Cornershop – England Is A Garden
The first single, No Rock: Save In Roll, a tribute to the Black Country of his childhood by frontman Tjinder Singh, was recently highlighted on our New Songs section, and the rest of his album continues in the same vein – a humorous, often sharply ironic (see the song Everywhere That Wog Army Roam) but always affectionate portrayal of this England, this island of sometimes uneasy, but pop-inspiring multiculturalism. Few bands fuse styles so seamlessly into catchy pop as Cornershop, from the psych and flutey folk of Slingshot or Highly Amplified, tabla on the title track, glam metal on No Rock, or sitar indie on One UnCareful Lady Owner. Timelessly charming, clever work. Out on Ample Play.
Cornershop – St Marie Under Canon
Riz Ahmed – The Long Goodbye
The Wembley-born actor, best known his starring role in Four Lions, as well as appearing in Star Wars, has for several years had a parallel career as sharp-witted rapper performing as Riz MC and as one half of the duo Swet Shop Boys. This album runs on a more barbed, bitter Asian experience of Britain, of dual identity difficulty, and how Brexit is bringing out old and new racist wounds. It references the poet and philosopher Muhammad Iqbal, writer Saadat Hasan Manto and is released with an accompanying, powerfully shocking short film. The rapping, filled with pun-rich wordplay (eg. Fast Lava) is threaded with painful breakup scenarios that portray the country as a deceitful lover (The Breakup, Toba Tek Singh, and Mindy Take Half) and is accompanied by jagged percussion (Ammi: Come Home) skits, sampled traditional Indian and Pakistani instruments and singing. A whirlwind of anger and very dark humour. "Maybe I'm from everywhere and nowhere … I made my own place in this business of Britishness." Out Mongrel.
Riz Ahmed – Toba Tek Singh
Caroline Rose – Superstar
Cheeky, funky pop filled with self-deprecatory humour ("I'm so in love with myself, it's so romantic) from the singer-songwriter from Long Island who has progressed from first two albums of country and folk, to new territory. With this fourth LP she follows up 2018's album, Loner, with an opposite title. It projects the character of a quirky anti-hero, who after receiving a mistaken call from the elite hotel Chateau Marmont, decides to leave their old life behind in order to become a big Hollywood star. A lovely parody of ambition and hope. Out on New West Records.
Caroline Rose – Feel The Way I Want
U.S. Girls – Heavy Light
Seventh album of experimental pop from the artist also known as Meghan Remy from Toronto, is another form of seamlessly created collaged art in musical form. Overtime, for example, mixes soul, Abba and Bruce Springsteen with heavy saxophone, is about drinking oneself today. 4 American Dollars is a late-seventies disco-pop, Denise, Don’t Wait has a sixties girl-group sound. Bossa Nova? A dash of Patti Smith? It's all here in an eclectic mix by a performer who seems to have a endless palette of styles. Out on 4AD.
U.S. Girls – 4 American Dollars
Honey Harper – Starmaker
Sweet sounding, smooth, sun-bleached celestial country by the singer also known as William Fussell, influenced by his Georgia upbringing, as well as the work of Gram Parsons and The Eagles. Tomorrow Never Comes, Dido Building Carthage, Strawberry Lite are among the outstanding tracks. Out on ATO.
Honey Harper - Strawberry Lite
Disq – Collector
Agile, punchy, tight, excellent debut from the Wisconsin indie teenagers, who like Soccer Mommy and other bands, seem very much influenced by bands ranging from Pavement to Parquet Courts to Teenage Fanclub, especially on opener Daily Routine, or I'm Really Trying for example. D19 and Konichiwa have a slower, powerful confidence, while Fun Song 4 and the youthful Loneliness have the jaunty style of The La's. Out on Saddle Creek
Disq – Daily Routine
Paul Heaton & Jackie Abbott – Manchester Calling
The former Housemartins man releases his eighth solo album, and his fourth with former Beautiful South co-singer Jackie Abbott, another collection of acerbically clever upbeat songs of self-deprecatory humour on classic topics such as sex (The Only Exercise I Get Is You), depression (Somebody’s Superhero), and long-suffering love (If You Could See Your Faults), grandiose loneliness (The Outskirts of the Dancefloor). Abbott goes solo on The Prison, on a sad teenage pregnancy story, while MCR Calling is a mix of sampled accented voices as a tribute to Heaton's adopted city. Out on EMI.
Paul Heaton & Jackie Abbott – The Only Exercise I Get Is You
Georgia Ruth – Mai
Beautiful Welsh folk from Cymru, by the singer and harpist from Aberystwyth. While she writes her own material, the focus of this album, her third is a celebration of the month of May by Edwardian poet Eifion Wyn. This is very much an album to usher in the spring, such as on the dreamy odes Bloom and Cosmos. Exquisite work throughout particularly on the song Madryn. Out on Bubblewrap Collective.
Georgia Ruth – Madryn
Brielle Ansems – This New Hurricane
Serenely beautiful album by the indie-folk-pop singer who is based in Canada's remote Prince Edward Island of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Possessing a powerfully pure, soulful voice, her emotional love songs are mature, restrained, perceptive and sensitive. With a mxi of piano and orchestral parts, it is smoothly produced by Adam Gallant at The Hill Sound Studio, starting with the excellent opener, Fade, to Ironside, to More Than My Heart, to the seventh and the final, Sweet Simple Love. The whole album can be heard on Spotify or Soundcloud. Out on Mosaic Music.
Brielle Ansems – Fade
This week's selection is by The Landlord.
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