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AUDIO Killian Barry Danny Wilson BTS Map of the S
oul: 7 – The Journey [Universal] BTS are not ones to let trivialities like a global pandemic or looming military service come between them and an unwavering fanbase, who are themselves ready to mobilise at a moment’s notice. Rather than twiddle their thumbs, the pop juggernaut drop a fourth Japanese album (eighth overall), the latest on-brand addition to a sprawling catalogue. The Journey amounts to another calibrated release from a multimedia enterprise. It follows the template of K-pop streamlined for a Japanese market, with the handful of new tunes buttressed by a core of translated tracks drawn from recent albums. The record’s tight bangers and R&B odes to self-love are sure to land in a lucrative territory where physical albums are still king, but will inevitably be eaten up by fanatics further afield. Everything here is well-presented and ready to serve, albeit with an element of rinse and repeat. Slick boardroom pop it may be, but you can’t accuse the lads of phoning it in. Top billing must go, though, to the production crew. The Journey’s universal language of pop production puts a pristine polish on proceedings. Having transcended mere boyband status, everything the Seoul septet does is the most, the first, the fastest. Neatly packaged, clinically precise and not a hair out of place, this glorified reissue from K-pop’s flagbearers will do nothing to derail the idol worship. KB Like This? Try These: BTS - Map of the Soul: 7 (Korean version) Twice - &Twice Seventeen - An Ode Dream Wife So When You Gonna… [Lucky Number] The reliably unapologetic Dream Wife have come out swinging for round two of their bellicose brand of indie. Sure, the London-based trio are the progeny of Riot grrrl, but sonic touchstones here range from Blondie and Le Tigre to CSS and Be Your Own Pet, with particular reverence reserved for Karen O. It’s ostensibly single-use garage pop, albeit laced with humour, heavy riffs and electroclash inflections, but So When You Gonna…’s raison d’être is as a megaphone for a brash, patriarchy-smashing message Dream Wife demand you take on board. KB Domico VooDoo? [EMI] Largely out of step with that nation’s indie trends, here’s a Japanese garage rock duo that instead channel their North American two-piece counterparts. VooDoo? succeeds in pairing Death From Above’s propulsive energy with fuzzy blues riffs that are the Black Keys’ stock-in-trade. Domico insist on serving it with a dollop of woozy psychedelia, though, meaning that while the wheels stay spinning across its short duration, VooDoo? keeps a fitful, uncertain momentum warranting the question mark that punctuates the album title. KB Yo La Tengo We Have Amnesia Sometimes [Matador Records] Protomartyr Ultimate Success Today [Domino Recording Company] Recorded over a ten day stretch during quarantine, We Have Amnesia Sometimes, consists of five wordless pieces of drone-laden, deeply druggy “formless” music performed at a social distance. Just because it doesn’t have form doesn’t mean it doesn’t have weight, though! Realistically, these undulating slabs of psychedelia are totally inessential to those who aren’t already of the firm belief that YLT haven’t released a bad record in over 30 years (they haven’t!). This one goes out to the hopelessly devout, but who really needs new fans anyway? DW Previous releases from the Michigan punk quartet have suggested a certain tip-toeing toward unexplored tones within their oeuvre – most notably in the occasional appearance of acoustic instrumentation on 2017’s Relatives in Descent. Their latest takes things even further. The LP’s most arresting passages showcase the addition of an intermittently plaintive and furious brass section. This new ingredient has brought about quite a chemical reaction. Having previously traded in a bitter, sharply caustic concoction, Ultimate Success Today has the feel of more full-bodied brown liqueur. Rest assured, it’s just as certain to put you on your arse. DW Now Open 29 South Anne St, Dublin 2 Tel. 01 531 4491 56