International Teachers of Pop – Pop Gossip
After last year's brilliant eponymous debut, the Sheffield electro-pop stalwarts return with a wonderful throbbing second full of dazzling sounds – witty wobbles, saucy squiggles, dirty squirts, and belting beats all to make catchy, banging tunes. Adrian Flanagan and Dean Honer (of Moonlandingz and the Eccentronic Research Council) and singers Leonore Wheatley and Katie Mason continue to create sounds of the future in the past, and vice versa, their retro-sounding pop magically fresh, tasty and solid, just like some delicious northern pie with hot, steaming gravy. Every track just makes you want to dance in the most unpretentious way from Flood The Club to Don’t Diss The Disco, Gaslight to Femenergy, and to add an extra humour dollop of humour, featuring Sleaford Mods' Jason Williamson, I Stole Yer Plimsolls. Well tasty. Out on Desolate Spools.
International Teachers of Pop – Flood The Club
Bright Eyes – Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was
If ever there was a year which needed the intelligent, defiant melancholy of a Bright Eyes album, 2020 is it. Although the American trio of Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott decided to reform the band at a Christmas party in 2017, the timing seems perfect, especially to mark the 20th anniversary since their acclaimed album Fevers and Mirrors. Song after song is strong, with that familiar slow walking pace beat with Oberst's powerful, near-tears delivery, mixing the apocalyptic with the personal, with standouts tracks such as Mariana Trench, already previewed on our New Songs section, to One And Done, in which there is mention of the "final field recording from the loud Anthropocene", To Death’s Heart (In Three Parts), and Just Once In the World. Profound, powerful and beautiful. Out on Dead Oceans
Bright Eyes – Persona Non Grata
The Killers – Imploding The Mirage
A massive seller of stadium-filling unison coffee table rock or a dinosaur gradually flopping? Brandon Flowers and co have been sitting on the fence between these two for some time now, especially with 2017’s bit of both – Wonderful Wonderful. If you're already a fan, and like every song turned up to the max, fists pumping into massive choruses, then this won't entirely disappoint or excite, it's just more of the same, it's very Killers but nothing new innovative nor anything like the noughties when they were young bucks. Imploding and a mirage they are indeed. Although there's some attempt at innovation - a bit of krautrock sampling, and guests including the wonderful singer-songwriter Weyes Blood, Adam Granduciel of the War on Drugs, and just to nail down some commercial partnering, Fleetwood Mac's former difficult person Lindsey Buckingham who admittedly does a quality job of guitar soloing on Caution. Tracks to check out just to make sure: Dying Breed, Blowback, FIre In Bone, Lightning Fields, and Caution. Out on Island Records.
The Killers – Caution
The Lemon Twigs – Songs for the General Public
The prodigiously talented instrument-swapping brothers Michael and Brian D’Addario return with their third album, infused with all the rock-camp-pop elements of the 1970s, from Ziggy Stardust to Marc Bolan to Elton John. Stylish excessive energy, from Who-style drum breaks to flashy guitar solos and their distinctive, nasal singing, and they now resemble even more a young Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood. Tracks worth giving some indulgence – The One, Hell On Wheels and Moon. Out on 4AD.
The Lemon Twigs – The One
X – Alphabetland
Comeback albums regularly appear on this section, and this is stretching the years more than most. The first LP for a mere 27 years by the legendary LA punk band, and 40 years since their acclaimed debut Los Angeles. The original foursome - Exene Cervenka, John Doe, Billy Zoom, and DJ Bonebrake continue to give it full throttle on this short, sharp album of 30 minutes and 11 songs, with among the notable tracks Water & Wine, the title track, Delta 88 Nightmare and Goodbye Year, Goodbye. Out on Fat Possum.
X – Water & Wine
Dan Croll – Grand Plan
Thoughtful, sensitive, intelligent acoustic work by the singer-songwriter from Liverpool who reached a crossroads a couple of years ago and ventured to Los Angeles brought his guitar to beach for clean break. This album chronicles his journey there and how he found his feet. Tender, introspective work that contrasts with the fuller band sound of his first two albums. Tracks to try out: Grand Plan, Surreal, So Dark. Out on Communion.
Dan Croll – Surreal
Bully – Sugaregg
Another artist goes solo with a third album, and here the artist also known as Alicia Bognanno expresses and explores everything around the subject of her bipolar diagnosis through the prism of grunge, giving plenty of room for screams of anguish and dynamic volume changes. Where to start? Perhaps with the song Where To Start, with its buzzing, thrumming bass, a pleasing melody, and her controlled anger that echoes the Pixies. Other good tracks the slower Prism, Hours and Hours and Hours, Come Down, Every Tradition and Like Fire. Out on Sub Pop.
Bully – Where To Start
Andrew McCormack – Solo
The pianist weaves a mesmerising selection of solo piano pieces that seem playfully improvised and also craftily composed, filled with syncopated rhythms and beautiful melodies, crossing between jazz, classical and almost stage musical in flavour, these are wonderful inventive without being overly flash. Dream Catcher, Nobody Else But Me and Shaker Maker are three of the standouts of the 11 instrumental tracks but start anywhere and you can't go wrong, each one sounding like a vivid narrative. Out on Ubuntu Music.
Andrew McCormack – Dream Catcher
Chuck Prophet – The Land That Time Forgot
The prolific San Francisco singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer returns for his 15th solo album on top of all multiple guest musician work, and previous songs with Green on Red in the 1980s and early 90s. It's another selection of classic witty, wry lyric writing in a rock'n'roll / country style that echoes in different ways Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe. Standout songs this time include Best Shirt On, Marathon, High As Johnny Thunders and the stripped back political angle of Nixonland, as well as closing track Get Off the Stage. Out on Yep Roc.
Chuck Prophet – Get Off The Stage
This week's selection is by The Landlord.
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