Jose Gonzalez "Local Valley (Mute)"
“Local Valley” is unmistakably a Gonzales album, but there are a number of changes in this one: It’s his first solo album to use computerized rhythms rather than the subtle percussion of his past efforts, and it’s the first to include lyrics in all three of the languages he speaks (English, Spanish and Swedish). But it’s also arguably his most energetic solo album, with many of the hushed Nick Drake-isms of his past work giving way to a sound that is less a fundamental change — it’s still mostly him and his guitar — than a livelier take on his format. There are more multi-tracked vocals, more guitars and many of the songs are more direct. And although a couple of the African-influenced songs get a little candle-and-incense-boutique, the penultimate track, a cover of Iranian-Swedish artist Laleh’s “En Stund Pa Jorden” (“A Moment on Earth”) is so beautiful it’s practically a hymn.
We Were Promised Jetpacks "Enjoy the View (Rough Trade Publishing)"
From Big Scary Monsters:
Acclaimed Scottish rock band We Were Promised Jetpacks are back with their much-anticipated new album Enjoy the View. Since releasing 2018’s ‘The More I Sleep The Less I Dream’, the band have embraced change head-on. Amicably parting ways with guitarist Michael Palmer, leaving a notable empty fourth corner in their practice room, it marked a transitory moment in the band’s acclaimed career, and one that would be cemented by events to come.
Entering 2020 as a trio with a handful of songs written and a successful US tour under their belts, the world around them came to a sudden halt. Yet despite the unquestionable uncertainty that the lockdown brought, it also proved to be a blessing in disguise as the band were able to take stock, focus on new ways of writing and evolve their sound. Fifteen years into their career, the trio are more focussed than ever and Enjoy the View is the result of a band overcoming, and even thriving, despite the odds.
Hawthorne Heights "The Rain Just Follows Me (Pure Noise)"
The Rain Just Follows Me, the eighth album from Ohio emo champs Hawthorne Heights, is a comfortable addition to their catalogue, one in which they create carefully calibrated mix of soft and heavy. The songs blend clean vocals and bright melodies with screams and brutal guitars seamlessly, like on Thunder In Our Hearts, which has a heavy opening, sparse verses and builds from there to a bouncy post-chorus.
Hayden Calnin "What it Means To Be Human (Nettwerk)"
On his sweeping third full-length album, the celebrated Australian electro-folk artist dives into the depths of what so many before him (and surely many after him) have also done: Exploring deep philosophical and existential questions for which there are no solid or singular answers, and finding meaning in the chaos that is our existence. Ambitious in vision and epic in scope, What It Means to Be Human is a beautiful reckoning: A breathtakingly intimate, emotional album of acceptance and rediscovery, stillness and wonder. Hayden Calnin has spent years honing his craft and vision; here, he comes to life as a brilliant architect of stirring, cinematic folk pop.