New Albums

spring break edition #4

SOULWAX : essential : Deewee/PIAS (22.06.18)
Soundtracks, last year’s “From Deewee“ plus the occasional hand-picked remix work and collab: the Dewaele brothers seem to be busier than ever these days, and their latest offering “Essential“, which sees them reaching deep into their trademark bag of styles - post punk, disco, new wave, synth-pop and whatnot - to demonstrate that it’s actually possible (and not just a myth) to age with grace. 8.5/10

 

MELODY’S ECHO CHAMBER : bon voyage : Domino (15.6.18)
After having collaborated with Kevin Parker on her impressive debut, Melody Prochet did team up with Frederik Swahn and Reine Fiske (of The Amazing/Dungen fame) for album number two with unmistakable results: the songs are playful, extensive in running time and interspersed with a higher sense of yearning. It’s also pretty chaotic - not necessarily in a good way - as it often feels decisively too self-absorbed for its own good. 6/10

V.A. : the sound of love international : Love International Recordings (15.06.18)
Things actually look quite promising that our favorite Croatian festival could easily branch out into our soon-to-be favorite record label as well. Having collaborated with Test Pressing and the somehow still underrated DJ/producer/crate digger extraordinaire Gatto Fritto for its very first compilation, “The Sound of Love International“ offers a musical journey that makes you feel as if you’ve stared into the glistering sun for two hours straight - which sometimes feels like exactly the right thing to do. 9/10

 

77:78 : jellies : Heavenly (06.07.18)
The leading creative heads behind beloved Isle of Wight indie outfit The Bees now return as 77:78 - and they basically continue to explore the very same musical rays of sunshine as they did since day one, just with a bigger production... which just feels a bit too tiresome and uninspired after an eight year hiatus. 5.5/10

ÂME : dream house : Innervisions (out now)
Fourteen years in the making, the celebrated Berlin-based duo is finally offering its debut album, which feels as if Wiedemann & Beyer invited you over for a coupe of drinks while going through their mind-blowing, extensive record collection in order to play the most cherished bits they’ve collected during the last thirty years. What a rad evening that was. 8.75/10

GIRLS NAMES : stains on silence : Tough Love Records (15.06.18)
Belfast’s best kept secret returns with album #5, and once again they perfectly capture the dreamier side of post-punk. “Stains On Silence“ might be even their most accessible album yet even though it still is a pretty much idiosyncratic affair that couldn’t care less about radio play or optimistic messages... even though the original working title “Eating Out The Scum in Western Man“ might hint at sunlight breaking through the clouds. 7/10