SOUND JUDGEMENT

THE LATEST ALBUM RELEASES RATED AND REVIEWED

ANNA VON HAUSSWOLFF DEAD MAGIC

DEAD Magic, the fourth album by Swede Anna von Hausswolff, comes in at 47 minutes but comprises only five tracks, and was mainly recorded on the 20th-century organ at Copenhagen’s Marmorkirken, one of the largest churches in Scandinavia.

However, this shouldn’t put you off, because the result, augmented by fuzzy guitars and synthesisers, is actually very accessible.

Despite the overt goth stylings, von Hausswolff has a voice and melodic sensibility not too far removed from Lana Del Rey, so the doominess and sheer length of the songs are offset by earworm tunes.

UB40 FEATURING ALI, ASTRO AND MICKEY A REAL LABOUR OF LOVE

HERE’S an album with bite, although perhaps more for what it stands for than its sound, which is as smooth and nostalgic as one would expect.

The breakaway trio – comprising of UB40’s founding members Ali Campbell, Astro and Mickey Virtue – has produced a continuation of their Labour of Love series, which included three albums released between 1983 and 1998, and completely ignores Labour Of Love IV, released in 2010 and fronted by Ali’s estranged brother Duncan.

This collection of covers includes classics such as Stevie Wonder’s A Place In The Sun and How Could I Leave by Dennis Brown. It’s a strong compilation and apt homage to UB40’s 1980s peak.

MOBY EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTIFUL, AND NOTHING HURT

MOBY’S follow-up to his 2017 album, More Fast Songs About the Apocalypse, may as well have been titled A Couple More Songs About The Apocalypse. With song titles like A Dark Cloud is Coming, it seems clear that nihilistic topics are still on the New York singer/songwriter’s mind.

The majority of the songs on this album wouldn’t be out of place on the soundtrack to Trainspotting.

But it is with the few, bolder tracks, like The Tired and The Hurt, that Moby hints at potential for reinvention. With an Icelandic tenderness reminiscent of Bjork, it offers some indication that Moby can advance beyond his well-worn turn of the Millenium niche.