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AUDIO Joe Joyce Andrew Lambert Danny Wilson Kanye
West DONDA [Def Jam] Skelocrats Boy Bitten by Lizard [Popical Island] Elephant Ice Cream [Pizza Pizza] Aesop Rock Spirit World Field Guide [Rhymesayers Entertainment] Arriving on the back of a bungled roll out comprising of repeatedly missed release dates, a curious residency in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and the frankly unforgivable support shown for the blacklisted Marilyn Manson recently, it’s safe to say that Kanye West has once again done himself no favours in the run up to the release of his tenth studio record. But while West has perhaps never been more vilified than now in the music industry, what of the music itself? There’s no shortage of it to dissect on DONDA with its staggering near two hours of material. The good news is that the highlights (Jail, Believe What I Say, 9-minute centerpiece opus Jesus Lord) of these 27 tracks easily surpass anything on Jesus Is King while never quite approaching pre2018 levels of greatness – the bad news is the rest. The entirety of DONDA seems to amount to a glorified data dump – a gigantic file sitting on Kanye’s laptop that shouldn’t have seen the light of day before a massive editing process was undertaken. As it is, we are left with a baffling excess of the manic electro gospel that has unfortunately defined West in recent years. It’s this level of filler and total lack of curation that mercilessly swallows the potential record buried within DONDA. The result is a relentlessly single minded narrative, uncharacteristically shoddy production and the paradoxically incomplete and overbloated feeling you may experience as you emerge from this daunting 108 minutes. AL Returning from something of an unofficial hiatus, Dublin’s premier bockety-pop supergroup is back in business. Following the departure of oddball crooner extraordinaire, Paddy Hanna, this who’s who of domestic indie stalwarts have further bolstered their ranks with the addition of No Monster Club’s (Sir) Bobby (Jukebox) Aherne and Ruan Van Vliet of Squarehead. Whether it can be chalked up to the new blood or otherwise, the quintet sound nothing if not energised on this, their most immediately arresting and deftly constructed collection to date. The shambling, grab-bag, energy that defined their first two records has always been one of the great pleasures of Skelocrats as an endeavour, so, to praise Boy Bitten by Lizard for its focus can’t help feel a little off. Yet, this newfound clarity in vision and sharpness in presentation never reads as compromise, or worse, the sanding down of rough edges at the expense of character. In essence, despite the presence of titles like We Drink Our Own Piss, the chaos has been dialled down in favour of a sweeter shade of sophistication. This twist is pointedly evidenced in closer Sweet Talk; itself an unassumingly anthemic wonder reminiscent of Pulp at their most potent, or in the taut to the point of spring loaded, pure pop pleasures of the tracks that front and centre the belted vocals of Bronwyn Murphy White. DW While travel isn’t an option for most of us right now, you could do a lot worse than a metaphysical journey with rapper Aesop Rock on Spirit World Field Guide. Rock’s eighth studio album is a woozy confluence of his lyrical proficiency and skill behind the mixing desk. There are vast synths, crisp drums and creepy 8-bit hooks. These unearthly soundscapes are scattered with mind-bending lyrics; this spirit world is full of bats exploding out a mountain cave and crystal skulls. It’s a hell of a ride. JJ The latest from stalwart underground tunesmith and key figure in Dundalk’s continued indie dominance, Shane Clarke, is a laid-back triumph of eclecticism and unfettered creativity. Ice Cream feels blissfully unconcerned with currents of hype outside of Clarke and co’s own verdant musical ecosystem. This insular but curious outlook resulting in an LP of rare character, reminiscent of fellow isolationist altpop mavens Si Schroeder, Badly Drawn Boy or even a reassuringly less fatalistic Sparklehorse. A perfect starting point for the uninitiated, and the familiar don’t need any convincing. DW Drake Certified Lover Boy [OVO Sound/Republic] In the corporate world, when something is a waste of time it is often described as “a meeting that could have been an email.” Drake has somehow managed to apply that concept to his sixth studio album; mostly filler with very little, if any, killer. There are a handful of exciting moments, like Nicki Minaj’s brief appearance on Papi’s Home, but there just isn’t enough happening here to justify the 86-minute runtime. And the less said about the dire, Right Said Fred-sampling Way 2 Sexy, the better. JJ The Cribs Night Network [Sonic Blew] In a year where landfill indie made headlines, a new record from the brothers Jarman should be no surprise. The Cribs eighth studio album, their first entirely self-produced effort since forming twenty years ago, is coloured with a nostalgic palette that spans from Dusty Springfield-tinged melodies to generous helpings of indie-infused Britpop. Opening with the lilting Goodbye, sprinkled with Spector-like magic, the trio radiates an alluring warmth. For those whose coming of age was soundtracked by The Cribs, this release feels as though their sound has matured with their audience. ZH Elaine Mai Home [Self Released] AC/DC Power Up [Columbia Records] A Ritual Sea A Ritual Sea [Self Released] Like This? Try These... Chance The Rapper – Coloring Book Ear Sweatshirt – Some Rap Songs Tyler, The Creator – Call Me If You Get Lost In a month of bloated and male-dominated releases, the debut album from Elaine Mai is a euphoric breath of fresh air. The producer brings together some of the most talented women in Irish music for nine tracks of danceable and cathartic electronica. The songs here are somehow intimate and expansive at the same time; Still Feel featuring Ailbhe Reddy is a standout. Reddy’s voice sounds great in a more electronic soundscape than we’re used to hearing her, and Home will be the perfect soundtrack when Irish nightclubs return. JJ Bruce Lee once said, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” That being the case, he probably wouldn’t have fancied meeting AC/DC in a brawl. On their seventeenth studio album, the Australian hard rockers give us 12 entertaining variations on the musical kick that they’ve been working on for decades. You might forget some of the riffs as soon as you’re finished listening, but Brian Johnson’s demonic vocals can still thrill. JJ In an interview with RTÉ earlier this year, A Ritual Sea’s Donna McCabe said of the coronavirus lockdown that it was “a kind of a relief to have to slow down.” That sentiment is successfully evoked by the band’s self-titled debut album; the energy level is low, but the textures are gorgeous and McCabe and fellow vocalist Florian Chombart sound beautifully human. Hopefully we’ve left the days of severe restrictions behind us, but this would be the perfect soundtrack for a moody nighttime walk around your designated 5km radius. JJ Lambchop Trip [Merge Records] Ever the restless auteur, Kurt Wagner’s latest pivot sees him encourage each bandmate to choose a track to cover. This diffusion of creative control largely forgoes the electronic dabbling of recent releases in favour of a return to some understated country soul for grown-ups. The selections are characteristically left-field, while Wagner’s laconic baritone sedately unfurls across a six-track collection stretched to album length by its sparse slow burn. It should be a throwaway concept, but under the covers you’ll find a cohesive summation of an enterprising band quite content to fly below the radar. KB Now Open 29 South Anne St, Dublin 2 Tel. 01 531 4491 54