Lightsleeper, the first co-credited collaboration from father and son team Neil and Liam Finn admirably ignores expectations that may surround such a project, revealing itself to be a meditative and somewhat eccentric collection of songs. The Finn’s familiar gift of … Continue reading Neil and Liam Finn – Lightsleeper (2018 LP)
Dirty Computer is Janelle Monae’s third album and the first to diverge from the storyline that featured on all previous releases, including 2008’s debut EP Metropolis: The Chase Suite. This means that, at least for the sake of presentation, Monae … Continue reading Janelle Monae – Dirty Computer (2018 LP)
Perhaps the most damning criticism I can level at Golden is that I’ve been listening to it intermittently all week and can’t decide how I feel about it because it doesn’t actually make me feel anything. The 14th studio album … Continue reading Kylie Minogue – Golden (2018 LP)
Having evolved naturally out of Erica Dunn’s Palm Springs project, Mod Con’s debut album breathes fresh air into the well-worn familiarity of barebones rock’n’roll. The trio of vocalist and guitarist Dunn, bassist Sara Retallick and drummer Raquel Solier approach each … Continue reading Mod Con – Modern Convenience (2018 LP)
Miguel has always been smooth, but over the last few years as he’s allowed some rough edges to show, he’s become all the more interesting because of it. At the beginning of his career it felt a little difficult to … Continue reading Miguel – War & Leisure (2017 LP)
Moses Sumney’s instrument is his beautiful voice, which is layered and treated throughout Aromanticism and framed by his own unobtrusive production. I say unobtrusive because the tracks almost resemble soundscapes, with percussive elements almost completely absent, as layers of Sumney’s … Continue reading Moses Sumney – Aromanticism (2017 LP)
Losing is the second album by Nashville rock band Bully, an outing that sees them both refine the project and let their hair hang a little. Their debut LP, 2015’s Feels Like, created a thoroughly enjoyable balance between team captain … Continue reading Bully – Losing (2017 LP)
On their third album The Cactus Channel are out to demonstrate their natural evolution as a unit – and while they may have outgrown the Daptone reverence of their initial sound, they are unmistakably the same group, just one that … Continue reading The Cactus Channel – Stay a While (2017 LP)
Much of Billy Davis’ A Family Portrait feels like a dedication to the joyful hip-hop and jazzy neo-soul of the ‘90s, with reference points such as Arrested Development and D’Angelo sitting alongside those of more contemporary acts like Anderson … Continue reading Billy Davis – A Family Portrait (2017 LP)
The evolution of Saskwatch has been interesting to observe – while they started out as a fairly straight-forward take on ‘60s soul they have readjusted their direction over the last few years, turning their hands to a brand of indie … Continue reading Saskwatch – Manual Override (2017 LP)
Saatsuma is collaboration between Cesar Rodrigues and Memphis Kelly, and while they expand to a five-piece to replicate the production and dynamics of their songs on stage, one of the most immediate points about Overflow is how much of an … Continue reading Saatsuma – Overflow (2017 LP)
Life Is Fine finds Paul Kelly in ‘classic’ mode; unlike many of his recent releases this album is a collection of mostly new songs performed with his crack hot live band, without having to conform to any theme other than … Continue reading Paul Kelly – Life Is Fine (2017 LP)
words by watts 