Album of the Week – 16/06/23

So, so, soooooo many new releases this week! Is it midsummer/ festival season? I guess it must be.

There are a few new names with familiar people involved, such as SunYears (Peter Morén of Peter Bjorn & John – Fetch My Soul!) and Chocolate Hills (The Orb’s Alex Paterson – Yarns from the Chocolate Triangle). There is also the return of Man on Man (feat. Faith No More’s Roddy Bottum) with a new album called Provincetown.

There are also new releases from bands starting with the letter D, such as Deer Tick (Emotional Contracts), Django Django (Off Planet) and The Drive-By Truckers (The Complete Dirty South)!

The two big hitters who release albums this week are definitely Queens of the Stone Age (In Times New Roman…) and Sigur Rós (ÁTTA). We resisted both of those and picked Creep Show (John Grant + Wrangler – Yawning Abyss). Not a massive departure for Mr. Grant but we love what he does…

Album of the Week –

“In the five years since Creep Show’s acclaimed Mr Dynamite album was released it’s fair to say that we’ve all been through a fair bit. Sitting here, in 2023, things don’t seem to be getting any better. There’s the cost of living crisis and political meltdowns; we’re in deep water with global warming and to top it all there’s a war on our doorstep.

Back in 2018 everything seemed less complicated. Sure, there was stuff to get riled about, but we knew nothing about what was to come. Mr Dynamite was a fairground ride into the dark corners of a world that was on the brink of being blitzed in a blender. It was a record teetering on the edge. Five years down the line you’d expect the follow-up, Yawning Abyss, would double-down and bring the white-knuckled, teeth-gritted fury of the last five years to the boil. And yet….

A quick recap? No problem. Wrangler + John Grant = Creep Show. And Creep Show? “A band of musical misfits who have found a voice or two”, says Wrangler’s Ben “Benge” Edwards, whose Bond villain studio on the edge of a moorland is Creep Show Grand Central as well as home to an analogue synth arsenal that could sink ships.”

Albums of Note:

— Ben Howard – Is It?

— SunYears (Peter Morén of Peter Bjorn & John) – Fetch My Soul!

— Bright Eyes – Cassadaga: A Companion EP

— Bright Eyes – Noise Floor (Rarities 1998 – 2005): A Companion EP

— Bright Eyes – The People’s Key: A Companion EP

— Chocolate Hills (The Orb’s Alex Paterson) – Yarns from the Chocolate Triangle

— Deer Tick – Emotional Contracts

— Django Django – Off Planet

— The Drive-By Truckers – The Complete Dirty South

— Ezra Williams – Supernumeraries

— The Flaming Lips – Hypnotist EP

— Man on Man (feat. Faith No More’s Roddy Bottum) – Provincetown

— Queens of the Stone Age – In Times New Roman…

— Sigur Rós – ÁTTA (Digital Release)

Albums Released – June 16th:

— The Alarm – Forwards

— Ambré – Who’s Loving You?

— Amnesia Scanner & Freeka Tet – STROBE.RIP

— Arkona – Kob’

— Arts Fishing Club – Rothko Sky

— Asake – Work of Art

— Balmorhea – Pendant World

— Ben Chasny (of Six Organs of Admittance) & Rick Tomlinson – WAVES

— Ben Howard – Is It?

— Betty Lavette – Lavette!

— binki – Antennae EP

— Bonny Doon – Let There Be Music

— Boris and Uniform – Bright New Disease

— Bright Eyes – Cassadaga: A Companion EP

— Bright Eyes – Noise Floor (Rarities 1998 – 2005): A Companion EP

— Bright Eyes – The People’s Key: A Companion EP

— Burt Hussell – High Desert

— Caroline Spence – True North (Deluxe)

— Chocolate Hills (The Orb’s Alex Paterson) – Yarns from the Chocolate Triangle

— Cole Blue – Crushed! EP

— Creep Show (John Grant + Wrangler) – Yawning Abyss

— Creeping Death – Boundless Domain

— Damian Lewis – Mission Creep

— Deer Tick – Emotional Contracts

— Dirty Heads – Midnight Control (Deluxe Edition)

— DJ Rude One and RXK Nephew – The ONEderful Nephew

— Django Django – Off Planet

— Donna Missal – Revel

— The Drive-By Truckers – The Complete Dirty South

— Ellie Dixon – In Case of Emergency EP

— Expensive Music Band – Things to Say at a Barbeque

— Ezra Williams – Supernumeraries

— Far From Saints – Far From Saints

— Five Finger Death Punch – Greatest Hits

— The Flaming Lips – Hypnotist EP

— Frozen Land – Out of the Dark

— Gentle Giant – In’terview (Steven Wilson Remix)

— Gov’t Mule – Peace… Like a River

— Gracie Addams – Good Riddance Deluxe

— Hand Habits – Sugar the Bruise

— Home is Where – the whaler

— J.E. Sunde – Alice, Gloria and Jon

— Jack River – Endless Summer

— Jo Hill – Cinematic Baby EP

— Joel Hoekstra’s 13 – Crash of Life

— Kanii – exiit

— Killer Mike – Michael

— King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation

— Kool Keith – Black Elvis 2

— La Sécurité – Stay Safe!

— Lorelle Meets the Obsolete – Datura

— M. Byrd – The Seed

— Madlib – Shades of Blue (Vinyl Reissue)

— Maisie Peters – The Good Witch

— Man on Man (feat. Faith No More’s Roddy Bottum) – Provincetown

— Max Drazen – Someday EP

— May Rio – French Bath

— Meshell Ndegeocello – The Omnichord Real Book

— Modern Tales – Stars Align

— Monograms – A Fine Commitment

— Motörhead – Live At The Montreux Jazz Festival ’07

— Motorpyscho – Yay!

— The Offspring – Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace (15th Anniversary Reissue)

— Origami Angel – The Brightest Days

— Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra – 60 Years

— Pelicanman (Petra Haden and Mike Watt) – Planet Chernobyl

— Pet Shop Boys – SMASH – The Singles 1985-2020

— Peter Lewis (of Moby Grape) – Imagination

— Pickle Darling – Laundromat

— PJ Harding – To Fall Asleep EP

— The Poison Arrows – Crime and Soda

— Queens of the Stone Age – In Times New Roman…

— Ramuntcho Matta – Ramuntcho Matta (Reissue)

— Robert Glasper – In My Element (Vinyl Reissue)

— Rodeo Boys – Home Movies

— The Rolling Stones – Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass) (US version) (Vinyl Reissue)

— The Rolling Stones – Flowers (Vinyl Reissue)

— Royal Thunder – Rebuilding the Mountain

— Seriously – Built Environment

— Sigur Rós – ÁTTA (Digital Release)

— Silversun Pickups – Acoustic Thrills EP

— Son Volt – Day of the Doug

— SunYears (Peter Morén of Peter Bjorn & John) – Fetch My Soul!

— Terri Lyne Carrington – TLC & Friends (Reissue)

— The Teskey Brothers – The Winding Way

— Texas – The Very Best Of 1989 – 2023

— Tom Grennan – What Ifs & Maybes

— Thy Catafalque – Alföld

— waterbaby – Foam EP

— Wild Up – Julius Eastman Vol. 3: If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Rich?

— Willie Jones – Something To Dance To

— Yawning Man – Long Walk of the Navajo

— Youth Sector – Quarrels EP

— Yusuf / Cat Stevens – King of a Land