Albums of the week: Gorillaz, Kim Gordon, James Blake, and more!
Though I've not listened to as many newer albums as last week's possibly over-cooked blog, it's still been an interesting a noteworthy week in music for me. I even notice as I type that the album titles tell a short story in themselves. What that story means exactly is up to the reader I guess, but anyway, here's a brief-ish summary of all the new albums that graced my ears this week.
Jill Scott - To Whom This May Concern
A look at the features list is enough to get the juices flowing - JID, Ab-Soul, and Too $hort, not to mention the wonderfully named Trombone Shorty. 'Be Great' kicks the album off with empowering vibes aplenty, with 'Offdaback' equally focused on recognising those black trailblazers who paved the way for a better world.
The Too $hort ('BPOTY') and JID ('To B Honest') featuring songs are also exquisite, but every song carries an impeccably smooth, soulful, and freewheeling vibe. Frankly it's nigh on impossible to feel depressed listening to such a joyous and radical album. That said, there is argument to say it's a little longer than it could be - a couple of tracks could be left out and the album would pack just as much of a punch. Whomever this may concern, though, this album sure doesn't sound concerned.
7.5/10
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - We Are Together Again
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy is one of those artists I've always seen music critics gush over, but for whatever reason, his music has never really cut through massively for me personally. Sure, it's pleasant enough, but none of it has ever really been enough to move me beyond that.
There are countless folk counterparts that go beyond the sparsity of Will Oldham's music to my mind - and of course there are people this kind of sparsity will appeal to - but after a while, it does become tedious. Unfortunately, it's also very much the case on BPB's latest album. It doesn't really go beyond something calm and soothing to put on in the background while you do something else.
If I were to compare it to someone like Bill Callahan, whose new album is excellent, it lacks the variety or interest of Bill's work. Perhaps it could become a grower, but none of the tracks give you that incentive to revisit. The opening and closing tracks (both of which include a lion in the title) are perhaps some of the more interesting tracks here, but even then, they just kind of plod along.
6/10
Gorillaz - The Mountain
It's always exciting whenever Gorillaz release a new album, and The Mountain is no different in terms of building the same sense of anticipation and suspense. Album number nine for the virtual group follows on from 2023's excellent Cracker Island, but after so many years and such an array of outstanding guests, how can a Gorillaz album feel like anything other than a compilation album?
Well, one strength of The Mountain is that it sounds just as cohesive in terms of the theme, just like Plastic Beach or Cracker Island. There are undoubtedly brilliant songs, made so by the stacked features list. Sparks bring their unmistakable quirkiness to 'The Happy Dictator', while Black Thought brings his outstanding flow on 'The Empty Dream Machine', and profound closing track 'The Sad God'. The latter of these two rounds the album off with a poignant reflection on just how much humankind has managed to fuck up the planet - I gave you atoms, you built a bomb. There's also the two-track suite of 'The Hardest Thing/Orange County', which laments beautifully on grief, and features the late great Tony Allen.
Not every feature succeeds - Idles' feature on 'The God of Lying' is a bit of a dud considering what many of us have come to expect from Idles over the years. Many of the tracks on the album don't come across as overly memorable either, barring those mentioned, as well as the posthomous Mark E. Smith feature on 'Delirium' or the Oumar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey featuring 'Damascus', which is one of the finest songs Gorillaz have put out in recent years. The frustrating thing about The Mountain is that nothing really comes close to 'Damascus', and it ultimately feels bloated on the whole.
6/10
Could Kim Gordon be any more iconic? It's hard to see how, but somehow she manages exactly that at just 72 years of age on one of the year's most innovative and daring records Play Me. At just 29 minutes spread over twelve tracks, it's over just as it begins, but it's a heck of a ride nevertheless.
Kim Gordon - Play Me
Artificial Intelligence, and the Trump administration bear the brunt of Gordon's righteous fury throughout, and in an age of such rapid dehumanisation via technology, such a prominent voice rallying against it is not to be taken for granted. Sure, some of the ire seems obvious, but it works brilliantly on closing track 'Bye Bye 25!' - a re-working of previous album cut 'Bye Bye' which includes all the words and phrases banned by the Trump administration. I guess cancel culture does exist.
The album opens with the jazz-infused beats of the title track, which serves as one of the few standouts in that it sounds distinct from the majority of the more abrasive tracks here. 'Not Today' is also standout for a similar reason, sounding almost blissful throughout its three and a half minute run-time. For this album of all-too-brief tracks, it's practically the magnum opus. Though daring and innovative it may be, the run-time leaves little room for filler tracks, and unfortunately there are at least a couple. That said, to hear Kim Gordon still doing her thing 44 years on from Sonic Youth's debut EP is something to celebrate.
6.5/10
Gena - The Pleasure is Yours
That said, as an album, it's not something you'll remember, or have a standout favourite - the entire thing is more of a collective vibe. It's a little bit like the 'lo-fi beats to study/relax to' on YouTube - everyone is glad it exists, but it's not the kind of thing you go insane over.
The fact it's 16 songs, yet it only clocks in at 43 minutes perhaps tells the full story. It's not an album with staying power, but it doesn't necessarily need to be. Perhaps the biggest string to this album's bow is the fact it has zero samples, so it deserves full marks for originality and innovation. That said, it's an enjoyable listening experience and not much more beyond that.
7/10
James Blake - Trying Times
James Blake has fast become one of the most recognisable voices in contemporary music, whether it's a case of lending production and vocals to Dave's brilliant 2021 album We're All Alone In This Together, or Travis Scott's Utopia in 2023. Though of course, this is album number seven, and Blake has been around for well over a decade now. It's a discography I've only really touched upon briefly here and there for whatever reason, but Trying Times reveals to me that I've undoubtedly been missing out on so much.
It's rare that you get an album's vibe just from it's cover art and title alone, but - as you can see - it's fairly self-explanatory that it won't be an uplifting album, or one to get you going at the gym. The opening track, 'Walk Out Music' reveals itself in stunning waves of sparse synth, as Blake eerily repeats the lines; You're no good to anyone...dead. The lyrics linger for an uncomfortably long time before the word 'dead' completely subverts the entire meaning on its head.
These are the existential realities being grappled with on this album. The guitar-driven 'Make Something Up' is a lot less anxious, yet somehow it still feels uncertain - that's the beauty of such a paradoxical album. Then there's 'Days Go By', which revels in urban frustration and deep-seated paranoia - days go by and nothing gets done. It samples Dizzee Rascal's 'I Luv U', and is all the better for doing so. Dave returns the favour for Blake's excellent production on the aforementioned project superbly via a great feature on 'Doesn't Just Happen', also reminding us why James Blake has been such a prominent figure in hip-hop lately. Then there's the subtly explosive 'Rest of Your Life', which is the audial equivalent of an existential crisis on the Tube.
Essentially, there is so much to adore, admire, and revel in when it comes to Trying Times. It's among the best of the year so far, easily, because it encapsulates a city that is brimming with life, yet somehow devoid of it too. A love that is both there and absent simultaneously. Admittedly, the momentum fades toward the end. It's not a happy listen, but it's a bloody gorgeous one, and a good pair of headphones will make it even more so.
8/10
Comments
Post a Comment