TD 1
AUDIO Zara Hedderman Andrew Lambert Bob Dylan Rou
gh and Rowdy Ways [Columbia] Dougie Poole The Freelancer’s Blues [Wharf Cat Records] There aren’t many artists who make it to album thirty-nine. Then again, there aren’t many around with a voice as enduring as Bob Dylan. On Rough and Rowdy Ways, his first record of original material since 2012’s Tempest, Dylan fills a room with his unique sense of humour, (“I’ll take the Scarface Pacino and The Godfather Brando / Mix it up in a tank and get a robot commando,” as concocted on My Own Version of You) and draws his audience in with stories which have you hanging on his every word (Black Rider). Even after countless listens. Rough and Rowdy Ways’ arrival comes shortly after a handful of unannounced singles, beginning with the seventeen-minute ‘Murder Most Foul’. An epic ballad centred on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy; “It was a dark day in Dallas, November ‘63.” Here, Dylan’s delivery is closer to recitation than singing, sombre in tone. Elsewhere, however, the seventy-nine-year-old demonstrates a sweetness in his timbre on Mother of Muses. Musically, Dylan and his band step aside from romantic pop standards to make bedfellows of grittier atmospheres, cinematic arrangements and heartfelt instrumentations. Of the latter, Key West (Philosopher Pirate), coupled with I’ve Made Up My Mind To Give Myself To You are amongst Dylan’s most beautiful love songs from the winter of his career. Their sentiments, as strong and sincere as those felt across his six-decade spanning songbook. ZH Like this? Try these: Neil Young - Homegrown Nick Cave - Skeleton Tree Karen Dalton - 1966 Brooklyn-based cosmic-country crooner, Dougie Poole has released one of the most endearing records of 2020. Brimming with galloping bass lines, distorted effects, buoyant drum samples and floating pedal steel, The Freelancer’s Blues is an exceptionally rewarding listen. Poole’s Stetson is tipped to musical legends like Dolly Parton, with Los Angeles riffing on Jolene’s iconic melody. Tonally, the arrangements ooze the sophistication of country-pop’s golden era of the 1970s. Lyrical, however, Poole’s rooted in the present with tongue-in-cheek song titles like Vaping On The Job and Buddhist for a Couple Days. ZH Run the Jewels RTJ4 [Jewel Runners] There has never been a better time for Run The Jewels’ ferocious brand of hip-hop to hit the airwaves, and as such RTJ4 is the brashest political work in the duo’s discography. The signature blend of Killer Mike’s furious bars and El-P’s visceral electro beats is hard hitting as ever, yet these tracks take on a new life in modern times. RTJ4 is not just another gem in a stunning catalogue but an essential listen in 2020. AL Happyness Floatr [Infit Suds] On Happyness’ third studio album, the Londonbased alternative group are down to a duo since the departure of Benji Compston. Fortunately, their sound remains as loud and spacious – presenting plenty of room for their instruments to roam – as ever. One notable difference is the increasingly sentimentality and wistfulness incorporated into the songs. Try getting through the beautiful final moments of opener title track without feeling teary. Elsewhere, Vegetable is Pavement-esque while Bothsidesing incorporates Yo La Tengo motifs across its infectious arrangement. A truly remarkable record. ZH Bleeding Heart Pigeons Stir [Hlym Records] For their sophomore LP, Bleeding Heart Pigeons chose to record in a converted farm-shed - lending a gorgeous natural reverb across the instrumentation – with vocalist Mícheál Keating taking care of production. Predominantly channelling 2017-era Grizzly Bear’s Painted Ruins’ electronic-inflected soundscapes, the Limerick-based trio proffer their biggest, boldest, and brightest compositions to date. From the moment Bubble Boy sweeps the listener away right up to the charming closer, Good Dogs Never Die, there’s no shortage of ambition evident across the arrangements, which the band deftly realise in each expansive composition. ZH 58 QUEER DUBLIN www.totallydublin.ie a n ew h i s tor y o f d u b l i n tickets - l i t t lemu s e um . i e