C S
L A I R L I N
WRITTEN
BY
AMANY
O G
KHREIS
Where and how an album was written can define it more than anything else. As soon as you learn Clairo took away to the mountains of upstate New York to make the switch from bedroom pop to the singer-songwriter roots of 1970s folk music, you can’t separate it from Sling. This is a common trend. When thinking of For Emma, Forever Ago, a cabin in the middle of Wisconsin immediately comes to mind. Sufjan Stevens’s state albums, Michigan and Illinois, were named directly after the places that inspired them. On Blue, the songs were written as Joni Mitchell took a break from touring and travelled across the world, and you can hear that in her music. Clairo’s sophomore release follows in the footsteps of these albums. Sling is a moment of growth—Clairo experiments more with harmonies and lyricism, abandoning the bedroom pop influences that once confined her music. On the catchiest and most popular track from Sling, “Amoeba,” the lyrics are hard to crack, distancing Clairo from the confessional songwriting on her debut release Immunity. Her lead single “Blouse” is more direct. Lines like “If touch could make them hear, then touch me now” put Clairo up there with the best songwriters of her generation. Sling is Clairo’s first time co-producing with pop titan Jack Antonoff, who received a good amount of backlash this year for recycled sounds and stretching himself thin. Despite the criticisms, Sling still stands out from the other projects he worked on this year (Solar Power, Chemtrails Over the Country Club). Clairo may be influenced by the likes of Carole King, Joni Mitchell and the ladies of the Laurel Canyon movement (she’s referenced Mitchell on critics’ favorite “Bags”, “Mitchell said I should be just fine,” and titled a five-minute instrumental interlude on Sling’s “Joanie’’ after her dog that was named after Joni), but she never strays from sounding like herself. The layered harmonies and instrumental breaks become Clairo’s defining features. At times, her vocals can sound quiet and hushed—a problem Clairo has always had in her music and live performances. Regardless, Sling is an incredible album, blending classic folk, chamber pop and jazz into a cohesive, solid work. The soft, lush melodies and saccharine lyrics take listeners away to the mountains with Clairo and her most personal memories.
SCORE:
7.1
Black Country, New Road’s For The first time is the highly anticipated debut album from UK’s post-punk darlings, their introduction to the music scene already sets them as mainstays of the contemporary art-rock movement. The band’s sound is extremely difficult to classify accurately, it’s a unique chaotic blend of the post-punk aggressive nihilist ethos with touches of art jazz instrumentation and anguished spoken word vocals… and I love it. The London-based septet has been building up buzz in the post-punk community through word of mouth over the past two years and this secretiveness proves itself to be the key to the band’s ethos. With the unassuming band name and cliché title tracks, accompanied by a stock image for the album cover I initially went through this album without high expectations. To my surprise, I was presented with 40 minutes of meditative cathartic melodies.The interplay between the seven band members is balanced: there is never a time when one band member outshines the other. We see this in the opening track “Instrumental:” as the second an infectious saxophone settles, we hear singer Isaac Wood’s raspy vocals, topped by beautifully chaotic violin arrangements that culminate in a brooding reflective experience. Although, the lyrics can feel uncomfortably personal and revealing at times in tracks like “Science Fair,” as he fetishizes a Cirque de Soleil performer, or discussions over suicide in “Athens, France.” Wood exposes his insecurities and self-doubts in a fantastic mix of spoken word and post-punk shouting. For the first time is one of those rare, stellar debut albums; it’s grittiness and nihilism completely entrance you to what feels like a 40 minute jam session amongst extremely talented troubled musicians. Black Country, New Road establish themselves as a powerhouse in the post-punk community with their debut.
SCOR
7.8
E:
8 / EMMIE
BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD FOR THE FIRST TIME WRITTEN
BY
ARTHUR
MACHADO