ALBUM REVIEWS

Frank Turner – Undefeated

Forever heartfelt, vital and crazily inconsistent, Frank Turner veers as always from searing political commentary to derivative punk shoutalongs, and from heartfelt ballads to saccharine sentimentality on this 10th studio album. Entering his forties, the ageing process is a constant theme and Ceasefire opens with “Fifteen-year-old Francis, we need to have a word”. Somewhere Inbetween references the same age and forms part of a subdued, lovely closing trio with On My Way – echoing the wonderful Jet Lag from 2009’s Love, Ire and Song – and the closing title track, which takes cues from regular tour-mates Skinny Lister’s album-ending ballad Broken, Bruised and Battered from last year. Simply enjoy Turner’s journey all over the musical map.

Camera Obscura – Look to the East, Look to the West Review by Matthew George

WELCOME back Glaswegian indie band Camera Obscura with their first album in 11 years. They went on extended hiatus after keyboardist Carey Lander’s death in 2015, addressed here in the ballad Sugar Almond. Recorded in the room where Queen wrote Bohemian Rhapsody, they dial down their tendency towards a reverb-drenched big sound. String and brass arrangements are replaced by piano, synths, Hammond organ and understated drum machine. Sugar Almond is just piano and Tracyanne Campbell’s fragile vocals – “I’ll match Bette Davis drink for drink” – before a barely audible “you sing to me, Carey”. The breakup anthem Big Love has a country feel, with Tim Davidson’s pedal steel guitar to the fore, and Pop Goes Pop has 1960s influences.

Fat White Family – Forgiveness is Yours Review by Yasmin Vince

SOUTH London’s Fat White Family, a band once described as “more interested in notoriety” than music, have released their fourth album. The psychedelic, post-punk rock offering is a lot like Marmite. It’s experimental to the point of forgetting what actually sounds good. There are times when it pays off. A vinyl crackle plays over the introduction of the final track, You Can’t Force It, and immediately, there are goosebumps. But there are other times when all the added guff is just too much. In Today You Become Man, lead vocalist Lias Saoudi speaks quicker than anyone can understand, as dissonant electronic music pounds in the background. It’s the musical equivalent to when the London Underground goes through a tunnel with the windows cracked.

Sia – Reasonable Woman Review by Hannah Roberts

SIA’S latest album boasts collaborations with a plethora of talented musical artists. These dual offerings, which include a disco song with Kylie Minogue, are perhaps some of the best singles on the album. Incredible, featuring British singer Labrinth, is a textured track that allows her to explore use of voice without her signature heavy belting. An album from Sia would be incomplete without her impressive vocals, however, and the LP is chock-a-block with songs where she riffs and belts. Tracks such as I Forgive You showcase her powerful and emotive voice in a format that is more stripped back. This album also includes the singer’s collaboration with American reality star Paris Hilton who features on the song Fame Won’t Love You, a catchy pop tune that delves into the realities of celebrity.