FLORENCE BLACK
Weight Of The World (self-released) AAAAA
After nearly a decade together, the three childhood friends from Merthyr have released a stunningly good debut album. The title does little to reveal the content, but the artwork, by frontman Tristan Thomas, shows something of the dark and light inside. This powerhouse rock trio have become known for their bludgeoning riffs and occasional black metal screams can raise the roof of the valley’s venues where they earned their crust. But Thomas has an excellent, versatile voice – it’s no surprise Corey Taylor called them up to offer a support slot – so when more chilled tracks like Groove Street come along they’re welcome, to fully appreciate his stunning tone and style. On the heavier tracks as a rhythm section, they boys sound as tight as you’d expect for lifelong friends. Elsewhere, Fleetwood Mac-inspired lead single Sun & Moon shows there’s something for everyone on the NWOCR spectrum. A perfect start. JOHN-PAUL DAVIES
MELVINS
Five Legged Dog (Ipecac) AAAAA
“Always different, always the same” was John Peel’s succinct epithet for cult icons The Fall, and the same phrase could happily apply to metal lifers the Melvins. Never ones to do things by half, King Buzzo and co opt here to revisit older material across four albums’ worth of acoustic metal, and I apologise if that pseudo-genre revives memories of Tenacious D. Instead, what you get here are 36 exhaustive tracks summarising the breadth of styles the Melvins have mastered over a near-40-year career. Kicking off with the decent and relatively recent Edgar The Elephant, the set takes in iconic head-down anthems like Hooch, Queen and Boris without ever losing their ferocious impact to the acoustic treatment. Throwing in latter-day classics and a few curve-ball covers to make things pleasantly off-kilter – Everybody’s Talkin’ and the country-fried Sway, originally by The Rolling Stones, to name two – this is the perfect retrospective for a band so endearingly restless. ADAM JONES
MOOR MOTHER
Black Encyclopedia Of The Air (Anti-) AAAA
While Moor Mother is never going to ‘sell out’, this newest full-length album from the Philadelphia artist is also, quite easily, her most accessible project yet. While Camae Ayewa’s interdisciplinary career Moor Mother is difficult to easily surmise, her musical work has previously seen her touch on hip-hop, free jazz and noise, often in a highly abrasive and confrontational manner. Black Encyclopedia Of The Air sees her adopting a more delicate and elegant approach, in service of a work that’s nonetheless both thought-provoking and incendiary. The textures of these 14 tracks are colourful and scattered, which belies their dark, troubled hearts. On Rogue Waters Ayewa recalls the fate of her parents, while Race Function Limited sees her vividly reckoning with the legacy of slavery. Confronting history is a recurring theme in Ayewa’s career, and Black Encyclopedia… might just be her commanding excavation of these bones yet. TOM MORGAN
THE SPECIALS
Protest Songs 1924-2012 (Island) AAA
The Specials, no strangers to politics and a well-chosen cover version, have sprinted back to the studio to record interpretations of 12 of their favourite protest songs, by artists as diverse as Staple Singers, Frank Zappa and Leonard Cohen. This ain’t no dirty protest, though: there’s a clean sound to this dozen, with the core group of Terry, Horace and Lynval recording it in quick takes and different genres, with barely any ska tissue. Talking Heads’ Listening Wind, with its haunting nyabinghi drums and Hannah Hu on vocals is excellent, while Steve Cradock raises the rabble on the Modfatherish Trouble Every Day and the gospel stomper meets Black Keys of Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Us Around. Lynval fronts the affecting acoustic version of Marley’s Get Up, Stand Up and Black, Brown And White. What are The Specials rebelling against? Whaddya got? CHRIS SEAL
VANGELIS
Juno To Jupiter (Decca) AAAA
Lovers of space and electronica are highly recommended to plug into this latest aural adventure from Vangelis. Sweeping, sonorous, and spectacular, it’s a space-themed set from the maestro inspired by NASA’s Juno mission, as well as the goddess Juno herself. Filmic in style, this album sounds like the score of a space opera, bringing visions of the cosmos to the listener. I found the beginning and end of the album to be more experimental than the central songs, and more to my taste; in particular, I enjoyed the opening track, Atlas’ Push and final track, In Serenitatem. The middle of the album seemed a little more generic than this strong start/finish, but still, it’s a masterly work, and here I am only comparing Vangelis to Vangelis. Space is certainly brought to life in the music, and it admirably demonstrates why the Greek composer was awarded with a Public Service Medal by NASA. Starry stuff indeed. MAB JONES
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