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Joan As Police Woman: Lemons, Limes and Orchids
New album: New York’s Joan Wasser returns with fabulously classy, intelligent, stylishly stripped-back LP, her first set of new songs since 2018’s Damned Devotion, and all centred on love and loss
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Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Wild God
New album: The 18th studio LP by the messianic Australian and band, first since 2019’s Ghosteen, is perhaps the best for some time – grandiose, passionate, powerful, using deity, religion, myth and narrative, and despite all the tragedy and loss in Cave’s family, somehow flows with rapturous hope
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EELS TIME!
New album: Serial survivor Mark Oliver Everett returns with that familiar mix of droll, ironic but catchy, melancholy but upbeat numbers, on themes of love, the passage of time, as well as more extreme experiences – family trauma, and his recent open-heart surgery
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Favourite LPs of 2023, Part 2.
Welcome once again to the annual tradition of Song Bar’s favourite album releases of 2023. This is Part 2, and Part 1 was yesterday. There’s no such thing as a chart rundown or ‘best of’ here, and these come in no particular order …
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Part 1 selection of 2023 favourite albums
Welcome once again to the annual tradition of Song Bar’s favourite album releases of 2023. This is Part 1, and Part 2 is also out here. There’s no such thing as a chart rundown or ‘best of’ here, and these come in no particular order. This is all about quality and innovation …
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Quantic: Dancing While Falling
New album: Inexorably catchy, lavishly orchestrated 70-era disco, funk, gospel, soul and pop from the British New York-based musician and DJ Will Holland in his Quantic moniker, joined by great guest vocalists and collaborators, particularly Andreya Triana
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Lol Tolhurst x Budgie x Jacknife Lee: Los Angeles
New album: The ex-Cure drummer and the acclaimed percussionist of Siouxsie, Creatures and other bands team up with the Irish producer for a wonderfully rhythmic, sharply witty, krautrock-style/synth pop-punk fusion with guest vocalists including LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy
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Geese: 3D Country
New album: A brilliant second album following 2021’s Projector by the Brooklyn indie-rock quintet, packed with thunderous rocky, bluesy psychedelic grooves, retro yet fresh, stop-start rhythms, and charismatic deep-voiced delivery of Cameron Winter
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Courting: Guitar Music
New album: Short, snappy, sharp and caustically ironic, the Liverpool indie post-punk band’s 30-minute, eight-track LP follows their excellent 2021 EP Grand National with biting lyrics, catchy melodies and ferocious energy
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EELS: Extreme Witchcraft
New album: Mark Oliver Everett, who always wrestles with personal demons in his music, returns with an album characterised with a sparky upbeat energy, buzzing guitars and pace with often wry, but very catchy numbers
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Hop Up by Orlando Weeks
New album: Mellow, ethereal, and with Talk Talk as an musical influence, the former Maccabees frontman’s solo follow-up to A Quickening emanates carefree, floating joy with light funk-pop electronica and his high, soft vocal delivery
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The Solution is Restless
New album: Joan Wasser and her long-time collaborator’s brilliant, beautiful, dark, and perfectly paced blend of funk-afro-jazz with vocals, bass, piano, strings, horns, and stored sessions from the great departed afrobeat drum pioneer
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Going back to go forward: Nation of Language
New album: The follow-up to Introduction, Presence (2020), the Brooklyn trio continue in very likeable new wave synth vein, but dipping more into style of the 70s pioneers such as Kraftwerk and Neu! as well as early Human League and OMD
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This week’s very colourful square of album covers is matched by the quality of the music
Album reviews roundup: This week’s selection again reflects the times - divided political America to grief and isolation, but also presents an abundance of creativity, wit and musical invention crossing everything from jazz to hip hop
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