The problem with Jack Antonoff is that the guy has no identity. He may be a decent producer, but his own songs only make sense when he sounds like Bruce Springsteen or The National. Hence the new Bleachers album is average at best. At worst, it features some truly horrendous autotune.
I listened to the new single by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds almost the second that it was released, and it was a wild ride. After a few seconds of beautiful noise came a lovely if somewhat unremarkable folk-pop melody that could have been an outtake from the mellower side of Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus. That said, my complaints were effectively blown to pieces by the extended coda that was every bit as gospelish and ecstatic as the second part of "White Elephant". The "Wild God" experience will be cathartic live.
Cathartic. Not a word I would use in connection with the new album by Liam Gallagher and Chris Squire. Christ what a dull mess. Tired blues, forced psychedelia and melodies so laboured and yet so rudimentary that I do not get why anyone would be bothered to listen to this more than once. And of course Liam calls one of the songs "Mother Nature's Son". Exasperating.
People should be banned from using words like Psychocandy when talking about a new album by The Jesus & Mary Chain. It just feels that whatever the Reid brothers might do at this point, it won't be good enough. They will either record a bland copy of "Just Like Honey" or will be criticised mercilessly for still playing the alternative game in their 60s (I guess they should start doing adult contemporary). Because Glasgow Eyes is a fine album. Not great or anything like that, but they are joyfully diverse and can still pen a simple but addictive tune. That said, that chorus of "Venal Joy" is a bit too fucking simplistic.
While Kim Gordon's bold new album is commendable (The Collective is pure industrial noise infused with strong hip-hop leanings), it is more of a semi-successful experiment. Kind of powerful but also very one-dimensional.
I am still not convinced by Yard Act. Are they as cool as they think they are? Judging by the first album, not at all (despite the dancing girl in "The Overload" video). But it is getting warmer, and Where's My Utopia? puts their post-punk charisma to better use. You do have to get used to the rap-like singing, but once you do, you may find this record catchy and intense without being grating. They do have a knack for making unreasonable creative decisions (the ending of "Grifter's Grief", the entirety of "Blackpool Illuminations"), but the intense soulful anthem "A Vineyard For The North" almost makes up for any missteps.
Adrianne Lenker is something of a cult hero these days. She is mostly known for fronting Big Thief, but Lenker is also an established solo artist in her own right. Bright Future is a country-folk album that I have seen compared to artists like Mount Eerie. I disagree. Her songwriting is much more substantial and incisive, and you won't find many songs in 2024 as gorgeous as "Evol", "Sadness as a Gift" and "Ruined".
Almost each time that I listen to a new album by Ride, I wonder if back in the day I really liked Nowhere all that much. Because that colourful shoegaze noise is all but gone on Interplay and what we get here is pleasant dream pop without too much edge to it. It is all very agreeable and consistent, and the second half reveals some lovely vocal hooks (in "Sunrise Chaser", for instance) but ultimately the word is 'unexceptional'.
Nils Frahm is a modern classical composer whose new albums I rarely miss. Day is every bit as raw and minimalist as its cover suggests. You hear the sparse piano notes that nevertheless retain a great deal of inner tension (not least due to the presence of the recording room which plays a very distinct role on the album). It is not his best work but there is a lot of ambient beauty to be discovered here.
Finally, Pete Astor released an album of rerecordings of some of his lesser-known songs that go back to his Loft, Weather Prophets and even Wisdom of Harry days (I want to seize this opportunity to say that those three obscure Wisdom of Harry albums are very underrated). The LP is titled Tall Stories & New Religions and features the usual Pete Astor fare: tasteful, economical songs with a soft but undeniable melodic edge. "Model Village" is a clear highlight, but it is all excellent (the man has taste). My only complaint is that he did not find space for "Boxed", surely one of the greatest songs ever.
Songs of the month:
"Emergence" - Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis
"Wild God" - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
"Model Village" - Pete Astor
"Sadness as a Gift" - Adrianne Lenker
"Second of June" - The Jesus and Mary Chain
"A Vineyard for the North" - Yard Act