Category: 21/30
-
the beths – expert in a dying field
The singles from The Beths’ latest record feature rousing riffs lightly glazed with an optimistic grunge (it exists, by the way). The ocean into which those singles were flowing, Expert in a Dying Field, shouldn’t necessarily be better, but greater. It’s that memorable critique of indie albums, that I feel hesitant to write: a lot […]
-
the lounge society – tired of liberty
Speedy Wunderground, record label/verb. to rise with acclaim, while wearing expensive-looking baggy clothes and having a shaky voice. Label manager Dan Carey (previous producer for Franz Ferdinand, black midi, Fontaines D.C. and TOY) has a definite ‘type’. This is an impassioned debut album with riveting moments that nonetheless needs a weightier voice. To make more […]
-
joe armon-jones, mala – a way back
On a fascinating collaboration, Joe Armon-Jones and Mala play with their lighter sides without sacrificing the undercutting darkness of dub. It’s central pitfall is that it works with the odds: the stakes are low and the payoff is expected. But it would be rude to say too much more—this is a gently titillating listening experience […]
-
GOON – hour of green everything
There’s a playfulness to ‘Hour of Green Everything’’s opener. It feels like a scratchy video of childhood, that is then taped over by the adolescent angst of track two. The Chris Isaak/Radiohead influence at the beginning of the album is a little on the nose, feeling like a timid recreation, hesitant to delve or truly […]
-
wu-lu – LOGGERHEAD
Wu-Lu’s South London is being gutted: the vibrance that gave it a life is now filtered through unforgiving pipes of amoral opportunism. However, ‘LOGGERHEAD’ is a lone howl, not a rallying cry. It is the second storm that followed the first. The instruments embody this anxious, angular self-reflection, but Wu-Lu’s vocal performances are often swallowed […]
100 words 