SOUND NT JUDGEME

THE LATEST ALBUM RELEASES RATED AND REVIEWED

ACT ONE: MUSIC FOR INANIMATE OBJECTS

GOLDIE AND JAMES DAVIDSON (SUBJECTIVE) ★★★★ ★ IF you were one of the shamefully few people to enjoy Goldie’s last (albeit epic in length) release Journey Man you will be aware of the step away from Jungle and Drum & Bass that the genre’s pioneer favoured, and a definite change in direction from Davidson’s Ulterior Motive days.

This is a more mellow outing. The bassline beats and breaks are still there, however this is essentially a more grown-up affair that is stunning in its stripped back nature, with a familiar feel similar to French electronica.

What this project has inspired is an everyday soundscape. It’s inspirational in its euphoric tone and both energising and relaxing.

HEARD IT IN A PAST LIFE

MAGGIE ROGERS

★★★★ ★

24-YEAR-OLD singer-songwriter/ multi-instrumentalist Maggie Rogers deftly tickles the boundaries between folk, pop and electronic music, tied together with her powerful yet falsettofriendly vocal, kind of similar to the likes of Florence Welch and Lorde, but also incomparable to anybody else. Alaska is experimental and beautifully powerful, Rogers’ voice in the chorus otherworldly. Past Life has a distant whiff of Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams about it, and The Knife has a dirty 1990s groove, the beat getting into your bones. The folk theme runs throughout in a truly innovative way, and Rogers’ voice miraculously suits everything.

PLEASE REMAIN SEATED

THUNDER ★★★★ ★ BY deconstructing a bunch of songs and then re-assembling them in a different way, Thunder have an album that gives them a whole new dimension.

The band have always had a strong flavour of blues and even a bit of funk now and again. In this collection, the blues element is stronger, especially on tracks like Empty City and Loser.

This is a brave move for a wellestablished band who are known for a particular style of music. This collection shows that not only are they good musicians but also not afraid to try something new.