SOUND JUDGEMENT
THE LATEST ALBUM RELEASES RATED AND REVIEWED
IDLES
JOY AS AN ACT OF RESISTANCE
★★★★★
BRISTOL punk rock outfit Idles follow up their acclaimed debut Brutalism with a ferocious attack on toxic masculinity, racism and television’s enforcement of negative body image.
Singer Joe Talbot’s acerbic lyrics make you laugh and think in equal measure and somehow include references ranging from Labour MP Dennis Skinner to actor Tom Hiddleston’s stylist. The catchy Danny Nedelko, a celebration of immigrants, shines as this summer’s unlikely radio hit. The song Great puts the boot into the Brexiteer desire for blue passports. Idles succeed in expressing a delicate vulnerability through powerful and savage means.
THE KOOKS
LET’S GO SUNSHINE ★★★★★
LET’S Go Sunshine is a somewhat ironic title for The Kooks’ fifth album, as anyone would summarise their indie pop offerings as, well, sunshiney by default. But the band has matured.
There is an abundance of acoustic guitar, at parts similar to a ukulele, a nod back to the ‘06 era of whimsical post-punk from which they came. In parts the guitar signals the classic Britpop sound. There are upbeat basslines and catchy hooks but, most importantly, the overall effect is melancholy. This is cleverly done, as The Kooks don’t stray too far away from their original style, but some echoey vocals and fragmented guitar riffs create a discreet wistfulness.
PASSENGER
RUNAWAY
★★★★★
IT would perhaps be uncharitable to label this as the seventh album from a one-hit wonder, but Passenger, aka Michael Rosenberg, has struggled to replicate the success of his 2014 Ivor Novello Award-winner Let Her Go.
While Runaway is a pleasant enough set, there is nothing here that appears likely to change that. The penultimate song To Be Free comes closest, a dreamy piano-led ballad recounting his father’s life and travels and his own attempts to connect with his history. Passenger’s musical background is as a busker and those who originally encountered him in that context would have been blown away, the paradox is that as a professional artist, much of his work fails to stand out from the crowd.