Nothing But Thieves - "Dead Club City" (2023)

Nothing But Thieves' last album, 2020's Moral Panic, has grown on me somewhat in the years since it's release. I think that I was in that pandemic malaise where the real world felt like a hazy memory and a record that was primarily focused on how shit the world is didn't really land for me at the time. However once reality set back in I found myself putting it on occasionally when I was in the mood for something nihilistic and aggressive. It's still a flawed record, the writing is fairly basic and on the nose and there are a few too many radio friendly ballads on it, but it had a bit more staying power than I gave it credit for at the time.

Dead Club City, however, has taken everything that didn't work with Moral Panic and doubled down on it, and stripped away all the things that worked about that album (and honestly the bands overall general appeal). The album is a very edgy, synth and electronic heavy concept album about the titular fictional city which is supposed to represent how the internet or social media (or something of that ilk) can consume you and take you out of reality - I think. I say 'I think' because if it wasn't for the obviousness of the album title and opening track Welcome To The DCC, I wouldn't have picked up on it being a narrative concept album, it's really vague and underdeveloped.

The opening track was the first teaser we got from the record and left me really apprehensive of where the band were going to go with the album, as it really didn't land for me. From the cheesy synth-funk base line, to the tacky modulated guitar solo and Connor Mason's vague sloganistic lyrics, it really reminds me of the 80's pastiche trite that Muse have been peddling for the past couple of years. It's just a very bland and tacky song. The following singles didn't inspire much more confidence in me to be honest. Overcome has grown on me a little since I first heard it, its perfectly serviceable but it's straight up the most formulaic and predictable new wave tune I've heard in a long time. Everything about it is something done a thousand times before: the driving drums and bassline, the broad lyrics about overcoming a mountainous challenge, the overdriven guitar solo. Keeping You Around is built around a bland and repetitive trap beat and the song barely has a melody. Connor drearily sings the hook and I can barely keep my eyes open throughout it.

Nestled in between Overcome and Keeping You Around is by far the best song on the record, Tomorrow Is Closed. The song is certainly the most complete and original on the album, being a bouncy and catchy break up tune. The track doesn't try anything gimmicky, focusing on the core song rather than any aesthetic or presentation. It's got Connor's best performance on the album, and the overall feel of it reminds me of an edgier more aggressive Keane song. I making a point of how this song gets the basics right because nearly everything following on the album doesn't. Pretty much every track is underwritten and repetitive, relying on a singular gimmick and crass overstuffed production (usually including some really trashy synth tones). I think it's important to note that the album is the first one the band have self-produced and I think it quite obviously shows.

City Haunts' gimmick is Connor singing the chorus in his highest possible register, and that combined with the returning tacky funk synth/guitar bass line makes the track feel like a bad Scissor Sisters' song rather than NBT. Do You Love Me Yet? has no idea what it is, having some of the worst lyrics of the whole album, so many unnecessary synths and effects, a random low-key kind of Beetles-y middle 8 that doesn't fit and fuzzed out guitar solo bolted on to the end of the track. Members Only continues on the trend of trying to make very raw and fuzzed out guitar work with the clean and plastic-y synths, as does the closer Pop The Balloon which is egregiously edgy and closes the album off with a really bad taste in the mouth.

Green Eyes :: Sienna is a more stripped back acoustic ballad 2/3 of the way in to the album and is actually an okay song. It's nothing special, but the fact that the band hasn't smothered it in tat makes it stand out above the rest, especially on the second half. Foreign Language and Talking To Myself follow it and frankly drag. They don't have the annoying gimmicks of some of the other songs, but they don't have much interesting going on, don't utilise any of the band's strengths and the production still isn't great.

When I first heard Dead Club City I really didn't like it as it basically fails at everything it attempts and does away with the band's strength and appeal. Despite the fuzzed out guitars and overall edginess, its barely a rock album really - most of these songs a quite toothless at their core. Yet they for the most part have no pop sensibility and are not catchy and rely on annoying gimmicks to grab your attention. Connor's amazing vocal ability is barely used, and the only time he really gets to show off is for the gimmick chorus in City Haunts. However, over the couple of listens since I've softened a little, as at least the band has earnestly attempted something different, even if it really hasn't worked. It's not cynical, it's not safe, it's just not very good.

Top Tracks: Tomorrow Is Closed

4/10

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

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

Gorillaz - "Song Machine, Season 1 - Strange Timez" (2020)

Gorillaz were one of my first musical loves, with the singles from Demon Days and their respective videos imprinted in my brain from my childhood. And as I've grown up I've only grown to love them more, as I started to understand how creative and daring the project is, with the format allowing Damon Albarn to not be confined by genre boundaries and conventions. That being said, the cartoon band's post hiatus work so far has been rather mixed, lacking (for the most part) the colour and life that permeated the group's first 3 albums. Song Machine fixes that by effectively being a series of standalone singles (and videos), completely disconnected from each other - allowing each track to be entirely its own thing. This makes each song on the record feel as colourful and unique as possible, without Albarn having to worry about the overall theme or atmosphere of the entire record. Plus some of these tracks are phenomenal.

The opening track, Strange Timez, launches us into the record with eerie, sporadic keys and The Cure's Robert Smith twisting and eccentric vocal hook, before 2D's dreamy and dejected vocals lamenting the state of the world take over for the verses. The track slowly unravels into an alt-dance groove. The track is spooky and dark, yet colourful and catchy - just like the best Gorillaz tracks. Much of the record follows in the title track's footsteps, being the best Gorillaz tracks of the revival and some up there with the classics. The following track, The Valley of The Pagans, featuring Beck, is a fun new wave romp about internet / celeb hedonism. It's super slick, groovey and colourful. Beck sells the persona of a super arrogant celebrity so well on the song. Pac-Man is funky with really video-gamey synth tones, and features a fantastic multipart verse from Schoolboy Q to close out the track. The closing track of the standard edition, Momentary Bliss, is a homage to British ska and punk, but with the trademark cartoony synths that Gorillaz are know for. Both the punk due Slaves and the rapper Slowthai also kill it on this track.

The tracks Aries and Desole are the pinnacle of the record and by far my two favourite songs of the year. Aries features drumming from UK artist Georgia and basswork from (formally) New Order's Peter Hook. The song is pure New Order worship, but the track is amazing. It is such a good New Order song that it's better than a lot of what New Order have put out, and their 80s track record is pretty great. Peter Hook's bass, 2D's dreamy and wistful vocals, and the thin ethereal synth lines; it's all there. Desole fetures elements of African Wassoulou music, with Fatoumata Diawara's beautiful lead vocals and the  dreamy Afrobeat groove. It's emotional and intense, yet restrained and full of longing.

Even the weaker tracks on the record are still fairly decent, and have elements to them I really like. The Pink Phantom has grown on me a lot since it was released as a single. It's a completely over the top and melodramatic piano balled featuring Elton John hamming it up on the vocals. On initial listens, the inclusion of the monotone, autotuned rapping from 6lack completely bewildered me; but now while I don't think it adds to the track, I don't really think it detracts from it either. Friday 13th has this really nice dreamy synth pop meets dub instrumental, although Octavian's feature is easily the least charismatic on the record and I really wish someone more colourful provided the vocals. The Lost Chord and Chalk Tablet Towers have some really good atmosphere to them (both being quite R&B infused tunes), but just lack an extra element to make them stand up against the best of the record.

I've also got to mention the Dulux Edition tracks, because they're all generally good or great. Particularly the 7 minute dance banger, Opium. The track infuses alt-dance with acid jazz and Latin music and just keeps going trough these manic, chaotic phases. Simplicity is a much more strip backed chill Latin song, and MLS is colourful and fun with really charismatic rapping from JPEGMAFIA. The closing track, How Far?, is also really good, being this sinister and carnival sounding song featuring drumming from the late Tony Allen and an angry and bitter vocal performance from Skepta.

Strange Timez is such a great return to form for Gorillaz, and while it doesn't quite reach the consistent brilliance of Demon Days and Plastic Beach due to its lack of consistent theme and atmosphere, it is undeniable that the change in format has resulted in a such a more creative and quality release than the likes of Humanz and The Now Now. It's one of  my favourite records this year.

Top Tracks: Strange Timez, The Valley of The Pagans, Pac-Man, Aries, Desole, Momentary Bliss, Opium, Simplicity, How Far?

8/10

The Killers - "Imploding The Mirage" (2020)

The Killers were one of my favourite bands as a teenager, and although it's only their first two records that are truly great, every record they've brought out since then has been at least decent, since the band have settled into their style of heartland rock meets new wave and do it pretty well. I know what I'm getting with a Killers record, and I know I'll enjoy it in the moment, even if it doesn't stick with me over time.

That being said, I enjoyed the group's last release, 2017's Wonderful Wonderful, slightly more than Day & Age and Battle Born due to the sense of subtlety and insecurity it had (perhaps due to tensions within the band preventing them from recording a record for 5 years). Killers records are usually bombastically optimistic and earnest, but WW had a real vulnerability and unease to it. Imploding The Mirage is the exact opposite. This is easily the most bombastic and stadium sized record the band has released so far, and it is kind of it's undoing. Almost every track here turns it up to 11, as if every song is trying to be the album's climax, which ultimately is to the detriment of the songs here, as most of them are pretty good.

Lead single, Caution, is the best of the bunch. A typical Killers lead single, sounding absolutely massive with a rip roaring, anthemic chorus, wailing guitars and synths and a kick ass guitar solo courtesy of Fleetwood Mac's Lindsay Buckingham. "I'm throwing caution..." Brandon Flowers wails in the Springsteen-esque chorus and it captures that sense of catharsis and sheer overwhelming emotion that all the best Killers songs do. The thing is, it is the 4th track on the record, with the two similarly Springsteen inspired and massive singles My Own Souls Warning and Dying Breed before it. When I heard them for the first time in isolation, despite them being pretty good songs, they felt like just not quite as good versions of Caution. On the record however, because they come first, by the time I get to Caution I enjoy it less, as I have already been bombarded by these tracks without any respite in a more subtle moment. As a track, My Own Souls Warning has grown on me quite a lot. It's the kind of opener that really pumps you up with soaring melodic synths and jangly guitars, and Flower's slightly wobbly vocal inflections on the song give it a really endearing nature. It's a real feel good song. Dying Breed is built on drum samples from krautrock legends Can and NEU!, which give the song a unique sound in the first half, but are overwhelmed by the more standard Killers instrumentation as soon as the live drums kick in and you can barely hear that original rhythm. The track does have one of the best choruses on the record though, so it's an odd mixed bag of a track.

The album only really comes close to having a subtle moment to regain itself in two places, in the tracks Blowback and Fire In Bone. I really like the gentler instrumentation on Blowback, but the hook is one of the weakest on the record and it really kills my enjoyment of the song. Brandon really sang "She's breathing in the blowback" and expects it to be a singalong chorus?... Fire In Bone, on the other hand, I really like. It's a funky, Talking Head's inspired track that stays reserved and lets you enjoy it's groove and quirky lyrics. It does climax towards the end of the song, but unlike most the tracks here it doesn't explode into the first chorus, setting it apart from the others.

A couple of the later deep cuts, Running Towards A Place and My God, also impressed me quite a bit. Running Towards A Place channels a very pop-era Fleetwood Mac energy with a silky smooth bass-line that's a lot less pummelling and intense than the ones on the singles, but still builds up the layers as the track progresses to a big climax that feels very earned. All the little guitar and synth licks are placed just in the right moments to give the track a lot of character. My God has a really catchy chorus that embedded itself into my brain on first listen. Flowers and guest Weyes Blood sing it in this kind of blocky flow that puts emphasis on every other word in each line. It's pretty memorable. The drums on this track are thunderous, just pummelling along with the melody. Weyes take the lead on the bridge where the track shifts to a Madonna sounding synth pop sound, and while it sounds completely different to the rest of the song, it works.

With every track trying to be the most epic on the album, some do lose out. Lightning Fields is quite forgettable, being super reverby with a long meandering chorus that doesn't really have much of a hook to it, yet Brandon is still singing is heart out trying to make it sound important. When The Dreams Run Dry is the only serious dip in quality on the record, as it has this kitchen sink mentality which makes it feel like one of those tacky novelty 80s new wave songs that would smash other genres into the typical synth pop format just for the sake of it. The track has kind of a reggae beat and tropical synths, and Flowers even does a stereotypical 'reggae' vocals for the second verse. The chorus is also so blown out and too loud, and the whole tropical angle is dropped in the second half, which means the track doesn't really end up anywhere interesting, it just sounds a bit cheesy and tacky.

Imploding The Mirage is the kind of record that is pretty decent, but could've been a lot better if the band didn't insist on turning it up to 11 on every single song. It really needs a couple more genuinely reserved songs for it to feel like a complete album. That being said, if most of these songs came up on shuffle, I wouldn't skip them; which shows that the album's issues aren't to do with the writing, more the structure. It is a bit disappointing, since Wonderful Wonderful seemed like the band was on the right track, although this album is still isn't the group's weakest (Battle Born has it beat for that). Yeah it's Killers album, so if you know what to expect from the band, you'll get at least something from it.

Top Tracks: My Own Souls Warning, Dying Breed, Caution, Fire In Bone, Running Towards A Place, My God

6/10

Hayley Williams - "Petals For Armour" (2020)

I've never really been into much 2000s pop-punk and emo pop, so I never had much interest in checking out Paramore's discography. That changed with 2017's After Laughter, a catchy, fun and emotionally expressive new wave throwback record that got me interested in the band. So when frontwoman Hayley Williams lead single for her debut solo record was channelling some serious Radiohead vibes of all things, I was incredibly intrigued about this album and how it would turn out.

The track, titled Simmer, takes its influence from the groovier, more rhythmic side of late-2000s Radiohead, but places that style within a more pop context. Williams hushed and inflected vocals build to this punchy, staccato chorus with the catchy as anything hook "Simmer simmer simmer down". This is the first track on the record and followed by something equally Radiohead-y in Leave It Alone, but would be far more at home amongst the acoustic ballads of A Moon Shaped Pool. The track is gentle and soothing, yet melancholic and angsty. Track 3, Cinnamon, takes the album in a wildly different direction. The track is built around loud, racketous percussion, whacky vocal manipulations and Hayleys off kilter vocals. Slowly a new-wavey groove is brought into prominence as the track progresses. Initially I didn't like the track, as it felt like it was being weird for the sake of it, but it has really grown on me with it's batshit mentality and off the wall production.

However not every experiment on the record goes this well. The over-emphasised choruses of Creepin' and Sudden Desire come of awkward and irritating, instead of dramatic and attention grabbing. The loud multitracked vocals on Sudden Desired's chorus in particular don't match with the sensual, restrained verses. A lot of the tracks in the middle of the record don't quite land for me. They feel like underwhelming imitations of various styles including: new wave and 80s pop (Dead Horse, Over Yet and Taken), restrained and serene art pop (My Friend, Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris), and wacky experiments (Creepin', Sudden Desire).

However, for the most part Hayley's lyrics and presence on these tracks saves any of them from being particularly mediocre. This record effectively dives into topics such as mental health, femininity and Hayleys's divorce; it provides a real emotional backbone and melancholic yet driven atmosphere to the record. The themes of the record for the most part tie the incredibly disparate and erratic musical ideas of the record together.

The back half of the record does start to pull all these ideas into more compelling songs, starting with the 80s acid house dance track, Sugar On The Rim. The song swaggers about with an infectious groove and sassy, confident vocals. The song is about those unexpected moments of bliss when out partying and is just so glitzy and fun. Following this is Watch Me While I Bloom, a song which sounds somewhere between the off the wall drama of Cinnamon and the more restrained groove of Simmer. The track bounces along with a direction not felt on all of the tracks here. The closer, Crystal Clear, isn't quite as exiting as these two preceding tracks, but it wraps up the album well with its building chords and Hayley's reverby vocals singing "I won't give into the fear".

Aside from a couple of experimental misfires, nothing on this record is particularly bad. It's just feels like it's not quite sure what it wants to be. It has it's hands in so many different styles and genres, but it doesn't feel like they're truly mastered or explored fully on this record. It starts and ends strongly and Hayley's lyrics and perspective are enough of a draw for a few listens, but its erratic and all over the place feel doesn't make me want to really come back to it now I've talked about it here.

Top Tracks: Simmer, Leave It Alone, Cinnamon, Sugar On The Rim, Watch Me While I Bloom

6/10

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

The Strokes - "The New Abnormal" (2020)

Ever since The Strokes iconic debut, Is This It, set the direction of the post-punk revival and indie rock in general for the 2000s, the band have struggled to really match that album in terms of quality and vision. Their follow up, Room On Fire, while a great album in it's own right, certainly followed in ITI's blueprint. The most noticeable stylistic shift was a doubling down on ITI's lower fidelity and messy recording and production style. This combined with some of the lyrics on the album gave the impression that the band weren't really comfortable being the genre zeitgeist and were almost trying to shrug off the fame and critical success. From this point forward, the band's discography becomes really hit or miss. There are some really good tracks in there, but the group's haphazard incorporation of noise rock and new wave into their sound, combined with constant infighting within the band, the obvious disinterest in the performances and rough, careless production made for some really mixed records. So even after the first couple of tracks were released and I really enjoyed them, I was still apprehensive about The New Abnormal, but I'm happy to say that it's really good and the best thing the band has released since Room On Fire.

The band seem to have worked through all of the issues that plagued their past few releases here. The album is a tight 9 tracks, and nothing feels redundant or half finished. They have also brought on Rick Rubin as producer, known for his clean (albeit often compressed) production style. This shift in approach really allows for these tracks to really pop in a way the band never really has before, most notably in Julian Casablancas' vocals - which are traditionally buried deep in the mix on a Strokes record, and his vocal performance is stellar here. The combination of him overcoming his alcohol problem and him actually caring about this record can be really heard in his voice.

One such moment is the opening track, The Adults Are Talking. The verses are sung in this hushed, sensual tone over a kinetic guitar and drum line. The chorus melody is catchy and cool, and the second time round Casablancas launches into a souring falsetto bridge. It features two solos and feels so unique within the bands catalogue. The tracks Bad Decisions and Brooklyn Bridge To Chorus are similarly uptempo and catchy. Bad Decisions has been on repeat for me since it was released as a single. It cribs the riff and part of the melody from Billy Idol's Dancing With Myself, although it is played in a tighter more New Order-esque style. The lyrics about wanting someone in your life, despite the bad influence you might have on each other are fun and feel very honest and open. Theres a part of the bridge where Casablancas sounds just like Lou Read and adds to the throwback feel of the song. Brooklyn Bridge To Chorus is straight up synth pop, and features the weird and catchy line "I want new friends, but they don't want me" as part of the chorus. The melody of the coda is also just really fantastic and I wish that part of the song went on longer. It's fun and doesn't take itself too seriously, although it's the only track where the production feels a little off. The whole track is too loud, and the synths sound really compressed and pierce through the mix, whilst Casablancas' vocals and the guitars fight for space lower down. It's not awfully sounding, but you can definitely hear the sharp raise in volume from the previous track.

The back half of the album goes on such a run. The first of these tracks is the first single released, At The Door. This song is simply fantastic. It's really stripped back, primarily featuring some thin, dark sounding synths, with a little guitar popping up here and there. This allows for so much focus on Julian's emotional, powerful croon. The lyrics feel like a gut punch, and use obtuse and dark imagery to tell what sounds like the end of a relationship (which fits Casablancas' divorce in 2019). The following three tracks delve more into this topic, giving the end of the record a real sense of unity. Why Are Sundays So Depressing is probably the most classic Strokes the record gets, in terms of sound and done. Yet is longer and slower, and has a funkier edge to the verses. Julian sings about how he just wants an easy life and to just chill out, and that he doesn't care that "his baby's gone" or that his friends have also left him.

The final two tracks really go into the pain and anguish caused by the break up. The first verse of Not The Same Anymore sounds cynical and sarcastic - with weird lyrics such as "You'd make a better window than a door". It really reminds my of some of the more bitter moments in the Arctic Monkeys discography. The track then straightens itself out and Casblancas starts to accept responsibility of his misdeeds and ponders the impact on his son. It's so honest and earnest from someone who often puts on a show of brashness and unbotherdness. Ode To The Mets, as the title suggests, is about Casablancas' love for the New York Mets baseball team; but also features lyrics looking back on the history of the band and also feels like its referencing the breaking down of his relationship. The track sounds so pained and tired and bittersweet, as it builds and builds, and Juilens vocals sour higher and higher. The outro to the song is truely phenomenal.

The track Eternal Summer is the only real misfire on the record. It flits between two different styles; breezy 80s pop tune for the verses with entirely falsetto vocals, and a shouty, noisey chorus similar to Casablancas' other band The Voidz. I get the concept behind the track, as it is about the threat of climate change, yet society's inability to accept it. But it's the longest track here, over 6 minutes, and doesn't really progress anywhere due to its constant shift back and forth between these two styles that jar against each other.

At first, even though I though the record was decent, I didn't quite pick up on how good it was because it doesn't sound like the band's first two albums. It really is a grower, and as you start accept that it doesn't sound like the last time The Strokes were this good, and let the lyrics and atmosphere soak in, you start to get what they're going for and how well they've achieved it.

Top Tracks: The Adults Are Talking, Bad Decisions, At The Door, Why Are Sundays So Depressing, Not The Same Anymore, Ode To The Mets

8/10

Circa Waves - "Sad Happy" (2020)

The indie pop rock band have quickly followed up their third album, last year's What's It Like Over There, a record I didn't think was all that great. It felt rather underwritten and trend-chasing, and I haven't really come back to any of the songs from it since. This record is a double album, with the first half titled Happy and containing expectedly cheerful songs and the second half, titled Sad, likewise exploring more downbeat emotions. While fairly short by even single album standards (it's 43 minutes), this idea is executed very well and does make it feel like a double album. The Happy side is all really upbeat, cheerful songs; and the sad side does feel emotional and vulnerable.

My two big gripes with What's It Like Over There are also improved upon here. While the sound of the record is hardly something new, the incredibly irritating 2010's pop rock tropes in WILOT are nowhere to be found. This album finds itself playing in the sounds of 2000's to early 2010's indie bands such as Vampire Weekend, The Killers and Two Door Cinema Club, and also dabbles in some more new wave sounding stuff on the Sad half of the record. It's certainly a sound the band are far more at home in than trying to sound like Imagine Dragons. The lyricism and song writing are also stronger here, with more detailed songs and actual choruses that aren't just one line sung over and over. Some of the songs (mainly on the Sad side) feel like they're genuine and honest, and do feel like they connect to a certain extent.

Unfortunately, even though it doesn't posses any real negative qualities, it doesn't really do anything particularly special and noteworthy, especially the Happy side. These songs feel like they're just aping other bands styles - like some sort of tribute act that plays their own songs as well. The singles Jacqueline and Move To San Francisco, as well as the track Wasted On You, are very indebted to Vampire Weekend. Perhaps it's because I've never really gotten into them, but I really don't care for the songs in this style. They're competent and professional, but do nothing for me. The best songs on the Happy half are the two louder, heavier tracks. Be Your Drug matches up an early era Two Door Cinema Club chorus with some heavy, crunchy guitars, creating quite a unique hard dance-punk sound to the song. Call Your Name sounds like Hot Fuss era Killers b-side, with roaring guitars and a soaring, anthemic hook. And while it doesn't match the quality of the best Killers tracks, it's still decent enough.

The Sad side doesn't feel quite so derivative, outside of the poppy Battered & Bruised. This track sounds somewhere between AM Arctic Monkeys and The Black Keys, and has these tacky whistles as part of the chorus. It sounds annoying and earworm-y and perfect for a car ad. The rest of this half takes a more subtle new wave-y approach. Wake Up Call has this dramatic outro with these arpeggiated synth line, and Keiran Shuddal's vocals sound very earnest in it. The following track, Sympathy, is an emotional, self deprecating, acoustic guitar ballad with some eery chords that help to sell the angst. Hope There's A Heaven sounds so 80's with reverb effects smoothering the synths and Keiran's towering vocals, and the rigid bass and drum track. The Closer, Birthday Cake, is a weird closer. It's a slow, mellow, Coldplay-ish, tune that's moody and brooding - and is a decent song. But it's one of the few songs on the Sad side that doesn't really have much of a positive angle within it, and so is a weird way for the album to leave off on.

This album is fine. It is well written and professionally made, but I feel like it's sterile and workman-like. It lacks the raucous energy of the bands first couple of records, and is no where near inventive or unique enough to really have it's own identity. I don't dislike it, but I don't really like it either. At least it's definitely an improvement from WILOT, and maybe the group will go off and do something completely different for album 5, since they have the intentions of releasing music a lot more quickly than other guitar acts.

Top Tracks: Be Your Drug, Call Your Name, Wake Up Call

5/10

Joy Division - "Closer" (1980)

I love Joy Division's era defining debut, Unknown Pleasures, but it is only recently that I have been properly listening to their follow up, Closer, and some of their other one off singles and compilation tracks. I have listened to Closer before recently, but only really straight after Unknown Pleasures, and never really paying much attention to it, as I was always doing something while it was on. So I have been listening to it a lot over the past few weeks, giving it more attention, and for a long while it just wasn't clicking and I didn't know why. It doesn't sound all that different from Unknown Pleasures (a few lighter, more new-wavey moments scatter the tracklist but its not a drastic shift); and it still has Ian Curtis' twisted and tortured lyrics on top. I just always ended up drifting during the middle of the record, but it was never on the same track so I couldn't just assume that there was just a track that wasn't working. It was only when I once again had it on in the background while doing some housework where it really clicked and I found myself really enjoying the record.

The album opens with Atrocity Exhibition, a track very different to Unknown Pleasures' sound. It has these thunderous drums and wild, noisy guitar screeching at the top of the mix. Curtis sings about the Victorian insane asylums that were used as tourist attractions as if he is a circus ringmaster. The whole thing feels dripping with satire and subtext. The next track, Isolation, has these glittering synth lines dancing across the track, completely juxtaposed with Curtis' dark lyrics about feeling so alone in the world and the shame he feels about his epilepsy. From here on out the album just gets darker and more depressed. You can tell from Ian Curtis' haunted lyrics and vocals that he was really on the end of his tether at this point, so close to the end of his life. A Means to an End seethes of betrayal as Curtis sings "I put my trust in you", and Heart and Soul sees him completely hopeless. Twenty Four Hours builds into an intense frenzy, with the last verse in particular feeling very suicidal. The last line of this track is "Gotta find my destiny, before it gets too late.", before the gothic The Eternal begins. This long, slow track feels like Curtis has almost burned himself out, becoming this passive, spectral voice floating in the fog of the instrumentation. The closer, Decades, brings back some colour with the more saturated bass and synths sounding like accordion. leaving the album with some sembilance of hope as it finishes.

While I still prefer Unknown Pleasures for its knife-edge tension and atmosphere, I have really started to come round on this record. It contains some of the bands darkest moments and shows signs of where the group would go as New Order after Curtis' passing. It's not accessible music and it's not meant to be, but is deeply rewarding once you get invested.

Top Tracks: Atrocity Exhibition, Isolation, A Means to an End, Heart and Soul, Twenty Four Hours, The Eternal, Decades

8/10

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