"Don't Go Puttin' Wishes In My Head" was one of my favourite songs of 2021 (Thirstier was, in fact, an excellent little indie-pop LP), so I was naturally looking forward to whatever Torres does next. Sadly, What an enormous room comes off limp and unmotivated. Moments of true inspiration (the pulsating single "Collect" with its tasteful scuzziness, the strangely hypnotic "Jerk Into Joy" with a Laurie Anderson-esque intermission) are few and far between.
Thom Yorke and company (currently operating under The Smile moniker), meanwhile, keep releasing their 'best since In Rainbows' albums. Wall Of Eyes is instantly engaging, with substantial grooves, lovely wafts of strings and memorable vocal hooks that you can actually relate to. Really, you do not need to make an intellectual effort to appreciate the disarming piano-based ballad "Friend of a Friend".
Sleater-Kinney are still wildly praised by critics (mostly, and this gets increasingly clearer after reading the reviews, for their past glories) but at this point it is hard to see the appeal. Little Rope is a middling late-period album (much like their previous two) that sounds too laboured to generate any genuine excitement. A couple of songs aside, this is indie-rock with meat on its bones but very little edge.
I also hear that Liam Gallagher has released a new single with John Squire. There is not much I can say about it, though, other than the obvious: "Rain" by The Beatles gets 5/5, and "Just Another Rainbow" gets 2/5.
Songs of the month:
"If Tomorrow Starts Without Me" - Bill Ryder-Jones
"Did You End Up With The One You Love?" - Robert Forster
"Friend of a Friend" - The Smile
"Shiver" - The Libertines
"Undress Yourself" - Sleater-Kinney
"Can't Believe We're Here" - J Mascis
"Collect" - Torres
