SOUND JUDGEMENT

THE LATEST ALBUM RELEASES RATED AND REVIEWED

CAMILA CABELLO CAMILA

SIR Elton John predicted 2018 would be “an amazing year” for Camila Cabello – If her debut, self-titled album is anything to go by, it’s an apt statement.

Cabello rose to fame as part of Fifth Harmony, but since her departure from the band in 2016 she’s impressed with singles like Havana (feat Young Thug), and her album is nothing short of a catchy symphony that will go down a treat.

Vocally she is on point and ballads like Consequences and Something’s Gotta Give will soon be roaring up the charts. It’s a first album that has set the bar exceptionally high.

JEFF ROSENSTOCK POST

TO Long Island punk Jeff Rosenstock, there is a national scourge making America grate again.

He does not mention President Trump by name but his aim is clear. The opening track, USA, is a rhapsody of revolt. From its opening line (“Dumbfounded, downtrodden and dejected”) to the moment Rosenstock yanks the ripcord on a slow-synth segue and unleashes a chant of “Et tu USA? We’re tired, we’re bored”, USA is as much an assault on the White House as Bruce Springsteen’s Born In The USA was in 1984.

9/10 presents a change of pace with a soft waltz lamenting lost love, but a final wrathful flourish, Let Them Win fires another missile the way of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. “We’re not gonna let them win,” Rosenstock barks.

TUNE-YARDS I CAN FEEL YOU CREEP INTO MY PRIVATE LIFE

AFTER a three-year wait, Tune-Yards have released their fourth album, a characteristic leap in a new direction – although singer Merrill Garbus still proves her prowess as a vocal chameleon, though listeners won’t find Garbus’ knack for infectious hooks until the third track, standout hit ABC 123.

Tune-Yards have traded their eccentric charm and fun-filled hooks for a more serious sound to suit their subject matter. Many of the issues in this album – race (Coloniser) and social inequality (Coast to Coast) – have featured in past albums, the newfound synthetic soundscape gives the outlined issues a renewed sense of urgency.