SOUND NT JUDGEME
THE LATEST ALBUM RELEASES RATED AND REVIEWED
POSTHUMOUS releases are the most difficult to get right. Soundgarden must have known this following the death of frontman Chris Cornell, who took his own life in 2017 aged only 52.
One solution is to enlist an anthology series comfortable with documenting extraordinary artists with towering legacies.
Enter Live From The Artists Den, a three-time Emmy-nominated series with a history of chronicling gigs by stars including Mumford & Sons and Ringo Starr.
As an overarching document of the Seattle band’s 35-year career, Soundgarden’s offering is unparalleled. Recorded in February 2013 at the Wiltern Theatre in LA, it captures 29 songs across two-and-a-half hours.
It’s a much-needed document of Cornell in his late career pomp.
AROUND 15 years have passed since indie rockers Kaiser Chiefs, fronted by Ricky Wilson, burst onto the scene. Duck is the Leeds combo’s seventh album. But has the itch set in?
From the first strains of People Know How To Love One Another, which has been all over the radio giving it early anthem status, it’s obvious that this isn’t your usual Kaiser Chiefs record. What we have is the questioning nature of those approaching middle age.
Kaiser Chiefs have put together another grower of an album filled with great indie pop songs.
IT HAS been five years since Iggy Azalea released debut album The New Classic. The Australian star hasn’t been shy of controversy since then, embroiled in claims of cultural appropriation and feuds with fellow rappers like Azealia Banks and Snoop Dogg.
Iggy addresses this here in Clap Back, and while its bassheavy battle bars have a promising start, lyrically it fails and is disappointingly unoriginal, a theme that continues throughout the 12-track release. Her first album as an independent artist, In My Defense had all of the hype but fails to defend anything.