Doves – The Universal Want
Welcome return for the Manchester indie rock trio of Jimi Goodwin and twins Jez and Andy Williams with their first album for 11 years. It's almost as if they've never been away, with this very sounding like them at their heights of Some Cities and The Last Broadcast - emotive, passionate and rich, noisy layers of sound. Opener Carousel builds powerfully with syncopated rhythms, I Will Not Hide has an acoustic energy, Cathedrals of the Mind spins on some electronica with guitar, Prisoners soars ethereally with pumping momentum, and it's a very strong, consistent album throughout, possibly their best ever. Out on Virgin.
Doves - Prisoners
The Flaming Lips – American Head
Drily humorous, surreal and a little silly at times, Wayne Coyne and co's mischievously titled 21st studio album is less experimental than many of their odder releases and cover versions of the past few years, and echoes, if not quite reaches their creative peak of almost two decades ago of The Soft Bulletin or Yoshmi Battles the Pink Robots, but it's a fun album of rather beautiful songs, especially for the established fan. And they certainly seem to echo The Beatles' Across the Universe era on the psychedelic Mother Please Don't Be Sad, while Mother I’ve Taken LSD yearns for a little bit of Pulp’s Sorted for E’s and Wizz, and there's very much a Pink Floyd sound on Watching The Lightbugs Glow. Overall a fun, drug-themed hallucination of an album that gets a little stoned, slow and long at times, but shimmers with beauty too. Out on Bella Union.
The Flaming Lips - God and the Policeman
Marilyn Manson – We Are Chaos
"And I will cover Earth in honey, and everyone will eat themselves," says Manson, darkly and with that distinctive deep voice on opening track Red Black and Blue. The goth returns though with a more introspective, vulnerable side, and an accompanying painting, Infinite Darkness, shown on the album's cover and closer Broken Needle searches for an inner truth. The title track has an acoustic element that has a dash of Barrett Pink Floyd about it, with Paint You With My Love is a tender number. There's still plenty of heavy rock blood and bluster on tracks such as Perfume, but Manson's definitely mellowed, and this makes for balanced release of dark and less dark, at least, umbra and penumbra. As he puts it: "Shards and slivers of ghosts haunted my hands when I wrote most of these lyrics … Tears are the human body’s largest export.” Out on Loma Vista.
Marilyn Manson – We Are Chaos
Toots and the Maytals – Got to Be Tough
It's been very sad to hear that reggae veteran Frederick 'Toots' Hibbert passed away recently at the age of 77, but at least this latest album is a fabulous farewell that, is filled, as with many of his best older songs, with numbers that tackle themes of social injustice while also summoning the irresistible urge to dance. Toots strove personally to get this album finished – producing, arranging and playing several instruments including some great bass lines, and wrote almost every song. Upbeat and brassy, standouts include Warning Warning, Drop Off Head, Struggle, Stand Accused, and the slavery-themed Just Brutal. Rest in peace, Toots. Fight and dance on. Out on Trojan Jamaica/BMG.
Toots and the Maytals – Warning Warning
Bróna McVittie – The Man in the Mountain
The Irish folk singer returns after 2018's much praised debut We Are the Wildlife with a work of tender beauty, mixing traditional sounds, such as harp and guitar, with electronica. The former comes on opener The Green Man, with added eerie flute by Anne Garner. There are many dreamy wonders to behold here, such as Secretly Between the Shadow and the Soul, inspired by the poetry of Chile's Pablo Neruda, the cello on In the Secret Garden, the intimate, but violently gentle title track, So Be It When I Shall Grow Old, or working with Norwegian trumpeter Arve Henriksen on the wonderfully sparse The Lark in the Clear Air, and the harp-rich Strange and Forgotten Things of the Moor. Gorgeous, delicate and delightful. Out on Company of Corkbots.
Bróna McVittie – The Green Man
Susanna – Baudelaire & Piano
After her previous album, a musical interpretation of the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch, Norwegian singer returns to celebrate another of her passions – the words of French poet Charles Baudelaire, the flowery language of the former combined with the focus, simplicity and discipline of just her on the piano and singing. It certainly works with her splendid voice and straightforward self-accompaniment across a range of moods but similarly paced tracks, from The Dancing Snake to The Enemy, Burial to Meditation to Obsession, all the way to The Ghost. Out on Susanna Sonata.
Susanna – Longing for Nothingness
Anjimile – Giver Taker
A gorgeous debut from the Texas and Boston-raised singer-songwriter who has a distinctive, beautiful unique voice with an extra dimension, being non-binary, trans and of Malawian heritage. Comparisons have been made to the tranquil, reflective side of Sufjan Stevens, but Anjimile has their own style of orchestral folk with a hypnotic quality that also slightly echoes the work of Aldous Harding. Gems to try include In Your Eyes, Baby No More, 1978 and Your Tree. What of the most exquisite debuts of the year. Out on Father/Daughter.
Anjimile – In Your Eyes
Mammal Hands – Captured Spirits
Vigorous, evocative, ethereal and genre-spanning, the Norwich trio of saxophonist Jordan Smart, pianist Nick Smart and drummer and percussionist Jesse Barrett are a truly balanced mix of jazz, north Indian, folk and classical music. This latest release numbers vividly quicken the pulse, constantly undulating in melody and rhythm, painting pictures and narratives. Check out tracks many lovely tracks such as Chaser, Ithaca, and the beautiful Boreal Forest. Out on Gondwana Records.
Mammal Hands – Chaser
Richard and Linda Thompson – Hard Luck Stories 1972–1982
The Thompsons have always been popular on Song Bar, so it would be remiss to ignore this substantial boxset of no less than eight CDs, or many downloads. But this is no mere compilation. While it spans the full scope of their musical partnership, from the 60s to touring together as the wry name, Sour Grapes, their first formal LP release 1974's I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight to the final album together, 1982's as it includes 31 unreleased songs Shoot Out the Lights. Among many previously unreleased gems are Amazon Queen, an early Richard Thompson psych-pop version, or a demo Dimming of the Day, new workings of the bleak and spooky Mother and Son and The End of the Rainbow, Richard's live material from Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and A Bird in God’s Garden, and an exquisite almost 13-minute version of Night Comes In, from Pour Down Like Silver. Sparkling light throughout, and fascinating in their vocal and guitar partnership, not merely for the music but for all the emotional storms and calms. Out on UMC/Universal.
Richard and Linda Thompson – Night Comes In
This week's selection is by The Landlord.
New to comment? It is quick and easy. You just need to login to Disqus once. All is explained in About/FAQs ...
This is only a selection of recommended listens not a catalogue of releases nor full reviews. Feel free to recommend more and comment below. You can also use the contact page, or find more on social media: Song Bar Twitter, Song Bar Facebook. Song Bar YouTube, and Song Bar Instagram. Please subscribe, follow and share.
Please make any donation to help keep Song Bar running: