ALESSANDRO CORTINI *****
Volume Massimo (Mute)
Synthesizers can tell stories about the world in a language regular instruments can’t speak. Alessandro Cortini, a member of Nine Inch Nails, is pretty much fluent in it. Volume Massimo simply sounds gorgeous, and audio geeks will rejoice as basslines crackle and throb amidst white noise, whilst lead parts seem to fracture as they fight to escape the murk. But like all the best electronic musicians, Cortini brings emotion too, via a bittersweet melodic sensibility expressed through simple, sustained descending motifs. Highly recommended. APR
AMBER RUN ****
Philophobia (Easy Life)
Philophobia (the fear of emotional attachment) explores the highs and lows of love. Loved the orchestral intros, Joshua Keogh gentle vocals, the poppy rhythms, and the occasional lilting guitar; loved the church-like tone of single Affection; loved the title What Could Be Lonelier Than Love, although this track wasn’t as melodic as the others. This album has many layers, which become more apparent with each listen. It’s a shame the songs are so short. LN
BELLE AND SEBASTIAN ****
Days of the Bagnold Summer OST (Matador)
The interesting collaborative process between the posterband for turn-of-the-century whimsy and The Inbetweeners’ Simon Bird has brought about an intriguing set of songs. Bird’s directorial debut is an adaptation of a graphic novel of the same name; B&S used the novel and script as inspiration for the new songs and Bird dug deep into their back catalogue for more material to fit the film. The result is a consistent collection more typical of the band’s early days. JPD
BLACK BELT EAGLE SCOUT **
At The Party With My Brown Friends (Saddle Creek)
While Katherine Paul’s debut album thrived in its own niche of spacey rock ballads about intersectional issues, her follow-up as Black Belt Eagle Scout has chosen to disregard that perspective in apparent search of mainstream appeal. At The Party With All My Brown Friends is a conceptually homogeneous album, with lyrics exclusively about love, and a sound that can only be described as oppressively shoegaze. Paul’s performance remains enthralling, but the true heart of the project is absent. AS
CHASTITY BELT ****
Chastity Belt (Hardly Art)
A more grown-up record than you might expect from the band that brought you Pussy Weed Beer, but in truth this Seattle gang of friends has always been deeper and sadder than given credit for. On Chastity Belt, allusions to depression and breakdowns mix with guitar jams more gentle than usual, while subtle touches of strings and brass haunt with their sparseness. For all that, it’s a defiantly alive record, realistic and supportive, and pure balm for repeated listening. WS
DEAD SHED JOKERS ***
All The Seasons (Pity My Brain)
Their multifaceted sound is everything, nothing and something else – Dead Shed Jokers are the jazz equivalent of rock bands. There are some great metal riffs here, a few not so great ones too, the compelling vocals seem to be in a different genre from the music, and then there’s the folk element… but still I found myself nodding to the beat. Goth-rock, post-punk, progressive? An album for all seasons, perhaps. LN
ENTOMBED A.D ***
Bowels Of Earth (Century Media)
Just to clear up any misunderstanding: This is Entombed A.D, L.G Petrov’s version of the band who now bewilderingly exist as two entities. Bowels Of Earth sees the band back to their punishing best, essentially recalling their classic early-90s death metal/d-beat nastiness, with elements of their later ‘death’n’roll’ sound added for good measure. Petrov’s vocals stand up against any of the classic death metal growlers and he may turn out to be the difference in this internal band war. CA
THE FAIM *****
State Of Mind (BMG)
You might not recognise their name, but you’d be forgiven for thinking you recognised their songs. Thanks to hard work, ambition and access to half a dozen industry veterans, The Faim have been able to seamlessly adopt the brand of preppy, anthemic stadium rock that dominates the radio on their first full length release. For what they lack in originality, they more than make up for in enthusiasm, polish and sheer talent, and seem to have perfected the pop-rock formula. AP
FRANKIE COSMOS **
Close It Quietly (Sub Pop)
Greta Kline, aka Frankie Cosmos, returns with album four and continues to polish the lo-fi sound that first brought her attention. Whether you love or hate Close It Quietly hinges entirely on how you feel about Kline’s voice. If detached girl-next-door vocals are your bag then you’re in luck, as they’re front and centre and high in the mix. However, while the likes of Young Marble Giants and Broadcast heighten such singing with hypnotic music, Frankie Cosmos is basic AF indie-rock. SE
GRUFF RHYS ****
Pang (Rough Trade)
The Super Furries frontman has a consistently good solo output and this, his sixth studio album is no exception. South African producer Muzi has had a significant hand in the development of the songs, honing in ideas Rhys picked up whilst on previous tours and contributes to a varied and intricate recording. Unusual, eclectic soundscapes materialise throughout, but many of Rhys’ familiar musical quirks return to remind you it’s very much him. Highlights include the uplifting Afrobeat of Bae Bae Bae and the jazzy downtempo Niwl O Anwiredd. CPI
HENRY’S FUNERAL SHOE ***
Smartphone Rabbit Hole (self-released)
The new album by the south Walian Clifford brothers is another chunk of the blues-inspired rock they’ve come to be known for. When they groove, they sound like Clutch with more sass, but with tracks like Right Time the duo prove they can also croon like The Eagles when called upon. Rock music needs bands like Henry’s Funeral Shoe to remind the kids just how it used to be and how it can be taken forward. CA
IGGY POP ****
Free (Loma Vista/Caroline International)
After the tour that promoted his most successful album to date, Post Pop Depression, Iggy Pop was ready to walk away, but thankfully he changed his mind: Free will be his 18th album. Both dark and extremely soul-stirring, with a sparse cinematic sound, Loves Missing could have been lifted from The Idiot, while We Are The People is Pop covering a Lou Reed poem. If Free proves to be Iggy’s swansong, it is a damn fine farewell. DN
JENNY HVAL *****
The Practice Of Love (Sacred Bones)
Norway’s Jenny Hval goes pop for her seventh full-length album – or, at least, as poppy as the experimentalist can get, armed with icy synth arpeggiators and tripped-up beats. Partly inspired by Valie Export’s 1985 film of the same name, The Practice Of Love ruminates over mortality, intimacy and otherness through elliptical spoken word and lush electronica. Lead single Ashes To Ashes, with echoes of Björk and Angelo Badalamenti, is the otherworldly, shapeshifting centrepiece. Strange, ethereal, and quite magnificent. SP
KEANE ***
Cause And Effect (Island)
Keane’s debut album Hopes And Fears is up there for me, and surely for many others. It’s been a turbulent journey since, but after a hiatus Keane are back. Four albums released, four UK number ones, no pressure lads. The piano-based pop sound of Keane’s past could perhaps stand an upgrade, and indeed Cause And Affect features plenty of electro experimentation, while Tom Chaplin’s vocal still soars from a calm and whispering tone in Strange Room to a bellowing chorus of joy in standouts The Way I Feel and I Need Your Love. OS
LOWER DENS ***
The Competition (Ribbon Music)
Lead singer Jana Hunter wrote, recorded, produced and engineered The Competition based on his responses to the affliction of modern capitalism. While the sentiment behind the songs sounds engrossing the impact is limited by the largely incomprehensible lyrics. The classic electro-pop backings are stylish and well-constructed but perhaps not engaging enough. Alongside the accompanying videos, the songs work much better and some of the melodic lines do soar. The visuals help to add a clarity that the music, on its own, lacks. JPD
METRONOMY ****
Metronomy Forever (Because)
Metronomy really shine when they do what they do best – funky upbeat electropop numbers that perfectly soundtrack a hot summer. For the most part their sixth full length achieves this, although at 17 tracks there’s some filler – instrumental numbers that are just padding – and other bits that are way off the mark, such as the cringy Sex Emoji. However, the likes of Insecurity and Lately show there are some absolute gems in there to keep any fan happy. ML
NATASHA BEDINGFIELD ***
Roll With Me (We Are Hear)
Nigh on a decade since we last got new music from these vocal cords. Twenty million records sold worldwide and now with songwriter/producer extraordinaire Linda Perry on Natasha Bedingfield’s side – it looks like it’s working. Infectious rhythmic pop with catchy r’n’b mixed in, and not a bad offering at all, Kick It and Roller Skate fitting that brief to a tee. Everybody Come Together also includes a dirty-sounding guest spot for rapper Angel Haze. OS
NEW MODEL ARMY *****
From Here (earMUSIC)
NMA have come a long way since 1984’s Vengeance: they’ve dropped the punk, kept the rock and added folk. The raw, almost brutal tone of their early work has evolved into a more melodic, gentler sound. From Here is almost a concept album about existence and belonging; Justin Sullivan’s voice is mellow, lyrics are profound and poetic yet still have a political edge, and musically the band is at its most polished. LN
PHARMAKON ****
Devour (Sacred Bones)
Margaret Chardiet is a one-woman wrecking machine creating challenging, confrontational and uneasy listening under the Pharmakon moniker. Devour is the fourth album for the project, recorded live and intended to be listened to in one sitting for each side. The music is a complex structure of loops, oscillators, percussive sounds and tortured shrieks drenched in feedback and delay, yet amidst the chaos and walls of noise is a sense of order and something resembling melody in certain sections. GM
(SANDY) ALEX G ***
House Of Sugar (Domino)
This ninth offering from Alex Giannascoli will please his eagerly awaiting, growing fanbase. Half alt-country/folk, half electro-psychedelic with some songs a mix of both, it’s lethargic and melodically upbeat. The Philadelphia-based singer-songwriter gives distortion on guitar and layers his vocals, shifting pitch like there’s Munchkins singing on the eerie retelling of Brothers Grimm tale Gretel. Other standouts include Southern Sky, Cow and Taking, and he even takes a stab at the Boss with the live, Springsteen-sounding SugarHouse. RLR
SERGE PIZZORNO ****
The S.L.P. (Columbia)
Ennio Morricone-esque interludes, subterranean synth and sun-dappled beats oscillate throughout the Kasabian mainstay’s side-project debut, seeing Pizzorno strike out in agile style. Standouts ((trance)) and The Youngest Gary pulsate with an expectant arena-sating fervour, while Nobody Else shifts, with genre-flitting precision, from placid jazz-tinged origins to scintillating summer anthem fare. The S.L.P. flaunts eclectic experimentalism without veering into vacant excess: a peppy and slick release that proves fresh, nimble and instantly replayable. CHP