BLACK3LVIS ****
See Love EP (Newsoundwales)
Chuck a dusting of Cardiff grit over slick LA funk-pop and you’ll get Black3lvis, South Wales’ latest hot tip. The four-piece formed earlier this year and pumped out seven tracks of laidback licks and danceability in record time. Musically, See Love sits in a bizarrely enjoyable middle ground between the Chili Peppers and Larrikin Love, frontman Levi slipping effortlessly between rhythmic, staccato r’n’b and anthemic chorus-belting, best evidenced on NoDemon. Such a fledgling band has no right to sound so polished, so fast. BH
LOS BLANCOS ****
Sbwriel Gwyn (Libertino)
The title might translate as ‘white trash’, but this Carmarthenshire quartet’s debut album is anything but throwaway. From the direct, propulsive opener Dilyn Iesu Grist, through heavy melody, grungey powerpop and fuzzed-out garage rock, to the slanted and enchanting slower-paced songs (Cadw Fi Lan, Clarach and the title track), Sbwriel Gwyn is a scuzzy triumph, frayed at the edges but full of joy – and another feather in the Libertino label’s increasingly feathery cap. BW
CLIPPING ****
There Existed An Addiction To Blood (Sub Pop)
The cultural distance between phenomenally successful Broadway musicals and phenomenally unlistenable musical projects is rendered temporarily trifling by LA’s Clipping, whose MC Daveed Diggs starred as Thomas Jefferson in Hamilton, and whose fourth album includes contributions from harsh noise act The Rita. This is emblematic of the group’s zeal for zapping rap tropes via sonic extremity: There Existed… doesn’t wildly advance their established sound, but that was already pretty radical and thrilling. NG
COTTON WOLF ****
Ofni (Bubblewrap)
Cardiff duo Cotton Wolf follow up their Welsh Music Prize debut Life In Analogue with Ofni, ‘fear’ yn Gymraeg. It’s an apt title for an album of pensive, precision electronic music. While mostly instrumental, the standout track is the title track, with Adwaith’s Hollie Singer adding sweet vocals to Cotton Wolf’s dark, driven sound. The glacial Winter Fields is also worth seeking out on a solid sophomore that should also make the WMP shortlist. File next to Moderat and Rival Consoles. SE
DANNY BROWN
U Know What I’m Sayin? (Warp)
Detroit rapper Danny Brown’s seventh album, written as uknowhatimsayin¿ on the cover, abandons the hazy cacophonies that overwhelmed listeners on Atrocity Exhibition, and under Q-Tip and Paul White’s watchful eye readopts the jazz-influenced beats he left on previous releases. Armed with a handful of the freshest features, from JPEGMAFIA to Blood Orange, and free from the formulaic constraints of contemporary trap, Brown manages to constantly innovate while still remaining as a comfortable middle ground between old and modern hip-hop. AP
DIIV ****
Deceiver (Captured Tracks)
Where debut Oshin and follow-up Is The Is Are negotiated through slumbering shoegaze à la Wild Nothing and Real Estate, this first release in three years finds the Brooklynites dialling down dreampop ether in favour of murkier grunge grit. Deceiver exists in a soupy sea of static; anchoring between mellow Slowdive-esque fare and Dirty-era Sonic Youth for reference, notably on Between Tides and Lorelei. The quartet transcend on this heavier third album affair, defying expectation in a blitz of distortive strings. CHP
FOALS ***
Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Part Two (Warner/Transgressive)
Foals haven’t exactly made things easy for themselves this year. Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost is an album of two halves, and when Part 1 came back in March, it conquered – Foals hadn’t ever sounded so incandescently vital. A tough act to follow, then. Though Part Two is bolder, denser and heavier than its predecessor, it feels blissfully incomplete, relying a little too heavily on its rock muscles. Perhaps it’s the sequel we wanted to see, but were hoping they’d never make. SW
JAIMIE BRANCH ****
Fly Or Die II: Bird Dogs Of Paradise (International Anthem)
The initial volume of Fly Or Die, in 2017, shone a spotlight on Chicago jazz trumpeter Jaimie Branch, and this next chapter maintains its energy, range, sass and elegance. Operating as leader of a quartet, Branch boldly whisks her cohorts from mariachi swagger to folk intimacy to looming drone parts; her feelings towards her nation’s overlords can be inferred from the track title Prayer For Amerikkka, but this is a sterling tribute to, and continuation of, the USA’s creative spirit. NG
JOHN ***
Out Here On The Fringes (Pets Care)
As UK punk enjoys a commercial resurgence with the likes of Idles, Sleaford Mods and Shame, a new addition to this movement arrives in the form of this duo, both of whom conveniently answer to the name John. Their second album quakes with the energy and rawness of a live performance, commanding a limited but powerful sonic palette of deafening drums, searing guitar and roaring vocals. Immediate and unapologetic, this is music that’s best experienced in the flesh. SP
THE JOY FORMIDABLE ***
A Balloon Called Moaning – 10th Anniversary Edition (Hassle)
To commemorate the decade-and-a-bit since this three-piece from Mold released their debut album, The Joy Formidable are rereleasing it as a double CD or vinyl, with added Welsh language versions of the original songs. I wanted to like all of this but it’s actually these stripped-back, acoustic interpretations that are the most pleasing to the ear. Tracks in English are typical indie and lack oomph, although not understanding the words makes it easier to get lost in the soft rock sound. LN
KIZZY CRAWFORD ****
The Way I Dream (Freestyle)
This debut LP from Merthyr Tydfil’s Kizzy Crawford is fleshed out in new arrangements with added instrumentation and shows a maturity, smoothness and effortless style that flows seamlessly from electro to folk to jazz to soul. The Bajan/Welsh/English 23-year-old plays lovely guitar on tunes with subjects touching on growing up, being true to oneself, prejudice and global warming. The Way I Dream, Twenty Years, Golden Brown and Waiting Game rule, while the pop Real Love should bring fans from the mainstream. RLR
LAGWAGON ****
Railer (Fat Wreck Chords)
There’s nothing new to report here, with the band admitting, in the opening line of lead single Bubble, “we’re not breaking ground.” It’s same old Lagwagon. But that’s not a barb on the band, because not many do it as well as Lagwagon. The Fat Wreck legends, now on their ninth album, sound as vital and energised as they ever on have on Railer. It’s awesome skatepunk – were you expecting something else? CA
LAURIE ANDERSON, TENZIN CHOEGYAL & JESSE PARIS SMITH ***
Songs From The Bardo (Smithsonian Folkways)
Definitely not Laurie Anderson responding “hold my beer” to the statement “your voice is so brilliant, you could read the phonebook and I’d love it,” Songs From The Bardo is 80 minutes of Anderson narrating sections of the Tibetan Book Of The Dead, backed by cello, Tibetan lute and the daughter of Patti Smith. Flippant arseholery aside, there’s great dedication here, a corollary to the group’s activism, lending SFTB – though it sometimes lands halfway between audiobook and mindfulness app – a quiet power. WS
MATANA ROBERTS *****
Coin Coin Chapter Four: Memphis (Constellation)
Another inspiring force that’s wagged tongues in American jazz this decade, Matana Roberts’ work draws on her African-American identity and family tree: her grandma is the cover model for the latest in her Coin Coin series. Blues and gospel are consistent stylistic choices here, not just something to tip a hat at, and amidst an hour of deep, vital sound poetry, the choral piece Her Mighty Waters Run is five minutes of music as powerful as I’ve heard all year. NG
MOON DUO ****
Stars Are The Light (Sacred Bones)
The prolific Portland pair augment a psych-rock brew on their seventh LP, desert rock bleeding into the usual dub-doused density with nods to late 80s/early 90s rave rendered sporadically. Highlights such as Lost Heads bathe in a candied cocktail of guitar and synth, while Fall (In Your Love) lulls with gilded lustre akin to early Stone Roses. Helped by the production expertise of Spacemen 3’s Sonic Boom, this could easily pass as the unearthly progeny of Hawkwind and Happy Mondays. CHP
RACHID TAHA ****
Je Suis Africain (Naive/Believe)
Completed prior to Rachid Taha passing away last year aged 59, this is a fitting final showcase for a ideologically sussed and uncompromising musician. Je Suis Africain is a selection of politically charged tracks, mostly made with Middle Eastern instrumentation that inventively rubs shoulders with Morricone-infused bluesy rock. After listening to this album, it is not difficult to understand why Damon Albarn and members of The Clash became committed Rachid Taha followers and collaborators. DN
RICHARD DAWSON *****
2020 (Domino)
Richard Dawson’s unique music draws on traditional English folk, the sea shanties of his native Newcastle, and other outsider influences. While this album sees him moving in a more conventional direction there is a hint of something like prog here, and the warped melodic sense that runs through all of his music is still there. Synths and electric guitars provide a wider sonic palette than on previous records, underpinning the twisted tales of everyday life that are Dawson’s lyrical matter. DG
SERAFINA STEER****
The Mind Is A Trap (Vitamin Concept)
An intriguing suite of tunes fashioned from electronica, harp, spoken word and more. The instrumental Whatsmystone shimmers symphonically, layers of harp cascade hypnotically on Time To Recover, and both weave through on Provides Common Ground and Say What You See, which isn’t a lament for Roy Walker, but a meditative echo of Björk’s Vespertine. The title track is arpeggiating Euro synthpop, stitching Arthur Russell with Bat For Lashes; Back On the Scene is Kraftwerkian and This Is My Emotion chomps Hot Chip. CS
THE SHERLOCKS ****
Under Your Sky (Infectious)
The Sherlocks’ second album is one of mellow optimism. It is fuelled by euphoric indie-rock anthems, bringing an upbeat context to grungy, tremoring riffs and thrumming drums. Magic Man is ironically not spellbinding, despite its intricately-weaved riffs; it’s bass-fronted in its overall buildup, but still breaks down into classic Brit-indie. Most of the tracks align to the guitar-bass-drums format, save for the ethereal synthesisers in Give It All Up and the twangy, echoing guitar in One Day. MF
SUGGESTED FRIENDS *****
Turtle Taxi (Fika)
This UK indie-meets-folk-meets-punk band’s music has a beachy, summer soundtrack feel, the lyrics are witty and relevant and the often emotional vocals compliment rather than demand all the attention. There are some beautiful guitar licks here that you wish were longer and make you press replay. More folk-pop than punk rock, this album deals with love, loss, death and landfill. Turtle Taxi has personality and humour and I was hooked from the first track. LN
THIRD EYE BLIND ***
Screamer (Megaforce)
“My current mood resonates with rebellion, energy, courage, and risk,” says Third Eye Blind frontman Stephan Jenkins, and that’s what you’re getting from their sixth album. Not as guitar based as you’d think, this, with innovative, risky sounds including multiple tone-altering tools amidst nods back to their 90s rock pomp. The Kids Are Coming (To Take You Down) has a Third Eye Blind vintage feel, while Light It Up and Who Am I drag the tempo right down. OS
DEMOS
CLWB FUZZ
Retroactively speaking, in that I only checked it out in the process of writing this review, the first song released by Cardiff four-piece Clwb Fuzz (Samurai, back in May) gives little indication of how heavy and lumbering their latest one is. High starts off with a Sabbath/Blue Cheer proto-metal riff and crawls along in a blur of feedback, dandruff and indolent Mary Chain/Loop vocals. If they have more songs like this and access to big amps, a Clwb Fuzz live performance could be very good. NG
PETTER RYLEN
Petter Rylen has already accrued a respectable CV as part of the Copenhagen jazz scene, but for reasons unspecified recently moved to Newport and is attempting to remodel himself as a solo concert pianist. So if, on the face of it, he’s surpassed the ‘demo’ stage, that’s essentially what these two new five-minute pieces are. Hyde is the jazzier of them, rippling and airy with subtle vocal interplay, while Poem is tonally sorrowful and seems to nod to minimal composition. NG
SEASIDE WITCH COVEN
Whatever makeup of identities I expected on first seeing the name Seaside Witch Coven, it wasn’t the three twentysomething blokes they turned out to be. Aside from this latest frown-inducing variation on the ‘Girl Band’/‘male techno DJ using a woman’s name’ carry-on, this Cardiff trio’s debut song Splutter is decent in an overdriven, yearning indie-punk way – think No Age or Japandroids, perhaps, with a punchy instrumental section about two-thirds in. NG