THE WAVE PICTURES - A
Season In Hull
How do I describe it?
This album has literally seduced my soul. I must have listened to it more than
a hundred times over the past month, and I'm still feeling dizzy about every
fucking second of “Slick Black River From The Rain” and its final lyrical punchline.
They used to sound like a cross between Orange Juice and Monochrome Set, now
it's all laidback melodies, sharp lyrics (seriously, what an eye for detail
these guys have) and the word 'crocodile' used here in different context in
three different songs. "Don't Worry My Friend" could be their best ever.
That song is worse than cocaine. 10/10, A+/A+, whatever.
IGGY POP - Post Pop
Depression
I'm as shocked as
anyone else, but this is Iggy Pop's best album since late 70s. Focused
songwriting, powerful Bowie-esque vocal performances and, completely
unexpectedly, one of his greatest vocal hooks ever in "American Valhalla". Elsewhere, "Chocolate Drops" is dangerously playful
and "Paraguay" has one hell of a coda. Great record. Seriously.
Queens Of The Stone Age are just bloody awful, so it's nice to have another
Josh Homme-produced album that is this good. 8/10
WUSSY - Forever
Sounds
'What happened to the
one that I adore? She killed hundreds, maybe more". I've said this before,
but Wussy is Robert Christgau's best (and only) gift to the world. Admittedly
it was one of his snotty reviews that made me dig out the brilliant, brilliant Funeral Dress. Best thing about Forever Sounds is how much great
songwriting there is behind the murkiness and the noise. Keep discovering. Oh and the Big Lebowski-inspired "Donny's Death Scene" is beyond gorgeous. 8/10
EMMY THE GREAT -
Second Love
Early days, but as of
now Second Love is my pop album of
the year. The opening "Swimming Pool" charmed me in, and the record
barely let go. Gabriel Bruce guests. The style is there. Beautiful homogenous
sound, too. And the melodies that reach amazing heights on "Social Halo". In an ideal world people would dump Lana Del Rey for stuff like
this. 8/10
VIOLENT FEMMES - We
Can Do Anything
The reviews haven't
been flattering, but that's just fucking unfair. We Can Do Anything sounds like they never went away, and I mean
that in the best way possible. Catchy, quirky, well-written. Honestly, the only
problem with the album is that it's badly frontloaded and the final four songs
let it down slightly. Still, you can't deny what came before. "What You
Really Mean" is a beautiful Dylan-esque aberration and "Issues"
is the best combination of awkward and glorious I've ever heard. 7/10
P.S. Oh, and Robert
Pollard's new album is reliably good, The Coral's latest is disappointing and
kendrick lamar has released something or other.
