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THE TWILIGHT SAD
Nobody Wants To Be Here And Nobody Wants To Leave
(FatCat)
The Twilight Sad have the Midas touch. Only instead of everything they touch turning to gold, everything they touch turns its back on the world, darkens, wilts and burns with a hollow and tormented anguish. ‘Nobody Wants to be Here but Nobody Wants to Leave’ is the Scots’ most complete album yet – it’s stripped back and assured in its simplicity, yet operatic and beautifully composed. Oh, and it really is truly miserable. (Hugh Morris)
eeee ULTIMATE PAINTING Ultimate Painting (Trouble In Mind)
Ultimate Painting is the side project of James Hoare of Veronica Falls and Jack Cooper of Mazes, a pairing that combines Hoare’s knack for bubblegum indie pop and Cooper’s off-kilter guitar licks brilliantly. Coming almost out of nowhere with their self-titled debut, this is a pleasantly surprising record of straightforward yet gorgeously constructed pop songs that breeze by as elegantly as the inevitable cool autumn wind. (Tom Walters)
ee KINDNESS
Otherness (Female Energy)
His vaguely mysterious aura, that artistic sponge aesthetic and even the model-worthy daydream stare that emblazons this one’s cover art - all of these reel anticipation around a Kindness release. Yet despite a few flashes of brilliance, his second full-length is uninspired and leaves an emptiness in the gut. ‘With You’ featuring Kelela is a classic culprit, a synthesis of honeyed crooning and pitchy strangled brass that is instantly forgettable, and worlds away from the magnificence of teaser track ‘World Restart’. This may feel like a more unified and cohesive listen, but in truth we’d swap all its hollow posturing for his patchy debut album’s wow moments in a heartbeat. (James West) LISTEN: ‘World Restart’
eee SLIPKNOT
.5: The Gray Chapter (Roadrunner)
Slipknot are a band that have become infamous for many things over the past two decades, but sentimentality has never really been their strong suit. For any group, the first record written after the death of one of their key members would be an enormous challenge; for Slipknot, it felt even larger. Getting its release four years after the passing of bassist Paul Gray, ‘.5: The Gray Chapter’ stands strong as their ode to him. A mix of deep-seated anger and still-fresh confusion, it’s a record that rumbles under the surface before ripping open its own stitches. At moments, it delves into the carnal, snarling elements of their former selves before returning to the slicker melodies of their newer works. (Sarah Jamieson) LISTEN: ‘The Negative One’
eee THE VASELINES
V For Vaselines (Rosary Music)
It’s been just over 25 years since The Vaselines first released an album. As time tells us, though, patience isn’t always a virtue - The Vaselines’ most senior effort is, unfortunately the in one ear and out the other of albums. Opener ‘High Tide Low Tide,’ is as good as it gets; a shamefully catchy chorus entangled in all the trappings of a bubbly surf rock song that holds your attention about as fast as it lets it go. (Charlie Mock)
eee DAD ROCKS!
Year of the Flesh (Father Figure)
Under the pseudonym Dad Rocks!, Snævar Njáll Albertsson creates uplifting tracks that talk of seeing the world through a father’s eyes. And as becoming a dad necessitates some children, the influence of his kids is just about everywhere on his latest album. Together with folky guitar and some sensitive work from master producer Addi 800, this is another thoughtful album from Albertsson. (Anna Byrne)
76 diymag.com
eeee ...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD IX (Superball Music)
Trail of Dead have pretty reliably been churning out experimental alt rock for the last ten years. In fact, since last album ‘Lost Songs’ they’ve been playing up to their former mantle of punk experimental mavericks with more determination than ever. ‘Sound Of The Silk’ is surely one of the better tracks they’ve ever done, both instrumentally, where it’s a storming, drum led drone rocker, and lyrically, where it’s Conrad Keely’s wistful narrative proves infectious. Bottom line - if you’re new to Trail of Dead, this might be a good place to begin your investigations, and if you’ve lost track of them since their critical and commercial peak, then ‘Sound Of The Silk’ and ‘IX’ as a whole is as good a way as you’ll find to rediscover this consistently fantastic band. (Alex Lynham) LISTEN: ‘Lie Without A Liar’
LAST RECORD I BOUGHT....... By Jason Reece, Trail of Dead: St. Vincent St. Vincent
Science fictional, lead guitar’s intertwined with reflections of modern existence. Machinery with a soul. Trans-humanism cyborg ghosts in a music dystopian novel. What was once the future is now our own Bladerunner Runner movie.