SOUND JUDGEMENT

The latest album releases reviewed

AUDIO VERTIGO Elbow

Guy Garvey and co. hit double figures for studio albums and sound the freshest and most urgent they have in a long time.

Guitar riffs and distortion are to the fore – the thundering chorus to Good Blood Mexico City is the hardest they have rocked since Grounds For Divorce – while the single Lovers’ Leap sets a suicide pact to jaunty brass.

Knife Fight and The Picture ensure the quality rarely dips, and while there is no anthemic One Day Like This here, the album as a whole is the better for it – recent outings have seen the one or two unforgettable singles backed by a significant amount of filler but Audio Vertigo is more consistently enjoyable throughout.

ALL NOW The Staves

“Isn’t it exciting?” indie folk sister band The Staves sing in the title track of their new album All Now. Starting out slow, the song builds momentum with the introduction of drums and powerful electric guitars before erupting into a jubilant soundscape.

The band’s latest offering follows on from their 2021 album, Good Woman, which received rave reviews following its release. A post on their Instagram says their latest album “oozes piercing vocals and harmonic clarity, the humble elements that have always made The Staves who they are”.

All in all, the album sounds fresh and most importantly, exciting.

REAL POWER Gossip

After a 12-year hiatus, indie band Gossip return with Real Power – infusing soulfulness, rage, and power into their music once again. Lead singer Beth Ditto, with her sultry and raspy voice, swoons across the 11-track album.

Real Power resonates as

Ditto repeats the poignant question, “Do you feel what I feel?” – urging listeners to engage with social justice issues.