FILTER ALBUMS EXTRA

Anjimile ★★★★ Giver Taker FATHER/DAUGHTER. CD/DL/LP Missing Sufjan Stevens’ pastoral nuance? Anjimile Chithambo’s Boston-recorded debut fills the gap as songs probe identity and spirituality via warm, folky arrangements with African pop intonations that reflect Malawian parentage. In all, a very promising debut. JB Hey Elbow ★★★ We Three ADRIAN. DL/LP Solid one-two combo – Missit’s amniotic disco and Nurture/ Aptitude, Julia Ringdahl’s gossamer voice topping a martial beat – opens the Swedish trio’s third ethereal, avant-pop LP. Plus tumbling percussion (Life Hack) and brooding jazz (Vignette). JB Bad Boy Chiller Crew ★★★★ Full Wack No Breaks HOUSE ANXIETY. CD/DL Bradford’s belated answer to The Streets hit upon a fistpumping formula that mangles millennial UK garage to their own ends. From sing-along dirt bike anthem 450 on, their swaggering bass line bangers are polished and addictive. AC Mama Odé ★★★★ Tales And Patterns Of The Maroons FIVE EASY PIECES. LP/DL Brothers Omas Mamode IV and Jeen Bassa’s lo-fi, percussive patchwork of reggae, jazz, funk, blues cut-ups is matched by breathy, old school flows. They call it ‘Creole Sega Rap Roots music’, laidback summery vibes like early Tribe Called Quest. AC Will Butler ★★★ Generations MERGE. CD/DL/LP Melodic snap and guileless sentiments from the Arcade Fire dynamo, dancing away the pain with upbeat gospel on Surrender, Hard Times’ brittle funk or end-of-life disco Not Gonna Die. Shares AF’s propensity to over-egg though (see jazz hands finale Fine). JB Paul Molloy ★★★★ The Fifth Dandelion SPRING HEELED. CD/DL/LP Recorded at home on an old tape machine, polished at Bill Ryder-Jones’ studio, the Coral guitarist delivers escapism for troubled times. A joyful blend of ‘Ba-ba-ba’ vocals, carefree guitars and glistening strings and horns. Plus piano, tympani, Turkish baglama, mellotron. LW Chiminyo ★★★★ I Am Panda GEARBOX. CD/DL/LP On his production debut, Maisha percussionist Tim Doyle travels beyond the London jazz scene for genre-fluid adventures triggered from his kit. Mood vaults from squelchy funk (Breathin’) and Afro-pop (See Me) to piano-led self-reflection (…into the sunkiss…). AC Octavian ★★★★ Love Will Win Evol Will Die BLACK BUTTER. CD/DL/LP South London rapper’s debut builds on the downtempo ambience of his mixtapes, with a throaty, malleable voice wed to ever-switching flows and rap/grime/R&B hybrids. Highprofile guests abound, but Octavian’s charm wins out. AC Death Valley Girls ★★★ Under The Spell of Joy SUICIDE SQUEEZE. CD/DL/LP/MC Inspired by Ethio-jazz, a rattling cacophony of voices, percussion and skronk marks many of these 11 songs. Highlights such as Hey Dena or the cavernous I’d Rather Be Dreaming pare things back to an insistent Banshees-like boom and groove. JB Tobin Sprout ★★★★ Empty Horses FIRE. CD/DL/LP GBV alumnus has a Bill Fay-ish quality here; crumpled yet precise, confronting American ghosts, most vividly on Antietam. Often just voice and guitar or stately piano, his wistful songs impart wisdom quietly, but on All In My Sleep gloriously lets rip. JB Professor And The Madman ★★★ Séance FULLERTONE. CD/DL/LP Fifth album from a supergroup powered by The Damned’s The

Black Album-era rhythm team, Rat Scabies and bassist Paul Gray, infused with psych/prog rock/pop vibrations and ornate Brian Wilsonisms. Ambitious, often mindblowing. PG White Dog ★★★ White Dog RISE ABOVE. CD/DL/LP Unreconstructed roots rock thrills from Austin, TX group citing Alice Cooper, Sabbath and heavy prog as influences. Add Black Crowes, too. Their debut is best at its most psych: Crystal Panther brings highoctane riffing, free-festival folk and strung-out soloing. JB