Beyoncé, "Lemonade"
I'm a little late to the party but yes, this album was great! Especially good if listened in one sitting, "Pray You Catch Me" opens the album so beautifully. We all know what the album is about, so I won't go into the details, but they feather well into the music. Collaborators on this album were able to shine as well; both Jack White and Bey have solid rock chemistry on "Don't Hurt Yourself" (plus that last bit "If you try this shit again / you gon' lose your wife" is super) and "Forward", although a short number, keeps things simple a la James Blake would on his own material to let the focus be on each of their best assets: their voices. Last but definitely not least, the penultimate "All Night", is a moving, gorgeous track, before giving way to the explosive closer "Formation".
Eagulls, "Ullages"
Eagulls returns with their sophomore album "Ullages", which is also an anagram of their name. Here, Eagulls have not only grown out of their initial hard-hitting, raw sound of their brilliant debut, they have also expanded their sonic palette; embracing beauty in darkness. Shoegaze influences abound in tracks like "My Life in Rewind", while on "Skipping", the bass stutters and flits back and forth, recalling The Cure's "Open" (although they don't like that comparison, personally I think it's true - just on this track maybe!). Eagulls continue through the path of post-punk, albeit with more reflective stances; standout track "Euphoria" easily has the best opening riff I've heard in a long time, coupled with lyrics like "Chasing vacant scenes / clinging to the clothes that they wear as an alibi / and wide awake asleep, in the living dream / Hiding in a space in their heads, they've never liked".
Lucy Dacus, "No Burden"
Ah, the things I could do if I had a voice like Lucy Dacus'. Hers is a rich, soothing croon, kind of like a balm you put on your dry chapped lips, or a relaxing bubble bath you look forward to at the end of a tiring day. On her debut, she blends her god-given gift of a voice with rougher guitar and drums to create a stellar collection of warm, indie-rock songs. The album continues in the vein of brilliant opener "I Don't Wanna Be Funny Anymore", of candid observations and reflections, sometimes funny ("I got a too short skirt, maybe I can be the cute one / Is there room in the band? I don't need to be the front man" - hey, me too!), other times melancholy ("I don’t believe in love at first sight / It’s hard enough for me to not fall in love with every person I see...I don’t believe in love at first sight / Maybe I would if you looked at me right")
Radiohead, "A Moon Shaped Pool"
Of course, I'm not going to end this post without talking about this album! A long-awaited album after 2011's "The King of Limbs", this knocks down everything the band has done over their 20-something year career and is recalculated and refashioned into this beautiful masterpiece. The music might be what some label as "quiet" (without notable explosions like some of their previous work; see songs such as "Paranoid Android" and "Bodysnatchers"), but the lyrics carry a heavy, heavy mood, like the lyrics in "Identikit" ("Broken hearts make it rain") and of course, the wonderful closer "True Love Waits" (about time they gave this a studio recording! It's well worth the wait). The music itself isn't something to sleep on either; on "Ful Stop", a slow constant synth note opens up into a groovy guitar midsection complete with Thom Yorke's wordless falsetto. Elsewhere, Jonny Greenwood's classical work outside of the band manages to find its way through to his main outfit with percussive strings on tracks like "Burn The Witch" and "Glass Eyes", a great fit with the rest of the band's material.
Also, some note-worthy mentions...these albums are great as well!
Nothing, "Tired of Tomorrow"
Shoegaze meets a little Punk and Hardcore in Nothing's second release. The music sounds beautiful and perfect for the springtime or summer, but scratching beneath the surface reveals a host of setbacks, anxiety and problems in the lyrics; these are wonderfully paired up.
Junior Boys, "Big Black Coat"
Junior Boy return with another funky album, and this seems to be the most accessible to new listeners (see "Over It"). Definitely give it a go if you're familiar with artists like Caribou!
Chance the Rapper, "Colouring Book"
Chance the Rapper, "Colouring Book"
Chance does gospel; what's not to like?! Rap and gospel make an unlikely couple in one album but on this they play together like kids in a sandbox: a tad odd at first, but so much fun in the end.
James Blake, "The Colour in Anything"
This third release sees James Blake opening up and collaborating with others, like Bon Iver's Justin Vernon and Frank Ocean (!). The result is a more consolidated James Blake, and feels like he's blended all of his music personas and distilled them into one LP.
This third release sees James Blake opening up and collaborating with others, like Bon Iver's Justin Vernon and Frank Ocean (!). The result is a more consolidated James Blake, and feels like he's blended all of his music personas and distilled them into one LP.
That rounds up a little chock full of music in May! I wonder what other sounds June has for us, but meanwhile, what are your May picks?
Till next time,
Yolande
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