favourite on the record, with Alex cringily crooning over returning 'wah-wah' guitars. The whole thing feels like the edgeless smooth.fm soul designed to appeal to the type of boomer that can't stand any passion or fire in their music. It really rubs me the wrong way. This leads into the big centrepiece of the record, Body Paint. The track does have its moments, but much like many of the moments on the first half, aimlessly meanders through its disparate sections not really building to a greater whole. It also may be Alex's weakest performance on the record, where the inflections are the most egregious and his voice in general coming across strained and raspy.

The second half of the record is more consistent, sonically and quality wise. The album settles into a more run of the mill vintage baroque pop sound, and Alex's delivery becomes more restrained and professional. However, I will say while there's not much I outright dislike about these songs, they also don't have that much unique going for them to make them stand out. They don't even sound particularly 'Arctic Monkeys' - they're just missing a bit of the snark and tonge-in-cheek fun. There are a couple of songs on the back half that I do enjoy, being the title track and Hello You. The Car is nostalgic look back at childhood memories related to the family vehicle, and features some lush jangly acoustic guitar and melancholic piano. The track feels quite tense, and is so close to being really good - I just wish it had more of a fully formed chorus or climax to pay off that tension. Hello You is apparently the only track that survived the band's first attempt in the studio back in 2019, and certainly feels the closest to TBH+C with it's oddball stream of consciences lyrics and more playful, quirky energy. The song is one of the most dynamic on the record, with a catchy chorus and a somewhat bouncy interplay between the lead guitar and string parts on the song.

It's a shame that following Hello You, the album limps out with two of its least notable and most underwhelming tunes. Mr Schwartz is a fine, bog standard bossa nova cut, and the closer Perfect Sense feels like it's attempting to be some semblance of a big cinematic closer, but then chickens out before it ever gets there, and then the album just kind of ends. My first listen to the record was while doing some jobs and I wasn't looking at the tracklist and I genuinely thought "Oh is it over?.." when the track finished.

The Car isn't an awful album, and it's not like I don't think it's a sound that the band can't do. I loved TBH+C and Alex's two albums with The Last Shadow Puppets that play in a lot of similar soundscapes. It's just I feel that these are easily the weakest crop of songs the band has come out with so far, and some poor aesthetical choices particularly in the first half make it a kind of drab and tiresome listen. As much as I personally have problems with AM, at least that album succeeds in having a load of fun catchy hooks to draw you in, so I can safely say that this is my least favourite record from the band thus far. (I'd still take it over the boring, commercial, 'safe for Radio 2' garbage that a lot of the bands from this generation are making nowadays).

Top Tracks: There'd Better Be A Mirrorball, The Car, Hello You

5/10

Black Country, New Road - "Ants From Up There" (2022)

Quickly following up from their breakthrough debut last year, Black Country, New Road's second album feels notable in quite a few ways. Much like their fellow scene contemporaries, black midi, the group have change up their sound a great deal for their sophomore record. However, where black midi traded the most abrasive elements of their sound for something less harsh, yet more technically complex and experimental; BC, NR have switched their experimental and jazz leanings for a much softer fusion of post-rock and chamber pop, with some actual pop hooks to boot. The record is also significant because the band announced the departure of lyricist and vocalist Isaac Woods just days before the records release to prioritise his own mental health. It's important to acknowledge that as the record is clearly revolved around Isaac's mental state with some deeply personal and haunting lyrics.

The record runs as if it is a break up album, although it is hard to to tell whether that break up is recent, or something Isaac is struggling with even a long time afterwards. But it also feels so much deeper than that, like a real personal deep dive into Woods' psyche - it's one of those raw, no restraint mental breakdown records that just don't let up. This remedies my only real criticism of their debut, which was the lyrics of the tracks sometimes verged into absurd in-jokes as Woods was voicing his struggles through much more obnoxious and extreme characters. Here, the earnestness of the lyrics resonate so much more deeply, despite how sad and crushing they may be.

Accompanying the more grounded and consistent lyrical approach, are more sonically consistent and mainstream-palatable instrumentals. Gone are the dramatic shifts from klezmer to jazz to abrasive noise rock. All of the tracks here combine a mix of chamber pop and art rock and post-rock, and this consistent style allows for the impeccable song writing to shine even more so on this than For the first time. Despite half the tracks running over 6 minutes (some well past that), each song is so incredibly tight and perfectly paced. Instrumental switch-ups and swells come in at just the right times, with one of my favourite being the transition of Bread Song from meandering melancholy to tense regret just from the addition of the drums. The the complete switch-ups of the multi staged 12 minute closer, Basketball Shoes, keeps me engaged for the entire runtime; and I can't not mention the massive, cathartic swells of the choruses of Good Will Hunting and The Place Where He Inserted the Blade. They hit as these massive walls of raw emotion that you just can't help but be moved by.

Chaos Space Marine is the poppiest song the band has ever written, being a three and a half minute glam rock / piano rock song about how Isaac feels so disconnected from reality that he compares himself to a space marine. The song just goes for it in the second half and doesn't let up. The following song, Concorde, is much more of a slow burn; slowly building to an intense finale where the ornate chamber pop instrumentation comes crashing down. This song, along with Good Will Hunting, is the most overtly breakup-song the album gets, with lyrics as straight up as "I miss you" and "I was made to love you". The penultimate song, Snow Globes, breaks into cacophonous free drumming towards its end as Isaac repeatedly sings "Snow globes don't shake on their own", alluding to maybe how stuck he feels, looking to someone or something greater for help. The only part of the record that doesn't feel quite at the same level as the rest is the much calmer and reserved duo of Haldern and Mark's Theme. They are still both incredibly well written tunes, and I get that the album needs some breathing room, but they just lack that one moment of just complete awe that every other track here has at least once.

Honestly this album is phenomenal, and is such a great evolution from an already great debut. It proves that trading experimentation and novelty for accessibility is not a bad thing at all. It's still not a pop album, it's long, slow and deeply sad; but the song writing is brilliant - and some of the hooks will definitely be rattling around your head after you listen. This is probably going to be the best album I'll listen to this year, and it came out in February - its just that good!

Top Tracks: Chaos Space Marine, Concorde, Bread Song, Good Will Hunting, The Place Where He Inserted the Blade, Snow Globes, Basketball Shoes

9/10

Elbow - "Flying Dream 1" (2021)

 

Elbow have spent the past couple of years in lockdown quite reflectively, reissuing vinyls of all their previous albums, adding previously unavailable live albums onto streaming, and releasing a 20th anniversary edition of their debut, Asleep In The Back, complete with their earliest EPs and B-sides as bonus tracks. This mentality has clearly rolled over into this new record, with tracks like the title track and The Seldom Seen Kid referencing previous songs and albums in the bands catalogue. Written in lockdown, and then recorded in the Theatre Royal in Brighton before it reopened, the record sounds both live and warm; yet airy and quiet - like Guy Garvey and co are playing to an empty audience. Which is kind of what they are doing.

Written without the usual idea of an album cycle consisting of radio-ready singles and performing live on tour; the band has gone further down the subtle and gentle route they have been starting to head towards with their past couple of albums. This is the biggest departure from the anthems of The Seldom Seen Kid and Build A Rocket Boys era of the band. There's not a single soaring anthem for TV montages or crunchy, bluesy guitar riff on here. All 10 tracks are slow, patient ballads with beautiful instrumentation reflecting on good times gone by and the small joyous things in life that we all had to focus on to get by during much of 2020 and 2021.

In typical fair for Elbow, the songs here are quality. This is a band that just doesn't release bad songs, even 9 albums in. However, I will say this is perhaps the Elbow album I've connected with the least on release. I think its more due to where I am in my life currently, 2021 has been a whirlwind, and songs about quiet moments with your family and memories of old friends. I feel like I would've found more connection to this record if it actually came out in lockdown; rather than the frenzied rush of life afterwards. Like I said, though, it is still a quality record with some really enjoyable songs on it.

The two singles are particular highlights, being truly beautiful ballads that just feel so pure and heartfelt. Six Words is a patient love song that slowly unravels from stripped back, plucked orchestration to a much fuller and warmer sound filled with drums and bass. The Seldom Seen Kid is an ode to Bryan Glancy, a late friend of the band, and captures the feelings of nostalgia and longing so perfectly. Garvey sings to his wife "Babe, if you met him" and it feels so bittersweet and pure against the open airy woodwind instrumentation and emotional piano solo.

The first half of the record on the whole feels quite cold, almost as you can feel the emptiness of the theatre. Flying Dream 1 and Is It a Bird feel stark and simple, barely filling the mix out with a lot of empty space. They have some beautiful lyrics and melodies, but they don't flaunt them. After the Eclipse sits in-between them and is certainly a much warmer sounding song. It is dreamy and woozy, with very Pink Floyd-esque guitar lines and vocal melodies. It sounds just like a hazy summer sunset, but is still very reserved and timid. Calm and Happy rounds out the first half with perhaps the calmest and simplest song yet. Here you can really feel the emptiness of the theatre; with the revering twangs of the guitar of the walls. All of these songs are really well written, but their placement makes the record feel like it takes a while to get going. The only song that feels like it fully unravels and lets itself go in the first half is Six Words.

The second half kicks off with the much more melancholic and powerful Come On, Blue. It's still a slow tune, but the waves of hazy synths and Guy's much more prominent vocals make it feel so much more present than a lot of the first half. The Only Road is much more up-tempo and upbeat. The plodding drums and simple strummed guitar fit perfectly to the lyrics about Guy Garvey going on a road trip with his wife and child. It might be the cutest and most wholesome song the band has ever made, and they have always been ones for soppy sentimentality. Red Sky Radio (Baby Baby Baby) is this half spoken word, half sung song with some beautiful elements to it. The lyrics are great, and the instrumentation is the most powerful on the record up to that point. But it doesn't quite come together, I think due to the songs deliberately off-balance nature. Like it is a really beautiful song at its core, but trying desperately to be rough around the edges and unkempt. The closer is the closest we get to a traditional Elbow anthemic single, being a euphoric blue-eyed soul song dedicated to his young son, aptly titled What Am I Without you. The electric organ and bouncy 60s doo-wap rhythm give it a really timeless nature and is such a hopeful way to end quite a quiet and reflective release from the band.

Elbow are my favourite band, and their records always end up being the soundtrack to my life at various stages; so while I'm not quite in love with Flying Dream 1 right now, I know there will be a day when I will be head over heals for this record. As it stands right now, Elbow's song writing and musicianship is as still as on point as it always has been, and reflects a level of stability and content that I'm sure I would connect with I wasn't in such a hectic stage in my life.

Top Tracks: After The Eclipse, Is It A Bird, Six Words, Come On, Blue, The Only Road, The Seldom Seen Kid, What Am I Without You

7/10

Phoebe Bridgers - "Punisher" (2020)

I know next to nothing about the indie folk scene, with my only experience with the genre being listening to Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane over the Sea once several years ago and not really getting it. However, Punisher kept cropping up high on loads of publications year end lists, and combined with the gorgeous cover art and seeing a friend listening to it on Spotify, I was intrigued enough to pop it on over Christmas. It's such a deep yet gentle record that it has been in my heavy rotation ever since, and I'm slowly sinking into its atmosphere and themes with every additional listen.

On the first few listens I was instantly gravitated to Bridgers' personal and introspective lyrics, that are jammed packed with evocative imagery mixing the mundane everyday with elements of morbidity, the supernatural, sci-fi and spirituality. This imagery is supported by really gentle but intricate folk instrumentation that's been produced in a washed out, ephemeral way that makes the record sound like a lucid summer daydream where time feels warped and reality feels blurred and smudgy (much like 2020 as a year). I wasn't as initially hot on the production of the record as I listened at home on my laptop speaker, as I thought it made the songs lose some of their individuality that was provided by the songwriting; but as I came back to uni and listened through a better speaker I realised that it sounds beautiful and actually a crucial element to the emotional intensity of these songs. It makes the slightest increase of clarity and intensity in the instrumentals feel so much more overwhelming. A great example of this is Halloween, a really haunting ballad where low rumbling drums pop in about half way through and just add so much tension to the track despite them being actually very gentle and restrained.

A few of the tracks include elements of chamber folk and chamber pop, making them easily the most uplifting and uptempo of the tracklist. The single Kyoto is this really cute indie rock tune where Phoebe opens singing about her day off from touring in the city, where she uses the idea of payphones being outdated to launch the track into her tumultuous relationship with her father. The track so effectively conveys the complexity of their relationship, flitting between emotions and scenarios. On the chorus she sings "I'm gonna kill you, if you don't beat me to it" backed by triumphant and grandiose horns, which provides a real emotional dissonance but also a sense of bitter-sweetness and joy and makes it effortlessly replay-able and enjoyable. ICU is similarly emotionally dissonant with an upbeat, uptempo swell to it, and on first listen it sounds like a cute love song about an imperfect messy relationship, yet the song is actually about a break-up where Phoebe continued to see this person all the time afterwards, with the title being a play on 'I See You' and intensive care units (ICUs).

The only other overtly loud and dramatic track is the closer I Know The End. The track is in essentially two parts, the first being one of the most soothing and gentle moments of the record. The tones are warm and Phoebe's vocals feel very tired and sleepy, and alongside the dislocated lyrics reflecting the mental confusion of global touring, it sounds like the record is winding down. However, towards the end of this section you can feel the intensity growing, before the track switches - Phoebe wakes up, blaring triumphant horns crash in and the lyrics become more anthemic as backing vocals come in. The track then starts to descend into madness as the horns become more and more dissonant and Bridger starts to wail and scream. It's such a contrast to the rest of the record and leaves a lasting impression that makes you just want to put it straight back on.

The rest of the record is comprised of very gentle, cerebral tracks which feel like they're slowly seeping into my bones. The record opens with the sinister and atmospheric DVD Menu which leads into the first proper track, Garden Song. The instrumental on the song is so watery and murky, with the only clear elements being Bridger's vocals and the plucked lead guitar. The track describes this garden that Bridger's explores as she introspects about herself and others. Halloween is one of my very favourites on the album, as Phoebe begins the song discussing how she hated living by a hospital with some really morbid imagery delivered in a semi-creepy deadpan way. The track then moves on to the idea of Halloween and costumes as something that she can hide behind like she feels the need to in her relationships. The instrumentation of the track is linear, starting with just an eerie plucked guitar before gradually building to its subtle crescendo. Chinese Satellite similarly has an entire verse dedicated to how Phoebe would go to the extremes of joining an evangelical church and picketing in the streets just to see this person, who has passed away, again. Savior Complex takes a more sarcastic approach to the themes of failing relationships. "I'm too tired, to have a pissing contest" she sings in the chorus. The sweet acoustic instrumentation and Phoebe's sincere vocals really compliment some of the more aggressive lines in this track.

Punisher is such a quality album with so much depth and subtlety to both the instrumentals and the lyrics and themes. It continues to grow on me with every listen, and feels so cathartic to listen all the way through. 

Top Tracks: DVD Menu, Garden Song, Kyoto, Halloween, Chinese Satellite, Savior Complex, ICU, I Know The End

9/10

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