SOUND JUDGEMENT

THE LATEST ALBUM RELEASES RATED AND REVIEWED

FLORENCE + THE MACHINE

– HIGH AS HOPE ★★★★★ THIS fourth record is up there with its predecessors. Every song is bursting with intimate honesty and love and care, each a standalone example of brilliance.

Welch lays herself bare on High As Hope, singing about her battle with an eating disorder on Hunger and her days of partying hard, Forever, where she sings about being “young and dumb and stumbling in the street”. There is a climactic highlight in Big God, a rich, love-laden, chunky effort that reverberates through your head and heart, and sounds like an audition for a James Bond theme tune.

GOLDFRAPP

– SILVER EYE (DELUXE EDITION) ★★★★★ IF you wanted something radically different you won’t find it here. Silver Eye is Black Cherry: Part 2. A mix of perfect pop blended with social commentary. Anymore is instant gratification: just like fast food, it’s over as soon as it gets started and leaves you before you’re ready. Systemagic would be another great pop song, if it had been recorded by anyone else, but here it feels like it has been somewhat dialled in.

The strongest track is Ocean, a pure 80s dark synthpop tune. The remix on the Deluxe Edition features label stablemate Dave Gahan and he lends a perfect juxtaposition to Alison’s crystal cut voice and gives the piece even more weight. Silver Eye is very much a return to the glory days for Goldfrapp.

YEARS AND YEARS –

PALO SANTO ★★★★★ YEARS & Years trio – front man Olly Alexander, Mikey Goldsworthy and Emre Turkmen – have delivered an album that’s filled with layered pop. Every song on this album takes you deeper into a world of electro pop that’s not just catchy tunes and earworm lyrics but, rather, has a lot of heart.

The album kicks into high gear from its second track, Hallelujah, and then tracks such as All For You mark those signature sounds that are catchy and memorable. The slower tempo of Hypnotised does what its name implies and will have you wanting more. If You’re Over Me has chart-topper written all over it and Preacher is a perfect summer anthem that’ll get you up and dancing.

This is an impressive second offering of memorable music.