What’s new to listen to
Alex Behan rounds up what we’re tuning into in the world of music.
Lucifer On The Side
As reliable as summer, Spoon have been feeding us tasty morsels of indie rock since 1993. They’ve had big hits here and there, and chances are that you’ll know a few of their songs even if you don’t know you do – but largely they exist in the margins of the mainstream. Lead singer Britt Daniels has a distinctive voice and balances lyrical obscurity with palpable passion and occasional paranoia. His knack for memorable melody and tight-knit harmonies are a hallmark of his work and his able band adeptly disassembles and rearranges his songs into punchy, people-pleasing pop. Lucifer On The Side sounds just like Spoon always do – inspired and excellent. Their last two records drizzled dashes of electronica and toyed with new sounds, but this is back to the raw rock basics that built their enviable reputation. An outstanding cover of Bill Callahan’s Held opens the album, with deconstructed drama reminiscent of 2005’s The Beast and Dragon Adored. Banter between band members is audible underneath, and you can feel the band are as live as Lotto. Perhaps covering this track from such a deeply revered songwriter reignited a fire within – they are clearly enjoying playing together.
Three Dimensions Deep
This debut full-length album from Amber Mark, pictured, showcases a fully formed artist and an invigorating new voice versatile in style. On the surface, this is an R’n’B record in the league of Lauren Hill, Lil Simz or SZA – that is to say, it’s a touch of class. Much of what makes it so attractive is the subject-matter, which is philosophical rather than romantically bent. It’s a record about loving oneself, overcoming imposter syndrome and becoming authentic. If you just want to check just one song as a taster, go for Worth It, with its expansive chorus and downbeat reggaeton groove, but honestly – among the epic 17 tracks, there are no throwaways here and her empowered spirit embodies it all.
Dawn FM
The Weeknd’s latest album is every bit as good (and bad) as all his efforts and feels like a mea culpa or, at the very least, the turning of a page. Dawn FM begins with the bombast, grandeur and theatricality you expect, but gives way to nihilism frighteningly quickly. He asks forgiveness for his treatment of women on Out Of Time. It’s preceded by a spoken word about how he’s now a one-woman man and has realised the hollowness of his ways. There’s something about apologies with caveats that don’t sit too comfortably with me, then again listening closely to The Weeknd has always been a conflicting experience.
Laurel Hell
This an album that almost never happened. When 2018’s Be The Cowboy cemented Mitski as a ‘‘sad-girl indie music’’ pin-up, she experienced success, fame and validation – all of which made her deeply uncomfortable. While the album begins bleakly – and oscillates between ruminative and jubilant – it absolutely ends on the latter. The Only Heartbreaker is a good example of one of the bangers with an 80s-inspired vibe Ric Ocasek would have been proud of. She wrestles over shedding her sensitive, artistic shell for thicker skin on Stay Soft, which offers energetic release over bright guitars and That’s Our Lamp positively cavorts with freewheeling delight. Beloved by misfits, revered by the shy and high on a pedestal for the emotionally ineloquent, Mitski may have doubted her path, but her precision and purpose remain unchanged.