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16 JULY 2017
visit MUSIC REVIEWS
orde Melodrama
lla Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor, better known
y stage name Lorde, was called ‘the future of
usic’ by no less than the late David Bowie. No
ressure, then. She first permeated the airwaves
t a mere 16 years old (remember Royals?). She’s
est known for her lyrical prowess and wonderful
ord-weaving, and those skills that see her one-up
her debut release Pure Heroine – four years later – with Melodrama. Her
almost spoken-word approach to production gives her a sound many
marvel at, and she’s right back in with the heavy hitters here. There are
some definiteTennis Court meets Yellow Flicker Beat feelings on Sober
– a celebration of long nights and good vibes – and Liability is a touching
self-reflection on how friends treat you like the plague, when you wind up
in the public eye. None of this 11-track foray wastes a moment, and if you
were at all a fan of Pure Heroine you’ll adore Melodrama. She’s the
Queen of the scene right now, and the intervening years don’t seem
to have done her any harm. Pay close attention, too, to album highlight
Supercut; it’s a real, close look at relationships – “In your car the radio
up/we keep trying to talk about us”. (Universal Music)
Alesha 'Ice' Kolbe
Haim
Something To Tell You
Everyone’s favourite musical
sisters Haim are back with
sophomore album Something to
Tell You, the follow up to 2013’s
Days Are Gone. Want You Back
is a buoyant opener that spins a
narrative around a fragmented
relationship, Nothing’s Wrong
continuing this thread before
reaching a surprising bridge
that has Danielle Haim’s vocals
changed beyond recognition.
Ready for You sings of the heady
moments of initial attraction,
while percussion on Something
to Tell You accentuates the song’s
passionate lyrics. Kept Me Crying
impresses with a soaring guitar
solo. While the lyrics centre
on falling in and out of love,
the emotions coalesce into an
anthemic sound cementing
Haim’s infectious energy.
(Universal Music) Holly Pereira
Cornelius
Mellow Waves
You’re more likely to hear of
BABYMETAL as definitive of
Japanese music, but Cornelius is
an example of how the country’s
producers have reinvented pop as
we know it. Since the mid-'90s,
Cornelius has thrilled soundhounds
with intricate compositions,
skewing influences like the Beach
Boys and Beck through found
sounds and rhythmic experiments.
That’s given him a reputation as
music for trainspotters outside of
Japan, but MellowWaves makes
it plain that Cornelius is always
working in service of his – and his
audience’s – pop fandom. With
stunning, elaborate melodies and
rhythm that triggers both familiar
and novel parts of the brain,
MellowWaves is sublime.
(Spunk) Jake Cleland
Public Service
Broadcasting Every Valley
Music and politics go hand-in-hand
for London duo Public Service
Broadcasting. On Every Valley they
capture the shining promise of the
Welsh mining industry, through to
its dramatic collapse, never once
missing a beat. Instrumentally,
strings heighten tension and
rhythmic synths engage,
while soundbites from real life
broadcasts contextualise the
Welsh mining culture. The voices
of notable Welsh performers
are also heard, via James
Dean Bradfield of Manic Street
Preachers and Camera Obscura's
Tracyanne Campbell. There’s
much to be said about a band
who explore issues through their
music, Public Service Broadcasting
proof of the importance of music
in social commentary. (Inertia)
Holly Pereira
Meg Mac
Low Blows
Meg Mac's star has been
on the rise since picking up
Unearthed Artist of the Year in
2014, a handful of swaggering
soul tracks making her talent
obvious. Since then, Mac's gone
from homegrown champion to
citizen of the world. International
tours — where she nabbed co-
signs from legends D'Angelo and
Gary Clark Jr — and recording
abroad give Low Blows its
worldliness: from the swirling
drama of its title track, to the
slow burn of Cages and Brooklyn
Apartment, Low Blows casts
a loving eye at one of music's
richest traditions. Mac's debut
record demonstrates the young
crooner has an old soul.
(Emi/Universal) Jake Cleland
Jeff Tweedy
Together at Last
Ever wanted to hang out with
Jeff Tweedy in his Chicago studio
The Loft? With him strumming on
a guitar and singing a collection
of his songs? Well here’s your
chance. The first in a series of
Loft acoustic sessions he aims
to release is dubbed Together
At Last. Highlighting the true
songsmith that is Tweedy solo,
this reimagines songs from his
extensive songbook in a career of
over three decades and 20 albums.
Laid bare with just vocals, guitar
and occasional whistling are songs
from some of his various bands
Wilco, Loose Fur and Golden
Smog. Intimate, raw and alluring
— like it’s all just for you.
(Anti) Denise Hylands
Neil Young
Hitchiker
These long-lost solo, acoustic
tracks recorded live, in one take
in August 1976, when Young had
released only six studio albums,
are some of his best loved songs.
Pocahontas, Powderfinger, Human
Highway , and other hidden gems
that would appear in subsequent
years. Ride My Llama, a fantasy
meeting with a "man from Mars",
Captain Kennedy, the story of
a young mariner re-enacting his
father's career, and Campaigner
– inspired by news footage of US
President Richard Nixon visiting his
wife in hospital, after she suffered
a stroke. Also included are two
previously un-released tracks,
Hawaii and Give Me Strength.
(Warner Music) Billy Pinnell