Spoon – They Want My Soul (Anti)
Why you should listen: It’s been four years since the last record from these Texas-based alt-rockers, and on They Want My Soul they sound tighter than ever. Might this be the album to propel them into the mainstream?
It might not be for you if… You’re not interested in a band that litters an album with so many clever musical references. We get it: Spoon are well-versed.
What we said: “It takes a standard rock-band lineup and adds a sense of otherness by lightly dusting every instrument with effects, and arrives packed with beautiful, subtle detailing”, wrote Alexis Petridis in his lead review for the Guardian. For a different perspective, read Phil Mongredien’s three-star take in the Observer New Review.
Score: 4 /5
A Sunny Day In Glasgow – Sea When Absent (Lefse)
Why you should listen: This is an album of firsts for ASDIG: members Ben Daniels and Josh Meakim hand over production duties to Jeff Zeigler (Kurt Vile, The War On Drugs), Daniels hasn’t written the bulk of the songs and the band stroll unashamedly into pop territory (although the wall-of-sound guitars and slightly warped vocals still remain).
It might not be for you if… You are an original-format Sunny Day devotee, and will absolutely not put up with all this smiley, joyful-sounding nonsense.
What we said: “Somewhere between My Bloody Valentine and the Avalanches, the Philadelphia group hurl everything from shoegaze to dreampop into their sonic soup, garnishing it with 1960s girl-group melodies, children’s voices, echo and FX-laden guitars,” wrote Dave Simpson, in the Guardian.
Score: 4 /5
Wovenwar – Wovenwar (Metal Blade)
Why you should listen: Like No Devotion, who rose from the ashes of the Lostprophets, Wovenwar are As I Lay Dying’s new formation, following the imprisonment of former singer Tim Lambesis. Their take on metal is as sharp and satisfying as ever, and should please As I Lay… fans, as well as those partial to double-bass pedal drumming and chugging guitars.
It might not be for you if… You don’t like metal, basically. If so, keep it moving – nothing to see here. If you’re curious in dabbling, however, Wovenwar are streaming the album on their website (as of Monday 4 August).
What we said: “This is an instantly loveable, consistent and convincing debut, brimming with razor-sharp melodies and subtly expressed technical prowess”, wrote Dom Lawson, in the Guardian.
Score: 4 /5
Owl John – Owl John (Atlantic)
Why you should listen: If you’re keen to hear what Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison sounds like solo, look no further than the slightly gloomy, though riff-filled rock of his debut. Come for curiosity’s sake, stay for the self-examining and cutting lyrics.
It might not be for you if… A depressed-sounding Scottish guy with a guitar? No thanks – I can get that for free if I just walk the streets at 1am during the Edinburgh Fringe.
What we said: “The album feels at once soiled by the damp mud and drab skies of the Inner Hebrides, and also caught under the polluted, burnt-orange skies of an American city”, wrote Harriet Gibsone, in the Guardian.
Score: 4/5
Luluc – Passerby (Sub Pop)
Why you should listen: Brooklyn-via-Melbourne duo Luluc are out to nab your heart with this second album of gentle, folky songs, co-produced by the National’s Aaron Dessner.
It might not be for you if… Its doe-eyed sweetness comes off more trite than genuine.
What we said: The album sounds like a “stripped-back, nostalgia-prone record full of quiet observations, many of them made through distant windows”, according to Killian Fox in the Observer.
Score: 3/5
Which albums are you looking forward to hearing this week? I’m keen to get stuck into Bear in Heaven’s latest, even after reading Lanre Bakare’s two-star review (welp). Drop into the comments section and let us know.
