Bob Dylan
BORNS First Aid Kit
The Bootleg Series Vol. 13: Trouble No More 1979-1981 (Sony)
★★★★ 1⁄2 Bob Dylan’s late-70s gospel turn was seen as something of a washout. How wrong people were. If anyone is still foolish enough to write off Dylan’s gospel period then Trouble No More should be enough to set the record straight. When it comes to Dylan’s music the album is only part of the story, a loose guide for the performances to follow. This was particularly true in the gospel years. While Slow Train Coming, Saved and Shot of Love were fine albums, none came close to matching the fire and brimstone fury of Dylan’s live shows. The Dylan of Trouble No More is feisty, passionate, reinvigorated. He tears through his performances with abandon; Slow Train and Gotta Serve Somebody surge forward with a growling intensity absent on their studio versions. Lesser album cuts like When You Gonna Wake Up? and, Solid Rock come alive in their proper setting. There are quieter moments too, like the lovely City of Gold and a magnificent, soaring cut of When He Returns. – Jack Barlow
Blue Madonna (Universal)
★★★ Exploding in 2015 with banger 10,000 Emerald Pools, Michigan native Garrett Borns has the potential to be gigantic. Blue Madonna is a collection of highly accessible electropop tracks, many of which would be as at home on Radio Hauraki as on the stage at the Laneway Festival. You could call this pop disguised in softly woven alternative clothes. Yet there are moments where you feel Borns doesn’t quite get the memorability he’s striving for. Lead single God Save Our Young Blood, featuring guest work from Lana Del Rey, is a good track but at times feels a tad disjointed. Yet there’s no denying Blue Madonna takes you on a colourful voyage through a summeresque soundscape that’s warm, upbeat and almost impossible to dislike. – Hugh Collins Ruins (Sony) ★★★★
It’s been four years since Swedish duo First Aid Kit’s previous album, with the So¨derberg sisters deciding to step back and take a break from music. It certainly hasn’t done them any harm. Ruins is an accomplished collection, featuring poppy numbers with big choruses and gentle moments. Their big sound is back, with hints of Fleet Foxes and Bright Eyes. Lyrically, the album is heavily influenced by a painful breakup affecting younger sister Klara. Many tracks, like singles It’s a Shame and Fireworks, are brutally honest in addressing heartbreak and lost love. But it’s not a downer, as strong melodies and pop hooks abound. The sisters enlisted plenty of star power to help, including REM’s Peter Buck. Wellproduced and well-written, Ruins is a fine comeback. – Jack Barlow