Music24

  Daughn Gibson - Lake Mary Not Mysterious Daughn Gibson is an artist whose style is really difficult to pinpoint. It has a bit of everything - indie, experimentalism, country, blues, soul, Americana. It's perhaps surprising that a man of such talent has only released two albums prior to this latest effort, Lake Mary Not Mysterious . Where prior albums such as Me Moan  have wonderfully experimental songs like 'You Don't Fade', Lake Mary...  is a lot more back to basics in terms of its style. And this is what makes the album such a compelling listen. Despite its relative simplicity and conventional nature, there are still multiple genres - primarily country, Americana, and some bluesy/garage rock style sleaziness throughout. Daughn's crooning baritone vocals  are majestic on opening track 'So Good (I Was)', which certainly lives up to its title. A good comparison point would be someone like Mark Lanegan. Then there's the gorgeous alt-country lilt of '...

  Thundercat - Distracted Thundercat ticks a particular niche that straddles between cool and nerdy, although he simultaneously reveals that there's not a lot of difference between the two these days. On the LA bassist and singer's latest album, Distracted , the features list is absolutely stacked - Kevin Parker of Tame Impala, Lil' Yachy, ASAP Rocky, The Lemon Twigs, Willow, and even a posthumous feature from Mac Miller. So star-studded it may be, but does that translate to a quality and cohesive album? Most of the time, yes - the summery 'No More Lies' uses Kevin Parker pretty well, and the subsequent posthumous Mac Miller feature 'She Knows Too Much' brings his trademark swagger (which of course is sorely missed). 'Funny Friends' is the undoubted high point of the whole album, however, with ASAP Rocky absolutely killing it on one of the smoothest instrumentals you could imagine. It's the second half that sees Distracted  find its feet. 'Th...

  Melvins and Napalm Death - Savage Imperial Death March Grind and sludge might be words more befitting of a 1930s miner heading down the pit, but in actual fact it's pretty much what this album is. I mean this in the sense that Melvins are long renowned innovators of Sludge Metal, where Napalm Death are seen as the foundation of Grindcore. Though both are sub-genres of the metal genre as a whole, their differences are fairly significant, which makes such a collaboration album quite a unique proposition. It's an album that essentially functions as two legendary bands  spreading their wings and having some fun. 'Nine Days of Rain' is definitely the high point as it leans more toward sludgier textures, where opening track 'Tossing Coins into the Fountain of F*ck' leans more toward Napalm Death's grindcore style. 'Rip the God' also goes pretty hard in finding a nice balance between the two. All that said, there are too many moments that are just odd and...

  The New Pornographers - The Former Site Of For whatever reason, Canada has something of a track record for emotive indie supergroups - The New Pornographers, Broken Social Scene, and Arcade Fire to name but three. Despite the latter two being slightly more well-known, The New Pornographers pre-date them both, having formed in 1997 and released their debut Mass Romantic  in 2000. Now, some 26 years on, they've released album number 10 The Former Site of , and the name is quite telling as to what kind of record this is. That is primarily due to the fact the album is a clear departure from the band's earlier, more energetic and boisterous material. Introspective is the perfect word to define this album, with brooding and emotive also equally suitable descriptors. While it does take a while to reach its stride, when it does, it's truly magnificent. 'Wish You Could See Me I'm Killing It' is a beautiful lament to lost loves, familial or otherwise. 'Votive' i...

  Wintersleep - Wishing Moon Rather appropriately, Wintersleep have released album number eight in the Spring, following what can only be assumed to be a winter sleep of sorts. This Canadian indie five-piece were recommended to me by a good friend via their 2010 album New Inheritors . It was an enjoyable listen on the whole, though it perhaps lacks a certain immediacy. On Wishing Moon , there is a lot more immediacy, though only in fits and starts. The album as a cohesive whole works exceptionally well, though there are a couple of less interesting tracks littered throughout. That said, highlights are certainly here to be found. There's the almost nu-metal sounding riff of 'Wait for the Tide', which somehow doesn't feel off at all, and even ascends into a rather gorgeous conclusion.  Then there's the Kurt Vile-esque arpeggiated riff that repeats through 'My Mind Always' like a mantra that's somehow both anxious and comforting. What follows is the hauntin...

 The Dandy Warhols - Pinups One could make the argument that over the course of their over three decade career, no band has been as criminally overlooked as The Dandy Warhols. "Oh, the 'Bohemian Like You' band?" Well, yes, but scratch the surface and there is a wealth of absolutely phenomenal work beyond that one (admittedly very good) hit - to my mind, none better than 1997's seminal The Dandy Warhols Come Down .  Now in their fifties, the band have decided to release a covers album, featuring a series of covers from various stages of their career. In terms of variety, Pinups  is brilliantly diverse, with covers of The Cure ('Primary), The Clash ('Straight to Hell'), Bob Dylan (a brilliant re-working of 'Lay Lady Lay'), The Beatles (a psychadelic re-working of 'Blackbird'), and countless others.  The aforementioned covers are the highlights here, and it's fair to say the album is a little bloated as a whole, and not every cover wor...