AL LEWIS *****
Te Yn Y Grug (self-released)
This concept album was inspired by the stories of Welsh author Kate Roberts – stories of growing up, poverty, religion and belonging in a north Walian slate mining community at the turn of the 20th century. Lewis’s voice is smooth and rich, and the melodies burst with emotion. The Tea In The Heather Choir adds the harmonies that give this a hymnal feel, which is at times rather beautiful. LN
ANI GLASS *****
Mirores (Neb)
Mirores relays the song of the mechanical Siren, beings of perfect machinery powered by the engine of dreams. These words were partially taken from Peirianwaith Perffaith and illustrate the potential paradox at the heart of Ani Glass’ fantastic debut: ethereal, oft choral in character, vocals paired with a Kraftwerk-esque synth methodology. Welsh factory-works coated in a silvery gossamer. The result is a beautifully delicate body mover. A triumph from one of the leading figures of the Welsh-language pop-music boom. JW
BAXTER DURY ****
The Night Chancers (Heavenly)
The Night Chancers picks up where Baxter Dury’s fifth album Prince Of Tears left off, with a disturbing and humorous collection of songs that shine a light on flawed relationships and individuals in situations, that only enhance their hidden vulnerabilities. When it comes to placing character observation within songs, Dury is as equally perceptive as his late father Ian was with his own material. When his words collide with the orchestral flourishes on this album, it is genuinely touching. DN
BLOODSLUGS ***
One More Last Time (Pet Slug)
Keen Cardiff gig-goers might recognise the name BloodSlugs, a two-piece lo-fi blues act that has steadily built a reputation over the past four years on the local circuit. On their studio debut, the duo don’t get bogged down with trivial things like originality or variation that might prohibit them from making the heaviest noise possible, and they’re unapologetic about it, relying on their impassioned vocals and chugging, gravelly riffs instead. It’s visceral punk, through and through. AP
BODY COUNT ****
Carnivore (Century Media)
Continuing the resurgence that saw them nominated for a Grammy in 2018, Ice T’s rap metal outfit Body Count haven’t missed a step, with new album Carnivore proving that the heavier hardcore edge of Bloodlust wasn’t a flash in the pan. If anything they’ve upped the ante, roping in Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta and Riley Gale of Power Trip for vocal duties. Evanescence’s Amy Lee also makes an appearance and the cherry on the cake is a cracking cover of Ace Of Spades by Motörhead. CA
BUFFALO SUMMER *****
Desolation Blue (Silver Lining)
A third album offering from these south Wales rockers, Buffalo Summer serve up a gritty yet mysterious and magical sound compounded by some of the most addictively crunchy riffs you’ll hear. These boys are up there as one of the underrated rock bands on the scene right now. Everybody’s Out For Number 1 is bulging with the trademark attitude you’d expect from this quartet, while Hit The Ground Running grips you with an addictive wish to stomp your feet. Blistering. OS
BURNING WITCHES **
Dance With The Devil (Nuclear Blast)
Robust, if shamelessly retro, NWOBHM-style metal made by an all-female five-piece from Switzerland. Vocalist Laura Guldemond shows versatility, falling somewhere between Dio and King Diamond with her belting shrieks; blazing opener Lucid Nightmare boasts breakneck riffs, while Wings of Steel marries anthemic melodies with guttural growls. But Manowar cover Battle Hymn (featuring Ross The Boss and Mike LePond) feels like a disappointing closer for a band in danger of becoming a tribute act. SP
CIRCA WAVES ****
Sad Happy (Prolifica Inc)
Part of the new generation of heartfelt indie, Circa Waves’ latest is an exercise in emotion. Move To San Francisco beguiles with luscious and vibrant harmonies, while Hope There’s A Heaven calmly nourishes with subdued serenity. Multiple sides of their personality make themselves apparent: a moment like Jacqueline could enthuse you, while Battered & Bruised can break your heart. While the admittedly typical combination of guitars and synths won’t win over detractors, to fans it may be viewed as a triumph. AS
DEAP LIPS **
Deap Lips (Cooking Vinyl)
It’s a tale as old as time: man in town on a mission to source massive edible stage props meets woman backstage at a Wolfmother gig and an unlikely alliance is formed. Neither the Flaming Lips nor Deap Vally are strangers to collaborations, but that unimaginative cut-and-shut name gives advance warning of how disappointing the venture is. Largely the product of a long-distance relationship, Deap Lips consists of half-baked ideas and reheated leftovers from other projects, a whole that is substantially less than the sum of its parts. BW
DERRERO ***
Time Lapse (Recordiau Cae Gwyn)
The Welsh-based band are back after almost 20 years, offering a melodic mix of psych-pop with bursts of feedback. Self-recorded and produced, we hear eclectic sometimes abstract themes amongst others, that include sobriety, strange animals, an Oscar Wilde lecture tour, growing up in Trinidad, a psychedelic experience and a massive move. Lecture Tour, Endings, Blue Mutations and Rolling Past Vistas (a lovely, gentle song about the longevity of being in a band for years, skateboarding and beautiful, seasonal light) are some standouts. RLR
ISLET *****
Eyelet (Fire)
Powys’ Islet return with album number three, their first release since 2016’s Liquid Half Moon EP. Lusher and more melodic than previous releases, Eyelet is a crazy cawl of tropical pop, electric psych, and odd rock. In lesser hands, such a scattergun approach could soon grate, but here Islet has made something special, in particular, the tabla-driven Radel 10 and the sweeping electronica of Geese. They’re a brilliant live band too. SE
JAMES TAYLOR QUARTET ****
People Get Ready (We’re Moving On) (Audio Network)
The music colleges turned poor JT away when he asked to be taught classical arrangement techniques. Undaunted, Taylor joined a local church choir to better understand how part writing works. All this was in preparation for an album that merges his regular quartet with some pretty lush orchestral string arrangements. The instrumentals are perfect funk soundtracks to the 70s cop movie of your life; the vocal tracks turn up the heat in the soul kitchen. No radical departure but time well spent. JPD
JONATHAN WILSON ****
Dixie Blur (Bella Union)
The revered American singer-songwriter brings another hefty concoction of folk, rock and country to the table. It’s a heartfelt chronicle of his yearning to return to his North Carolina roots: a nostalgia trip identifiable to anyone. The live takes, done with the band, bring a certain magic to the recording, and the affinity between the musicians is palpable throughout. Apart from a few cliched moments, this record is, on the whole, a comforting, rewarding listen. CPI
LANTERNS ON THE LAKE ****
Spook The Herd (Bella Union)
Spook the herd? Lanterns On The Lake would barely say boo to a goose. Their fourth LP is being billed as a more direct confrontation of contemporary crises, but opener When It All Comes True, an entirely characteristic pocket epic, makes clear from the outset that, while politically charged, the record will be no crude call to arms. It is, however, an exemplary exercise in palliative care, particularly the second half. Given we’re currently drowning in shit, we could all do with Swimming Lessons. BW
MY DYING BRIDE ***
The Ghost Of Orion (Nuclear Blast)
Despite utilising expected metal tropes – soaring lead guitar arpeggios, bleakly mystic wordplay, volatile vocal contrasts – there’s a murky charm present on these gothic doom veterans’ latest album. From the Celtic folk elements on Your Broken Shore to the majestic theatricality of The Long Black Land, there’s always a sense of risk and adventure lurking beneath the surface. To have seen these elements become more involved would have won considerably more favour off me; however, there’s a menacing and immersive experience to be had here. AS
MYRKUR **
Folkesange (Relapse)
‘Black metal to trad folk’ is just a little too clean a description for the journey to Myrkur’s third album; in truth the latter element was always key to the Danish artist’s mystical, symphonic, frequently hilarious ear-bashing. Folkesange is challenging in a different way though: in its pure focus on high-voiced keening and medieval instrumentation, the album displays an unfortunate Enya lob-on, an extended po-facedness not exactly ameliorated by chucking some raven noises in. Return the metal! WS
REAL ESTATE ***
The Main Thing (Domino)
From purist beginnings, Real Estate are layering more studio embellishments upon their C86 sound, but this feels like a band running out of capital. The aimless Procession is a bit of a traipse around Ikea; Paper Cup is like Aztec Camera on polaroid and Also A But starts underbaked but sizzles on a jazzy middle eight. Silent World is laden with strings but takes a while to go places. However, the intricate harmonies and guitars make November glide while the titular tune is tricky time-signatured pop. CS
SLOW READERS CLUB *****
Joy Of The Return (Modern Sky UK)
The fourth album by this Manchester four-piece is about “love, alienation, the rise of right-wing populism and comments on algorithm-driven propaganda…” but that really doesn’t matter because this is like a jaunty trip back to the 80s. There are echoes of The The, Depeche Mode and other indie-pop bands and yet SRC manage to sound new and fresh and cool, without a jarring note or an off-key vocal to be found. LN
TAMIKREST ****
Tamotaït (Glitterbeat)
If you’re familiar with Tinariwen and the satellite bands around them drawing on the same nomadic, desert lifestyle, then you’ll know what the deal is here. Tamikrest are perhaps the most ‘rock’ of all those bands, and Tamotaït is further evidence of that, five albums in. It’s 40 minutes of widescreen desert rock, backed by noisier drums and bigger riffs than you’ll get elsewhere in the genre, and the production values are crystal clear without losing any of the energy. FT
VARIOUS *****
Uzelli Elektro Saz (1976-1984) (Uzelli)
From the mid-1970s onwards Uzelli, a Turkish record label, put out a ton of domestic music that probably didn’t go beyond the border much. Some of it prominently featured trad folk instrument the saz in its amplified form, which enjoyed a similar role to the electric guitar in early rock’n’roll: freaked out the squares, made killer noises. This compilation offers 13 such examples from Uzelli’s archives and hip-swinging psychedelic radness results: pull up Gülcan Opel’s Yaz Dostum right now or stay ignorant. NG
WASTED SHIRT ***
Fungus II (Famous Class)
The product of a six-day recording session 18 months ago between Brian Chippendale, Lightning Bolt drummer who’s been so good at drumming for so long I fear he’s taken for granted, and prolific multifaceted garage rocker Ty Segall, the first (possibly only?) Wasted Shirt album starts off with stonking metal wheedle and moshable bass riffs. Such highs crop up throughout Fungus II, but with some fair water trod in between. Far from dud, but both musicians play better with others. NG
DEMOS
100% RABBIT
Quite an intriguing entity, 100% Rabbit: a Polish duo living in Cardiff who make 80s-tinted synthpop, and have divided their time between Polska and Cymru fairly busily. They emailed me a link to their album last year, several months after it came out, but here’s a followup single, Thin Layers, which is a bit newer. I’m always up for that Cybotron/electroboogie drum/synth sound that forms its backing track, while vocalist Małgola Gulczyńska supplies a counterweight of human emotion. NG
TWIN STRANGER
facebook.com/twinstrangerofficial
This band used to be called Garden Party Pills and was billed as being from Bristol. Now they have a less memorable, if also less embarrassing, name and claim south Wales residence. Twin Stranger’s first song, Tears Of Joy, is a brisk psych-indie dreamalong with whirring organ that lends an Inspiral Carpets type feel. Confident on photo evidence that main Stranger Alex McConnachie is far too young to remember that band’s heyday, but then he sings “1992” repeatedly throughout so maybe knows his historical onions. NG
MOTEL THIEVES
Motel Thieves, from Swansea, look even younger than that, and claim deeply ‘cusp of Gen Z and millennial’ influences (Blossoms, Sam Fender). Make It Better, their second track to be released following apparently healthily-streamed debut Stitches, has one eye on the more bookish end of Britpop and the other on jangly, fuzzy-guitar-solo US college rock. Quite agreeable, unlike the single’s artwork on their Soundcloud page which features one member pointing at what looks rather like dog muck on the sole of his shoe. NG