Albums
BC CAMPLIGHT *****
Deportation Blues (Bella Union)
For an album recorded in total darkness, following deportation and a bout of mental illness, there’s a lot of hope to be found on this brilliant album. Deportation Blues is an uncompromising work of near-genius that revells in its own confidence and bravery. There’s everything here, from witty Ben Folds-type jaunts to St. Vincent-esque noise making. Christinzio’s voice can hit the Scott Walker lows or soar high with Freddie falsetto in impressive style; the production is impeccable, the songwriting as inventive as the soundscapes. JPD
BEN KHAN ***
Ben Khan (Dirty Hit)
Producer Ben Khan’s debut record is the latest fruit to fall from the Dirty Hit tree, a record label famed for its innovative, sparkling roster featuring the likes of The 1975 and Wolf Alice. Khan’s eponymous LP overflows with electric drumbeats and moody rhythms, best exemplified by Do It Right and the shimmering dance track Monsoon Daydream. It’s a record which will no doubt please fans of the likes of Caribou, and one which drips with the same energy of a bustling city during a hot summer day. CE
BUÑUEL ****
The Easy Way Out (La Tempesta International/Goodfellas)
Of course the last song is an invitation to fight. Buñuel’s second album again finds Eugene Robinson – Oxbow frontman, author and prize-winning pugilist – topless and oiled for violence, howling and growling over harsh noise provided by various Italian musicians. The Easy Way Out veers between arid, uncomfortable slowness and grinding, tearing speed, and is enjoyably nightmarish: sweaty, Jesus Lizard-style slices of Bad Man rock that shows machismo and the damage done, and doesn’t hang around too long either. WS
THE CORAL **
Move Through The Dawn (Ignition)
By far the most interesting thing about The Coral’s seventh LP is the lurid cover, which makes it look like a Japanese live bootleg and features both the band in Kasabian-on-stag-do-in-Las-Vegas attire and (for no apparent reason) a lion. The record’s bland melodies, pedestrian folk-rock and horribly hackneyed lyrics will come as a disappointment to anyone who heard 2016 predecessor Distance Inbetween, and prematurely hailed the return of the psych-pop oddballs with whom we originally fell in love. BW
DEAF HAVANA **
Ritual (SO)
Lacking in the emotionally driven anthems which defined Deaf Havana’s past works, Rituals does not effectively live up to its themes of immorality and redemption. Instead, we are presented with a collection of bland dirges. With the exception of the adequate single Sinner, everything from Hell to Heaven, is insultingly lacklustre. ‘’I’m moving on from fools and worthless liars,’’ Gilodi sings in reference to one of his better albums. Considering the wasted potential here, you are left wishing he wouldn’t. AS
DEAF WISH ****
Lithium Zion (Sub Pop)
Legendary Seattle label Sub Pop could be forgiven for continuing to harbour a grudge against Sonic Youth for tempting Nirvana to join them at Geffen for Nevermind, but are instead apparently putting out records dedicated to their memory. Lithium Zion finds Aussies Deaf Wish faithfully and adeptly recreating the utterly splendid noise the New Yorkers made during their late-80s/early-90s imperial phase – angry guitars, odd tunings, rat-a-tat drums, drawling Kim‘n’Thurston vocals and all. BW
FOXING ****
Nearer My God (Triple Crown)
With stalwarts like La Dispute already onto pastures new, progressive hardcore is hurtling towards its inevitable saturation point. Foxing were always an odd fit for the bands they routinely tour with anyway, and while Nearer my God is certainly more song-led than previous outings, it retains the vastness they have made something of a trademark. This is pretty timeless stuff – like Everything Everything tinkering with a load of Deus B-sides – and should play particularly well on vinyl if that’s your bag. GP
GULP ***
All Good Wishes (ELK)
The second album by the Super Furry Animals-related digital-synth trio who make “Kraut-pop epics, informed equally by the sun flares of the Californian desert and the drizzle of pure, sweet Scottish rain…” – but forget the blurb: what you’ve got, essentially, is 11 tracks of very short songs in a similar vein and, although pleasant enough, I longed for the ‘epic’, the elevation in voice or music. It almost happens in their single Morning Velvet Sky, but not quite. LN
HILANG CHILD **
Years (Bella Union)
Years lives in a weird place between gentle, pastel-coloured synths, and some hefty beige songwriting. Mostly home produced, it’s the work of half-Welsh, half-Indonesian Ed Riman, whose swooning style aims for epic ethereal, but lands safely in Radio 2 waters with every song. Bella Union are clearly a label welcoming to all kinds of winsome, but as the piano clanging Crow ushers in thoughts of Keane, you have to wonder. A far too gentle prodding of the pop prostate. WS
INTERPOL ****
Marauder (Matador)
Interpol took a break from recording sixth album Marauder to go out on the road to celebrate the 15th anniversary of their debut, Turn On The Bright Lights. They returned to the studio fired up, and Marauder is proof that the band are still firing on all cylinders and exploring new depths of intense moodiness. What is different this time round is that the Interpol sound has evolved into something that has a dark and spacious psychedelic edge. DN
JAMES ****
Living In Extraordinary Times (Infectious)
James have always been known for their enthusiastic and uptempo rock, yet they are never ones to shy away from experimentation. From the bright keyboards and crunchy guitars of Coming Home (Pt. 2) and Hank) to ballads which swell and crescendo (Broken By The Hurt, Busted), it is clear that these indie champions have lost none of the heart and charming songwriting prowess which went into some of their most famous works, even if their music today is markedly different from before. AS
KODALINE ***
Politics Of Living (RCA)
This latest release by the Irish four-piece sees a who’s who of pop music writing and production assisting in the development of these 12 tracks. The band’s sessions with producer Kygo two years ago have surely rubbed off on their ‘new sound’, with the majority of these latest songs sounding more at home on the dancefloor than a festival. Album opener Follow Your Fire is a real eye-opener – didn’t see that coming at all. Definitely worth a listen. OS
LUCERO ****
Among The Ghosts (Thirty Tigers)
Alt-country five-piece Lucero have been quietly going about their business for 20 years now, but Among The Ghosts may just change all that. The band encompasses that Southern gothic vibe like nobody else; throw in some E-Street influence and you are on to a winner. Hell, even singer Ben Nichols’ raspy throat is reminiscent of The Boss. Widely celebrated in their hometown of Memphis, it’s time we all joined the party. CA
OH SEES ****
Smote Reverser (Castle Face)
John Dwyer and his mutating Oh Sees crack out their zillionth release, with artwork and songs seemingly inspired by the doom-mongering beastie of Stranger Things 2. Starting out relatively quiet/loud with gentle lyrics and duelling riffs and Hammond B3 on Sentient Oona, they switch to funky metal on Enrique El Cobrador; C is a jaunty boogie, Overthrown a vicious assault, Beat Quest is like late 60s Blue Note on PCP and Moon Bog an eldritch groove. CS
THE PROCLAIMERS ****
Angry Cyclist (Cooking Vinyl)
The opening title track is a great mini-epic that sets up many of the sociopolitical themes the Reid brothers explore on Angry Cyclist, but it’s an odd title that doesn’t really sum up the wit and bonhomie of most of the album. The songs are short and snappy. If there’s one criticism, it is that some of the 13 tracks are just a little too similar. But, there is no denying the incredible strength in the vocal delivery or the brilliance of their lyric writing. JPD
SHADOWPARTY ****
ShadowParty (Mute)
Straight from the newer members of New Order and Devo, ShadowParty’s love of flangey basslines, 80s synth pads and Stephen Morris-brand snare may raise an eyebrow or two at first, but the result is so strong and fresh regardless that the only thing they really have to worry about is whether they break first on Radio 6 or Radio 2. Celebrate leads the album and is far and away the weakest track, so plumb beyond for the real crackers. JM
TIRZAH **
Devotion (Domino)
After a promising start to her career the London soul singer arrives at her debut album, but unfortunately initial impressions aren’t great. The barren arrangements of the songs can be woefully repetitive and together with a flat vocal delivery in places and an absence of a much wanted bottom end, the average listener could be forgiven for assuming some of these tracks are just the groundwork for a future effort, in other words… demos. Demos with potential, sure, but still disappointingly undercooked at this point. CPI
TONY MOLINA ****
Kill The Lights (Slumberland)
Drawing on influences from the Beatles to the Byrds, Molina flaunts his influences proudly. While that can be seen to be a bad thing, nothing feels stale or uninspired. Each of the 10 songs barely run over a minute in length, yet make every second a delight. From the joyously upbeat Nothing I Can Say to the mournful Now That She’s Gone, precise guitar work, relatable lyricism and an acute sense of melody make Kill The Lights a charming listening experience. AS
WHITE DENIM *****
Performance (City Slang)
Is this lucky seven for White Denim? Ever popular but not quite as mammoth as Black Keys, who they most resemble on the southern rockin’ It Might Get Dark and the horn-heavy Magazin, the addition of a new keyboardist and drummer have given them another Doctor Who-style regeneration. Sky Beaming skips frothily like Azymuth vs Last Days Of Summer. Weldon Irvine jazz-funk gives way to handclapping blue-eyed soul on Double Death and Moves On fizzes by with a Baba O’Reilly keyboard denouement. CS
Singles
CARW ****
Lovers (Blinc)
Alligning firmly with the ‘80s is cool again’ philosophy which seems to be quite a draw now, this track is a well executed, faithful recreation of that glistening 80s synthpop sound. Equal parts romanticised vocal and uplifting synth lines, it conjures that pink sunset over a city skyline type of imagery that many know and love. Album soon to follow! CPI
EADYTH & SHAMONIKS ***
Ymlaen Yr Awn (Rasal)
A charity shop find that’s turned up if not Discogs gold then a single-worthy hook, Ymlaen Yr Awn takes Edward Morus Jones’ 1968 paean to Welsh spirit and threads it through this vocalist/producer collab. The vibe is happy hippy electronica, nagging and positive, drifting pleasantly from the churros stand at a mostly sunny music festival. WS
ILU ****
Graffiti Hen Ewrop (Libertino)
The new single from these Welsh krautrockers takes you on a journey whether you speak the language or not. A solid beat with space-rock elements, things get a bit Doctor Who-ish in the middle but that just adds another dimension. Not long enough to make a big impact, though would be very effective played on a loop. LN
LATE NIGHT PICTURE *****
Better Land (self-released)
This is melancholic downtempo with just the right amount of hopefulness. The vocals strike an uncanny resemblance to those of London Grammar’s Hannah Reid, while tickling bass, riffs and melodies come together in sublime subtly and ambience. A track that would slide perfectly into the Drive soundtrack. CP
THE NAKED CITIZENS (FEAT. SUZI CHUNK) ****
Space Touring (Country Mile)
The first offering from this highly original, high-aiming supergroup of sorts doesn’t disappoint, with smoggy songstress Suzi Chunk lending her vocals to a 70s disco appetiser. Featuring Dan Nichols (Railroad Bill) and Rob Smith (Wonderbrass), with many more collaborators lined up for future songs, this whistle is well and truly whetted. JE
UNDERWORLD & IGGY POP ****
Teatime Dub Encounters (Caroline)
It’s a credit to the Trainspotting universe that this went so right, a project intended for soundtracking T2 that grasps the story’s themes inherently but retains the flavour of both artists without any visible kicking or screaming. Druggy and cynical, this EP works a little too well to be a one-off. JM