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AUDIO Zara Hedderman Andrew Lambert Haim Women in
Music Pt. III [Polydor Records] The Beths Jump Rope Gazers [Carpark Records] Alana, Este and Danielle Haim have always been a sensational trio of musicians, but on their third and best studio album, the sisters evolve their sound and songwriting while navigating a potential minefield of genres to wondrous effect. Enlisting producers du jour – Vampire Weekend vet Rostam Batmanglij, Ariel Rechtshaid – the sisters traverse an exponential amount of sounds with such skill and poise that you’ll barely notice them weaving such seemingly incompatible genres together as jazz (Los Angeles), country rock (The Steps), electropop (I Know Alone), 90s hiphop and R&B (3am), reggae (Another Try) and folk (Leaning on You) all the while never losing sight of their signature musicality for a second. Haim are as open and intimate here as they’ve ever been. Chief songwriter Danielle deserves particular credit for not only developing her writing, but also her presence as a frontwoman. The middle sister displays more swagger on these 11 songs than the band’s entire previous catalogue. If all of that sounds like a lot of ground to cover inside 40 minutes, it’s a testament to Haim that they have pulled off a record of such ambition and abandon while packaging and delivering it with the kind of effortless accessibility that the trio are renowned for. Put simply, Women in Music is a fantastic collection of tunes – but more than that it’s a genre hopping, ingeniously executed leap into the unknown and the biggest artistic statement of its creators’ young careers. AL Like this? Try these: Fleetwood Mac - Rumors Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride On Jump Rope Gazers, The Beths hone in on their signature sound with a more polished version of themselves, but they lose the lightning in a bottle that they captured on their more organic, DIY debut. The most rewarding aspects of this album are its breakneck singles and lighter power pop moments such as the charming title track. A solid, if unspectacular, sequel that hints at untapped potential for the Auckland quartet. AL Jarv Is… Beyond The Pale [Rough Trade Records] Led by Jarvis Cocker, Jarv Is primarily operated as a live outfit since forming in 2017. The material for Beyond The Pale pre-dates lockdown, however Cocker’s witty lyricism on this occasion centred on missing out on fun; “Saturday night, cabin fever in house nation,” he sings on the infectious House Music All Night Long. Sonically, there’s everything from late-ear Leonard Cohen (Save the Whale) and slinky grooves on the irresistible Children of the Echo. A truly exhilarating record that captures all the trimmings of musical indulgences typically saved for live shows. ZH Song Sung This Ascension Is Ours [Night Time Stories] On their supremely wavy debut, This Ascension Is Ours, twin sisters Georgina and Una McGeough immerse themselves in a soundscape of ethereal synths and heavenly textures. Their vocals levitate amongst the shimmering romance on Telling Tales and the wistful Somewhere, and their harmonies continuously excel across the record. Throughout these dynamic electronic arrangements, predominantly indebted to the 80s and chillwave, there are traces of Grimes, Julee Cruise, Lana Del Rey, and The Wizard of Oz. A perfect Saturday morning listen. ZH Silverbacks Fad [Central Tone Records] On Fad, the excellent debut from Dublin-based quintet Silverbacks, we’re presented with a dynamic body of songs which bounce off each other as though fighting for their place in the mosh. Across the LP, the band incorporate motifs evoking the finest tonal qualities of Pavement (Fad ‘95) and The Strokes. An urgency across the instrumentation makes for immediately engaging melodies while the interplay between Daniel O’Kelly and bassist Emma Hanlon’s vocals on Muted Gold, especially, forges a hook that’s near-impossible to get out of your head. ZH CLICK IT OUT… 58 We know it and so should you food, fashion, photography, film, books, magazines, music, design, drink and a curated section of events for you to consider www.totallydublin.ie