music reviews


BABYMETAL The Other One (Cooking Vinyl) AAA


There have been many cryptic messages from the Babymetal camp over the last few years that have hinted of the band’s demise – but the


group are still here and return


fourth album. They may play kawaii (cute) metal but don’t let that fool you. While the vocals are light and sweet, the music is heavy, bordering on symph-rock. The Other One is a concept al- bum with 10 newly-penned songs that delve into themes such as reality and the passage of time. Each track has something different to offer but the lyrics, which are in English and Japanese, are often overshadowed by bass, drums and a lot of echo. Metalizm, which has the clearest vocals, has an Indian classical sound and you may spot the ghost of Eric Clapton’s Bad Love in the sin- gle Monochrome. The album shows a side of Babymetal audiences haven’t heard before and it’s so well polished it shines.


Japanese for


this,


fusion their


LYNDA NASH BILLIE MARTEN


Drop Cherries (Fiction) AAAA


The much anticipated follow up to 2021’s Flora Fauna is here, and it represents another step in the fascinating musical journey of Billie Marten. The album marks a step toward personal satis- faction for Marten, sacrificing any notion of de- livering what she feels others want to hear and instead aiming for what she calls “genuine, intu- itive feeling.” Lead single I Can’t Get My Head Around You screams of an artist hitting their cre- ative stride. A simple message delivered with in- credible aplomb, and performed with purity and originality. This is the real Billie Marten, and it’s wonderful to hear throughout the entire album. The themes of love and relationships that run through Drop Cher- ries are not uncharted areas for Marten, but she has never relayed them with such hon- esty. Billie Marten is a songwriter so assured, yet still so vulnerable, and this might be her finest work yet.


ELLIOT OAKLEY DAUGHTER


Stereo Mind Game (4AD) AAA


After a largely instru- mental album back in 2017, this is indie outfit Daughter’s first collection of vocal-led songs since 2014’s Not to Disappear. Ste- reo Mind Game is a strong continuation of the band’s heavily tex- tured, near-shoegaze


Björk-ish glitch riff that suits the title well. But there’s not one central song, or moment, where all the elements of Daughter – great vocals, in- sightful lyrics and interesting production – come together to elevate an otherwise promising album that frustratingly offers less than it might.


JOHN-PAUL DAVIES


DAVID BOWIE Laughing With Liza – The Vo-


calian & Deram Singles 1964-67+ (Decca) AAAA


Many regard Bowie’s 1969 epic Space Oddity as the start of his stellar career, and while it certainly represented lift-off for Bowie in the mainstream, he had actually began churning out singles all the way back in 1964. Laughing With Liza – The Vocalian & Deram Singles 1964-67+ shines a long overdue spotlight on a time in Bowie’s ca- reer that almost seems forgotten by all but the most committed of fans. While this period yield- ed little commercial success, there are moments of inspired writing littered throughout these compositions. During the time before the Big Bang, every ounce of energy and matter within our universe was present, it was just… Differ- ent. This wonderful collection


“before time”, and in- vites a new generation of listeners to peek inside the burgeoning creative mind of one of the greatest artists in history.


is Bowie’s ELLIOT OAKLEY


JEFF GOLDBLUM & THE MILDRED SNITZER ORCHESTRA


Plays Well With Others (Decca) AAAA


Best known for his quirky acting roles in Jurassic Park and oth- er films, Jeff Goldblum has made a name for himself in jazz circles with ease. Plays Well With Others comes as an EP of huge ap- peal, its mark made in this slight selection of


guitar and tight natural beats form a smoky haze with crackly samples for Black Thought to wrap his chops around. The likes of I Would Never and Glorious Game are seductive, and I’m Still Somehow is a bubbling stream of consciousness. Protocol is some banger, as funky as Common or Mos Def and the clipped beats, throbbing bass and swirling samples of That Girl see Neferti- ti compared to a love who will tear you apart. Closer Alter Ego has Black Thought rhyming about acting his (mid- dle) age – but Glorious Game is evidence that there’s loads left in the tank.


CHRIS SEAL THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS


Continue As A Guest (Merge) AAAAA


There’s a joyful origi- nality to Continue As A Guest that makes this ninth album from The New Pornogra- phers a really great listen. Frontman A.C. Newman has con- fessed to consider- ing himself a singer, over 20 years into the band’s career, and has focused on writing melo- dies that suit his vocal style. This is readily appar- ent on an album that oozes confidence and subtle swagger. This is also the first time Newman has recorded the band himself and the results are very impressive. The rhythm section sound mus- cular while his and Neko Case’s vocals are full of character and intrigue. The addition of Zach Djanikian’s saxophone playing – often rhythmic, always soulful – adds a lot to the individuality of this album that marks the band out as an out- fit who, this far down the line, are able to float above the ever changing waves of fashion and chart their own unique course.


JOHN-PAUL DAVIES


THE ZOMBIES Different Game (Cooking Vinyl) AAAA


songs. Goldblum, on piano, adds to the pot a true feel for the jazz being made; though some slight modulations are given from The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, the songs are breezy and very easy to dive into. Guest singers include the heightened talents of Kelly Clarkson, Rodrigo Amarante and Freda Payne, each adding their own smoke and flair. Perhaps the real highlight is Moon River, featuring the quivering, ethereal vocals of Mat- tiel Brown: here the spirits really fly out and make for a total rejuvenation of this classic song. We could have easily listened to much more of Mattiel. Jazz lovers should be very happy.


JAMES ELLIS


EL MICHELS AFFAIR AND BLACK THOUGHT


sound that just shies away from the sonic experi- mentation and risk taking the material needs. The lyrics are wonderfully rich, examining isolation and communication in fresh and meaningful ways – see Dandelion’s hook, “I’d like to look you in the eyes, not fearing staring into the void waiting for replies.” Neptune is the most beau- tiful song, with Elena Tonra exploring her vocal range to great effect, and Junkmail starts with a


36


Glorious Game (Big Crown) AAAA


The Roots’ Black Thought has been busy of late, following up last year’s album with Danger Mouse with this even better collaboration with El Michels Affair. Under Leon Michels’ production, samples from his soul and funk record collection are interwoven with the cinematic soul his band composed in the studio. Supple basslines, soulful


It’s been eight years since the band’s last album, but The Zombies again are cooking with gas and – as the Ohio Players would say – on FIRE. This record has various influences, and original mem- bers Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone are at the helm again, with Argent writing all of the songs except one. The self-titled opener, blues-led with Argent on organ as always, is reminiscent of Pr- ocol Harum and features a string quartet, as do two others. Two more singles, the Steely Dan- ish Dropped Reeling & Stupid and Merry-Go Round, are the real movers, jazzy with raw lyrics and R&B/rock, respectively. Rediscover is The Beach Boys meet Gershwin and the smokey jazz Run Away partially resembles My Funny Val- entine. You Could Be My Love and I Want To Fly are two of the most exquisite songs Argent has ever writ- ten and Blunstone has ever sung on. Differ- ent Game is another royal flush.


RHONDA LEE REALI


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