2019 albums WIP

Mabe Fratti - Pies Sobre la Tierra

WOW

8.5/10 (at least)


Black Midi - Schlagenheim

Controlled chaos is the phrase I'd best use to describe this; the sheer variety in terms of tempo and dynamics this band is able to adeptly express themselves over is incredible, especially when you consider it's their first studio project. The vocals of Geordie Greep may be a sticking point for some trying to enjoy this band, but in my opinion his viscous nasal register only helps add to the distinctiveness of their identity, and helps those surrealistic lyrics ('But I dream of a woman with the teeth of a raven and the hands of a porcupine') stick further into the mind.

Could hardly have made a better first impression.

8.0+/10


Chai - Punk

Albums like these toe a very fine line between being ridiculously annoying and ridiculously good fun, and it's almost disgusting at how well Chai get away with it here. So uplfiting, so groovy, just guiltless pleasure all the way through.

7.5+/10


Malibu Ken - Malibu Ken

An incredibly tight hip-hop project; Aesop Rock's wordplay is so good, to the point where he's basically just showing off, exemplified by the morbid [i]Churro[/i]. The beats are never boring too, and give Aesop Rock's old-school flow a modern psychedelic touch.

Likely to be amongst the best rap albums this year.

7.5/10


Theon Cross - Fyah

7.5-/10


Fontaines D.C. - Dogrel

A very lyrically adept entrance by the Dublin boys, and again food to see a band displaying their regional identity so proudly, love the cute little folk influences they sneak in too


Black Dresses - Thank You

From terrifying to terrifyingly relatable.
I feel like as well that there's something innately captivating with trying to square ecstatic pop-EDM-style melodies with large amounts of distortion and harsh vocals as a way to reflect the humanity behind the pain. I don't think I've heard anyone achieve this effect as well since Crystal Castles' first album. It's a warts-and-all approach that I can understand alienating other listeners; it's music that'll hurt you if you're not prepared for it. If you can put up with the onslaught of abrasiveness however, there's plenty of emotion and things being expressed that's both worthwhile and rarely found in the world of pop music.

7.0-/10


The Twilight Sad - It Won/t Be Like This All the Time

It's worth mentioning how tricky it is to sing in a Scottish accent and still be worth taking seriously. Always a pleasant surprise when it's pulled off as well as it is here.

6.5/10


Lorelle Meets the Obsolete - De Facto

6.5/10

Some decent acid-rock tunes in here, but the kraut inspired longer jams that gradually get under your skin are what's really worth staying for.


Sleaford Mods - Eton Alive

Serviceable Sleafords. I'm not sure about everybody else but I feel like Andrew Fearn's instrumental loops are getting to be the more interesting part of this project, and are the reason why two of the album's best tracks; [i]Kebab Spider[/i] and [i]Discourse[/i] stand out. There's nothing glaringly wrong with Williamson's contributions, though there is the odd lyric or two that comes off a bit ham-fisted, and moreso than on previous records. His singing could also still use a bit of work.

6.5-/10


Snapped Ankles - Stunning Luxury

The ghillie suited quartet return with a bit more self-assuredness, and unfortunately with a little less of the sizzle they had on their debut album. Keeping some of the madness bottled in proves to have double-edged consequences; I don't think we'd otherwise have got the Fall-esque number [i]Letter from Hampi Mountain[/i] with its tight rhythm and barked vocals, but there's a handful of other songs like [i]Skirmish in the Suburbs[/i] that feel just a bit too placid and unfitting for their style. I think it's telling that my favourite song from the album [i]Delivery Van[/i] probably also is the one that would fit most comfortably on the tracklisting of [i]Come Play the Trees[/i]

Good but not great.

6.5-/10


Injury Reserve - s/t

Jailbreak the Tesla and Gravy and Biscuits are indeed great songs, but a fair chunk of this feels half-finished or lacking a bit of the joie-de-vivre of Injury Reserve's earlier mixtapes, sure the production choices are a little more off the wall, but it's at the cost of some of the verses being more fleshed out and some of the chemistry we've been used to.

Still mostly enjoyable, just a bit overly lackadaisical, especially in view of what they've shown they're capable of

6.0/10


Matmos - Plastic Anniversary

I think this has a cool concept and texturally this can be very aurally satisfying (those billiard balls clacking are just gorgeous), I just feel like I want something more interesting rhythmically - [i]Collapse of the Fourth Kingdom[/i] stands out but the rest feels pretty standard to me.

6.0-/10


James Blake - Assume Form

Britain's favourite electro-crooner is back to hop on pop-music's latest trends. I've never really bought into the idea of him as this innovative genius to be honest, and this album didn't really challenge that view of mine, though a couple of the features on this are pretty cool, especially Rosalía on [i]Barefoot in the Park[/i], and André 3000 is characteristically unflappable on [i]Where's the Catch?[/i].
Otherwise Blake's nervous expression of his surrender to love is passable mood-music, but not much more.

6.0-/10


Stella Donnelly - Beware of the Dogs

Blehh. How on earth can anyone be allergic to cake specifically anyway?

5.0+/10


Panda Bear - Buoys

In which Noah Lennox decides he wants to follow Bon Iver's lead for a day. There are some good moments on this which evoke [i]Sung Tongs[/i], but it gets old pretty fast, and he sounds listless and flaky in a way that even Justin Vernon can't manage by the end of the half hour listening time.

4.5/10


Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride

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3.5-/10


Kanye West - Jesus Is King

If you think these are the genuine revelations of a born-again Christian, you should read Matthew 19:23-26.

3.0/10