album guides
Welcome to our page of short album guides. Not reviews, but subjective musings on some of our favourite records of the recent past. Who would have thought that just a few years ago, as streaming became dominant, the album’s future as a format was in doubt. The pandemic and the resurgence of vinyl have conspired to create the conditions for the revival of the album as a whole, cohesive work. Artists still want to make their masterpiece in album form and perhaps that is why albums are getting better and the format itself, stronger. Albums are also getting shorter, harking back to the hay day of LP of the 70s. However, with so much music released week-in, week-out, sometimes even big album releases seem to disappear in a puff of smoke. These guides are designed to introduce you to recent records you may have missed, or to help you enjoy them even more. The idea is to feature ‘modern classics’. To contribute with your own guide, get in touch via the About page.
THE 7TH ALBUM FROM AQUALUNG, DEAD LETTERS, IS A HOMECOMING RECORD THAT WORKS BEAUTIFULLY.
Streaming has been doing some strange things to music, you may have noticed. Shorter songs, everything ranked according to ‘popularity’ and even fewer songs with key changes.
None of this has been lost on Matt Hales. Yet on Aqualung’s latest album Dead Letters, he’s not bothered one bit about conforming to streaming conventions. Indeed, he thumbs his nose at them.
An old beat-up, vomit-stained piano proved to be the central tool in this record’s creation, with Hales composing sketch after sketch that eventually shaped themselves into the album's nine fabulous songs.
Alela Diane’s Looking Glass is an escape from the world’s madness
Let’s be honest with ourselves. When was the last time you stopped everything and listened to an album all the way through?
It’s just so hard to do these days but my take on it, as someone who finds meditation deathly dull, is that music can be a fine substitute. In this context, let me introduce you to the most recent work by Alela Diane. Released in October, Looking Glass has been on vinyl rotation in my house ever since, both as comforting background music and occasionally the full dedicated listening session. Both ways, it’s a beautiful album and one which acts most effectively as a vehicle to somehow both face the mad world out there and escape from it at the same time.
THE BIG PINK’S NEW ALBUM IS EAR CANDY POP FOR GROWN UPS
I do wish radio would do a better job of sticking with bands over the long term, especially when their music gets better. Bless 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq for spinning The Big Pink’s single Rage, sometime before the band released the new album. Rage is a cracking tune, like everything else on The Big Pink’s ‘homecoming record’. The Love That’s Ours is indeed a cracking pop album. I’m guessing that you may have overlooked it but may I humbly suggest you give it a spin (preferably applying my usual 3-plays rule). From start to finish the album is quality - great songs done with a poppy, ‘ear-candy’ style production that works especially well when crackling through your headphones.
SUEDE'S AUTOFICTION IS A LATE CAREER MASTERPIECE
Where to begin with this ninth Suede album Autofiction? I had no particular reference point for this record, as I’m not devoted to anything in the Suede catalogue. My previous favourite of theirs was the album before this one - 2017’s The Blue Hour - a totally different kettle of fish. I also love their B-sides collection but we’ll come back to that. When I heard about Autofiction being ‘Suede’s punk album’ or being a full-circle return to the band’s origins, I wasn’t excited, particularly.
Then I listened to the damn thing…
NERINA PALLOT KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT SHE'S DOING ON ALBUM NO. 7
When Nerina Pallot’s publicist sent me a copy of her latest album I Don’t Know What I’m Doing, I did what most of us do on the receiving end of these things and ignored it. After a nudge, I fired up the press link and put it on in the background, playing it through my computer speakers - a crime against Nerina’s brand of grown up pop. On that first listen, I knew the record was good. Even through computer speakers, those songs were undeniably strong melodies and with a variety of styles that had me intrigued. I had a feeling the record deserved a proper listen. As this 7th album finally arrives on vinyl (in all its Autumnal splendour!) it is worthy of a short assessment…
AFTER 25 YEARS TURIN BRAKES HAVE DONE SOMETHING REMARKABLE - THEY HAVE HIT A NEW PEAK
As they enjoy positive reviews and amazing fan feedback on number 9 Wide-Eyed Nowhere, it is worth celebrating Turin Brakes’ contribution to the UK’s music scene. The band is original enough to have their own unique place on that scene and have been going long enough to be influential in more ways than they probably realise. Sometimes as a fan, you can feel you know a band so well - beyond just the records and the stuff you read - you get a sense of how they’re really doing. With Wide-Eyed Nowhere, this band of almost 25 years has done something remarkable - they have hit a new peak.
NICK RHODES HAS GUIDED DURAN DURAN TO THEIR BEST ALBUM SINCE BIG THING
At one minute 25 seconds of track two on Duran Duran’s new album, there is a minor piano chord that strikes a very human element into a driving electronic track (‘All Of You’ is a genuine banger). It’s precisely what differentiates ‘Future Past’ from its predecessor ‘Paper Gods’ - an organic yin to the electronic yang. And that is what Duran Duran is all about, essentially, electronic sounding pop music made by real musicians. Always a pop group first and foremost (and at one point the world’s biggest), Duran Duran are also a proper band of accomplished self-taught musicians who can really play. The album’s main producer Erol Alkan wanted to hear more of the band playing on this album and all I can say is thank you Erol Alkan for recognising something many fans will feel was missing from Paper Gods.