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A personal review of my favourite albums from the last month!
This month features Geordie Greep, The Smile, Soccer Mommy, Laura Marling and Tyler, The Creator
Artist: Geordie Greep
Album: The New Sound
Label: Rough Trade
Genres: Prog rock, art rock, jazz-rock, Latin rock
Geordie Greep is the lead singer of one of the world's most unique and progressive bands, Black Midi. Known for their unending experimentation and virtuosic skill, the band announced a hiatus earlier this year. This has allowed each member to pursue solo projects, and Greep’s is called The New Sound.
If you’re unfamiliar with Black Midi, their distinctive style may surprise you. Greep’s extravagant characters narrate the tracks like a ringmaster introducing circus acts. He poetically steers us through high octane, jazz-influenced rock while the liberal song structures lead to countless opportunities for a change of direction.
The New Sound introduces us to a character that we’ve never seen in Black Midi: a misogynistic creep. The heavy use of Latin jazz compliments this irony to create a fun and light-hearted record. Besides the comical character scenes, I enjoyed the numerous passages of traditional singing, the occasional use of backing vocals and the fantastic instrumentals. This album may require some patience from new listeners, but I feel it’s worth the effort.
Artist: The Smile
Album: Cutouts
Label: XL
Genres: Experimental rock, post-punk, art rock, math rock
The Smile unites Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead) with drummer, Tom Skinner (Sons of Kemet). Their music can be seen as a more progressive version of Radiohead’s vast discography, with Skinner bringing jazz influences.
Cutouts is The Smile’s third studio album in as many years. What’s special about this band is Tom Skinner’s drumming. As such, my favourite tracks are those that make the greatest use of Skinner’s talents. In Cutouts, these include “Zero Sum” and “The Slip”. The tight rhythms are infectious, and the lack of reverb allows each percussive element to shine though. I also love Yorke’s vocals which adapt to match the articulation of the other instruments. It wouldn’t matter if every word were gibberish because the album is mixed in a way that your attention is equally divided between the musicians.
Although Cutouts is strong, it is probably my least favourite of their hattrick of albums. This highlights the strength of the previous two but may also be a result of fatigue after hearing Radiohead (and Radiohead-adjacent) music for so long. Furthermore, the large presence of atmospheric songs – though beautiful – mean that I wouldn’t choose to revisit this album out of the three.
Artist: Soccer Mommy
Album: Evergreen
Label: Loma Vista
Genres: Indie Rock
Sophia Regina Allison (a.k.a. Soccer Mommy) is one of the stars of the moody indie rock movement alongside the likes of Phoebe Bridgers and Beabadoobee. She incorporates catchy, legato melodies and droning guitars into confessional songs about relationships and millennial angst.
Soccer Mommy’s music is known for being immersive and she preserves this immersiveness by using a consistent musical palette and minimising experimentation. As a result, I often worry I will get bored of her music, but I am always pleasantly surprised that I don’t. Her effortless vocals slide around melodies which are both enchanting and memorable. “Abigail” embodies this perfectly and may already be in my top three SM songs. Be sure to check out the music video if you’re a video game fan! I also enjoyed the change of tone on “Anchor”, a small but interesting step outside of our comfort zone.
Soccer Mommy is a great example of an artist who doesn’t need to reinvent her sound for each new release. Instead, she focuses on finding new melodies and giving us further insights into her deepest thoughts.
Artist: Laura Marling
Album: Patterns in Repeat
Label: Chrysalis
Genres: Folk
Not many artists are more deserving of success than Laura Marling. She has honed her craft since the early noughties, and we are now reaping the rewards of her hard work. 2020’s “Song for Our Daughter” was one of my favourite albums of the year and introduced the theme of parenthood; a theme I feel is rarely discussed in music.
Patterns in Repeat is softer than her previous parenthood album. With it being her first since the birth of her child, it’s no surprise. Every song is perfect for lulling a baby to sleep and track nine is even called “Lullaby”. Every element of these minimalist tracks has been chosen to compliment Marling’s warm, intimate vocals, such as the airy piano in “No One’s Gonna Love You Like I Can” or the throaty guitar in “Child of Mine”.
Parenthood appears to be the perfect theme. Regardless of whether you are a parent, everyone knows what it’s like to be a child. Marling blesses us with beautifully sung, personal lyrics about her greatest passion, over a simple backdrop. Regardless of whether Marling continues with this theme, I can’t wait for more of her music.
Artist: Tyler, The Creator
Album: Chromakopia
Label: Columbia
Genres: Hip hop, R&B, jazz
Tyler, The Creator is a rapper, producer, writer, director, actor and fashion designer from California. He began his career with the rap collective, Odd Future, then branched off into a solo career like several of the other members (including Frank Ocean). I see him as the most unique rapper in the mainstream today and believe that many of his productions are second to none.
Each Tyler album sees him portray a new character which closely relates to his own life. To emphasise this, he follows a strict outfit and hair style for each album cycle. Brand is extremely important to Tyler, and I believe it aids his mainstream success. The power of this branding peaked on “Igor”, his greatest commercial and critical achievement.
Unfortunately, Chromakopia doesn’t live up to my expectations. Despite the distinct visuals, the music does not stand out against the backdrop of his recent work. Furthermore, the record lacks hits, and the most enjoyable tracks leave me wanting more. “Sticky” is one of my favourites, but each of the featured verses are too short. Also, much of Tyler’s strongest rapping is accompanied by a weaker beat, or vice versa.
It's important to remember that this is still a good album. My negativity stems from expecting more. I have listened to “Thought I Was Dead” countless times in the past two weeks and I’m sure a number of tracks will stay in my life for a while, but ultimately, I’d go back to older Tyler albums to get my fix.
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