It’s a bit of a mishmash This Week In Records we find ourselves with this Friday morning. After discussing with Sam that we were going to start early to avoid the rushed nature of last week, we did succeed in planning what we were going to write about but didn’t actually write about it until 11pm last night. After The Edge‘s first social (which was a big success!) and after being lured to Portswood’s local, we’ve found ourselves again, at 2am, writing words on things which could’ve written about two days ago. Anyway, let’s step away from this self-deprecating tone and talk about the big things to come out of the music world this week.
P!nk – Beautiful Trauma
A This Week In Records regular, P!nk has finally released Beautiful Trauma, her long-awaited (it’s been five years people) seventh solo album, the outcome being 13 tracks which manage to mature the ‘So What’ singer as she talks of marriage, family and getting older. Also featuring on the album is man of the moment, Eminem; ‘Revenge’, a typical sarcy P!nk track fits perfectly with a typical Slim Shady rap section, the result almost feeling like a blast from the past, likely to please fans of both. The remainder of the record features floor-filler ‘What About Us’, vocally stunning ‘You Get My Love’ and particularly candid ‘Better Life’, the result being a pretty progressive P!nk album, which somehow manages to stay true to what she is loved for.
St. Vincent – MASSEDUCTION
MASSEDUCTION, Annie Clark’s sixth album as St. Vincent, perfects her fragmentary futuristic pop sound, in a captivating record which dabbles with countless topics of intrigue. ‘Los Ageless’ cleverly questions the culture in LA which champions plastic surgery as a way to acclimatise whilst at another layer is a track which involves a power play within Clark’s interior. Similarly, ‘Pills’ sees the singer murmur “Pills, pills, pills, every day of the week” nonsensically alongside a swampy bass, until three minutes in where she dispels into a ballad which ends up sounding too normal. It’s clear that St. Vincent refuses to be your average popstar and MASSEDUCTION will not fulfill your glittery pop ideals, but that’s what makes all of it just brilliant.
Also leaving this one here…
Fickle Friends – ‘Hard To Be Myself’
Having seen Fickle Friends perform this on Sunday, I can officially say this is brilliant. Performing at the Engine Rooms, lead singer Natassja promised: “This one’s coming out Thursday! We think. Maybe.” Anyway, here it is, and its good, so listen.
Sufjan Stevens – ‘Wallowa Lake Monster’
Sufjan Stevens‘ Carrie & Lowell was probably the most beautiful thing to come out of 2015. If you don’t believe me, give his new single ‘Wallowa Lake Monster’ a listen. That was an outtake, and yet it’s still absolutely divine (just the final three minutes of swirling, ethereal instrumentation so real you can touch it is to die for, let alone the rest of the song). It’s the first release from his upcoming mixtape of outtakes, remixes, and demos from Carrie & Lowell out in November, and with tracks like this on the record it’ll surely turn out to be an audiophile’s dream.
Robert Plant – Carry Fire
The former Led Zeppelin frontman’s 11th solo studio album is a capricious mix of rock, world, folk, and blues, with both pounding highs and sombre lows. The relentless title track grabs your attention with its unique middle-eastern instrumentation and doesn’t let go; ‘Dance With You Tonight’ shows shades of Elbow‘s anthem mastery; whereas if it’s throwbacks you’re looking for, ‘Bones Of Saints’ feels like a real revival of Zeppelin’s glory days. If nothing else, Carry Fire cements Plant’s position as one of rock’s all-time greats.
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – ‘Holy Mountain’
Sibling rivalry will never die, will it? Coming fresh off brother Liam‘s first solo album release last week, Noel Gallagher has dropped the first single from the upcoming album Who Built the Moon? with his High Flying Birds, ‘Holy Mountain’. This one is a hell of a lot of fun with a great big band feeling, in stark contrast to Liam’s far more intimate and indie offering – but then hey, just because they’re brothers and played in Oasis, we shouldn’t expect them to sound the same, should we? Regardless, if ‘Holy Mountain’ is indicative of the rest of Who Built the Moon?‘s feel and sound, it’ll have you smiling from ear to ear for days come November 24.
Will Joseph Cook – ‘If You Want To Make Money’
A favourite of The Edge – and feature on The List of 2016 – Will Joseph Cook is back with his new track, ‘If You Want To Make Money’, just in time to kick off the start of his UK tour today. Featuring Cook’s infamous acoustic guitar undertones, it’s one of those songs which will make you smile without even realising whilst you ride the wave of happiness it serves up; its technicolour indie sound is infectious. The track also comes with the announcement of a soon to be released three-track EP which follows on album Sweet Dreamer and is likely be a perfect replacement.
Rex Orange County ft. Benny Sings – ‘Loving Is Easy’
This is just bloody lovely isn’t it.
Selected Other Releases
Albums
Beck – Colors
King Krule – The Ooz
Kodaline – I Wouldn’t Be – EP
Nine Inch Nails – Add Violence – EP
Wretch 32 – FR32
Wu-Tang Clan – The Saga Continues
Singles
AWOLNATION – ‘Passion’
Cheat Codes (feat. Fetty Wap) – ‘Feels Great’
Cosmo Sheldrake – ‘Come Along’
Daya – ‘New’
Island Club – ‘Irresistible’
Jonas Blue ft. Moelogo – ‘We Could Go Back’
Lil Peep ft. Wicca Phase Springs, Eternal & Doves – ‘Avoid’
Lo Moon – ‘Thorns’
Louis Tomlinson – ‘Just Like You’
Marmozets – ‘Habits’
Matt Maltese – ‘Comic Life’
Matt Terry – ‘Sucker for You’
Mikky Ekko – ‘Blood On The Surface’
Riton x MNEK ft. House Gospel Choir – ‘Deeper’
Tokio Myers – ‘Bloodstream’
This Week In Records: Playlist Edition
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