The Highlights

Yard Act – The Overload

★★★★

Released on Island Records

Major label + obvious Fall-centric post-punk influences + massive seemingly overnight hype makes it feel like Yard Act is the mainstream industry’s attempt at cashing in on the hype behind the recent wave of post-Brexit punk coming out of the UK. Possibly this is true. Regardless this album slaps hard, and doesn’t feel like a cheap cash-in. If it’s a little less out-there that some of their contemporaries that’s okay, we all need to sing along to the chorus some time. It’s all relative anyway; consider that this is on the same label as Ariana Grande.

Boris – W

★★★☆

Released on Sacred Bones Records

The veteran Japanese noisegaze band is on ultra-weird-vibes Sacred Bones now and the first fruit is an ambient, experimental album that stands in direct contrast to last year’s No. That’s not to say there’s no bangers; “The Fallen” is a neat summation of the band’s average approach over the past 26 years. But the softcore Boris outweighs it this time around.

Tanya Tagaq – Tongues

★★★★

Released on Six Shooter

I was once invited to do some work with an Inuk throat singer but it fell through because she ended up getting a sweet job closer to home. Gonjasufi is a much better producer than I am, and while I hesitate to compare Tanya Tagaq with that long-ago collab partner I would image that 20 years of practice and artistry has probably rendered her better as well. The combination of the two create something both horrifying and beautiful, which in this day and age should really be what art is aiming for.

Anyway, this record is disconcerting. Don’t fuck with someone’s children.

Little North – Familiar Places

★★★☆

Released on April Records

Piano trio jazz that channels the cold Nordic winter but also manages to have a neat little swing that should put them squarely in all sorts of modern jazz playlists.

The Rest:

Palace – Shoals ★★★ (Fiction)

Pedro The Lion – Havasu ★★★ (Polyvinyl)

Shinichi Atobe – Love of Plastic ★★★☆ (DDS)

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Butterfly 3001 ★★★ (Self-Released)

Anxious – Little Green House ★★☆ (Run For Cover)

Silverbacks – Archive Material ★★★ (Full Time Hobby)

Miles Kane – Change The Show ★★★☆ (BMG)

AURORA – The Gods We Can Touch ★★★☆ (Decca)

Gomma – ZOMBIE COWBOYS ★★★ (LB Music)

Reptaliens – Multiverse ★★★ (Captured Tracks)

The Soundcarriers – Wilds ★★★ (Phosphonic)
Whatever, it should tide you over to the new Melody’s Echo Chamber

Kids On A Crime Spree – Fall In Love Not In Line ★★★☆ (Slumberland)

Artsick – Fingers Crossed ★★☆ (Slumberland)

Jana Horn – Optimism ★★★ (No Quarter)

The Monofones – Loud & Lousy ★★★ (Little Rebel)

Windowshopping – Andromeda ★★☆ (No Agreements)

Aoife O’Donovan – Age Of Apathy ★★★☆ (Yep Roc)

Billy Talent – Crisis Of Faith ★★ (Warner)

Hollow Graves – Mid-Century Modern ★★☆ (Self-Released)

Che Noir – Food For Thought ★★★☆ (DMG)

Paper Route EMPIRE – Long Live Young Dolph ★★ (Label comp)

Ralfy the Plug – Pastor Ralfy 2 ★★ (Stinc Team)

Anyway goodnight everyone