Hello and happy Friday!
The heat is back, ain’t that fun? It’s looked great from inside my flat all week, imagine people are really enjoying it. Had some workmen putting on some roofing paint / primer stuff outside our flat all week so it’s been smelling delicious toxic fumes all week, woohoo! I woke up at 4am today and couldn’t go back to sleep so today will be a woozy Friday!
Quite a big release day I reckon - Wet Leg! Burna Boy! Clipse! Allo’ Darlin comeback! Martha “b-side” compilation! Woop! And The Biebster!
Also exciting that Jens Lekman is back with a new song!
Been mainly watching the women’s Euros last week (go Sweden!), but I did go to Finsbury Park on Saturday to see Blondshell, Kneecap (!), Amyl and the Sniffers and Fontaines D.C. Tonight I’m going to see Martha, which is always an emotional experience (I might cry, again).
Got a pretty busy week next week, going to see a favourite comedian on Monday (Bilal Zafar), "Superman” in the cinema on Tuesday (bet it’ll be boring) and also Sweden vs Germany on Saturday.
Started watching the new season of "Squid Games” which is always fun, eh!?
Watched the “Gaza: Doctors Under Attack” documentary on Channel 4 during breakfast on Sunday, which was perhaps not so smart, quite a harrowing watch! But highly recommended.
On Wednesday I watched the animated film “Predator: Killer of Killers" which was fun nonstop action. Same director who made the great “Prey” about indigenous Americans fighting a Predator. “Prey” is on CH4 now.
Also watched the 30 minutes long Slick Rick album visualiser which was a lot of fun, recommend it!
Clipse
The first and fourth album from Virginia rap duo since 2009's "Til the Casket Drops". I'm a BIG Pusha T fan, and used to love Clipse back in the day. Feat. Ab-Liva, Kendrick Lamar, John Legend, Nas, Stove God Cooks, The-Dream, Voices of Fire, and Pharrell Williams (who produced it, yay!?).
5/5 The Guardian 9.1/10 Consequence of Sound 4/5 Rolling Stone 6.5/10 Pitchfork
Gwenno
The fourth solo album from The Pipettes' Gwenno is the first sung mostly in English (previous albums were in Cornish and Welsh) and features contributions by H. Hawkline and Cate Le Bon.
4/5 The Skinny / Mojo / The Quietus / musicOHM 8/10 The Line of Best Fit
Burna Boy
Eight album from the Nigerian afrobeats singer. Feat. Travis Scott, Mick Jagger (lol), Shaboozey
3/5 Aftonbladet (Sweden)
Wet Leg
Long awaited second album from the Isle of Wight indie rock band. Their Glasto set was fun.
5/5 The Independent 5/5 musicOHM 4/5 The Skinny / Rolling Stone / Slant / Uncut / Mojo / Louder than Wars / Irish Times / 8/10 Clash 7.7/10 Northern Transmissions 6/10 God is in the TV
Jessica Winter
Debut album from "Portsmouth’s underground queer pop auteur".
4/5 NME / Uncut 3/5 musicOHM
Justin Bieber
Surprise album from the Biebster! His seventh. It's called "Swag" which is very cool and 2008 giving low-key throwback vibes. Feat. Gunna, Sexyy Red, and Cash Cobain.
Gina Birch
Second album from The Raincoats singer. I thought her last album from 2023 was a lot of fun, very sassy. Saw her live too, which was great.
5/5 Louder than War 4/5 Uncut / Mojo 2.5/5 Far Out
Allo' Darlin
Fourth album from the London indie pop band and first one since 2014.
4/5 The Skinny 3.5/5 Uncut
Larry June & Cardo Got Wings
New collab album from the San Francisco rapper with the Minnesota producer Cardo. I'm a Larry June fan!
Martha
Singles and B sides comp from the DIY Durham indie twee punks. Probably my favourite band in the world. Very exciting about seeing them live tonight.
Goon
Third album from the LA indie rock band.
8.1/10 Northern Transmissions
Barry Can't Swim
Second album from the Scottish electronic music producer and DJ.
4/5 musicOHM 4/5 The Skinny 8/10 Clash / The Arts Desk
Open Mike Eagle
Tenth album from the LA based rapper.
Poor Creature
Debut album from Irish electronic / folk band feat members of Landless and Lankum.
4/5 Far Out / Mojo / Uncut
MF Tomlinson
Third album from Australian-born / London-based psych and psych folk artist.
4.5/5 Spill 4/5 Mojo 7/10 Line of Best Fit
Ólafur Arnalds & Talos
New album from Icelandic multi-instrumentalist, producer Arnalds and the Irish indie electronic musician Talos (who passed away last year).
5/5 The Irish Times 8/10 The Arts Desk
The Swell Season
Third album from folk rock duo formed by Irish musician Glen Hansard and Czech singer and pianist Markéta Irglová.
4/5 Mojo 3/5 Spill
Kokoroko
Second album from the afrobeat / jazz London-based septet.
8/10 The Line of Best Fit 4/5 Mojo 3.5/5 Uncut
The Sound of Arrows - Voyage (2011)
This Vangelis / Pet Shop Boys flirting album sounded very cool in 2011. Not really sure what the duo did after this but there are some great tunes on this album, especially "My Shadow" which is probably a top 10 (or at least 100) song of mine. They did some remixes for Lady Gaga, Alphabeat, The Naked and Famous, Natalia Kills and Nicole Scherzinger and the "song "Into the Clouds" was among the most downloaded songs in the United Kingdom for the week of 20 September 2009" - I had no idea and I almost don't believe it. I know that Popjustice loved the album/them.
Nice colours innit.
I managed to listen through all of the Bruce Springsteen boxset “Tracks II”, it was pretty decent! Might not go back to it in a hurry but I listened to one disc per day which was a great way to go through it.
Otherwise I’ve been reminding myself which albums are the best of 2025 so far.
Did a little playlist of ten Wu-Tang Clan (the group itself and side projects) songs from 1993 to 1999. This was the rap music that I grew up on, that formed and shaped me. I still love it. It used to be so cool, now I’m just an old man being nostalgic of days gone past! That’s alright. I try and keep up with everything they do now, but nothing is really hitting home. I think Method Man has found some form again though, he’s done some nice guest verses.
18 July - Madeline Kenney
18 July - Roddy Ricch
18 July - Alex G
18 July - Raekwon
25 July - Tim Minchin
25 July - Folk Bitch Trio
25 July - Madonna
25 July - Fever Ray (live album)
30 July - Ty Segall
08 August - Hurula
15 August - American Football
22 August - Greg Freedman
22 August - Ava Max
22 August - Mac DeMarco
23 August - Illuminati Hotties
29 August - The Hives
29 August - Wolf Alice
29 August - CMAT
29 August - Sabrina Carpenter
05 September - Saint Etienne
05 September - Big Thief
12 September - Baxter Dury
12 September - Joviale
12 September - Jens Lekman
19 September - The Divine Comedy
19 September - Cardi B
26 September - Cate Le Bon
26 September - Geese
26 September - Neko Case
10 October - Jay Som
24 October - The Lemonheads
31 October - Witch Fever
TBC - Lana Del Rey
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Have a lovely weekend and chill out!
Simon