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Marianne Faithfull and Warren Ellis She Walks in
Beauty [BMG] Skelocrats Boy Bitten by Lizard [Popical Island] The latest collaboration between iconic singersongwriter Marianne Faithfull and versatile multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis is a fulfilment of Faithfull’s long-held ambition to put the words of the Romantic poets to music. If that sounds like a lofty premise that’s because, well, it is. But like the poetry that inspired it, She Walks in Beauty has a whole world to offer the listener, and you don’t have to be an Oxford scholar to appreciate it. She Walks in Beauty sounds gorgeous. Ellis is working in a more reflective mode here than the brutal sounds of Carnage, his collaboration with Nick Cave that came out in March. His understated ambience provides the perfect canvas for Faithfull to paint on with her enigmatic vocal style. That said, there are times when the album struggles to become more than the sum of its parts. Given the calibre of the artists and material involved, the album’s concept sets the bar extremely high, and there are moments on the record where it feels just out of reach. The fact that Faithful is still recovering after contracting Covid-19 during the recording of this album imbues her performance with a new layer of meaning. Every word she speaks is a hard-won affirmation of life and beauty, and a rejection of death. The Romantics would most certainly approve. JJ Like This? Try These... Ghost Box - SUSS Ambient 1: Music for Airports - Brian Eno Broken English - Marianne Faithfull 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 Ethel Cain Inbred [Daughters of Cain] Aesop Rock Spirit World Field Guide [Rhymesayers Entertainment] 2021 could be huge for Hayden Anhedönia’s Ethel Cain project, judging by the mass appeal her dark emo pop/rock possesses. Anhedönia has already built up a cult following of ‘’Daughters’’ through her murky piano ballads, which draw on the gritty influence of her deep Southern backwoods origins. While Inbred puts forward a strong case for the writer and producer’s capabilities, a more expansive debut LP in the not-too-distant future could lead to a mainstream breakout if Anhedönia can fully realize the potential she outlines on these six cinematic tracks. AL 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 Benny Sings Music [Stones Throw Records] In his book Making Music, composer Dennis DeSantis recommends avoiding elaborate instrumentation when developing musical ideas; the better an idea is, the less ornamentation it will need. Dutch songwriter and producer Benny Sings embodies that philosophy. Music, his second studio album, is half an hour of stripped-down, breezy blue-eyed soul. Surface-level jauntiness contrasts with Benn’s vocal style, which sometimes sounds like he’s just about to give up. Music boils down to just a handful of ideas, but when most of the tunes are so damn catchy, who cares? 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 Adrian Crowley The Watchful Eye of The Stars [Chemikal Underground] AC/DC Power Up [Columbia Records] Adrian Crowley has always sounded like the journeyman troubadour - an unassuming guy who slings the guitar over his shoulder as he jumps the train at dusk heading to his next destination. It’s apt, then, that the opener to The Watchful Eye of The Stars is called Northbound Stowaway. It calls to mind Lee Hazlewood with its wistful, plaintive and expansive palette. He teams up with John Parish (Aldous Harding, PJ Harvey) and Crash Ensemble to flesh out his sound and lyricism. It’s a privilege to hitch a sonic ride in his company and transport oneself. MMD 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 Jinx Lennon Liferafts for Latchicos [Self Released] A beacon to the DIY music scene in Ireland, Dundalk-based punk-poet Jinx Lennon has captivated audiences for over twenty-years. His endurance as an artist built on an impressive songbook of exceptionally storied narratives which resonate and rouse thought with listeners. With his now trademark sprechgesang, Lennon creates an intimate atmosphere which has you clutching to his every word. Liferafts for Latchicos is another characteristically excellent and enveloping body of work driven by propulsive folk-fused instrumentation with sprinklings of wurlitzer and field recording stitched into the compositions to great impact. An enthralling record. ZH 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