The best new albums of the month, September 2014

Release schedules usually mean that it's easy to pick 10 albums in the summer months, while the Autumn and New Year sees so many releases it is hard to limit the list to 10. Step forward September, which always manages to overwhelm me. This time it was even worse as I had no laptop for half of September and I only got to hear 29 of the 33 albums I had on my long list. I can't quite believe that I haven't got around to people like Laetitia Sadier and Thom Yorke yet, but that's why they are missing from the 10.

Holy Sons 'The Fact Facer'
my review (the 405)
"The Fact Facer applies variety and imagination throughout, which doesn't dilute the melancholy, yet ensures that the album doesn't become an overbearing listen. If anything it is the opposite, as the band are full of surprises and Emil Amos's voice is often a joy to hear. By the end of the album you can scarcely believe that this man is the drummer in Om."

Camera 'Remember I was Carbon Dioxide'
my review (the 405)
"Whilst there is no escaping the Krautrock influences, Camera have at least updated that sound with their own imagination, punky energy and a willingness to progress. If you enjoy the music of those German bands mentioned at the start of the review, you should get something out of this energetic 21st reboot of the genre."

Karen O 'Crush Songs'
I guess it's deliberate that the demos that make up 'Crush Songs' are barely there, recorded in a single take and often only about a minute long. The melodies are simple, delicate, and the instrumentation is mostly just a roughly recorded acoustic guitar, though there are little beats dotted around. It is a glimpse into her private emotions and manages to sound and feel like exactly that.

Tweedy 'Sukierae'
A double album created by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy and his son Spencer, this is a lot better than I thought it would be. Spencer is a clearly a great drummer and his work on this manages to leave as distinctive a stamp of some of this material as his Dad's voice does. 20 songs as well, which are much more than Wilco cast-offs, in fact some of them are superb.

Aphex Twin 'Syro'
A much acclaimed return for Aphex Twin, with an album more succinct than its predecessor 'Druqks'. It immediately sounds like Aphex, though some of the edginess, crazier aspects have been tempered in favour of fairly accessible, almost house-influenced tunes.

Half Japanese 'Overjoyed'
I can't remember the last time that I listened to a full Half Japanese album, but I'm thrilled that they are such good form here. Cracking guitar sounds, the usual dubious rhymes in the lyrics, and Jad Fair is completely in your face throughout.

Shellac 'Dude Incredible'
Anyone was has seen Shellac in the last few years will be familiar with some of these songs. This album is one of their most immediate - and time will tell if it's amongst their best. Naturally it sounds brilliant, and quirky as well, with an a cappella opening on side 2 and more songs about surveyors on one album than anyone else has ever written.
(Obviously no Spotify on this one, but some chancer has put some of it on youtube, see below)

Sea Pinks 'Dreaming Tracks'
Relative unknowns in this list of heavy-hitters, Sea Pinks hail from Belfast and have a neat line in indie-pop, with nods to the heyday of Postcard records. Their fourth album, but the first to be recorded in the studio with a full band, complete with cello to add a bit of melancholy. Some strong songwriting, and the tracks flow really well together.

Perfume Genius 'Too Bright'
It took me longer to get into this than it had with his previous albums, first impressions were that the greater ensemble of musicians made PG's music more robust, less fragile. The songs do get under your skin in a pleasant way after a few listens, though the tracks with more dynamic range come across better

Tricky 'Adrian Thaws'
Not a perfect album by any means, but it's a sprawling, surprising effort by Tricky, hot on the heels of last year's False Idols. Random nods to past influences with a cover of Janet Kay's Silly Games and a cheeky Massive Attack steal. 

live review: Grizzly Bear/ Perfume Genius, Cambridge Junction, 28th August

I've been privileged to witness some special Grizzly Bear shows over the years. I chanced upon their performance on the beach at Minehead that is used in the All Tomorrow's Parties film, and four years ago I saw them play in a synagogue in Washington DC.
I had considered this Cambridge show to be a cursory warm-up for their main stage appearance at the End of the Road festival, so I was surprised to hear that it was actually their first show anywhere in two years!

Another special aspect to this show is the presence of Perfume Genius in the support slot. I'm not sure how many in the crowd were aware of his music, but he got enough hush to play a delicate 45 minute set without distraction. 'Normal Song' and a minimal cover of Neil Young's 'Helpless' needed some quiet, whilst new single 'Take Me Home' and the slow burning build-up of 'Dark Parts' demanded attention. The beautiful 'Hood' got the best reaction, and it was good to hear 'Lookout, Lookout' and 'Mr Peterson' from the debut album as well.

With the new Grizzly Bear album 'Shields' still the best part of a month away from a proper release, tonight was always going to feature a lot of previously unheard music. In fact they opened with a new song, 'Speak in Rounds', which was immediately impressive and saw Ed and Daniel taking turns at lead vocals. All of their familiar tricks and trademarks were present – classic harmonies and complex arrangements that never feel cluttered and have plenty of room to breathe.

They followed this with one of my favourite songs of theirs, 'Cheerleader', and I had almost forgotten how well the separate parts of the band gel together to turn this song into something special. Chris Taylor's vocals are spot on and, despite their long period away from the live scene, there is no sign of rustiness from the band.

The two familiar songs from the forthcoming album follow this; the ambitious prog leanings of 'Sleeping Ute' and the more straight forward 'Yet Again', and it's clear that this crowd are well behind this new material.

Having said that, the band delve way back into their past to deliver a spacious, almost dubby take on the classic 'Little Brother'. The oldest song featured tonight was 'Shift' (from the 'Horn of Plenty' album) and previous album 'Veckatimest' was well represented with 'Ready, Able', the catchy 'Two Weeks' and a lovely version of 'Foreground' all getting some attention.

A selection of unfamiliar new songs late in the set zapped a bit of the momentum and overall it came across that the music itself seemed to be taking a turn from alt-folk towards prog-rock. The more recognisable 'While You Wait for the Others' closed the main set in style.

The much deserved encore was classy and cool. An unpredictable inclusion of the Crystals 'He Hit Me' seemed to underline what Grizzly Bear are all about. Take some classic pop music and tweak it and stretch it into something new. The always amazing 'On A Neck, On A Spit' closed the evening on a real high and served to remind just how great some of their songs are.

Tonight was another memorable Grizzly Bear show,and it was a pleasure to see them in such intimate surroundings.

Set list

Speak in Rounds
Cheerleader
Sleeping Ute
Yet again
Little brother
Shift
Two Weeks
Fine For Now
Gunshy
Ready Able
Simple Answer
Foreground
Half Gate
While you Wait for the Others
----
He hit me
On a neck on a spit

WATCH: Perfume Genius, 'Dark Parts'

After some strange people took offence to his last video for 'Hood', Perfume Genius has now chosen his mother to star with him in his film for his latest release from his 'Put Yr Back in 2 It' album, 'Dark Parts'.
As he explained on his track-by-track break down of the album on Matador's website...

This song (Dark Parts) is about my mom. I was worried about showing her, but she cried through the whole thing. I wanted to take something from her life that wasn't happy, and turn it in to something triumphant, to remind her how strong and beautiful and loved and important she is. She doesn’t like the last line and says that her dark parts belong to her alone.

It's lovely.

Listen: 10 of the best releases of the month, February edition

Sharon van Etten 'Tramp'
Listen via Spotify
my review

There is an old adage about albums "growing on you" or "warranting repeated listens". In my experience this is very true of Tramp. Brutally honest and self-analytical, it sounds best when you are on your own late at night. I'm reminded of that old discussion about “who sings better in the dark?” The answer, at the moment, is Sharon van Etten.

Twilight Sad 'No One Can Ever Know'
Listen via Spotify
my review

I can't see many fans being disappointed with this as they have updated and added new dimensions to their sound, whilst still managing to sound like themselves. James Graham's lyrics are still intriguing and his vocal delivery totally works within these arrangements. The voice isn't lost within multiple noise guitars, instead it soars above a wall of synths. Impressive from start to finish, they can certainly consider this a success.

Mark Lanegan 'Blues Funeral'
Listen via Spotify
A change a direction, some would say even a re-invention for Mark Lanegan. That distinctive bassy voice of his sounds great as usual, though this time around the musical emphasis is on keyboards and synths, which is a surprise, but it works.

Geoff Farina 'The Wishes of the Dead'
Listen via Spotify

my review

Ultimately The Wishes of the Dead works as both a fine collection of contemporary songs and a homage to legendary folk guitarists. The fact that it may make post-rock fans check out the recordings of Blind Willie Johnson or the Rev Gary Davis is an added bonus.

Tindersticks 'The Something Rain'
Listen via Spotify
A huge return to form for the Tindersticks, this is their best album since the mid-90s. 'The Something Rain' manages to sound like classic Tindersticks whilst adding little extra things here and there. Almost worth it for the 9-minute story song 'Chocolate' on it's own.

Windy and Carl 'We Will Always Be'
Listen via Spotify

my review (the 405)

There are no radical departures from earlier Windy & Carl releases, but after eight albums and nearly 20 years into their musical adventure, this is as impressive as any of their releases. For fans of shoegaze, drone-rock and ambient guitar music, this is definitely worth investigating.

Jim White 'Where It Hits You'
Listen via Spotify

my review (the 405)

'Where It Hits You' is his fifth studio album and is a slice of luscious Americana, not unlike some of the work of Lambchop, in that it is rooted within country music yet it uses such a wide range of sounds and influences that it ends up being something distinct.

Sleigh Bells 'Reign of Terror'
Listen via Spotify
Rumours of a change in direction are a bit unfounded although the mock-metal opening track is a bit surprising, this album carries on where their debut left off, it's still essentially a mix of noise guitars and sugary vocals. The difference lies not in the metal influences, but in darker pop songs such 'End of the Line' which show a depth of emotion that their flashy image often masks.

Cloud Nothings 'Attack on Memory'
Listen via Spotify
Much more of a coherent band recording than the Cloud Nothings debut, in fact this is somewhere between pop-punk and post-hardcore, and the songs are longer and more developed this time around. This evokes classic Dischord releases and was recorded by Steve Albini, even if the band insist he "played Scrabble on Facebook the whole time" he was in the studio!

Perfume Genius 'Put Your Back N 2 It'
Listen via Spotify
A delicate collection of short songs, which deals with some pretty heavy subject matter. It is one thing to set out to write about depression and dysfunction, but Perfume Genius manages to tell his tales with an eye for detail which not only brings you further into the experience, it also rewards repeated listens. It's early days for me with this album, but I expect I will be exploring it more in the coming weeks.





Other honourable mentions this month go to the EPs from Fucked Up, which is on Spotify and Burial, which isn't.

Other non-Spotify albums worth a listen are
Young Magic (my review is here), Minimal Wave Tapes Vol 2 (my review is on the 405)
Lambchop's Mr.M and the long awaited new album from the Dirty Three.