Uncut UK – October 2019

OCTOBER 2019 • UNCUT• 29

CHRISSIEHYNDE

Valve Bone Woe
BMG

7/10

TheGreatPretenderbringsjazz
chops to eclecticcoversset
Thoughsheidentifies
asa “devout”rock
singer,headyand
simmeringlanguor
(think“IGoToSleep”)
hasbeenoneof
therecurringpleasuresofHynde’s
career.Vocally,withdipsintothe
classicsongbookofRodgersand
Hammerstein,HoagyCarmichael(a
dizzy,delirious“IGetAlongWithout
You”)andFrankSinatra,Hynde’s
defaulthereis swoonandache.Add
herincendiaryguitartoMingus
instrumental“Meditation(OnA Pair
OfWirecutters)”plusa lovelydubbed-
out,spacy“CarolineNo”andher
one-of-a-kindsignatureis writlarge.
SheandproducerMariusdeVrieseven
succeedinbringingnewto“WildIs
TheWind”,nosmall achievement.
GAVINMARTIN

KAZU
Adult Baby
!K7

7/10

BlondeRedheadleaderswerves
into intriguingelectro-pop
Forherdebut
soloalbum,Kazu
(KazuMakinoof
BlondeRedhead)
hascalledinsome
heavyweights:
RyuichiSakamotoguests,asdoes
MauroRefoscoofAtomsForPeace,
GregSaunierofDeerhoof,andtheArt
OrchestraOfBudapest.Butthereal
surpriseofAdultBabyis bothhow
farKazuhaswalkedfromBlonde
Redhead’shazydream-pop,and
howassuredshesoundsinthis
newterrain.It’sa lovelyalbum,
occasionallya littleslight,butoften
gentlyseductive– fromthewavesof
glossolaliathatopen“ComeBehind
Me,SoGood!”tothetexturaltrickleof
“Coyote”,it’s consistently charming.
JONDALE

KINGGIZZARD&
THELIZARDWIZARD
InfestThe Rats’ Nest
FLIGHTLESS

7/10

FecundAussiepsych-rockers
gofull-onthrashmetalonsecond
long-playerof 2019
Abandwhoareas
unpredictableas
theyareprolific,
ricochetingbetween
genrescarelessly,
findingthemselves
makingsevenalbumsintwoyears.
Goneis theglam-stompandblues
boogieof2019’searlierFishingFor
Fishies; inis analbumofrapid-fire
drums,throbbingbassandcolossal
riffsthatnod,well,headbang,back
heavily to the glory days of thrash

metal.Theopening“PlanetB”is all

hyper-speedriffsandgutturalvocals,

whichsetsthetonefora recordon

whichthebandareclearlyhaving

a lotoffun.It rubsoff,too,viariotous

andinfectioustrackslike“MarsFor

TheRich”.DANIELDYLANWRAY

BOBBYKRLIC

Midsommar

MILAN

8/10

Unsettling,variedfolk-horror

score creepsuponyou

Thesoundtrackto

thecriticallydivisive

Midsommar– from

Hereditarydirector

AriAster– finds

Haxan Cloak man

BobbyKrlicprovidinga scoreto

a worldwhereout-of-their-depth

Americansfindthemselvesamid

disorientatingSwedishfolklore

andhallucinatorypageantry.Krlic

doesa superbjobatcapturingsuch

mystifyingenvironments,fromthe

openingstring-heavyintensityof

“Gassed”tothequietlybubbling,

creepingdreadof“Attestupan”,

throughtothescreaminghellscape

of“HargaCollapsing”.Thefilm

blurslinesbetweenhorrorand

ink-blackcomedy,andKrlic’sscore,

texturallyvast,moodilyversatile

andunnervingwithoutbeing

bombastic,movesdeftlywith it

asone.DANIELDYLAN WRAY

LOSCIL

EQ U IVALE NTS

KRANKY

8/10

Ambientveteran’sclouds

have a silverlining

Havingestablished

themoremelodic

HighPlainswith

cellistMark

Bridgesfor2017’s

eerieCinderland,

formerDestroyerdrummerScott

Morganappearseagertoabandon

melodyalmostaltogetheronhis

12thsoloalbum.InspiredbyAlfred

Stieglitz’sphotographsofclouds,

it’sinevitablyfoundeduponlengthy

drones– “Equivalent8”’spillowy

cumuliarevirtuallyimmobile,and

“Equivalent6”threatensa tempest

thatneverarrives– butthere’ssubtle

dramahere,too.Organsshudder

through“Equivalent1”’sfog,and

bassdripshypnoticallybeneath

thegentlesurgesofsynths

penetrating“Equivalent3”’s

mistyforeground,before

“Equivalent4”driftsoff

inconspicuouslyintothehazy

stratosphere.WYNDHAMWALLACE

LOWERDENS

TheCompetition

RIBBONMUSIC

7/10

Politicswithpoptimismon

Baltimore band’sfourth

With2015’sEscape

FromEvil, Lower

Densmadea

convincingpush

intopopterritory,

whichseemsto

haveemboldenedtheirsubsequent

bigideas.Thefollow-upsees

themcuttingalltiestotheirbleak

kosmischepast,shapingJana

Hunter’ssongs– whichreflect

politico-personalanxietyaboutour

collectiveragingcompetitiveness,

amongotherthings– intodarkly

gleamingandhopefulsynthpop

panoramas.Hunter’srichcontralto

is alwaysattheircentre,butwhether

it’s“Galapagos”,whichsuggests

LordeproducedbyTrevorHorn,or

theinsistentlybumpingpulseand

guitarpealsof“LuckyPeople”(Grace

JonesgetsdownwithNewOrder),

everytrackhasitsown driving force.

SHARONO’CONNELL

THELUMINEERS

III

DECCA

5/10

AmbitioustriptychbyColorado

prog-folkers

III,theLumineers’

thirdalbum,is a

songcycleinthree

actsrecalling

succeeding

generations

ofa fictionalfamily.It is,yes,a

conceptalbum– and,tempting

hubrisstillfurther,eachsongon

it willbeaccompaniedbya video

fleshingouttheconceit.Implicitin

thisset-up,however,is a demand

thatIIIbeconsumedasa whole,

andunfortunatelythisbecomes

somethingofa grind– repeat

helpingsofgrimlystrummed

acousticguitarandkeeningvocals

becomingthefolkequivalentof

consecutivecoursesofmuesli.

Individually,however,there’sa

plaintivecharmto“LeftForDenver”

a nd “ D o n n a”.ANDREW MUELLER

NEW ALBUMS

Scott

Morgan,

aka Loscil

TANIA FEGHALI

J

udgedon“Salty”,one

mightimaginetherest

ofAdultBaby, thesolo

debutfromBlondeRedhead’s

KazuMakino,tobea heavily

electronicalbum.Thissubtle,

wispymirageofa recordis

muchmorevariedthanthat,

though.“I didn’treallyhavea

concept,”MakinotellsUncut,

“butthatsaysa lotaboutme.I

amquitefreeandspacedout

in myways.I wascompelledto

makea soloalbum,andonceI

startedI couldn’tgetenough.”

AdultBabywascreatedon

theItalianislandofElba,where

Makinospendsmuchofher

time.“I wroteathomebythe

sea, alone with something

verysimplelikea VSS

keyboardanda vintage

Rolanddrummachine.

“WhatdoI doonElba?I sit

ontherocks,listentothesea,

observemysalt-coatedbody

andwatchthesunset– allof

thisroutineseepsintomy

music.[Thealbum] sounds

likemylife.”

Stringsarecrucialtothe

record,butMakinoexplains

theywerea lateaddition:“It

wasa strokeofmadness

thatcameovermeandSam

Owens[akaSamEvian] 70per

centintotheLP.Welookedat

eachotherlike,‘Areyoumad?’

Thenit wentto,‘Whattheheck,

might as well.’”TOM PINNOCK

KAZU

“I was compelled to make a solo album”

REVELATIONS