In a somewhat shocking twist of events, Matt Berninger's solo album from 2020 (Serpentine Prison) has become a very special record for me. Shocking, because I had spent a big part of my life convinced that The National is one of the least interesting bands in the world. Judging by their latest, however, I was right all along. First Two Pages of Frankenstein (★★★) is sort of well-written and sort of crushingly boring. The usual stories of melancholy and heartache sugar-coated in vaguely catchy melodies. Side A is mostly good, side B is inoffensive in a bad way.
I did not care for Jethro Tull's latest comeback, RökFlöte (★★★), either. Again, there is nothing bad about any of it, and Ian Anderson can still play the flute and the acoustic melodies do come through on occasion, but the urgency of The Zealot Gene is all gone. For die-hard fans only (which, I guess, covers Jethro Tull's entire fanbase).
The most anticipated comeback, however, was that of Patrick Wolf. There was a certain period in my life when I was downright obsessed with Patrick Wolf's music, and his sudden disappearance following the unabashedly poppy album Lupercalia and the compilation Sundark and Riverlight was both inexplicable and frustrating. Now that some of those internal demons have been apprehended, there is a new EP titled The Night Safari (★★★½). It is slightly meandering in places, but the magic is definitely there. Patrick's voice retains that mixture of romance and intensity, and the melodies are still intriguing. The cleverly arranged "Nowhere Game" and the pleasingly optimistic "Enter The Day" are the standouts, and ultimately it is like these ten years never even happened.
Another excellent EP was released by Gabi Garbutt. The Creation of Birds (★★★½) opens with the somewhat misleading collaboration with Du Blonde, the upbeat and timeless lead-off single "Panic", and then settles into a much more introspective set of songs. Thankfully, her midtempo material is beautiful indie rock with personality. Which is not something I have managed to discern in the critically acclaimed Blondshell album (★★★). I admire the brevity, some of these songs are fairly well-written ("Olympus" is undeniable - and reminds me a little of Sheryl Crow at her 90s best), and the guitar sounds wonderful throughout, but I have not discovered too many reasons to care.
But I do absolutely care for Tiny Ruins' new album, Celebration (★★★★). Masterful songwriting from New Zealand, with beautiful instrumentation and a voice that has depth and incredible youthful elegance. Celebration effortlessly sets itself apart from a million indie-folk bands by being so beautifully out of time. There is charisma in each guitar lick and vocal undertone.
It is hard to say if many people still care, but The Damned have just released their best album in nearly four decades. Darkadelic (★★★½) is a bit of a mess, but this is entertaining, professional mess. The Damned play tough punk rock diluted by psychedelic pop and gothic leanings. They also have a tendency to break a song up in the middle and go for circus laughter or rumble of thunder, and I have always had a soft spot for a middle eight (however bizarre this middle eight may be).
There is a certain point at which the magic of Susanne Sundfør's new album started to get through to me. It was the piano part of the wondrous "Rūnā" followed by the blissful angelic humming and singing. Obviously it is not the only highlight here ("Alyosha" is gorgeous beyond reason), but if there is anything wrong with Blómi (★★★½), it is that the sense of catharsis is not permanent. Which can be a little frustrating. All the same, an album to rediscover and get lost in. Norwegian soundscapes, conventional beauty, avant-garde spoken word piece in German, heavenly voice and even a bizarre Ramones reference. The rating is largely immaterial - what I know for certain at the moment is that the cover is stunning.
Songs of the Month:
Susanne Sundfør - "Alyosha"
House Of All - "Turning Of The Years"
PJ Harvey - "A Child's Question, August"
Tiny Ruins - "The Crab / Waterbaby"
Patrick Wolf - "Enter The Day"
The Damned - "You're Gonna Realise"
Bloodshell - "Olympus"
