AUDREY
BIZOUERN,
NEILSON
HUBBARD
NEWALBUMS
36 • UNCUT • OCTOBER 2019
ALASDAIRROBERTS
TheFiery Margin
DRAGCITY
8/10
Scottishballadeerforgesfresh
magic fromantiqueingredients
OneofBritish
folkmusic’smost
extraordinary
instruments,
AlasdairRobertshas
a paper y,rheumy,
quaveringaltovoicethatsoundslike
it wasrecentlyexhumedfroman
ancientpeatbog.Coupledtowittyand
superblycraftedlyrics,thatunique
warbleproveshighlycompellingon
Roberts’latestcollectionofreworked
retro-rusticrelicsandnewtrad-
stylecompositions.Classicupbeat
folkthemesincludingdeath,rural
povertyandGod’scruelindifference
tohumansufferingarefashionedinto
deceptivelylovelymusingslikejazzy
duet“FalseFlesh”,gorgeousslo-mo
waltz“Europe”andwrywestern
swing-styleballad“TheStranger
WithTheScythe”.Thisis vintage
Roberts,richpoetrycouchedin
spare,beautiful,quietlyadventurous
arrangements.ST E P H E NDA LTO N
ROBBIEROBERTSON
Sinematic
LEGACY
5/10
Lights!Camera!Notmuchaction
on Robertson’snewalbum
RobbieRobertson’s
bestsolomaterialmay
behissoundtrack
work,whichallows
himtoexplorea
rangeoftexturesand
traditions.Sinematic, hislatestalbum,
wasbornoutofhiscollaborationwith
MartinScorseseonthedocumentary
OnceWereBrothersandhisnewfilm
TheIrishman. Themusicsoundsgreat,
darkandambient:a rootsyindustrial
palette.Butthebestsongshereare
theinstrumentals.Asa songwriterhe
reliesontoomanyclichés,remains
fiercelydevotedtoa stiffABABrhyme
schemeandofferstoofewinsights
intohisunderworldcharacters.These
songssoundlesslikeshortfilms
thanhurriedmoviepitchesto half-
interestedstudioexecs.
STEPHEN DEUSNER
RONINARKESTRA
Sonkei
ALBERT’SFAVOURITES
8/10
Tokyojazzensemblefusethe
spiritual andtheelectronic
Arecentspate
ofreissueshas
shonea lightonthe
hithertolittle-known
Japanesejazzscene,
uncoveringa wealth
ofgentlyadventurous,fusion-
orientatedrecordsfromthe’70sand
’80s.Sonkei– it translatesas“honour”
- provesthestyleis bynomeansspent.
RoninArkestra’sdebutpullstogether
a newbandconvenedbyMarkde
Clive-Lowe,a veteranofLondon’s
broken-beatscene.“LullabiesOfThe
Lost”and“ElegyOfEntrapment”
bloomwiththesortofwarmhorn
fanfaresandtwinklykeysthat
characterised’70sspiritualjazz.But
chunkydrumbreaksandaninjection
ofsubtleelectronicsadda groovy
momentum.Sonkeiis thesortofalbum
that’llbeminedforsamplesbycrate-
diggersofthefuture.LOUIS PATTISON
THESLP
TheSLP
COLUMBIA
7/10
Kasabianguitarist’squirky,
colourful solodebut
Kasabian’ssaving
gracehaslongbeen
theidiosyncracies
andoff-kiltersonic
touchesshotthrough
theircrowd-pleasing
dance-rockbangers.Muchofthat
personalitycomesfromguitarist/
songwriter/producerSergePizzorno,
andonthissoloproject,similarquirks
standout.“Bobby’sgota falsehand,
lovesa KFC,” is a typicallyear-pricking
linefromthebrooding“Lockdown”,
andelsewhereguestMCsaddfurther
colour,suchasa PeteDoherty-esque
cameofromSlowthaion“Meanwhile...
AtTheWelcomeBreak”,andsassy
flowfromLittleSimzonthebig-beaty,
ebullient“Favourites”.Thenthe
breakbeat-leddiscogrooveof“The
YoungestGary”toyswiththenotion
thatthetitularnameis somehow
extinct.Crazyname,agreeably
eccentric guy.JOHNNY SHARP
SHEERMAG
ADistantCall
WILSUNSRC
7/10
For those abouttostadiumrock...
Thesecond
albumfromthe
Philadelphianswho
combinecommitted
socialism,DIYpunk
principlesanda
loveof’70sarenarockopenswith
somethingthatmakesyouhope
they’vefinallymadetherecordto
liveuptotheirlivereputation.“Steel
SharpensSteel”manglesearly-’80s
metalandAC/DC,andis sublimely
thrilling.Tosayit’salldownhillfrom
therewouldbeharsh,but– once
again– they’venotquitereachedthe
heightsyouwantthemto.A Distant
Callis fullofsongsthatarepretty
good,butit rarelystopsyouinyour
tracks.Onedaythey’llgeteverything
right,andthey’llbe unstoppable.
MICHAELHANN
SI RWAS
HoldingOnToA Dream
MEMPHISINDUSTRIES
6/10
Laid-backSwedestickstowhat
he knows best
JoelWästbergtook
15 yearstorecordhis
debutbut,bolstered
bytheresponse,
heneededjusttwo
forthisfollow-up.
Nonetheless,histemporemains
familiarlysluggish:“FlyAway”’s
lo-fibeatswouldsuitPortishead’s
trip-hop,while“NoMoreSeparation”
swapsdepressedremindersofRed
Box’s“LeanOnMe”formelancholic,
Impressions-stylesoul.Thereare,
naturally,upbeatmoments:Little
Dragonontheaffable“Deployed”,
“LeanIntoThis”’smixofBeck’s
playfulnessandTheFlamingLips’
wide-eyedwonder.Butbythetime
thepithy“Trust”andsorrowful
“SeeU Again”moseyup,even
Wästberg’svoiceplays at half-speed.
WYNDHAMWALLACE
AMYSPEACE
MeAndTheGhost
OfCharlemagne
PROPER
8/10
JudyCollinsprotégéeexcels
on stellar seventh album
Dedicatedtofirstchild
HuckleberryJames
“inmybellywhenwe
wererecording,newin
theworldaswewere
mixing”,MATGOC
issweepinginreach,magisterialin
design.Speace,a classicallytrained
actressdiscoveredbyJudyCollins
playingGreenwichVillagefolkclubs
andone-thirdofacclaimednugrass
trioApplewoodRoad,bringsnuance
tovelvetyvaledictorysettings.The
openingtitletracksetsthescene,
vividhometownhistoricaldetaillifts
“BackInAbilene”,and“Standing
Rock,StandingHere”is asstirringly
hymnalasone-timeSpeace
collaboratorIanHunterinhis
exaltedpomp.GAVINMARTIN
LESLIESTEVENS
SinnerTHIRTY TIGERS
8/10
Country-popliquidgoldfrom
seasoned LAsinger-songwriter
Meldingcosmic
country,Laurel
Canyonandcountry-
poptouchstones,
LA-basedsinger-
songwriterStevens
offersa potentplatterofloveand
heartache.Hercrystallinevoice,
somewherebetweenDollyPartonand
TiftMerritt’shoneyedearnestness,is
alluringanddevastatinginthesame
breath.Whethersingingsolowith
acousticguitar,oroverfreight-train
snaresnapsandfeathersofpedalsteel,
Stevens’tasteandwitis self-evident.
Insonicallyreferencingthegreats,like
PatsyCline’swryhumouron“Teen
Bride”,andJohnnyCash’smomentum
on“TheTillmanSong”,hersongsfeel
familiaryetentirely fresh.ERIN OSMON
TEMPLES
HotMotion ATO
5/10
Frustratingthirdalbumfrom
talented youngUKband
Singer/guitaristJames
Bagshawis a rockstar
inwaiting,butfive
yearsaftermakinga
splashydebutwith
thechimingByrds/
XTChomage“ShelterSong”,Temples
arestillsearchingforthemselves.
Thereareenchantingmomentson
HotMotion– theglam-strutofthetitle
track’sverses,theFleetFoxes-like
cumulusharmonieson“NotQuite
TheSame”,thebossanova-on-acid
openingof“Atomise”– butthe
claustrophobicproduction,featuring
brontosaurusdrums,caterwauling
synthsandtheatricallyradical
verse-chorusshifts,obliteratesthe
seductivevibesthey’veconjuredup.
Templesseemtobeinthethrallof
TameImpala’sretro-futurism,but
theirin-studiomovesfallshortof
KevinParker’saerodynamicwizardry,
althoughtheycometantalisinglyclose
on“You’reEitherOnSomething”,
nimblybalancingdelicacy and
majest y.BUD SCOPPA
Folkart:(l-r)Alex
Neilson,Ailbhe
NicOireachtaigh,
AlasdairRoberts
and Stevie Jones
Amy
Speace
