Album review overview: Chalk, Ramses and more

Dozens of new albums arrive at Maxazine’s editorial staff every week. There are too many to listen to, let alone review them. It ensures that too many albums are left behind. And that’s a shame. That is why we post an overview of albums that arrive at the editors in short reviews today.

Photo (c) Jorge Fakhouri Filho

CHALK – Crystalpunk

Belfast sends its regards. CHALK, that is four young Irishmen with too much energy and seemingly too little sleep, debut here with a record that sounds as if the legendary Joy Division and a techno basement decided to have a child and then forgot to raise it. Pounding bass, post-punk guitars screaming for attention, and a broken world as a backdrop. Crystalpunk is raw, sometimes impatient, but always honest. The influence of PiL is unmistakable. Anyone who loves the early eighties, or anyone who sounds as if the early eighties were never abandoned, should be here. A debut with a punch. (Anton Dupont) (7/10) (ALTER Music LLC)

Johnny Blue Skies & The Dark Clouds – Mutiny After Midnight

Country-funk rock. Sturgill Simpson promised a dance album, an ‘act of protest through pure, uncensored, unrelenting disco hedonism.’ “Mutiny After Midnight” delivers. Recorded at Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Studio in Nashville, the Dark Clouds sound like a band that has lived together for years: guitarist Laur Joamets lets riffs loose, saxophonist Raw B unleashes himself, and Simpson writes lyrics that alternate after midnight between political anger and shameless carnival. “Make America Fuk Again” sets the tone: mirrorball nostalgia and roadhouse country in one sliding motion. “Don’t Let Go” soothes everything with a slow country croon about enduring love. “Excited Delirium” is fast, political and relentless. Not everyone will handle the whiplash. But for those in the mood for a sleepless night with a partying band that no longer cares. Start with “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth”. (Jan Vranken) (8/10) (High Top Mountain)

Jorge Drexler — Taracá

The Uruguayan Oscar winner for “Al Otro Lado del Río” from The Motorcycle Diaries makes his most relaxed record in years. Taracá, named after a river in the Amazon region, is a Mediterranean journey through folk, flamenco and something resembling quiet wonder. Drexler writes lyrics that sound like haikus in Spanish: few words, great weight. The production is restrained and serves the songs. No show, no fuss. Anyone who loved “Todo Se Transforma” will find a mature version of the same honesty here. For a quiet Sunday morning without obligations. (Anton Dupont) (8/10) (Warner Music Latina)

Flying Lotus – BIG MAMA EP

Electronic. Steven Ellison, alias Flying Lotus, has contributed to other people’s records for thirty years, but his own Brainfeeder label had never featured his name on the cover until now. With the EP “BIG MAMA”, that changes, and how. In thirteen minutes, across seven tracks, he unleashes a cacophony he describes as ‘a computer losing its mind.’ No loop repeats, every fragment is unique. “CAPTAIN KERNEL” splashes neon chords over jazzy keyboard runs; “BROBOBASHER” builds from contemplative piano to a techno banger; “ANTELOPE ONIGIRI” is pure braindance with acid lines shooting in all directions. This is a musical stream of consciousness in compressed form, too fast to fully grasp on first listen, but too inventive to ignore. Fans of “You’re Dead!” know what to expect. (Jan Vranken) (7/10) (Brainfeeder)

Ramses – Desert Storm

Ramses is a Belgian hard rock heavy metal band about which little is known to me. I hope that through this short review that will change, because Ramses deserves a bigger stage than they currently have. “Desert Storm” is a twelve-track concept album. With ancient Egypt as its theme, the lyrics mainly deal with Egyptian mythology, and the music features many Eastern guitar lines. “Desert Storm” was recorded independently at Rockstar Recording Studios and sounds very good, especially for a self-produced recording. The use of a choir and instruments not often heard on a hard rock heavy metal album, such as a xaphoon, also makes Ramses stand out from comparable acts in the genre. This month, a promotional CD single was released featuring “Desert Storm” and “Depths Of My Soul” as a preview. This single can be streamed on Spotify. When the full album will be released is still unknown at the time of writing this review, but it cannot be long now. (Ad Keepers) (7/10) (Independent production)