By Maxazine South Africa 
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
The Garden – Bootleg
There is still a lot of work to be done on the house on the album cover. Renovating it will still take some time. “Bootleg” is the new record by The Garden and should be a finished product. Yet we cannot ignore the fact that the mix sounds rather messy. The band is placed in the experimental punk category. Of course, that should not sound polished either, but the vocals are very pitchy. They have achieved quite a lot of success with their music, but that may also have something to do with the fact that the brothers Wyatt and Fletcher Shears are also models for some of the biggest brands. Appearance counts for a lot on platforms such as TikTok. The band stated that this is a kind of compilation of songs without a clear purpose, and that can be heard. All in all, this “Bootleg”, with its mere 32 minutes, is still quite a tiring listen. (Rik Moors) (3/10) (Epitaph)
Emptiness – Nowhere Speaks
Emptiness do not make music to make friends, and that is precisely the intention. On “Nowhere Speaks”, the seventh album by the Brussels band, the riff with which “Nothing But The Whole” ended abruptly in 2014 is picked up again, and closing that circle fits with the way this band has always worked. Unlike the isolation of “Vide”, this album was recorded live in the studio, and that can be heard: the sound is dense, physical and oppressive, without ever becoming comfortable. Songs such as “The Threat” and “Darkness Commands” move between black metal, doom and industrial, with song structures that pay little attention to expectations. The title track “Nowhere Speaks” whispers rather than screams, until the pressure slowly builds into something threatening. Not everything lands with equal force; a few passages continue to drift without leading anywhere, which does not make it an easy album to listen to in one sitting. Those who enjoy music that refuses to be tamed will find exactly what they are looking for here, although this album does require patience and full attention. (Anton Dupont) (8/10) (Season of Mist)
Syd – Beard
Four years after “Broken Hearts Club”, Syd returns with “Beard”, her third solo album and a record that is primarily about self-acceptance. The title refers to the downy hair on her upper lip, once a source of insecurity, now a sign of individuality, and that theme resonates in the way she presents herself musically. Of the twelve songs, her name appears as producer on ten, a clear indication that this album is close to her. The opener “Callin”, with Blu June, is an intimate duet with a nineties atmosphere, while “My Love” relies on a bossa nova rhythm that gives the album a summery lightness. Contributions from Raphael Saadiq, Rodney Jerkins and James Fauntleroy provide variety without Syd’s own signature disappearing into the background. “GMFU” initially appears light-hearted, but carries a sharper undertone beneath the surface. The result is a subtle, lived-in album that especially gains strength through repeated listening, and that shows that Syd has continued to develop since her years with Odd Future into an idiosyncratic voice within contemporary R&B. (Elodie Renard) (8/10) (Warner Records)
Ferg’s Imaginary Big Band – The New Atomic
As Shostakovich and Stravinsky incorporated the ‘Wagnerian leitmotifs’ into their work, so Ferg’s Imaginary Big Band takes off with the legacy of “The Atomic Mr. Basie”. And how. This is the third album by this ensemble on which ‘full throttle’ is almost a comical understatement. From the first second to the final note, this is a runaway horde of children on a school trip, filled to the brim with Red Bull and buzzing with Fruitella, bouncing from one attraction to another while the exhausted supervisors desperately try to maintain some semblance of order. Hopeless. In eight pieces, this big band blasts a mix of jazz, pop and punk through the speakers. What once began in the English city of Leeds as a Sun Ra tribute has now grown into a genre in its own right. But do not be mistaken: it is all completely serious. In impressive arrangements, nothing descends into chaos, but every piece effortlessly remains standing and above all remains fascinating, especially because of the sizzling grooves and solos that may not be technically refined, but do come straight from the heart. From 25 hearts that clearly enjoyed every second during the recordings. A top-class banger. (Jeroen Mulder) (9/10) (Trash City Records)
The Waterboys – Atlantic Rain
Mike Scott opened the archives of The Waterboys and from that came “Atlantic Rain: The Lost Fisherman’s Blues Recordings”. The trilogy collects twenty-five recordings from the sessions for “Fisherman’s Blues”, made between 1986 and 1988, and shows how fruitful that period was for the band. New songs such as “Come Back To Galway” and “The Man With The Wind At His Heels” could easily have fitted on the original album, carried by brass and violin that strengthen the Celtic atmosphere. “Light Shine On Me” adds a gospel edge, while the covers, from Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” to a daring version of Prince’s “When Doves Cry”, show how broad the band’s influences have always been. Not every track is essential; the third disc falls back into improvisations without a clear direction, and the whole collection could have been more compact. Nevertheless, the joy of discovery prevails. For those who consider “Fisherman’s Blues” a highlight in The Waterboys’ discography, this is a welcome addition that makes the picture of that period more complete, also for listeners who have known the original for years. (Cian Murphy) (7/10) (Chrysalis Records)
