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

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

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

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

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

Top Tracks: Something More, Hunters

6/10

Tame Impala - "InnerSpeaker" (2010)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8/10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

7/10

Little Simz - "GREY Area" (2019)

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

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

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

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

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

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

9/10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

7/10

Hozier - "Wasteland, Baby!" (2019)

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

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

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

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

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

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

6/10

Slaves - "The Velvet Ditch" (2019)

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

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

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

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

Top Tracks: One More Day Wont Hurt

5/10