MOJO PLAYLIST
Turn on! For the month’s best rock romance, jazz and ghost songs.
1 P.J. HARVEY A CHILD’S QUESTION, AUGUST
The first taste of a new LP, a static reverberation of guitar and thudding tom-toms ground a haunting, delicate melody, with olde worlde imagery of rooks and corn spinning an ancient, ghostly love song.
Find it: streaming services
2 GARTH HUDSON SOPHISTICATED LADY
The Band’s keyboard genius plays a Duke Ellington tune at a private show in upstate New York. Not a dry eye in the house.
Find it: Twitter
3 ARTHUR RUSSELL THE BOY WITH A SMILE
An etheric cello-wobbler from upcoming set Picture Of Bunny Rabbit, which collects unreleased World Of Echo-period material. Find it: BandCamp
4 GRIAN CHATTEN THE SCORE
Fontaines D.C.’s frontman Grian Chatten opens with a deftly plucked acoustic guitar before skittering electronics take an In Rainbows direction. Glowing.
Find it: streaming services
5 LUCINDA WILLIAMS (WITH PATTI SCIALFA AND BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN) NEW YORK COMEBACK
Weathered rock’n’roll romance and affirmation, aided by Bruce and Patti. Find it: YouTube
6 NICKY WIRE CONTACT SHEETS
A feel-sad hit of summer as Wire previews his new LP: like lateera Felt infiltrating Ringo’s Photograph for memories “you just can’t delete”. Find it: nickywire.bandcamp
7 JULIE BYRNE SUMMER GLASS
An accepting elegy with arpeggiating electronics, Byrne’s aching vocal and metaphors of departure.
Find it: YouTube
8 ALABASTER DEPLUME SALTY ROAD DOGS VICTORY ANTHEM
The jazz mage and band’s new battle theme:
Éthiopiques sax incantations; post-punk bottom end; echo deck dub FX… a big win. Find it: streaming services
9 SONS OF KEN WORK ALL NITE
After the ‘Aisis’ AI faux-Gallaghers LP, a computer sings over Tom Tom Club/Rushent/Dust Bros belt-loosened funk for whiskery B-boys. Find it: BandCamp
10 DAME EDNA EVERAGE S&M LADY
We could’ve gone with her Disco Matilda or The Leader Of The Pack, but here the Housewife Superstar goes punk/sleaze in 1978 (farewell, Barry Humphries).
Find it: YouTube