Review: American singer and former Disney starlet Sabrina Carpenter delivers her sixth album, Short n' Sweet, following up 2022's Emails I Can't Send. It's only natural that Carpenter swerve terse after said prior record dealt in lengthier themes of abjection and unsent, gushing letters; this time around, Sabrina appears purged of her former gripes with love-life, its lead single 'Espresso' manifesting as the neo-funk ode to give-a-fucks sent flying ("I can't relate to desperation" she croons). A stark and carefree contrast to the longing for belonging potrayed on her last record.
Review: Chappell Roan's full-length debut, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, is a bold and uproarious introduction, characterised by sturdy songcraft and a steely indifference to good taste. Roan, who hails from Willard, Missouri, initially found success on YouTube before securing a major label deal. Her music truly found its place and purpose at West Hollywood's Abbey, inspiring the disco-pop anthem 'Pink Pony Club.' Produced with Dan Nigro, known for his work with Olivia Rodrigo, the album is rich with theatrical, wickedly funny tracks. Highlights include 'Casual, a mix of sorrow and scorn aimed at an indifferent partner and 'Red Wine Supernova,' showcasing Roan's comedic flair. Her powerful and versatile voice shines throughout, whether delivering emotional punch or playful, half-spoken lines. Roan embraces queer aesthetics and camp, crafting songs that blend catchy pop hooks with vivid, unapologetic storytelling. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is a celebration of youthful defiance and queer identity, marking a significant debut for Roan under Island Records.
Review: Roan's debut LP, released in 2023, has catapulted her to stardom, poised to top the UK charts and marking her set at Lollapalooza as one of the festival's most-attended. Her meteoric rise, fueled by her support role on Olivia Rodrigo's Guts tour and the success of the single 'Good Luck, Babe!', has been impressive. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is a showcase of Roan's fearless songwriting, blending intense revelations with irresistibly catchy choruses. To commemorate the album's one-year anniversary, Island Records has announced a limited-edition 2xLP in 'my kink is coral' vinyl. This release celebrates the album's cultural impact, from its iconic 'Pink Pony Club' costumes to the viral 'HOT TO GO!' dance, solidifying Roan's is here to stay.
Review: Julian Cope's My Nation Underground is an album ready for rediscovery and it now gets reissued as a faithful replica of the original 1988 Mercury Records UK release and pressed on high-quality 180g vinyl. Following the success of Saint Julian, Cope surprised fans by changing his band lineup and blending funk with Krautrock with veteran producer Ron Fair at the helm. The album includes three singles, mostly notably 'Charlotte Anne' which was a minor US hit. The opener, '5 O'Clock World', is a cover of a 1965 Vogues song and is upbeat and poppy, while the seven-minute title track uniquely combines go-go beats with post-punk elements.
Review: For those of a certain age, the sound of The Cranberries is the sound of their youth. They were big when radio was limited to whatever you could get by twisting your FM dial, and they often featured on whatever station you ended up at. Their well writing alternative rock songs have sweeping arrangements, lush orchestration and of course the slightly winy main vocals that were so easy to sing back with grungy riffs perfect for aping in mid air. This bumper collection of their best bits will take you right back to the 90s with 'Dreams', 'Linger' and more still sounding great.
Review: As far as debut albums go, this one from English folk hero Nick Drake is right up there with 'as good as it gets'. It was recorded between 1968 and 1969 and released later that same year. Though it got little commercial success at the time, that doesn't detract from the music which features production from Joe Boyd and appearances from Fairport Convention's Richard Thompson and bassist Danny Thompson from Pentangle. There is plenty of signature weariness in his vocals - see the yearning, string-swaddled 'River Man' and 'Day Is Done' - plus smart and subtly poetry in the lyrics and lovely strings and moody bass throughout.
Review: Easy Life's new record is 45 minutes of bliss. It's their best since the Leicester five-piece's Life's A Beach and all 15 cuts will enrich your life with brilliant tunes such as 'Beeswax' and 'Dear Miss Holloway ft. Kevin Abstract. The soulful sounds all tackle the various issues that we all struggled with during the covid-19 pandemic. Lead vocalist Murray Matravers sings "I've been moving lateral, horizontal, vertical" just one minute into the first track on the album and it sums up the pace of this one perfectly. The band's cult fan base will lap this up while new fans are also sure to come flocking.
Review: Florence Welch's globe-straddlingly successful epic-pop project has made its name largely through no-holds-barred emotion and rapturous melodrama, and although this third album has largely been trumpeted as a return to a more stripped-down and less over-the-top approach, long-term fans of the couture-clad siren needn't worry too much. 'How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful' remains true to her heart-on-sleeve approach and the cinematic splendour she's made her trademark. Crucially, even beneath the orchestral arrangements and the life-or-death vocal declamations, the songs on this record shone through as memorable and emotive enough to withstand the level of ornamentation around them, and fit to have Florence's fearsome pipes send them skyward.
Review: American star Ariana Grande's sixth album arrived in October 2020 and saw her work with a variety of producers. Longtime writers Victoria Monet and Tayla Parx were joined by the likes of Tommy Brown, Anthony M. Jones and London on da Track and all worked towards furthering her trap infused R&B and pop sound. Lyrically the record is a personal one that touches on themes of endearment, continual devotion and sexual intimacy. Grande does plenty of things with her voice, from shades of mumble rap to more grand and orchestral pop manoeuvres. Positions might not break new ground, but what it does, it does very well.
The Boy Is Mine (feat Brandy, Monica - remix) (3:34)
Twilight Zone (3:18)
Warm (3:21)
Dandelion (3:24)
Past Life (3:36)
Hampstead (3:35)
Review: A year on from initial release, eternal sunshine remains a powerful and introspective exploration of heartbreak, growth and the aftermath of personal upheaval. As Arianna Grande navigates her Saturn return here, she transforms her very public divorce into an emotional, musically rich concept album. Inspired by the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, she confronts the lingering pain of a breakup with a mix of raw vulnerability and clever humour across tunes that blend her signature r&b sound with new, bold experimentation, including Y2K-inspired tracks like 'the boy is mine.' While her lyrics occasionally lean on familiar phrases, Grande's restraint and vocal artistry shine through and prove the fine singer-songwriter is not done evolving yet.
Review: Polly Jean Harvey is currently midway through an epic reissue series, delivering freshly re-mastered versions of numerous albums across a multitude of formats. The latest set to get a new vinyl pressing is 1993's "Rid of Me", which saw the celebrated singer-songwriter make her major label bow after years spent operating on small indie imprints. Widely considered one of Harvey's finest moments, the set was far more raw and aggressive than her previous work - despite using the same stripped-back line-up of musicians as its predecessor - with producer Steve Albini, famed for his work with the Pixies, conjuring a particularly "psychotic" sound (as its main protagonist has since called the album in interviews).
Review: .The critical jury has certainly been out on Ben Howard's latest slice of soft electronic pop-dance-indie business, some slapping an Album of the Week label on it, others referring to it as "a little dull". Beauty is, of course, in the eye of the beholder, or in this case the ear, and from where we're sitting Is It? certainly is a thing of exceptional beauty. Only boring people get bored, blah blah blah.
Indeed, if there was a major criticism here it would be the most 21st Century, mind-ruined-by-tidal-waves-of-wireless-information criticism imaginable. Howard clearly expects us to listen and listen good, with such delicate tracks easily at risk of slipping into the background. Turn it up, then, and feel the full, subtle power of what's here - 1980s hued sophisticated lushness, lo-fi downtempo curveballs, postmodern art pop. Ace.
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