Hello and happy(?) Friday!
Not a lot of big releases this week, guess no one wanted to contest with the US election, eh!? Cowards! Next week will be more tasty, I hope.
I think I’m going to spend today listening to the Refused tribute album, the Henrik Liljestrand EP and the Gustaf Norén album.
If nothing tickles your fancy today, you can always check out my favourite albums of October 2024.
Normally don’t link to album reviews here, but The Quietus ripping apart the new Primal Scream album is a fun read - “What a lamentable shitshow it has become”.
What a week, eh?! In recent years I’ve started thinking about how I want to concentrate more on local issues instead of worrying about global stuff that I can’t do anything about (think Jason from Sleaford Mods talked about it in some interview recently). So now when Trump won, it was of course super depressing and sucks for minorities/women/trans people/Gaza/Ukraine/US/everyone, but I’m trying to stay positive and not go into some total depression mode. One has to try and not give up and do the best you can do! Anyway …
Last week has been both busy and pretty chilled. Went to see Whitehawk FC on Saturday which was great fun, very quaint to do something outside in November. Also watched some films - Kneecap (amazing!), The Wild Robot (an ok but maybe more for kids animation, quite cheesy and … sad), The Room Next Door (Almovodar’s new film, in English, a disappointment alas) and Slash/Back (silly and very DIY horror movie starring a gang of teenage Inuit teenage girls, I enjoyed it despite it’s home made vibes).
Tonight I’m going to see Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, which should be pretty special.
Freak Slug
Ten track debut album from Manchester multi-disciplinary grungey pop artist Xenya Genovese.
7/10 Clash / 3.5 Far Out
Thank
Second album from Leeds noise rockers.
4/5 Far Out 8/10 Clash
Friedberg
Debut album from London/Berlin indie band.
3.5/5 Far Out
Our GIrl
Second album from the Brighton formed, now London based, indie band.
8/10 Record Collector / Clash 3.5/5 Far Out
Lazy Day
Debut album from London singer songwriter Tilly Scantlebury's indie band.
4/5 Far Out
Man/Woman/Chainsaw
Debut EP from London grunge rockers.
4/5 The Skinny 7.1/10 Still Listening
Henrik Lindstrand
New EP from Swedish instrumentalist
Jamey Johnson
Sixth and first album of original material in 14 years from the Alabama "outlaw" (and former marine) country artist.
3.5/5 Rolling Stone
Girl Scout
New EP from Swedish indie pop band.
Primal Scream
The first album release from the Scottish rock band since 2016.
8/10 Clash 8/10 Record Collector / Mojo 5/10 Classic Rock 1(!)/10 The Quietus
Yoo Doo Right
Third album from Montreal shoegazy krautrockers.
8/10 Exclaim / Clash
Various
Tribute album to Refused’s seminal “The Shape of Punk to Come” album, feat Touché Amoré, Gel, Snapcase, IDLES, Zulu, Cold Cave, Fucked Up, Cult of Luna, IGORR, Brutus, Ho99o9 etc.
The Body
Eight album from Rhode Island extreme experimentalists.
4/5 Kerrang!
Movits!
Eight album from Swedish swing jazz hiphop band. They were on the Colbert Report in 2009 and I saw them play in a tent at the Pohoda Festival, Slovakia in 2012, with the crowd going bananas.
Gustaf Norén
Debut solo album from the Mando Diao singer who's, to put it mildly, has gone through a wild period in the last 10 years. Now he's gone and done some sort of folk pop album (with Swedish lyrics) that I'm very intrigued about. Some of it produced by Björn Olsson (yay!)
4/5 Aftonbladet
Remember Sports - Sunchokes (2016)
Formerly known as just Sports, this Philadelphia indie pop punk band are one of my favourites. They've released five albums in total, but it's their second one I keep going back to the most. Recently they've moved away from the punk-y sound to a more rock sound (but it's still great!). This was probably my favourite album of 2014 (and top 10 albums ever), full of great fun lyrics and amazing melodies (that is what I like, you know).
Thank giving us some sort of pineapple animal controlled by frogs with eyes in their mouths and drinking out of a fish. Probably done with AI, but still - impressive. Thank you very much.
Last week I’ve enjoyed the latest The Cure album, a lot of The Beach Boys, some Ava Max and a bit of Kneecap.
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Have a lovely weekend and chill out!
Simon