Elbow - "AUDIO VERTIGO ECHO elbow EP5" (2025)

Loads of great music has come out this past month, so lets kick things off with a quick one. Elbow have released this little companion EP to last years AUDIO VERTIGO record, with the frankly quite stupid full title of AUDIO VERTIGO ECHO elbow EP5". Not sure the band's name and that it is their 5th EP was strictly necessary but I guess that's what they've decided for some aesthetic reason. Anyway, written in some spare studio time after the AUDIO VERTIGO tour last year, the EP is very much a continuation of the album's musical ideas. The songs are quite high tempo and with a greater focus on groove and rhythm than a lot of the band's back catalogue.

The ECHO EP takes this one step further with borderline dance-rock grooves and a very bright, sunny atmosphere. Opener Dis-Graceland 463-465 Bury New Road matches a chunky, steady groove with prog-rocky synth sections and filtered, distorted vocals from Guy Garvey. The closer, Sober, takes heavy influence from Talking Heads with it's dance rock beat, chanted choral backing vocals and bizarre lyrics about "Where has all the money gone?". All very David Byrne. Timber is a slower track with a moody, creeping groove and eerie lyrics. The distant, twangy guitars and hazy synths add a lot of atmosphere to the track. The only moment I'm not as keen on is the single, Adriana Again. It is a quite rough and ready garage rock tune. It's far from bad, but feels quite basic by Elbow standards. The riff is simple and the melody gets quite repetitive by the end of the song.

The ECHO EP feels like a great continuation of what the band was doing on AUDIO VERTIGO without some of the awkward aesthetic choices that hindered a couple of the tracks on the album. These songs feel built from the ground up to be chunkier and groovier while still retaining the bands proggier instincts.

Top Tracks: Dis-Graceland 463-465 Bury New Road, Timber, Sober

8/10

Paramore - "This Is Why" (2023)

Paramore's previous record, 2017's After Laughter, was my entry point to the band, as they pivoted into catchy synth pop and new wave from their staple pop punk sound (and a genre that really does nothing for me). It's a really tight and superbly written album that I have slowly fallen in love with other the years due to the comforting themes of moving on and letting go when life gets tough, all packed into some of the catchiest pop songs of the 2010s. I was super excited to see where the band would go with the follow-up after Hayley Williams brought groovier art rock elements to the new wave sounds in her subsequent solo records. What results is This Is Why, which delves deep into post-punk revival and dance punk, indebted to the likes of Talking Heads and Bloc Party, with a smidge of the artier Radiohead-esque stuff on Haley's solo output, a handful of heavier 00s alt rock elements and a teeny bit of their emo leaning roots to boot.

Much like Wet Leg's debut from last year, it doesn't reinvent the genre's wheels, but it's an absolute blast while it's on and is not afraid to have fun in a genre which quite regularly gets its head stuck up its own arse. All is evident from the opening title track. The song is reminiscent of Talking Head's Burning Down The House with its shouty, stomping chorus set against quieter, groovier verses. It wears its influences on its sleeve and is an absolute earworm. The antisocial, paranoid lyrics about minding your own business in a world of shitty chronically online takes means it slides so easily into an indie disco playlist next to the self aware cultural commentary of the likes of All My Friends and Time To Pretend.

The much heavier, grittier The News follows. The sinister, angular guitars and Hayley's manic vocals expressing the personal derangement of down the global news rabbit hole evoke the heavier, darker side of the genre. The track is a full on rager with a killer chorus and bridge, something that is a common theme throughout the record. C'est Comme Ça is one of the weaker cuts here, being a pretty by the numbers and repetitive 2000's style dance punk song, but is absolutely saved by it's powerful and high tension bridge section. Sandwiched in between these two is the absolute gem Running Out Of Time. The track is a super catchy Bloc Party-esque dance punk song absolutely crammed full of hooks. The groove of the track makes you want to get up and move as Hayley goes on these ear-wormy vocal runs. "She's always running out of tiiimee" she sings as she despairs at her constant guilt for not being a perfect person who got everything under control and on time. The track has a tongue in cheek self-awareness to it that like the title track brings a smile to my face every time.

Big Man, Little Dignity is the first time the record slows it down, and is a track I feel quite conflicted on. Instrumentally, it evokes slower post-punk ballads with its gentle strumming guitars and lowkey rhythm section, and Hayley's vocal performance is great. However, what holds the track back for me is the lyrics. The song is a fairly weak willed take down of men in positions of power who take advantage of others. It just comes off so limp for a writer who is normally not afraid to go straight for the jugular, which is something Hayley proves right away on the next track - You First. You First is a complete indulgence into petty revenge. Hayley outright states on the bridge "I never said I wasn't petty". The cathartic lyrics feel so great to belt along to, and you can just feel the anger seething off Haley's voice. The line "Who invited you?" in particular is just so cutting. The heavy, angular rhythm guitars and chiming post-chorus lead guitar elevate the song to a really massive sounding tune. The band then goes and one-ups the intensity on Figure 8, where the aggressiveness and intensity of the instrumental is more alt-rock than post-punk, and Hayley's absolutely soaring vocals reminiscent of the band's more emo roots. The song plays on the idea of going round in circles (or figure eights), and how Hayley never seems to escape her bad habits and vices.

These two songs work as the intense, powerful belters at the centre of the album, with the back end slowing down and becoming more moody and subtle. Liar is a slow arty ballad reminiscent of some of the quieter moments from Hayley's solo records. It's patient and mature, but it doesn't quite have that draw for me that most the track's on the record do. Following this is Crave, which has a very retro post-punk feel to it with its rumbling bassline and chiming lead guitars. Just like the rest of the record, the chorus of the song hits hard and sticks in your head. Closing out the record is the bluesy Thick Skull, which encapsulates the themes of the record really well. The track details how Hayley seems to always attract people who are no good for her and how she becomes invested in the fruitless task of trying to 'fix' them, leaving her worse off for it, blaming her 'thick skull' for these repeated cycles in her life. The track has an off-kilter swagger to it, and linearly builds up the instrumentation to raucous climax.

This Is Why is a really great time, and injecting some fun into a genre that I feel is currently in one of its 'white guys trying a little too hard to sound like The Fall' slumps. It's well written and meaningful without being pretentious or morose. While I'll say the slight bumps in quality mean its not quite on After Laughter's level (and that After Laughter as a whole feels a bit more in depth and tighter in its core themes), its still a damn good time that I'll definitely be playing all year.

Top tracks: This Is Why, The News, Running Out Of Time, You First, Figure 8, Crave, Thick Skull

8/10

Foals - "Life Is Yours" (2022)

Foals' last project, 2019s Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost double album, turned out to be quite a tone-setter for the 2 years that immediately followed. Frontman Yannis Philippakis described the records as 'doom soup' and much of the lyrical content focused the general shit-ness of the world circa 2019 (Brexit, Trump and the climate crisis were obvious themes). So when the pandemic hit and took away nearly all the small moments that keep us going through the existential dread, the band took it as an opportunity to shift gears and write a record celebrating those things that we all desperately missed. Which is a pretty good thing in my opinion, as despite part 1 being my favourite Foals album, part 2 might just be their weakest - being run of the mill anthemic stadium rock that I was honestly too kind on at the time, as I have not felt compelled to come back to it once in the years since.

All is evident from the lead single, Wake Me Up. The track is a straight forward and anthemic dance punk stormer, with funky Talking Heads-y grooves and chanted chorus vocals. The track has such an ecstatic energy to it that I haven't heard from the band since Antidotes. The rest of the singles, while not quite as in your face, have grown on me also - providing a sense of pure fun and energy. 2am is more spacious and blocky, with a catchy and warm guitar melody that matches the lyrics detailing the back end of nights out where you're a bit worse for wear, chatting shit with mates in a kebab shop. Its pure nostalgia and just hits the right vibe. 2001 is sugary synth funk that fits the Glastonbury-montage-core descriptor I gave to one of The Wombats' songs earlier this year (I think it was even used in the BBC coverage), although it feels a whole lot more natural and less forced and calculated. Looking High is probably the weakest of the singles, being just a little too 80's pastiche for me. While decent to good songs, I would say that all of the singles bar Wake Me Up do feel a little safe and radio-ready. They don't really go anywhere unexpected. This is pretty evident in that 2001s extended outro is portioned into the separate interlude track (summer sky).

The rest of the album is a bit of a mixed bag. The opener, Life Is Yours, has elements I like: its summery Balearic-esque instrumentation and its general message of 'life is what you make it'; but it might just be the most compressed song the band has ever released. Every singling element is having a boxing match to get some space, and it genuinely sounds awful on headphones. Foals generally have the tendency to blow out their mixes, but this record is the most obviously mixed to be played out loud on a massive stereo system out of any of them. Flutter is built around a repeated guitar loop that initially feels quite quirky and rhythmic, but the track doesn't progress from this one idea and gets old by the end of its runtime. Under The Radar is the same passable but unremarkable stadium rock that filled ENSWBL part 2, and Crest Of The Wave is the washed out slow burn that every single Foals album tries at least once, and I'd say its on the more forgettable side of the spectrum.

Its on the back end of the record that the band finally jump fully into the alt-dance that the rest of the album teases at. The Sound is spiralling and groovy tune that I do find myself getting sucked into as the layers of synths and guitars build to a massive crescendo. The vocals are buried in the mix which I initially was offput by, but they just fit the vibe of the song so well. The closer, Wild Green, is just a full drop into ambient house and while not anything to write home about in the grand scheme of things, it's nice to see the band try something genuinely new that they've only really hinted at in the past.

Ultimately, Life Is Yours is decent, if a little lightweight. Gone is a lot of the weirdness and wonkiness that carried through from their earliest singles to ENSWBL. Philippakis said that they made the album to be played at parties and barbeques and road trips, a soundtrack to people living life again. And that's what it is in the end, a soundtrack, a vibe, background music. But it does succeed in that - its fun, its breezy, its summery (and Glastonbury-montage-core).

Top Tracks: Wake Me Up, 2am, 2001, The Sound

6/10

The Wombats - "Fix Yourself, Not the World" (2022)

Out of the crop of late 2000s 'landfill indie' bands, The Wombats have certainly aged better than most. The bands cheesy, anthemic hooks have proven far less wince-inducing over the past decade than the awkward, laddish misogyny of the likes of The Fratellis and The Kooks. The band have also smartly evolved their sound over the years, with tracks like 2015's Greek Tragedy sounding closer to the 2010s' 80s revival indie pop of The 1975 than the watered down post-punk and garage rock of the scene they broke through in. This cumulated in 2018's Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life, which took the band back to their early influences and stripped back the sound to match. It's a record that I enjoy to a fair amount, with strong catchy songs that shows the band's clear adoration of the early noughties indie trailblazers like The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys. Fix Yourself, Not the World follows up on a lot of the post-punk revival and dance punk elements of that record, but maxes out the scale and bombast - to varying results.

All is revealed by the opening track, Flip Me Upside Down. The track is so shiny and polished, but feels so predictable and safe. The vaguely dance-punk groove is rigid and lifeless, the hook bland and by the numbers, and the maximalist production sanding off any scrappiness or energy that a track like this needs. The song is far from bad, but it's the kind of watered down early 2010's indie that the band have so far managed sidestep. This over-polished, super safe style is unfortunately carried through the entire album, from the Glastonbury-highlight-montage-core of This Car Drives All by Itself; to a softened up version of Death From Above 1979's heavier style of dance rock on Ready For The High; to the cringy millennial whoops on Don't Poke the Bear .

The lyrics on the album are also quite pessimistic, which is not a style which suits The Wombats well. While the outright cheese of the band has been slowly turned down over the years, the band maintained their sense of fun and levity. While nowhere near as downtrodden as say a Radiohead album (there's actually a really fun lyric referencing the band here), the band tries to tackle some broader societal and introspective themes on the album that they don't really have the writing chops to pull off. The songs are earnest, yet don't have much depth, and also try to retain the bands inherent silliness. It's a weird mix that never really finds balance.

The record still has its moments. Lead single If You Ever Leave, I'm Coming with You is a fun and universally emotional blast akin to a lot of their big hits in terms of melodrama and scale, and This Car Drives All by Itself is incredibly catchy despite how cliché it is. Method to the Madness builds slowly through a low-key, downtempo instrumental into a thunderous and chaotic climax which is surprisingly heavy for The Wombats.

All in all, the album is fine, but incredibly run of the mill. It sounds straight out of 2011 in all the wrong ways, the kind of watered down, overblown, festival-sized indie rock that garnered the 'landfill' term back then. I can see teenagers new to the band loving it, but it lacks originality even compared to the bands earlier work.

Top Tracks: If You Ever Leave, I'm Coming with You, Method to the Madness

5/10

Primal Scream - "Screamadelica" (1991)

 

It's time for another record from my 100 albums bucket list poster, being Primal Scream's Screamadelica. This is the group's third record, and the one which broke them into the mainstream, incorporating house and other forms of dance music into the band's more traditional indie rock and neo-psychedelic approach. The record spawned the massive singles Movin' on Up, Come Together and Loaded that are absolutely everywhere; and are the tracks from the record that I was already familiar with going in. The album, quite uniquely, was written as more traditional rock songs and then reassembled into these sprawling dance tracks by producers Andrew Weatherall and Hugo Nicolson (plus a few guests). This approach gives the album a certain loose and organic feel to it, with the more natural instrumentation and samples giving a lot of texture as opposed to the more robotic and rhythmic nature of nature of late 80s and early 90s house.

The loose party atmosphere is evident from the opening jangles and Rolling Stones-esque, gospel inspired piano chords and choral backing vocals of Movin' on Up. The track layers up into this euphoric and anthemic climax that acts as an invitation into the album, with the promise that its gonna be a good time. The vibe is instantly switched up into the neo-psych meets dub meets acid house banger that is Slip Inside this House. Originially a 60s psych rock song by the 13th floor elevators, its not as high energy as Movin' on Up but more hypnotic and spacy. Don't Fight It, Feel It is more indebted to house with it's four to the floor beat, powerful soul vocals and percussive piano hits; however this also slips through multiple sections that become increasingly enchanting as they layer up. It remains interesting and super groovy for its entire 7 minute run.

At this point in the record, the band decide it's time for the first downtempo comedown to allow us to catch our breath with Higher Than the Sun. This track actually has two versions on the record, with this first one produced by ambient house innovators, The Orb. This version is much shorter than the second one, produced by Weatherall, but I think I like it more. It's dark and spacy, with these trip-hop style breakbeats and weird ambient noises. Inner Flight builds on this, turning the dark ambience of Higher Than the Sun into a more melodic and uplifting interlude. There's no vocals on the track and it sort of functions as a reset from the first leg of the record before the twin centrepieces of the record, Come Together and Loaded, barrage in with the most anthemic and feel-good party anthems the album provides.

And barrage in they truly do. Come Together opens with a building synth line and a sample of a speech by Jesse Jackson (a US political activist) where he narrates the unifying and collective experience music provides to society. The drums slowly creep in, then does the piano notes, then the wobbly psyched out synths. It builds and builds for 5 minutes, before the hook of the song rears its head and all of the tension is released. It's such a patient and well constructed dance track that keeps interest for its 10 minute runtime without throwing the kitchen sink in. Loaded goes even harder, with its iconic "We want to be free to do what we want to do, and we want to get loaded" sample and the bombastic "I've gone all delusional" hook that just pumps you up so hard against the dramatic horn sections and the return of the bluesy, gospel outro style of Movin' On Up. This time it goes even more massive and anthemic though. It really is one of those songs that turns everything up to 11 and somehow it not only works but blows your head off as well.

The back end of the record functions as a comedown from the unbelievable high of Loaded, with the acoustic ballad of Damaged; the aptly titled I'm Comin' Down; the second version of Higher Than the Sun; and the closer Shine Like Stars. Damaged and I'm Comin' Down feature far more traditional instrumentation and strip down the neo-psychedelic elements which grounds the album in the real world for a little while, and Damaged is actually a really good bluesy ballad, even if it's a stark left turn from the rest of the album so far. I'm Comin' Down makes more use of additional instrumentation and effects, but is even more melodically simple and low key. It almost feels a little too slow at points, although the track does pick up towards the end with a cool wonky sax solo. Higher Than the Sun (A Dub Symphony in Two Parts) is slower and spacier than its earlier counterpart, with a lot of reverb on everything. The breakbeats are more smothered on this versions, and it features a central break which then builds into a bassier second half. This version certainly has more elements to it than the Orb version, but it doesn't really come together into anything particularly satisfying. This leads into the closing track, Shine Like Stars, which is probably the most forgettable song on the record. It features Bobby Gillespie wistfully singing over a simple beat and psychedelic effects and really doesn't go anywhere to be honest.

It's a shame Screamademica ends on its weakest couple of tracks because the first 3/4 of it bangs so hard. It's a really great dance record that incorporates so many styles and moods that it doesn't get repetitive or tiresome. It's iconic for a reason and great record for summer. I keep coming back to it and Loaded might be the best track to start a dance party playlist with.

Top Tracks: Movin' On Up, Slip Inside this House, Don't Fight It, Feel It, Higher Than the Sun, Come Together, Loaded, Damaged

8/10

Talking Heads - "Talking Heads: 77" (1977)

2021 has been the year I've really got into Talking Heads. I've known some of their biggest singles since childhood, and I've absolutely adored their magnum opus 1980's Remain In Light for a few years now; but this year has been the first time I've properly given the time to listen to their other records. Furthermore, I was gifted a record player for my birthday this year alongside this record so I feel like I should talk about it on the blog.

Talking Heads: 77 is the band's first record and is very much a skeletal blueprint of genre-melting fusion of post-punk, new wave, funk and dance music that the group would go onto produce on their later records. It's very simple and straight to the point, the tracks presented in this very raw, direct and intentional way. It's an album not bothered by pretence or concept, and I feel it makes it an incredibly replayable record because of it. It's 11 short, punchy, well written and interesting songs. Some might view the simplicity of this album as it being short on ideas, but it's got oodles of creativity and individuality, just presented in this really no-nonsense way.

The core of these songs is front man David Byrne's enigmatic and charismatic performance and his interplay with the simple and funky musical backing provided by the rest of the band. Byrne sings in this awkward, nasal and rhythmic way, shifting his tone and emphasis with each syllable of each word. At points it sounds like he's using his voice as an additional percussive instrument rather than singing in a traditional smooth, soulful way. Not that it isn't an emotional performance, as Byrne sounds really passionate, just not in a traditional way. This is matched by equally awkward and detached lyrics, where Byrne discusses a very literal interpretation of the world around him. He is baffled by how other people approach the problems in his life and they're emotional engagement in things beyond there control. One of the best tracks on the record, No Compassion, features the particular lyric "Talk to your analysist, isn't that what they're payed for" in reference to his complete disinterest in other people's benign struggles. He even presents love in this straightforward, matter of fact way; stripping it of all its mystic and glamour.

The tracks are also musically full of ideas, and are really dynamic and kinetic. Each song is built from a simple drum beat and a funky, dancy bass riff with whatever guitar lick, vocal inflection Byrne feels like doing, and additional instrumentation on top. The opener, Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town is one of the simplest tunes on the record, being this kind of stripped back disco meets post-punk song, but the simplicity makes room for one of the more exuberant Byrne performances on the record. Who Is It? is the shortest and one of the most whacky cuts with chunky, funky guitars and Byrne chanting "Who is it?" over and over. No Compassion builds and grows more aggressive as Byrne becomes more and more frustrated with other peoples problems. The now iconic single, Psycho Killer, features really tense post-punk instrumentation and harsh staccato vocals from Byrne. First Week / Last Week... Carefree has these calypso-style sax breaks and Tentative Decisions has this dance breakdown in it which sounds like something you'd find in an alt dance or Italo-house song from the early 90s. The closer Pulled Up is particularly memorable with the chorus constantly ascending the scales and this vibrant and dramatic way.

TH:77 is a great record, but for me somewhat will always stand in the shadow of the phenomenal music the would make further into their career. However, these are still really well written post-punk and new wave tunes that are effortlessly replayable. For some people, this record might be easier to get into than some of their later releases due to it's simplicity and catchiness.

Top Tracks: Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town, Tentative Decisions, Who Is It?, No Compassion, First Week / Last Week.. Carefree, Psycho Killer, Pulled Up

8/10

New Order - "Power, Corruption & Lies" (1983)

Last year, after I got more familiar with Joy Division's Closer, I moved on to the discography of their successor group, New Order. Despite loving their biggest hits, I never really explored the group's studio albums before this point. Power, Corruption & Lies was the band's second LP after the death of lyricist and front man, Ian Curtis, and the first one to really set New Order apart as something different than Joy Division. It's the record from New Order's discography that really grabbed me, and I've listened to it far more than any of the other records.

PCL sets itself apart from the two Joy Division records and New Orders first LP, Movement, primarily by the use of synthesises and other electronic instrumentation. Synths had been part of the group's sound since Unknown Pleasures, but here they have a far more prominent role playing lead melodies and replacing a lot of the guitar instrumentation that was on previous records. Some tracks are almost entirely synthetic, with drum machines and multiple synth parts. The record also differs in tone and atmosphere. The haunting darkness of Curtis' lyrics (and the accompanying music) and then the darkness of the band dealing with his passing on Movement is replaced with sweet, new wave love songs and straight up dance tracks. There are introspective moments, but on the whole the record is much more upbeat than what came before.

The opener, Age of Consent, imbues this new optimism evidently. The track opens with this driving bass riff, quickly joined by a propulsive drum beat and jaunty lead guitar melody. Euphoric synths glide on top of the track and Bernard Sumner's upbeat vocals make the track such a joyful and fun way to start the record. The Village is equally blissful. The main hook of the song, "Our love is like the hours, the rain the sea and the flowers" is so catchy and sweet. Its simplicity makes it such a great, fun pop song. Sandwiched between these two tracks is the slower and moodier We All Stand. The wobbly bass sound of the song gives it a playfully weird nature, with the percussion rattling above it in the mix as more of an accentuating feature than a grounding aspect of the track. It makes the track seam sort of dream-like, like those weird dreams that make no sense that everyone has occasionally.

5 8 6 re-purposes a section from the band's biggest hit, Blue Monday, and reworks it into another synth pop dance track; but retains the core of the beat that made that song so unbelievably catchy. I would argue that while 5 8 6 is a good track, what makes it good is exactly the same thing that made Blue Monday timeless, so it's hard to think of the song as anything other than a slightly less fantastic alternate version of Blue Monday (although the synth explosion towards the end is also pretty damn cool). Ecstasy is also more of a dance tune, with its 4 to the floor beat and simple guitar and synth melodies. The track lacks any vocals, outside of some unintelligible robotic vocal noises.

Your Silent Face is very synth heavy, and it uses particularly open and heavenly tones to achieve a very transcendent and spiritual atmosphere to one of the more reflective and introspective moments on the album. The lyrics reference the band's increasing use of synthesises and the difficult transition into New Order, with Sumner reflecting on how fans might take the bands new identity. Ultraviolence, on the other hand, contains some of the heaviest guitar tones on the record and some of the more spacey, alien sounding synths found more frequently on the Joy Division records. The track has a very mechanical feeling to it, it chugs and wurrs and clatters. The closer, Leave Me Alone, is perhaps the most melancholic the album gets, with the moody and bittersweet guitar melody, the much more downtrodden chord progression and Sumner's aching vocals. "For these last few days, leave me alone", Sumner sings as the last line, before the guitars swell up for an emotional outro.

Power, Corruption & Lies is such a great album, filled with catchy and excellently written songs. It hits the right moments of blissful highs and more introspective, calmer spot, and it feels like nothing is wasted or unnecessary across its 8 tracks.

Top Tracks: Age of Consent, We All Stand, The Village, 5 8 6, Your Silent Face, Ultraviolence, Leave Me Alone

9/10

EOB - "Earth" (2020)

It was always quite apparent that Radiohead's more experimental (and depressive) tendencies mostly came from Thom Yorke, so I was interested to see what the band's guitarist, Ed O'Brian (adopting the moniker EOB), would do on his first solo record. While Earth adopts plenty of elements of the group's sonic pallet and wouldn't seem too out of place next to their catalogue, it certainly cuts its own path away from the band's sound. Slowly written and recorded all over the place since 2012, the albums themes and sonic style reflect that. While broadly fitting in as an alt-rock album (the guitar tones in particular are reminiscent of Radiohead's heavier moments post-millennium), the record incorporates a large amount of folk and alternative dance into the mix. It makes for a surprisingly relaxed and upbeat atmosphere, which is further enhanced by the lyrical content of most of these tracks.

Take for example, lead single Brazil, a track inspired by Ed's year long stay in the Brazilian countryside. The track opens as a very serene, gentle folk song before unravelling into a transient dance beat in the back half. The tone of the song reflects Ed's apparently very spiritual connection to both the beauty of the landscape and the colourful party culture the country is famous for. Shangri-La, the opener, is a chunky and groovy dance rock tune named after one of the all-night rave tents at Glastonbury, so it is obvious what the song is about. The rest of the album follows suit, being songs about finding peace of mind, being free and having a good time. It's a vibe album in the purest sense, these lyrics aren't meant to challenge you, they're designed to reflect Ed's moments of spiritual connection and be the soundtrack to yours. The one track that doesn't fit this mould is Banksters, and it does kind of stick out because of it. It is a much more direct alt-rock song, railing on bankers and the 2008 crash, and would fit right in on Radiohead's Hail To The Theif. I do like the song, but it does feel out of place on the album.

The vibe of this album really does work, but it lacks any truly great moments to really make it something special. There are points where it also gets too comfortable with what it's doing at that point and slides into the background. Once Brazil slides into its dance breakdown, it doesn't really move from there. It makes the back half feel more like an extended outro when it really should soar into a transcendent experience. The following track, Deep Days, is more of a repeated motif than a a fully fleshed out song. The closest the record comes to greatness is the Nick Drake-esque Long Time Coming and the 8 minute alternative dance cut, Olympik. Long Time Coming features a gentle plucked guitar and wistful, bittersweet vocals from Ed about this girl who wishes to escape the city and discover the world. It's a simple and effective tune. Olympik, on the other hand, is manic. It shifts through multiple sections, rooted by an infectious, spiralling groove.

Earth is a very relaxed and straightforward album, and while it's not exactly groundbreaking, it's bright and summery, and I'm enjoying having it on while I'm stuck home. It brings some levity to these current times, and is a great reminder that sometimes life can just be about dancing until 4am or taking a stroll in the countryside. 

Top Tracks: Shangri-La, Long Time Coming, Banksters, Olympik

7/10

Garbage - "Garbage" (1995)

Garbage are a band I have been casually interested in for years. I enjoy their music when it comes up on the radio and I have had this album saved on Spotify since I've had it; I may have even listened to it once or twice. However I haven't really given them enough attention to properly get into them.

Garbage are one of the most critically acclaimed groups of the post-grunge scene, crafting a unique sound incorporating elements of grunge and 90's alternative rock with electronics, dance and rave. This creates a loud and busy sound, that's also melodic and radio friendly. Some tracks lean more to the rock side of the spectrum, like Not My idea and Supervixen, while others are far more dancey, for example As Heaven Is Wide and Stupid Girl. More subtle use of synths and electronics are used in places across the album on the gentler tracks. Album closer Milk almost leans into some trip-hop sounding beats.

I wouldn't describe Shirley Manson's vocals as anything Earth shattering, but are nonetheless incredibly expressive and build the intensity on the heavier tracks and show vulnerability when needed. She very much sounds like a 90's rock front-woman. The lyrics on the, other hand, are fascinating. The band cover themes of self-loathing, sexuality, obsession, self-destruction, abuse and power fantasies. The uptempo music and the tone of Shirely's voice mean it doesn't become too depressing though. It creates the vibe that some of what the band are saying are interesting fictions, or at least extensions of the truth.

Supervixen and Vow are relationship power fantasies, with the latter being straight up abusive, with Shirley singing "I will break your soul apart" as part of the chorus. Stupid Girl and Dog New Tricks are positioned on the other end of the situation, detailing the self-loathing and worthlessness of the victim. Only Happy When It Rains is a catchy tune about wallowing in depression and negativity and Fix Me Now is a cry for help late on in the tracklist.

This album is a blast. It's dark and curious, yet remaining very listenable. Each track provides something slightly different to the table, but remains very much within the sound of the album. Not everything from the post-grunge scene has held up all that well, but this album totally has and I'm looking forward to delving into the rest of their discography.

Top Tracks: Supervixen, Queer, Only Happy When It Rains, As Heaven is Wide, Vow, Stupid Girl, Fix Me Now, Milk

8/10

Klaxons - "Myths of the Near Future" (2007)

2000's indie rock holds a soft spot in my heart, it was the music of my childhood after all. So discovering a new one is always a treat for me. The faint familiarity of the big single Golden Skans when it came up in a playlist, and the fact that it is a total banger, inspired me enough to check out the Klaxons' debut.

Much like another group breaking through at the time, Foals, Klaxons aren't just exploring straight up post-punk on this project. The band incorporate elements of rave and alternative dance to create a short, frantic album which dances all over the place, making for a very entertaining listen. 

The previously mentioned Golden Skans is a bit of an outlier on the record, having a much more new-wave feel with its shiny synths and catchy 'wah-ohs'. Other tracks, including Atlantis To Interzone and Magick, have this almost indie rock meets The Prodigy style. They have edgy, angular sounds and elements, yet remain incredibly dance-able. Jamie Reynolds' scattershot and sometimes shouted lyrics add to this aesthetic nicely.

It's a shame that Klaxons aren't remembered in the same way some of the indie bands of the 2000's are, since this album provides a sound quite unique which not many bands were experimenting with at the time. Not every track hits the mark for me (mid-point Isle Of Her drags in particular), but this refreshing sound and short length makes it an easy listen.

Top Tracks: Two Receivers, Atlantis To Interzone, Golden Skans, Totem Of The Timeline, Magick, It's Not Over Yet

7/10

Foals - "Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part 1" (2019)

While I plan to cover all the albums I have anticipated this year so far, I feel it's best to start on a high point with whats easily the best of the bunch. The fifth album by English indie-rockers Foals, first of the two part Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost (with part 2 releasing later in 2019), is also in my opinion the best in their discography so far. Foals are a band with some excellent ideas and a knack for writing incredibly catchy indie and dance-rock anthems, however I feel they've only recently started crafting them into albums which match the quality of their best standalone tracks. The buzzing, frenetic math-rock of their debut is highly entertaining for about half the run-time, but as the album progresses, the music starts to become droning and Yannis Philippakis' cryptic lyrics start to blur together. Total Life Forever and Holy fire softened up the sound with more synths and reverb, and Philippakis' lyrics gradually became less bizarre, but both those albums feel like they run too long with a handful of filler tracks in each (well more than a handful in Holy Fire's case). It was only by the time of 2015's What Went Down that the band made an album which was front to back with solid tunes that didn't outstay their welcome. However the album lacked any great progression for the band. It was effectively Holy Fire but with better tracks.

Which brings us to Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost, which sees the band exploring old and new sounds and themes. Lead single Exits characterises this well with chunky sounding percussion and piano reminiscent of earlier Foals tracks such as Miami, along with choppy, confused lyrics detailing climate change, extreme weather events and the world being upside-down creating a paranoid and apocalyptic atmosphere. This is only added to by the skittering synths and backing vocals which creep in across its six minute run-time as it slowly builds into a hypnotic groove. Much of the rest of the album follows suit, dealing with the maddening world we currently live in. It discusses Brexit, Trump, the lack of opportunities for younger generations and the general feeling of despair.

The following track, White Onions, shakes things up, having this primal, panicky atmosphere with its repeating drum pattern and synth riff, along with a fuzzy bass and simple, chant-like lyrics. This is followed up by a synth laden dance-rock number, In Degrees. Each track on the album features a unique musical core which differentiates it from the rest, leading to it feeling like the tightest and most concise record that the band has put out, especially with its much shorter run-time than a typical Foals project. Cafe D'Athens repeating percussion loops and wispy vocals evoke The King Of Limbs era Radiohead, and On The Luna is the closest the album gets to a big pop single like My Number. However it is not as straightforward as that comparison suggests. The off kilter synths and dense layers turn it into a captivating earworm. Syrups starts as a very tense, restricted tune with its plodding bass riff, but explodes into a frenetic rage as the tension is released. The last two tracks, Sunday and I'm Done With The World (& It's Done With Me), are perfectly contrasted. Sunday is hopeful and optimistic whereas the closing track leaves the album in a defeated, deflated state. The imagery of autumn leaves burning is intense but also isolating. The only track which I'm not really gelling with is the opener, Moonlight. It just doesn't seem to do much or go anywhere or say anything, it only seems to function as a prelude to Exits.

All in all this album is pretty great, the tracks mesh to form a cohesive statement yet also stand on their own and have their own distinct identities. Despite the obvious commercial reasons for releasing this double album in two parts, I also feel it's the best creative choice, allowing us to fully appreciate its arc. Hopefully Part 2 will be just as refreshing and creative.

Top Tracks: Exits, White Onions, Syrups, On The Luna, Cafe D'Athens, Sunday, I'm Done With The World (& It's Done With Me)

8/10