SOUND JUDGEMENT

The latest album releases reviewed

COOL IT DOWN YEAH YEAH YEAHS ★★★★

Back after nine years, Yeah Yeah Yeahs sound huge on their mesmerising new album.

They burst out of New York City 20 years ago but they’ve never stood still, and Cool It Down, only their fifth album, is a long way from garage rock, with washes of synths and beats replacing the howling guitars.

Epic opener Spitting Off The Edge Of The World features Perfume Genius, with singer Karen O warning “cowards, here’s the sun, so bow your heads”, with the instrumentation falling away before a wall of synths crashes back in.

Second track Lovebomb is a slow burner, whith a glistening 1980s sheen. That decade’s influence continues with dancefloor-friendly Fleez.

Against the odds, Yeah Yeah Yeahs have returned with one of the best albums of the year so far, and we can only hope they don’t leave it another nine years until the next one.

NOW & FOREVER: DUETS RITA WILSON ★★★☆☆

As an actress, singer, writer and prominent philanthropist alongside her husband Tom Hanks, range seems to be a defining theme in Rita Wilson’s career and this collection of 70s duets seems tailormade to show off exactly that.

Where Is The Love with Smokey Robinson brings out the vulnerability in her voice, while her back-and-forth with Keith Urban on a soulful version of Crazy Love is a match made in heaven.

Fire with Elvis Costello, though, is a missed opportunity. The energy in the new wave journeyman’s voice shows the shortcomings in Wilson’s own.

It’s to be expected on such a diverse and starry album that there would be both hits and misses, but the highs on Now & Forever: Duets make this a thoroughly enjoyable listen.

5SOS5 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER ★★★☆☆

On their fifth album the Aussie pop-rockers deliver easy listening but nothing groundbreaking.

5SOS5 opens with strong energy in lead single, Complete Mess. This vigour is found throughout the tracklist – Me, Myself & I is intensely catchy, while Blender delivers fun at a fast pace.

There are also more emotional and calmer moments, like Luke Hemmings’ melodic falsetto on Easy For You To Say and Older, a sweet duet with Sierra Deaton about the fears of growing up.

Despite these positives, the album feels overloaded. A more condensed record without the filler would have allowed the gems to shine through – but this should not take any credit away from the stronger tracks.