11 PARANOIAS ****
Reliquary For A Dreamed Of World (Ritual Productions)
T H I S R E C O R D I S S O O O O O S L O O O O O O W W Y O U W I L L H A V E A G E D A D E C A D E B E F O R E I T E N D S… Yep, 11 Paranoias do dirge-driven doom like no-one else around. Glacially paced and densely overgrown with psychedelic flourishes, Reliquary… is a mammoth record from one of the most inventive bands on the stoner scene. It’s never inaccessible, for all its heft – the spaced-out vocals successfully capture interest, and metalheads of a flexible disposition will warmly welcome the headbang-otunities provided by the grooves. HR
ADAM BRYANBAUM WILTZIE ****
Salero OST (Erased Tapes)
If the stills in circulation of Salero – a 2015 documentary movie about the destruction of the Bolivian salt-gathering industry, donchaknow – are anything to go by, the environment it depicts is an exquisite match for its soundtrack. Wiltzie is one half of Stars Of The Lid, an American ambient/drone project whose music is featureless in the prettiest way. These pieces code as ‘cinematic’ slightly more than SOTL, treated guitars and string sections swelling in minute increments, and like the salt-gatherers moving at their own noble pace. NG
AGNES OBEL ****
Citizen Of Glass (Play It Again Sam)
Even though Obel could be – take your pick – a Danish Elizabeth Fraser/Sinead/ Kate B/Enya , she is very much an individual singer/musician. A one-woman choir on this haunting, goth-like, striking third album, with its layered, split and manipulated vocals, the songwriter does everything except play the strings. Fragile yet powerful. The concept is loss of privacy in this internet-share everything-transparent-age. Are you being spied on and by who (hence the title)? Lyrics can be ambiguous, but if you’re obsessed by shadowy Scandi-noir drama… RLR
BABY QUEENS ***
Tired Of Love (Strangetown)
Baby Queens’ debut album is finally here and it’s somewhat worth the wait. There’s some fantastic tracks on this record, ultimately let down by a handful of easily forgotten songs littered throughout. Tracks like By The River and Red Light show what a fantastic album this could be if they’d condensed it down to fewer songs. All in all, a good record with neo-soul and reggae influences that could have been so much more. LB
ESBEN & THE WITCH ****
Older Terrors (Season Of Mist)
Written and recorded in Berlin, this is album number four for Brighton-formed outfit Esben & The Witch. Dark, atmospheric, moody… this release is full of it. Having put the work in and established themselves as a unique act, they have garnered quite the following through their critically acclaimed live shows. Their songwriting skills are further defined and clear-cut on this record; the combination of the bellowing tone and the haunting vocal of Rachel Davies is worth the listen alone. OS
HELMET ***
Dead To The World (earMUSIC)
Helmet’s first record in six years begins exactly as you’d hope: pounding, pacey and packed full of those serrated riffs that made Page Hamilton his name. Helmet have always been an easy band to recognise – those riffs, Hamilton’s ability to add melody and make their tortured metal-punk accessible – and Dead To The World rarely deviates from the tried and tested. I’m not convinced the songs on here will usurp anything from Meantime or Betty on a greatest hits setlist, but confirmed fans will be satisfied. HR
HMS MORRIS ****
Interior Design (Waco Gwenci)
I didn’t think it possible for them to surpass the incredibly catchy title track, but HMS Morris have pulled it out of the bag several times on their debut. Nothing as instantly gratifying, but over time the opening salvo of Shipping Forecast and Gold (Want It) hold you in their dark-psych tractor beams. The progression of the tracks is pretty faultless and topped off by the broad Welsh lilt of vocalist Heledd Watkins. Give this record some sort of prize. BG
JACK SAVORETTI ****
Sleep No More (BMG)
The Italian-English singer-songwriter is back with his follow up to Top 10 breakthrough album Written In Scars. Not that there was any doubt on his previous release, but if there was, the 33-year-old has well and truly found his voice here. Described as a “love letter to my wife,” Savoretti has furthermore stated, “The whole point of this album is that it’s about the stuff that keeps you up at night.” Troubled Souls, Deep Waters and the title track find Savoretti’s vocals soaring. OS
JOAN AS POLICEWOMAN & BENJAMIN LAZAR DAVIS ***
Let It Be You (Reveal)
A collaboration between the cult songstress and Okkervil River multi-instrumentalist. Starts promisingly with juddering re-sliced/re-processed guitars, chiming gospel pianos, and crunchy electronic beats. The mix feels fresh, like a rougher, more lo-fi version of St Vincent. When Joan takes the mic her characterful vocals and lyrical twists make Lazar Davis’ songs feel a bit bland by comparison. The album follows a similar formula throughout to diminishing returns, but the duo have found their own sound and it suits them. APR
KING DUDE ****
Sex (Ván)
Not quite the suds-chugging scoop-necked broseph his moniker implies, King Dude is a Seattle soloist, ex of various underground metal bands, who now crafts lurid horror business that’s equal parts folk-rock and deathrock. Sex is the best thing he’s ever done: clanging, quasi-Tom Waits rhythms, cooing ladies on backing vox, moderate lyrical innuendo (I Wanna Die At 69) and a couple of bursts of Misfits goth-punk. In fact, I’m going to suggest you buy this instead of the new Nick Cave one. NG
KORN *
The Serenity Of Suffering (Roadrunner)
Korn released their first album back in 1994, when I was 10 years old. Back then, their music seemed refreshing and something new. Bear in mind that the band members were all in their 20s and were early adopters of seven-string guitars, five-string basses and songs about being unhappy outcasts. Fast forward 20+ years, lineup changes, rehab and finding God and the whole thing seems pretty sad. The Serenity Of Suffering is a desperate cry for relevance that should go unheard. GM
MARCHING CHURCH **
Telling It Like It Is (Sacred Bones)
Iceage frontman and punk Prince Regent Elias Rønnenfelt returns with his lesser-known squeeze Marching Church for a second bite of the cherry, but something is certainly rotten in the state of Denmark. This album feels like the lethargic offspring of Primal Scream at their most derivative, or one of those mouldering Gorillaz In Dub remix comps. Unmemorable and morose, the only saving grace is the song title Inner City Pigeon, but regrettably, the song itself is more navel-gazing mulch. AJ
THE POP GROUP ****
Honeymoon On Mars (Freaks R Us)
Nearly four decades ago, The Pop Group provided a thunderous postpunk soundtrack to political corruption and racial brutality. With the world today becoming a more dangerous place, it seems that we are being dragged backwards in time through a rusting barbed-wire fence. With Public Enemy producer Hank Shocklee and veteran dub master Dennis Bovell at the helm, The Pop Group have made a new album that is as vicious, relevant and forward-thinking as anything they’ve done in the past. DN
SLEIGH BELLS **
Jessica Rabbit (Lucky Number)
[Sleigh Bells meeting] Derek: “OK, the first three records were pretty samey, let’s do something different. How about we make it a bit poppier but at the same time mash up the time signatures and add more synths and get rid of song structure altogether?” Alexis: “Sounds amazing, Derek. That will alienate our old fans and not make us any new ones. Any other ideas?” Derek: “Nah, not really. Sorry.” And thus, ladies and gentlemen, Jessica Rabbit was born. BG
SLOWLY ROLLING CAMERA ***
All Things (Edition)
A second offering from this Cardiff collective expertly fuses soul, hip-hop, jazz and electronica with a heavy focus on unorthodox time signatures and complex rhythms. Past recordings, notably their self-titled debut album, have proved that they can master this approach whilst still writing poignant and enduring songs and melodies. With this release however, it seems they’ve somewhat sacrificed the latter in favour of the former. This doesn’t fully discredit their effort, but it does make it less accessible to the uninitiated listener. CPI
SOFT HAIR ****
Soft Hair (Domino)
Connan Mockasin, aka Barry White on copious amounts of helium, finds an equally warped conspirator in LA Priest’s Sam Dust for Soft Hair’s camp electronica. Morning glory standouts are Jealous Lies, founded on a bass line from Rod’s Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?, layered with skanking guitar and synth exotica, the Shuggiesque Alive Without Medicine, and the wonky RnB of Lying Has To Stop, with the winning couplet “I like to watch you run but I’ll never touch your bum,” and an effete video visualising an Elton John wet dream. CS
STEVE ‘N’ SEAGULLS ****
Brothers In Farms (Spinefarm)
Bluegrass and metal are not natural bedfellows but the Barnyard Boogiemen, who deserve recognition for sheer bravery, manage to make it work – most of the time. Guns N’ Roses You Could Be Mine and Metallica’s Sad But True transition well, less so Iron Maiden’s Aces High, which lacks melody. The Finnish fivesome have also included some self-penned material that blends in nicely. Here is a band I could grow to love. LN
SUPER FURRY ANIMALS *****
Fuzzy Logic / Lost On The Bypass Road (BMG)
The album that started it all for the Super Furries is celebrating its 20th birthday… and in style. The 12-track album as we know it (God! Show Me Magic – what a start!) is followed by B-sides and interim single The Man Don’t Give A Fuck, then Lost On…, a second disc comprising demos and a Phoenix Festival ’96 live performances (as worked on by Donal Whelan and Kliph Scurlock). Good times! JE
VENOM PRISON ****
Animus (Prosthetic)
If there’s a difference between Venom Prison’s debut 7” The Primal Chaos, which came out last year round the time I profiled the band in this organ, and this subsequent debut album, it’s that Animus has excised virtually all traces of hardcore, or even metalcore, influence. What’s left is a firey meteorite made of purest death metal, with chugging basslines to flatten cities, hellaciously shrill solos and Larissa Stupar vocalising from an oesophagus located somewhere near the earth’s core. More killer Welsh metal, nitwits! NG
THE WHARVES ****
Electa (Gringo)
Old-school folk meets alt-rock in the second album from Nottingham trio The Wharves. Electa sees them layer their high-pitched vocal harmonies over driving percussion and impressively twangy guitars to create a truly eclectic record. Influenced by The Roches and The Amps, Minogue, Fleet and Andrau chant playful incantations like a Greek chorus in lyrics that range from the nonsensical to the melancholic. Highlights are the smoky L’autre and riff-heavy Old Friend in this spooky but thoroughly enjoyable offering. BW