Album of the Week – 23/02/23

The phrase of the week is ‘side project’, with albums from David Brewis (of Field Music – The Soft Struggles), Ellis Ludwig-Leone (of San Fermin – False We Hope) and Gina Birch (of The Raincoats – I Play My Bass Loud) all taking a break from their day jobs to do something a little bit different. Do side projects ever do well? I guess the odd one does sparkle.

There are some strange and wonderful new albums from the likes of Philip Selway (Strange Dance) and Shame (Food For Worms), among many others. The wonderful Gruff Rhys returns with an Original Soundtrack album for the The Almond And The Seahorse, a new film starring Rebel Wilson.

After much deliberation, we went for the aforementioned David Brewis and his new release The Soft Struggles. There are hints of Grizzly Bear, Van Morrisson and Tim Buckley in this new release, and that can only be a good thing! Enjoy it below…

Album of the Week – David Brewis – The Soft Struggles

“David Brewis of the band Field Music releases his debut solo record The Soft Struggles. After three albums as School of Language, David Brewis’s next contribution to the ever-expanding Field Music universe is this jazz-inflected acoustic record. It will also be the second album release on Field Music’s newly formed Daylight Saving Records label, intended as the home for the Brewis brothers’ extra-curricular projects.”

Albums of Note:

— Ellis Ludwig-Leone (of San Fermin) – False We Hope

— Gruff Rhys –  The Almond Ad The Seahorse OST

— Gina Birch (of The Raincoats) – I Play My Bass Loud

— Max Richter – SLEEP: Tranquility Base EP

— Neutral Milk Hotel – The Collected Works of Neutral Milk Hotel

— Philip Selway – Strange Dance

— Rick Wakeman (of YES) – A Gallery Of The Imagination

— Shame – Food For Worms

— STÖNER (feat. Brank Bjork and Nick Oliveri) – Boogie to Baja

— The Slow Readers Club – Knowledge Freedom Power

February 24th:

— Ada Morghe – Lost

— Adam Lambert – High Drama

— The Alan Parsons Project – The Turn Of A Friendly Card (Deluxe Edition)

— Algiers – SHOOK

— Asia – Fantasia… Live in Tokyo 2007

— Aundrey Guillaume – Cold Summer EP

— Autechre – Confield (Reissue)

— Autechre – Draft 7.30 (Reissue)

— Begonia – Powder Blue

— BIG|BRAVE – nature morte

— Billy Lemos – Control Freak EP

— Booker T. & The MG’s – Green Onions: 60th Anniversary Deluxe Edition

— Bria – Cuntry Covers Vol. 2

— Chasms – Glimpse of Heaven

— The Church – The Hypnogogue

— D.B. Shrier Quartet – D.B. Shrier Emerges (Reissue)

— David Brewis (of Field Music) – The Soft Struggles

— Death Pill – Death Pill

— Death Valley Girls – Island in the Sky

— Dierks Bentley – Gravel & Gold

— Don Toliver – Love Sick

— Dope – Blood Money Part Zer0

— Dougie Poole – The Rainbow Wheel of Death

— Elderbrook – Little Love

— Ellis Ludwig-Leone (of San Fermin) – False We Hope

— Elmiene – El-Mean EP

— En Attendant Ana – Same Old Story

— Faten Kanaan – Afterpoem

— Gabrielle Shonk – Across the Room

— Gina Birch (of The Raincoats) – I Play My Bass Loud

— Godsmack – Lighting Up the Sky

— Gorillaz – Cracker Island

— Gracie Abrams – Good Riddance

— GUNNAR – Best Mistake

— HEAVENSGATE – And All I Loved, I Loved Alone EP

— HOST – IX

— Iris DeMent – Workin’ on a World

— Jenny O. – Spectra

— Joe Westerlund – Elegies for the Drift

— John Bence – Archangels

— John Lee Hooker – Burnin’ (Reissue)

— Jozzy – Songs For Women, Free Game For N**** EP

— Jung Jaeil – ‘Listen’

— Karol G – Mañana Sera Bonito

— Kate Fagan – I Don’t Wanna Be Too Cool (Expanded Edition)

— Key Glock – Glockoma 2

— The Lathums – From Nothing to a Little Bit More

— Lucero – Should’ve Learned By Now

— Max Richter – SLEEP: Tranquility Base EP

— mazie – blotter baby

— Miss Grit – Follow the Cyborg

— Model/Actriz – Dogsbody

— Moonalice – Moonalice – An Acoustic Adventure

— Motörhead – Bad Magic: Seriously Bad Magic

— mui zyu – Rotten Bun for an Eggless Century

— Naughty by Nature – 19 Naughty III (30th Anniversary Edition)

— NAUT – Hunt

— The Necks – Travel

— Neutral Milk Hotel – The Collected Works of Neutral Milk Hotel

— NNAMDÏ – Please Have a Seat (Deluxe Edition)

— OFF! – First Four EPs (Reissue)

— OFF! – OFF! (Reissue)

— OFF! – Wasted Years (Reissue)

— Owen Pallett – Has a Good Home (Reissue)

— Owen Pallett – He Poos Clouds (Reissue)

— Owen Pallett – Spectrum, 14th Centrury & Plays to Please (Reissue)

— Payroll Giovanni – Ghost Mode

— Philip Selway (of Radiohead) – Strange Dance

— Polinski (of 65daysofstatic) – Telex from MIDI City

— quinnie – flounder

— Real Friends – There’s Nothing Worse Than Too Late EP

— Rick Wakeman (of YES) – A Gallery Of The Imagination

— Sam Gendel – COOKUP

— Shame – Food for Worms

— The Slow Readers Club – Knowledge Freedom Power

— Steel Panther – On The Prowl

— STÖNER (feat. Brank Bjork and Nick Oliveri) – Boogie to Baja

— The Strokes – The Singles Volume 01 [Box Set]

— Swim Camp – Steel Country

— Tiësto – Drive

— Ty Segall & Emmett Kelly – Live at Worship

— U.S. Girls – Bless This Mess

— Unloved – Polychrome

— Various Artists – Pacific Breeze 3: Japanese City Pop, AOR & Boogie 1975-1987

— The Vogues – At Co & Ce – The Complete Singles And More