The best new albums of the month, April 2014

Happily, April was a much stronger month than March, and I ended up having to wade through 35 mostly decent new releases to make this month's ten. It was fairly tight though and I wouldn't be surprised if some albums I've skipped over return to favour with me in the next while.

The Skull Defekts 'Dances in Dreams of the Known Unknown'

my review (the 405)
"The album is a thrill from start to finish and is perhaps surprisingly accessible, particularly if you are aware of their previous work. There is great tension between the riffs and the melodies and the way the guitars are just seconds away from dipping into something truly edgy and discordant. The Skull Defekts are a lot more interesting and original than those bands simply retreading garage rock in the name of psychedelia. They understand the power of repetition when used correctly - think of the Fall, Can, Sonic Youth - and Higgis's presence completes the band and makes it possible to deliver an album as trippy, yet somehow coherent, as this one."

Fennesz 'Bécs'

Although he always seems to be busy and productive, this is the first full Fennesz album since 'Black Sea', and on it he makes some of his prettiest noise since 2002's masterpiece 'Endless Summer'. Existing fans will not be disappointed, unless of course they were looking for a dramatic progression, because 'Becs' builds on what Fennesz does best but doesn't push the boundaries too hard. If anything, it is more stripped back and at some points there is something resembling raw guitar, stripped of effects. It's a beautiful album.

Protomartyr 'Under Color of Official Right'

There's a bit of a buzz about these people at the moment, and rightly so. 'Under Color...' expands on their impressive debut and it crams 14 songs into its 34 minute duration. The band take a similar approach to Fugazi in that they manage to create space and atmosphere on even short songs, as the drums deliver an unconventional pattern which the rest of the band fill in. The lyrics seem worth investigating as well, but it's early days for me with this one, but I know it's strong enough to make the ten.

Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks 'Enter the Slasher House'

my review (the 405)
"Overall Enter the Slasher House is perhaps too subtle to sit amongst the likes of the Cramps, Goblin and Zombie Zombie playing John Carpenter, on your future Halloween playlist. The eeriness only really emerges after a few listens, and the same could be said for the contributions of Angel and Jeremy, but it would be a shame if people just viewed this as an Animal Collective side project, as there is plenty to investigate here."

Wye Oak 'Shriek'

To paraphrase LCD Soundsystem, they've sold their guitar and they're buying synthesisers. Whilst that's not 100% true, this new album from Wye Oak sees them change their sound dramatically, towards something very synth-based. This is fine because they have managed to write some brilliant songs for 'Shriek' which would sound good no matter what they are played on. This isn't the Wye Oak you know but it may still be the Wye Oak you love.

Shonen Knife 'Overdrive'

It didn't seem that long ago that the Knife were professing their love for the Ramones with their 'Osaka Ramones'. With 'Overdrive' - their 20th album in 33 years! - they have drawn on classic hard rock as their main influence. There are shades of Thin Lizzy on the opening 'Bad Luck Song', and things get a bit heavier for 'Like a Cat' and 'Ramen Rock', though the catchy 'Dance to the Rock' is a perfect balance between their own sound and the pop-rock they are paying homage to. Obviously a bit heavier than its predecessor 'Pop Tune' that's no bad thing, and they still manage to leave you smiling as always.

Woods 'With Light and With Love'

Their previous album 'Bend Beyond' saw them emerge into something more coherent than their early folk-jams would have hinted at, and this new one sees them take that a step further. FM country-rock and the Byrds loom large over this, and the band take those influences and update them. The title track in particular sees them achieve the best balance yet between the psychedelic guitar solos that lift their live shows to another level, and their skills in writing a strong tune.

Pixies 'Indie Cindy'

There are probably half a dozen Pixies-influenced indie-rock albums that could have nudged their way into this list, but to be honest none of them are as good as 'Indie Cindy'. I was firmly in the "no Pixies without Kim" camp and nearly didn't listen to this at all, but I'm glad I did. Those guitar lines and those clever little melodic twists that they were so good at are all present and at times they sound sublime.

EMA 'The Future's Void'

There is nothing on here as stunning as 'The Grey Ship' (from previous album 'Past Life Martyred Saints') but then EMA doesn't strike me as the kind of person who would repeat herself. Instead she kicks this off with 'So Blonde', a ghastly yet ironic dig at that bombastic LA pop-rock sound. It's all uphill from here thankfully, and a lot of the album focuses on the cyber side of things - hinted at by the cover pic of her with an Oculus Rift headset. We can't see her eyes, and she is looking at another reality. '3Jane' deals with voyeurism and web-exploitation in a subtle way, and 'Neuromancer' is maybe the most successful blend of her words and her new electronic direction.

Thee Oh Sees 'Drop'

The first recording under Thee Oh Sees name since John Dwyer announced their hiatus in December, so it will be interesting to see where they go from here. Musically 'Drop' follows on from where predecessor 'The Floating Coffin' left off, although the rough edges and wig-outs seem more tempered these days. Coupled with the lack of further news about their future and the fact that the album is just over 30 minutes in length, 'Drop' feels like a bit of a tease. It's a good one though.

The best album releases of the month, April 2013

In a rush to finish this as close to the start of the month as possible I have had to let a few albums slip past me this time. Some of this is the fault of having much less internet access this month, therefore those speculative streaming listens were few and far between, and some of it is the fault of the Knife and Kurt Vile for making albums that take over your whole night. Anyway, this also meant that I only heard a paltry 15 albums, and poor Haxan Cloak, David Grubbs, and the much acclaimed YouYourself&I are still on my "to listen" list. Also, I'm sure Mark Kozelek's new effort with Jimmy Lavalle from the Album Leaf is worth a listen, as is Colin Stetson's third volume of 'New History Warfare', but they have emerged on April 30th, so that's fairly useless to those of us trying to compartmentalise the year into twelve tidy chunks. Here are my ten picks....


Thee Oh Sees, 'Floating Coffin'
My instinctive reaction to 'Floating Coffin' was that it may be the best album Thee Oh Sees have made, and several listens later I'm still thinking along those lines. It has their unmistakable energy, the songs that go up a gear when you think they have nowhere left to go, and those distinctive whoops of John Dwyer. However, it has a consistent depth and variety across all the songs that also serve to make it a great introduction to those who are just discovering the band.


Daniel Johnston, 'Space Ducks'
my review (the 405)

Daniel Johnston was always a dreamer, always full of imagination, and it is great to see this whole Space Ducks project coming to fruition. This album is much more than just a comic book soundtrack, and it underlines his under-rated skill as a writer of classic pop songs.

Barn Owl, 'V'
Hard to believe that this is their fifth album already. This Californian based duo have been creating a drone-based psychedelic music for around three years, and the appropriately titled 'V' sees Evan Caminiti and Jon Porras created some lovely, yet somewhat haunted, ambient music. This is an almost meditative work, at times reminiscent of the beauty of Fennesz or Labradford. It makes me want to get immersed in their back catalogue at once.


The Knife 'Shaking the Habitual'
This was never going to be an easy listen, but given the mixed reaction to this album, it's possible that some fans expected the Knife to deliver another 'Silent Shout'. It may be worth remembering that their interim release since SS's success was an opera about Charles Darwin. 'StH' is an ambitious album which touches on philosophy and politics whilst stretching the boundaries of what is expected from an established act, and ending up with an album which may be as divisive and as important as 'Spirit Of Eden' or 'Kid A'. The 20 minute drone 'Old Dreams Waiting to be Realised' is the one that seems to split the fanbase, but I listened to it on a lonely late night walk and it totally spooked me. One thing is for sure, 'Shaking the Habitual' sounds more like the future than anything on this page.


Foot Village, 'Make Memories'
my review (the 405)

Foot Village have always positioned themselves outside of conventional rock music. They began as a conceptual band imagining life "after the end of the world" and their instrumentation on previous releases was intended to be post-apocalyptic and primal, as they deliberately refused amplification, and instead used their own rhythms and voices.....The changes in their sound {on this album] show that they are developing as a group. That post-apocalyptic world they've been living in conceptually for a while is beginning to evolve into something even more intriguing.

John Parish, 'Screenplay'
my review (the 405)

Screenplay isn't a typical soundtrack album, but it still manages to sound cinematic whilst proving that the electric guitar in the right hands is as good an instrument for evoking mood and atmosphere as any orchestra.

British Sea Power, 'Machineries of Joy'
This may turn out to be my favourite BSP album since their debut. Sequenced from tracks that were recorded after being road tested on their notorious Brighton residency last year, MoJ moves from the instantly classic title track to manic garage rock ('K Hole') through tender tunes like 'What You Need the Most' and 'Hail Holy Queen'. Overall it still sounds like the BSP you know and love, packed with strong tunes, and best of all, some fresh ideas.


James Blake 'Overgrown'
He got there soon enough. Blake's first EPs showed great promise as a producer as they showcased him doing interesting things with sound, but his debut album drifted to far into an almost MOR singer-songwriter world for my liking. 'Overgrown' is a consolidation of both aspects of James Blake - there are songs of course, but they are better crafted, and there is also enough sonic experimentation to show he is willing to push things forward. Oh yeah, and Wu Tang head honcho RZA guests on one track and Brian Eno contributed to 'Digital Lion'. Definitely going places.


Kurt Vile, 'Wakin on a Pretty Daze'
I made the mistake of listening to this late at night the first couple of times, and sure enough, I was asleep well before the end. It turned out that when I got to know it a bit better, that 'Wakin...' lived up to its title. It perfectly encapsulates a lazy morning, the songs are long, slow and lovingly crafted, as if they are soundtracking the waking up process itself.


White Fence 'Cyclops Reap'
Another act associated with the ultra-prolific lo-fi, garage psych scene coming out of the States over the past few years, White Fence is essentially Californian musician Tim Presley and 'Cyclops Reap' was originally intended to be a reversioning of some left-over 4-track songs. During that process he wrote and recorded a lot of songs and the album became a fresh new work. It is quiet and more reflective than some other WF releases, and it's actually pretty accessible, given Presley's for making lo-fi recordings sound great. There is an obvious Syd Barrett influence at work here, and I would say that if you don't enjoy Syd you may not enjoy this, although I think given the breakneck release schedule Presley works to, 'Cyclops..' doesn't sound thinly stretched and may win some people over.

Mid-September album stream overload

I've tried my best in 2012 to keep on top of new releases, attempting to hear them as soon as they come out or a week before, thanks to some of the major music websites and streaming technology.

It seems like September is the busiest month of all, and next week in particular sees a ton of new releases. Dozens of these are streaming at various sites and I've rounded up some of the immediately impressive ones below. Try and cram as many as you can before Monday - although I bet a lot of them will appear on Spotify then.

Grizzly Bear, Shields (via NPR)

Woods, Bend Beyond (via Spin)
I've had a stream of this for a while and I reviewed it for the 405.

How To Dress Well Total Loss (via The Complex)

The Sea and Cake, Runner (via Drowned In Sound)

Thee Oh Sees, Putrifiers II (via Stereogum)

Dinosaur Jr., I Bet on Sky (via NPR)

Sic Alps, Sic Alps (via Spin)

and last but not least, one that I can actually host here....

Oneohtrix Point Never/ Rene Hell Music For Reliquary House / In 1980 I was A Blue Square