SOUND JUDGEMENT

THE LATEST ALBUM RELEASES RATED AND REVIEWED

PHOTOSYNTHESIS

BABYBIRD ★★★★★ IF ALL you remember of Stephen Jones’ back catalogue is You’re Gorgeous, leave your expectations at the door and step into a whole new world of sounds.

Babybird from his bedsit start was lyrically dark, only to break into the mainstream with a very pop sounding record.

Photosynthesis is a step back to those demo days. Think of stark, dark lyrics and emotions set against a trippy laid back swirling track.

Photosynthesis is pure poetry. Perfect for when the party is over.

INFLORESCENT

FRIENDLY FIRES ★★★★★ IF YOU want an idea of the direction Friendly Fires have taken since the release of their last album Pala, back in 2011, look no further than their recent cover of Lack of Love. The St Albans three-piece smothered the classic house track by Adonis with shuffling bongos and a nasty acid synth line.

Long-promised third album Inflorescent is more dance-floor ready than either their self-titled debut or Pala’s expansive grooveladen odyssey.

But it’s more than that. It sounds sophisticated while feeling deeply hedonistic.

NO MAN’S LAND

FRANK TURNER ★★★★★ THE folk-punk singer and selfconfessed “history nerd” uses his new album – and accompanying podcast – to explore the oft-overlooked tales of women, ranging from the better-known likes of Mata Hari and “Hall of Fame” singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe to Jinny Bingham, a coach house landlady accused of murder and witchcraft, serial killer Nannie Doss and murdered vaudeville star Dora Hand.

Turner goes beyond simply telling the women’s stories to sometimes incorporate their work in his – words and Byzantine melodies from the original Hymn(s) Of Kassiani, and guitar lines from Sister Rosetta, which Turner quipped proved “challenging, because she’s a way better guitar player”.