Album review overview: beabadoobee, Beck 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

Lizzy McAlpine – Angel

Lizzy McAlpine moves further towards folk on “Angel”. Her fourth album lasts just over an hour and sounds stripped-back, warm and thoughtful. She wrote the songs over two years and once again worked with the band from “Older”. Opener “The Light in the Painting” tells of the beginning of a new love, with soft orchestration around it. In “Anybody’s Fool”, a simmering drum creates underlying tension, and “A Car Wash and a New Pair of Pants” looks bitterly back on a relationship in which her name was mainly useful. “Soldier of the Road” is joined by Fleet Foxes and fits well into the acoustic atmosphere. The guitar is fragile, the piano restrained and the lyrics remain close to everyday life, making small images feel large. Not every song stands out, and at this length the pace sometimes loses momentum. Anyone looking for fast pop melodies will find it slow. Yet the common thread is clear: connection, distance and recovery. She sounds gentler than on earlier records and trusts in what she can do. The whole remains cohesive. “Angel” is a polished, honest folk record without frills. (Cian Murphy) (7/10) (RCA Records)

Slow Pulp – Melodie

Slow Pulp swings between fuzzy guitars and painful recollections on “Melodie”, and it does so with enough nerve to grab you by the scruff of the neck. The third album by the Chicago band, with roots in Madison, lasts just over thirty minutes and contains eleven songs. For the first time, the quartet brought in an external producer. Opener “Yellow and Green” begins quietly and charts a love from nineteen to ninety, while “Better Man” then bursts out of the starting blocks with a huge chorus. The title track races by, “Red Car” scrapes with crackling distortion and “Not for Nothing” is a stark piano ballad by guitarist Henry Stoehr. Emily Massey sings with a weary, warm voice that remains standing even in the heaviest moments. Yet it does not cut equally deep everywhere. Some songs remain stuck in pleasant mediocrity, and closer “Slip Away” could have had a little more bite. It is a record that only really works when you turn up the volume. “Melodie” does not reinvent anything, but the genuine rawness and nostalgia keep you listening. Not a crushing blow, but a solid thump. (Anton Dupont) (7/10) (ANTI-)

Revival, Chapter One – BMT Project

“Revival, Chapter One” is a project by the BMT Project, on which nine songs by Bob Marley & The Wailers have been re-recorded by around sixty musicians from all over the world, with contributions from former members of The Wailers and the I-Threes. What makes it special is that the songs have been rebuilt and recorded again, with the aim of approaching as closely as possible the atmosphere and energy of performances from that era. Marley’s characteristic sound and tone are beautifully conveyed by French reggae singer David Cairol, who handles most of the songs. Brinsley Forde, known from Aswad, provides the vocals on “The Heathen”. “Revival, Chapter One” makes clear how timeless the work of Bob Marley & The Wailers is. At the same time, the question arises as to what this project adds to an almost perfect body of work. The answer lies mainly in keeping Marley’s legacy alive and introducing his music and message to a new generation. It is precisely the integrity of the approach that gives it a reason to exist. Better this than yet another dusty demo release that adds little, or an adaptation in which the essence is lost. “Revival, Chapter One” shows respect for the source and proves that Marley’s music still carries conviction. (Bart van de Sande) (8/10) (BMT Project)

Beck – Ride Lonesome

Beck returns after seven years with “Ride Lonesome”, and America might as well take a moment to sit down for it. His fifteenth record picks up where “Sea Change” and “Morning Phase” left off, the sombre folk albums that fans have valued for more than twenty years. He once again worked with Smokey Hormel, Joey Waronker and Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Nigel Godrich mixed the recordings, and that gives the whole thing the warmth of a reunion with old friends. The title track sets the tone with a stately, lonely atmosphere, while “Disappearing Act” shines through a slide guitar that sounds intimate and expansive at the same time. In “Failed Words”, layered vocals and strings lift the chorus, and “Falling Through My Hands” is a lullaby about lost love that aims straight for the heart. Not everyone will be equally enthusiastic, as the pace remains slow and some critics miss a standout track with a devastating melody. Yet this is a record for sunset hour, with a cold drink in hand and the world at a distance for a while. Beck proves that silence can sometimes hit harder than noise. An honest, mature comeback. (Daniel Harris) (9/10) (Capitol Records)

beabadoobee – Pylon

On “Pylon”, Beabadoobee largely leaves soft bedroom pop behind and opts for grungy guitars and considerably more noise. Her fourth album is named after the electricity pylons Beatrice Laus saw from her tour bus, and opens with a buzzing title track that first drifts off and then erupts. “Sun Has Set” is a venomous farewell song with a chorus that sticks, and “Nothing To Prove” features backing vocals from Hayley Williams without her stealing the show. On “Powerlines”, Brendan Yates of Turnstile joins in, while “Despite That” makes dreamy pop melodies collide with distorted guitars. Yet not everything is equally sharp. Some lyrics wander into familiar brooding about broken hearts, and an album of fourteen songs could easily have been shorter. The changes in style sometimes work against the cohesion, and some guests remain so restrained that their appearance adds little. Those who prefer to hear her in a whisper-soft mode will roll their eyes more often than drift away here. The new sharpness suits her well. “Pylon” is a creditable step forward, but not yet a breakthrough into the guitar classics she openly tips her hat to. (William Brown) (8/10) (Dirty Hit / Interscope Records)