ALBUMS
ÅRABROT SPECIALE ***
Die Nibelungen (Pelagic)
A soundtrack album for Fritz Lang’s legendary 1924 silent film of the same name, originally performed live at Tromsö. As a soundtrack, it fails – this trend for creepy, ultra-dark music for old silent movies seems to treat each one as if it were a horror like Nosferatu, and Die Nibelungen is many things but not a horror. Yet, as an album of dark, grinding distortions and nightmare music, it’s pretty good. The two tracks, each about 20 minutes, go through a variety of intensity settings, mostly pitched at piss-yourself nightmare levels. words Fedor Tot
C DUNCAN *****
Health (FatCat)
Say it: Duncan is a genius at delivering the most devastatingly beautiful music. The Scottish composer/multi-instrumentalist’s third album is the first done with other producers, engineers and musicians and like his previous ones, excellent. A more expansive work, some songs have a disco beat, but it’s in a style all Duncan’s own. Also using synthpop and classical sounds, he opens up musically and emotionally on themes of love, anxiety and sexuality – specifically about a recent relationship. Pure platinum. words Rhonda Lee Reali
CRAIG FINN ***
I Need A New War (Partisan)
You couldn’t accuse Finn of living off former glories in The Hold Steady, but a sprinkling of rock’n’roll wouldn’t go amiss, despite this fourth solo LP nestling into a nice country-soul niche between Oberst, Kurt Wagner and Springsteen. The guitar of Blankets shimmers throughout the tale of someone fighting destiny to find a lost love; side two becomes a tad torpid but Her With The Blues ascends to the astral peaks of Van Morrison. CS
THE CRANBERRIES ***
In The End (BMG)
Dolores O’Riordan had one of the most recognisable and unique voices in rock and this, the final Cranberries release after her death in 2018, is a fitting tribute. There are no Zombies or Lingers here – Got It is the most upbeat – but the album seems all the more poignant for its the subdued tone. Musically you can’t fault Hogan, Hogan and Lawler but it’s hard not to read into the lyrics, the title track seeming particularly like an emotional goodbye. words Lynda Nash
DAMIEN JURADO **
In The Shape Of A Storm (Loose)
“There is nothing left to hide”, sings Damien Jurado on lead track Lincoln. On the alt-Americana veteran’s latest LP, recorded in just two hours, there’s nothing left to hide behind: spartan arrangements of just acoustic guitar and vocals leave him naked and exposed, creating a sense of intimacy between performer and listener. However, while his plaintive voice has depth, the songs themselves are (with a couple of exceptions) slight and stale, and the album as a whole is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it disappointment. words Ben Woolhead
DANIEL O’SULLIVAN ****
Folly (O Genesis)
Involved in countless collaborations, it’s a wonder that Daniel O’Sullivan has found the time and headspace for a second solo release. Don’t be put off by a CV that includes out-there progsters Guapo, avant-metal luminaries Ulver and Sunn O))), and the reformed incarnation of post-punk legends This Heat. Folly is far more in keeping with the output of Grumbling Fur, O’Sullivan’s partnership with Alexander Tucker – a suite of lush, immersive, otherworldly pop reveries. A charm offensive rather than an intimidatingly experimental assault. words Ben Woolhead
DEVIN TOWNSEND *****
Empath (InsideOutMusic)
Ambitiously combining glitzy synthpop, powerful theatricalism, and proggy metal, Empath boasts Townsend’s most varied and aspiring music to date. Genesis flaunts a celebratory tone, while Spirits Will Collide utilises inspiring choir melodies. Evermore is enticingly changeable, yet Sprite is hypnotically relaxed. Each new experiment is perfectly executed and an utter delight to hear. Consequentially, the 23-minute, four-part epic, Singularity, serves to culminate a mystifying journey through the mind of a creator whose skill is vast and whose creativity is unbridled. AS
ENZO SIRAGUSA ****
A Decade of Rave (Fuse)
Enzo Siragusa, founder of Fuse Records and lover of the early London rave scene, celebrates the label’s 10-year anniversary with A Decade Of Rave. Consisting of two ambient and eight dancefloor tracks from the label owner, the album flows with nice old school vibes, big breakdowns and driving basslines. Now firmly established as a London institution, there’s also a Fuse 10 tour coming up, and a 12-hour special at Fabric which will no doubt be full of likeminded party people. words Emma Jayne
FONTAINES DC *****
Dogrel (Partisan)
Fontaines DC wear their hearts on their sleeves, but what else to do when The Velvet Underground completed the indie rock/punk template in 1967? You fly your stripped back, spluttering rocket ship to the planet genius, that’s what you do. Joy Division, The Cramps, Jerry Lee Lewis and John Cooper Clarke all get their arses kicked in a Dublin back alley. Standards stagger to fresh thrills, frontman Grian Chatten spits bruised verse and a new generation finds love in the strangest places. words Steve Tucker
HEATHER WOODS BRODERICK *****
Invitation (Western Vinyl)
Heather Woods Broderick deserves to emerge from the flotsam with this ravishing album. Its title inspired by a Thomas Moore quote (“To be a person means to accept the invitations for yet more vitality or to decline them out of fear or lethargy”), Broderick, with a vocal register between Kate Bush and Melanie di Biasio, paints a dreamspace between stasis and momentum, reflection and direction through luxuriant soundscapes of piano, electronica, guitar, found sounds (crickets) and soaring strings. words Chris Seal
KEIFER SUTHERLAND ****
Reckless & Me (BMG)
Yep, you read right: the bona fide actor of 24 and Lost Boys fame, has now added country singer-songwriter to his repertoire, and in all fairness it’s not all that bad. This follow up to his 2016 debut album showcases an authentic edgy vocal mixed with a clear passionate nous for storytelling. The bluesy country twang of This Is How It’s Done and Agave lead the uptempo tracks, while the slower Saskatchewan and Song For A Daughter lighten the mood nicely. words Owen Scourfield
LUKE SITAL-SINGH ***
A Golden State (Raygun)
Easy listening at its finest here, with some beautiful piano and acoustic guitar work to boot. After recently relocating from Bristol to LA, Sital-Singh’s new single Los Angeles couldn’t be more aptly titled. If you’re looking for a relaxing, simple ear full of music, this would be right up your street. Having already supported the likes of The Staves and Martha Wainwright, the move across the pond may be a step in the right direction for Luke. words Owen Scourfield
MILK ***
Alpha EP (Wasabi Overload)
Doesn’t get much rawer than this: the room Cardiff band Milk’s debut EP was recorded in should be listed on the credits for its leading role in sound design. Chock full of goofy 70s hard rock lyrics and aggressive overdriven guitar rhythm sections, the lovability factor for this one far outweighs the production and instead the whole thing sounds like a top-tier garage band playing in the hallway of your house. words Jason Machlab
QUIET MARAUDER FEAT. MATHIAS KOM *****
The Crack And What It Meant (Bubblewrap)
Quiet Marauder never do things by half and for that we must be thankful; on this conceptual tale of space and panic we are led into War Of The Worlds, Bonzos and Syd Barrett territory. Both Simon read’s voice sometimes veering into a country gent accent, and the running commentary of Burning Hell mainman Mathias, take you to another place. Speaking with Simon, he told me of his wish to turn the whole thing into a movie. Big dreams, big craic. words Justin Evans
RATSO ****
Stubborn Heart (Lucky Number)
Larry ‘Ratso’ Sloman Is a New York City-based writer, author and actor whose past endeavours include being Bob Dylan’s tour scribe, collaborating with Mike Tyson on his autobiography and writing lyrics for ex-Velvet Underground founder John Cale. Stubborn Heart is a moving account of Ratso’s life and a rewarding listen, one featuring Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen’s co-writer and producer Sharon Robinson. In fact, Stubborn Heart is on par with both Cave and Cohen’s best albums. words David Nobakht
ROSE ELINOR DOUGALL ***
A New Illusion (Vermillion)
The third album from the ex-Pipette has a faraway quality, as if she were singing at the back of an empty room. In places it’s quite haunting, in others quite hollow and, like a lot of indie folk-rock, it never takes off like you wish it would. Track two, That’s Where The Trouble Started, would have made a more dynamic single. This album may be a slow burn for long dark nights. words Lynda Nash
SPARROW STEEPLE ****
Tin Top Sorcerer (Trouble In Mind)
Membership-wise, this Philadelphia group are essentially the Strapping Fieldhands, who I mainly associate with 90s music press snark about hyperobscure lo-fi indie. Thankfully, we have all grown up now, and Sparrow Steeple’s second album is delightful if whimsical psychedelic folk. I suspect they’ve internalised lots of Syd Barrett and, especially, The Incredible String Band over time, although large segments of Tin Top Sorcerer bear distinct resemblance to Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, which was a pleasant surprise. words Noel Gardner
STUART A. STAPLES ****
Music For Claire Denis’ High Life (City Slang)
Hard to judge how this works as a soundtrack, having not yet seen High Life, but it certainly sounds like a Claire Denis film, and that’s always a good thing. Stuart A. Staples of Tindersticks, a long-time collaborator of hers has produced here a waking-dream of an album, as if perpetually opening your eyes into the bright morning. Though most of the album sticks towards the ambient end of the spectrum, the one vocal track (featuring Robert Pattinson no less), Willow is magisterial, sung almost at a whisper. words Fedor Tot
SUNDARA KARMA ***
Ulfilas’ Alphabet (Chess Club)
On this release, indie/pop darlings Sundara Karma get old-skool with instrumentation that is every bit as colourful as the cover art. By trading their anthemic qualities for more psychedelia-influenced nostalgia, Ulfilas’ Alphabet has a more developed and fleshed-out sound than their debut. It’s a solid followup release that proves the band has more to offer than sun-soaked pop, and is hindered only by frontman Oscar Pollock’s baffling choice to adopt almost Bowie-esque vocals. words Alison Powell
SUZI QUATRO **
No Control (Steamhammer)
The Queen Of Noise is back with a new album that’s actually more of a whisper. The opening riffs make promises the songs don’t deliver, while the bluesy-bluegrass tracks are a welcome detour – but altogether the album is light on substance and lyrically repetitive. The energy from her earlier work is absent – it’s as if rock’s little sister has tried to grow up but hasn’t quite got there yet. words Lynda Nash
LA YEGROS ****
Suelta (X-Ray)
South American cumbia has always been a particularly urban type of folk music, brassy exhortations for working class dance parties, so it would be odd if it didn’t absorb influence from rap, EDM and so forth. Argentinian vocalist Marina Yegros heads up a breezily modern brand of cumbia on Suelta, her third album as La Yegros: whomping bass drops enliven numbers like Alegria, trap-y drums rattle hither and yon, but there’s plenty of mellifluous flute melodies like cumbia’s old days. words Noel Gardner
DEMOS
Positive Reaction
facebook.com/positivereactionhc
This four-piece, featuring a stalwart Buzz contributor on drums, are effectively a rebadge of All Time Old Time, who also played breakneck thrashy hardcore but with more thematic emphasis on pro wrestling and being old. Certainly, Positive Reaction’s members were playing in south Wales HC bands over 20 years ago in some cases, and their enthusiasm for a yobbish racket has not waned. These seven songs barrel through early-80s NYHC, late-80s Britcore and youth crew with an Oi!-like belligerence not a mile away from Arms Race. words Noel Gardner
Defeatist
These two new songs from Cardiff quintet Defeatist are also taggable as hardcore, albeit from the opposite end of the spectrum: the one with slick, maximalist production, whooshing shoegazey guitar breaks and the impression of vocal anguish. You might call it emo or post-hardcore instead; in a local context, Defeatist sit equidistant from Funeral For A Friend and Casey. Breath and Let Me… were not made with my taste in mind, clearly, but uphold the tropes of this style very well. words Noel Gardner
Shawgz
Cardiff MC, who forms part of the Ladies Of Rage collective and earned her spurs on the battle rap scene, debuts with the four-song BLK Tape. It’s fairly distinct in approach from that side of her oeuvre, in that Shawgz’ vocal style is singsongy-soulful and her lyrics are often introspective, but still retains plenty of defiance and self-belief when picking off crap exes and inferior MCs through a haze of (references to) weed. A fine EP bolstered by subtle production from Bristol’s Onesoul. words Noel Gardner