SOUND NT JUDGEME

THE LATEST ALBUM RELEASES RATED AND REVIEWED

NOTES ON A CONDITIONAL FORM

THE 1975 ★★★ ★★ THERE aren’t many good albums that could mix Greta Thunberg, 80s-inspired pop and intense punk vocals, yet Notes On A Conditional Form is the exception.

The 1975’s fourth album is a masterclass in the range of the alternative genre. Its traditional The 1975 opener is given to a Greta Thunberg speech set to gentle piano music, outlining the tone of the radical album.

Unsurprisingly, it does not shy away from issues of justice – from the shouty, infectious punk of People to the sweetly subversive Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America. Clocking in at just over 80 minutes, the 22-track album is a commitment but would be well worth dedicating the time to, even without a lockdown.

HOW I’M FEELING NOW CHARLI XCX ★★★★ ★ CREATED amid the pandemic, this is perhaps the first important quarantine album. The British pop maverick, 27, worked on the album from her home in Los Angeles, giving fans unprecedented access to her creative process. The result? A heady mix of nostalgia, joy, longing, anxiety, desperation.

While Charli XCX’s work often exudes rigorous, sometimes scathing, self examination, it’s usually balanced by a party-girl escapism. Here, there is no escape.

Charli XCX has created an album that encapsulates the here and now in all its glory and banality, while also looking to the future.

I LOVE THE NEW SKY

TIM BURGESS

★★★ ★★

THE Charlatans’ Tim Burgess’ fifth solo album is strange to say the least.

There are some funky, sunshiny, psychedelic parts as Tim halfheartedly sings, a little bit off-key, musing. He brings his trademark childlike, quirky charm over swooping, psychedelic sonics, with Beatles-style backing harmonics and plenty of organ. The music often swings into sections of strange, synth experimentation, but the best bits are the weird, futuristic instrumentals, which feel pioneering at best, and grandiose at worst.

Sunshiny, upbeat and a familiar, friendly voice.