Album of the Week – 08/09/23

It’s always lovely to have a new release from Kristin Hersh (of Throwing Muses), and her new album Clear Pond Road is one of her best of recent times.

There are new albums from The Chemical Brothers (For That Beautiful Feeling), Courtney Barnett (End of the Day) and even The Handsome Family (Hollow). Romy, of The xx, has just released an album called Mid Air, which I suspect will do well with the world of Radio.

Róisín Murphy has been in the headlines for the wrong reasons for the last few weeks, so it will be interesting to see how her new album Hit Parade does. The most unusual release of the week comes from Sparklehorse (Bird Machine), as it comes 13 years after the death of singer Mark Linkous.

Our album of the Week comes from Dublin Alt-pop four-piece Soda Blonde, making light of the ‘difficult second album’ tag.

Album of the Week – Soda Blonde – Dream Big

“I know what I am. I know what I could be. Put me in my place but nothing can hold me.”
– ‘Dream Big’, Soda Blonde

Dream Big, the second studio album from Irish band Soda Blonde, is far more than a collection of catchy and cathartic pop songs; it’s a mantra – a mission statement from four lifelong friends. It’s their promise to themselves, and a message to all who come along for the ride: A reminder that life is precious, fragile, and fleeting, so we might as well dream big and hold nothing back.

The band have grown tremendously in the two years since their debut, and it shows. Whereas “Small Talk” was an anxiety-fuelled coming-of-age record about navigating their twenties, “Dream Big” is a mature awakening to the world at large; one that dives deeper and hits harder than its predecessor.

“It definitely was a conscious titling, that relationship between Small Talk and Dream Big,” the band’s guitarist and producer Adam O’Regan explains. “Small Talk was trying to decipher whether everything meant something or nothing. With Dream Big, we’ve arrived at the point that it means something.”

Albums of Note:

— Ásgeir – Time on My Hands (Lo-Fi Version)

— The Chemical Brothers – For That Beautiful Feeling

— Courtney Barnett – End of the Day

— Fleetwood Mac – Rumours Live

— The Handsome Family – Hollow

— Kristin Hersh (of Throwing Muses) – Clear Pond Road

— The Postal Service – Everything Will Change

— Romy (of The xx) – Mid Air

— Róisín Murphy – Hit Parade

— Soda Blonde – Dream Big

— Sparklehorse – Bird Machine

Albums Released on September 8th:

— 38 Spesh & Conway The Machine – Speshal Machinery

— Al Stewart – Songs on the Radio: The Complete U.S. Singles 1974-1981

— Alabaster DePlume – Come With Fierce Grace

— Allison Russell – The Returner

— Andy Taylor (of Duran Duran) – Man’s A Wolf To A Man

— Angel Du$t – Brand New Soul

— Anjimile – The King

— Art of Shock – Shine Black Light

— Ásgeir – Time on My Hands (Lo-Fi Version)

— Ashley McBryde – The Devil I Know

— Beastie Boys – Hello Nasty (Deluxe Edition) (Vinyl Reissue)

— Benjamin Gustafsson – The Nature Within

— Betty Davis – Betty Davis (Reissue)

— Betty Davis – Crashin’ From Passion (Reissue)

— Betty Davis – Is It Love or Desire? (Reissue)

— Betty Davis – They Say I’m Different (Reissue)

— Billy Keane – Oh, These Days

— Birthh – Moonlanded

— Blackbird Angels (feat. Tracii Guns) – Solsorte

— Boris – Heavy Rocks (2002) (Vinyl Reissue)

— Buju Banton – Born for Greatness

— caro♡ – wild at ❤

— The Chemical Brothers – For That Beautiful Feeling

— Childe – Stoned & Supremely Confident

— Coach Party – KILLJOY

— Conquer Divide – Slow Burn

— The Coral – Sea of Mirrors

— Courtney Barnett – End of the Day

— The Cure – Show (Vinyl Reissue)

— Daiistar – Good Time

— Das Damen – 1986: Keeps Me Wild (Reissue)

— Deeper – Careful!

— DJ Slink – Bricks to the 6 EP

— DOMKRAFT – Slowburner

— The Doors – Live at the Matrix 1967: The Original Masters

— Durry – Suburban Legend

— dv4d – The Lost Petals EP

— Dying Fetus – Make Them Beg for Death

— Egokills – Egokills

— Eric Nam – House on a Hill

— Everclear – Live at The Whisky a Go Go

— Fleetwood Mac – Rumours Live

— The Flaming Lips – Great Hits Vol. 1 (Vinyl Release)

— The Flower Kings – Look At You Now

— The Folk Implosion (Lou Barlow and John Davis) – Music for KIDS (Deluxe Reissue)

— Gaika – Drift

— The Grahams – The Grahams

— Greed Culture – The Death of US EP

— The Hails – What’s Your Motive

— The Handsome Family – Hollow

— Heavy Makeup (feat. Edie Brickell) – Heavy Makeup

— Holm (Mikkel Holm Silkjær of Yung) – Alien Health

— Irreversible Entanglements – Protect Your Light

— Jalen Ngonda – Come Around And Love Me

— James Blake – Playing Robots Into Heaven

— Jess Nolan – ’93

— Joan Osborne – Nobody Owns You

— Jobi Riccio – Whiplash

— John Came – Rhythmicon

— John Fahey – Proofs and Refutations

— John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers – Live in 1967 – Volume Three (Reissue)

— Jon Langston – Heart On Ice

— Jonathan Wilson – Eat the Worm

— Kah-Lo – pain/pleasure

— Karkwa – Dans La Seconde

— Kristin Hersh (of Throwing Muses) – Clear Pond Road

— Kvelertak – Endling

— Laufey – Bewitched

— Lauren Daigle – Lauren Daigle

— Lillie Mae & Family – Festival Eyes

— Logan Ledger – Golden State

— Low Cut Connie – Art Dealers

— maeve & quinn – Another Door

— Mannequin Online – BOOM EP

— MAVICA – sometimes a person never comes back (but that’s okay)

— Mirror Tree – Mirror Tree

— moe. – Tin Cans and Car Tires (25th Anniversary Reissue)

— Monolord – It’s All the Same EP

— Morphine – Like Swimming (Vinyl Reissue)

— Morphine – The Night (Vinyl Reissue)

— Nanci Griffith – Working in Corners

— Noah Gundersen – If This Is the End

— Noisy – Fast Fwd: To Friday [Vol. 1]

— Olivia Rodrigo – GUTS

— OOMPH! – Richter und Henker

— Pain of Truth – Not Through Blood

— Plattenbau – Net Prophet

— The Postal Service – Everything Will Change

— Proper. – Part-Timer EP

— Public Service Broadcasting – This New Noise

— Puddle of Mudd – Ubiquitous

— Reckless Kelly – Under the Table & Above the Sun (Vinyl Reissue)

— Róisín Murphy – Hit Parade

— Romy (of The xx) – Mid Air

— Royal Blood – Back to the Water Below

— Salvia – Revelation

— Soda Blonde – Dream Big

— Somni – Gravity

— Sparklehorse – Bird Machine

— Steep Canyon Rangers – Morning Shift

— Storm Franklin – The Fear EP Part 1

— The String Cheese Incident – Lend Me a Hand

— Super Furry Animals – Phantom Power (Reissue)

— The Sweet Serenades – Everything Dies

— Sylosis – A Sign of Things to Come

— Talking Kind – It Did Bring Me Down

— Tan Cologne – Pescetrullo (soundscapes)

— Teezo Touchdown – How Do You Sleep At Night?

— Temps (James Acaster) – After Party EP

— Thom Southern – So Long My Friend

— Tim Kinsella (of Cap’n Jazz) and Jenny Pulse – Giddy Skelter

— Tone Stith – P.O.V.

— Tyler Childers – Rustin’ in the Rain

— V (of BTS) – Layover

— Various Artists – A Mighty Wind: The Album (Vinyl Reissue)

— Various Artists – A Song for Leon

— Walter Etc. – When the Band Breaks Up Again

— With Honor – Boundless

— The Wonder Years – The Greatest Generation: 10th Anniversary Edition

— Yahritza y Su Esencia – Obsessed Pt. 2 EP

— Yussef Dayes – Black Classical Music

— Zeus – Credo

— ZZ Ward – Dirty Shine