January 2019 Music Recap

A new year and already the arrival of some potent new material from older and newer artists, this has been a surprisingly busy month for music and calls for a new format for this monthly series...

Best of the Month

Albums

"Almost Free"

FIDLAR

25/01/2019

A fun and creative alternative punk album that continues Fidlar's streak of lyrically masterful albums, this time exploring musically and diving into different styles that generally really elevate the songs and result in some truly fantastic highs. There really aren't mang negatives and it's easily their best album to date, even if it differs from their usual guitar-driven punk roots. 

Rating: 8/10

Best Songs: Can't You See, Kick, Good Times Are Over

Worst Song: By Myself

"Remind Me Tomorrow"

Sharon Van Etten

18/01/2019

Her acclaimed return might take a while to really get into but after a few listens you can really appreciate the emotion, detail and soundscapes created on Sharon's newest release. It's an altogether ultrapersonal and very refined indie rock album that effortlessly integrates synthesizers into her usual folk-tinged style, helping to highlight the melodies and play with some layering in the rhythms that she's never really used before. 

Rating: 8/10

Best Songs: Hands, Seventeen, Comeback Kid

Worst Song: Malibu

"New Breed"

Dawn Richard

25/01/2019

This is some of the most interesting R&B I've heard in a long time, Dawn essentially paying tribute to her home of New Orleans and the traditions and culture there through her lyrics. Instrumentally, we get retro-synth-based beats and the occasional trap flares that I fully accept and enjoy in the context of such an original album. She manages to balance references to New Orleans and sex and create a really enjoyable listen that's easy to hear again and again thanks to its short, snappy length. 

Rating: 8/10

Best Songs: New Breed, Spaces, We Diamonds

Worst Song: Sauce

"Micro"

Jinjer

11/01/2019

This is some hardcore metalcore from the very expressive Ukrainian band Jinjer and, although it's only an EP, every single song is absolute fire with some of the most textured instrumentals and aggressive, contemplative and critical lyrics. I think those lyrics are an essential part of the music and backed with such great guitar riffs and drum beats, it's clear this band mean business and are prepared to deliver hard. I can't wait to hear more, 2019 is going to be a great year for metal. 

Rating: 9/10

Best Songs: Teacher Teacher, Perennial, Ape

Worst Song: N/A

"STRENGTH IN NUMB333RS"

THE FEVER 333

18/01/2019

Continuing the metal conversation, we have The Fever 333 and their intense debut album "Strength In Numb333rs", an eclectic mix of genres blended into bombastic chaos and delivered with such vigour. This album is impossible to ignore whether you love or hate it. It addresses some of the most relevant, difficult topics and explodes with every song utilising hip hop beats, immense bass, raging guitars and passionate vocals all simmering in a pretty perfect stew of necessary anger and frustration. I know I need to do a full review for this because its magnitude is undeniable, this thing makes waves. 

Rating: 9/10

Best Songs: Burn It, Prey For Me, Inglewood, Out Of Control

Worst Song: Animal 

Singles

"Song 31"

Noname

After releasing her acclaimed and intricate "Room 25" last year, Noname has put out a fantastic little single to continue her run of excellence with a smooth beat, pretty melody and tight bars. 

Rating: 8/10

"Backup Generator"

Austenyo

One of my favourite brand new artists, Austen delivers another excellent minimalistic R&B jam that goes in a slightly poppier direction but only really differs from his EP in terms of slicker production and even more falsetto. It's very catchy and has a very creative music video entirely worth a watch. 

Rating: 8/10

"Crowbar"

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes

Hopefully this single precedes more work because this is the most energetic I've heard the band, maybe ever. The lyrics have a certain simple charm to them that is complimented by the harsh, pummelling guitars and pounding drums, all contributing towards an amazing rock song. 

Rating: 8.5/10

"Apple Tree"

Another Sky

This band continues to be both intriguing and entertaining, crafting yet another indie banger with socially conscience lyrics with gorgeous vocals and classic instrumentation. There may be less to talk about than on "Chillers" but that's simply because of how breathtaking the song is. 

Rating: 8/10

"I Get No Joy"

Jade Bird

The more you pay attention to the flows and the words the more entranced you become with Jade Bird's storytelling and the less you realise that the music hasn't really changed between her past few singles. That may mean that her hotly anticipated debut won't have much variety, but when what we've got is this good I'm not complaining about a smash like this. 

Rating: 8/10

"Selfish"

Little Simz

The most obviously radio-friendly single from her forthcoming album, Little Simz has even more to say to get you excited for the album, hopefully coming this February. After how amazing "Offence" was and this being the fourth single, it somehow surpassed my expectations and has me even more excited for "Grey". 

Rating: 8/10

"arrow"

Half•Alive

After gaining traction with their groovy single "Still•Feel", this band have been one of the most talked about in the alt pop scene and I'm really hoping they break through with this dancy, Two Door Cinema Club-esque new single. Including some more experimental elements particularly towards the end, Half Alive prove that they are a force to be reckoned with and a band that will surely make it big. 

Rating: 8/10

"Trip The Mains"

Methyl Ethel

Wow this is good! Methyl Ethel are gearing up to release their third album and they've really stepped it up with this brand new single. It's so catchy and the strange melodies sound so good with some brilliant production that tops the lead single "Scream Whole", released a few months before.

Rating: 9/10

"Fever"

CUT_ featuring Klangstof

I'd never heard of CUT_ before, but Klangstof are one of my favourite bands and I knew I had to hear this release. The atmosphere is key in this song, a swirling and sensual experience aided by vocals from both bands to produce this electronic attraction that has me hook, line and sinker. Klangstof needs to return in 2019.

Rating: 8.5/10

"Higher States"

Sundara Karma

A month to go until the release of their sophomore album and already boasting three fantastic, Bowie inspired singles "Illusions", "One Last Night On This Earth" and "The Changeover", I expected maybe another promotional piece like the latter but instead the band decide to put out this! "Higher States" is a 'swirling swirl' of synth-heavy rave music that has an explodes with the chorus and leaves you amazed at the sheer amount of energy within one song. 

Rating: 9.5/10

Notable Releases

Albums

"Internationally Unknown"

Rat Boy

25/01/2019

I enjoyed Rat Boy's debut album for all its flaws back in 2017, and although less of the tracks still stand up now there remains a few really solid songs from that album to rise above the mediocrity. now, my problem with "Internationally Unknown" is that it seems to pull even less punches and is made up almost exclusively of very middle-of-the-road, unoriginal hip-hop and britpop that all too often treads into the territory of being reasonably bad and quite cringe-inducing. Really, it's a shame that so much potential was squandered here.

Rating: 4/10

Best Songs: Chip On My Shoulder, Internationally Unknown, Night Creature

Worst Songs: Follow Your Heart, So What

"Human"

dodie

18/01/2019

I've never been particularly partial to Dodie's music, despite being fully behind many of the artists she's emulating. Her vibe of wispy folk-pop seems all too bland too much of the time to grab my interest, and her voice doesn't carry enough weight or personality to distinguish her. At the end of the day, I'd much rather be listening to Oh Wonder or Angus & Julia Stone.

Rating: 5/10

Best Songs: Human, She
Worst Songs: Monster, Not What I Meant

"amo"

Bring Me The Horizon

25/01/2019

Surprisingly, this is probably the most relevant album right now, the album "bringing rock back into the mainstream". Yes, I suppose it is bringing the horizon a little closer, but the majority of this album is more synthpop than rock. I do like that they're experimenting with their sound, and there are a few really great songs on the album but it is all bogged down with some sloppy production, trend-pandering and bad lyrics on at least half of these songs. Also, as much as I enjoy "Nihilist Blues" featuring Grimes, it completely underused her and her creativity.

Rating: 6/10

Best Songs: Mantra, Nihilist Blues, Wonderful Life, I Don't Know What To Say
Worst Songs: Sugar Honey Ice & Tea, Why You Gotta Kick Me When I'm Down, Mother Tongue

"Midnight Parade"

The Day

18/01/2019

This is a nice enough indie, shoegazey album but it lacks a considerable amount of standouts and just blends together into nice enough but indistinguishable background music. Sorry, you were outshone by another band I'll get to later...

Rating: 6/10

Best Songs: Where The Wild Things Are, Berlin
Worst Songs: Yet To Come

"Assume Form"

James Blake

18/01/2019

This is a fun album, at least in James Blake terms, an album where he really shows off what he can do in terms of making happy songs with pleasant melodies and exceeding expectations again in his use of psychedelic tendencies and some great production to emphasise these. Whilst I do enjoy a considerable amount of the songs quite a lot, there remains a slog of dullness in some of the ballads, and the irritating single "Don't Miss It" is really poorly executed, adding up to a good but by no means great album from James Blake.

Rating: 6.5/10

Best Songs: Tell Them, Barefoot In The Park, Can't Believe The Way We Flow, Where's The Catch?
Worst Songs: Into The Red, Power On, Don't Miss It

"Bare"
Rosie Carney
25/01/2019

Going into this with no expectations whatsoever, I was pleasantly surprised by what Rosie delivers in terms of personality and emotion, even if the originality is fundamentally lacking. She provides a melancholic type of beauty and captures both the imagination and the heart. I think this is a release that will really grow on people, it certainly has for me.
Rating: 7/10
Best Songs: Winter, Humans, Orchid
Worst Songs: Your Love Is Holy

"7 Directions"

NKISI

18/01/2019

There's not much to say here past commending the drum rhythms and atmospheric tones that build to making a pretty good instrumental dance album. Whilst not every song is equally captivating, the repetitiveness can be grading at times, there isn't a single bad song here and no real disappointment. 

Rating: 7/10

Best Songs: III, IV, VI
Worst Songs: N/A

"The Goat"
Puppy
25/05/2019

From Spinefarm records

Melodic metal at its best, weightless riffing at its worst, "The Goat" is an album that hides a lot of detail behind the brash heaviness left after first impressions of the first few tracks; I feel doesn't come into its own until later in the tracklisting where the aim is seemingly more focused on structure, carefully carving some pleasant melodies within the harder moments. Whilst this is my no means a favourite album of mine, it is fun to come back to with some catchy, fulfilling choruses and appreciated details hidden amongst the rawness and rage.
Rating: 7/10
Best Songs: World Stands Still, Bathe In Blood, Handlebars
Worst Songs: Black Hole

"Outer Peace"

Toro Y Moi

18/01/2019

I'm still unable to make my mind up here, as the production is so crisp and flavoursome it almost makes up for the lack of anything really being said in the lyrics. I do love a lot of the progressions and beats, although this album goes wrong when centring on the trap side of things. Clunky moments aside, the flow throughout is very appealing and the quirkiness of these songs does make them stand out and above the others in this soulful, groovier lane of alternative and indie music. 

Rating: 7/10

Best Songs: Ordinary Pleasure, Laws of the Universe, Miss Me, Monte Carlo
Worst Songs: 50-50

"Tallies"

Tallies

11/01/2019

Now this is spectacular, Tallies's debut really shining through a dense mist of similar, forgettable shoegaze in the same scene. Just earlier I mentioned The Day's debut, a similar body of work that, whilst pretty, really doesn't offer much in terms of a wow factor. On the other hand, Tallies showcase just how much more the genre has to give even 20, 30 years after its heyday. I do urge you to read my review on this, I go much more in depth into the details and qualities that build up an album that was almost, almost great. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Best Songs: Mother, Midnight, Not So Proud, Trains and Snow
Worst Songs: Trouble, Beat the Heart

Singles

"Longshot"

Catfish and the Bottlemen

A strong comeback from a band that, despite gaining relevancy and success, seem to be slipping through the cracks of greatness as every release becomes less and less unique. No, it's by no means a bad song but there's not much to grab onto in terms of personality or substance here. 

Rating: 6/10

"Hibernate"

Laura Misch

Electronic, introspective, wispy bliss. This is a song for the nighttime and is one of the most interesting pop songs I've heard in a while, the production really heightening this one. I'd love to see an album from Laura with the same vibe as this song. 

Rating: 7.5/10

"Land Of The Free"

The Killers

Whilst this is an important song and the message is much-needed considering the state that North America is in right now, I do wish the instrumentation would be more interesting I mean there is nothing going on behind a looping melody and rhythm. I get that the lyrics were the focus and they are fantastic but more attention should have been paid to the actual music in the song. This is a similar problem to what I had with "This Is America" last year...

Rating: 7/10

"A Caged Bird/Imitations of life"

The Cinematic Orchestra

Yeah, it's pleasant and a bit haunting but after you've got over the atmosphere what is there to grasp at here? Maybe shortening this could have improved it but I'm not getting much of an impact here.

Rating: 6.5/10

"Sepulveda Basin"

Liily

Really doesn't cut as deep as "Sold", that was a shuddering, thought-provoking jam and this just seems to have taken everything down a notch. Still, Liily are proving that as a band they can tear a house down and build it back up again, so I suppose I'm interested in what aesthetic they'll go with on their next song. 

Rating: 7/10

"watch you sleep."

girl in red

it's sweet.

Rating: 7/10

"Ibrik"

Bonobo

A pretty intricate little dancy tune from Bonobo, perhaps not as strong as some of his album material but as a B-side (as I'm presuming this is) he does a good job of exciting you, keeping it simple but effective. Solid, solid tune.

Rating: 7.5/10

"Swan Song"

Dua Lipa

Don't get my wrong I'm still anticipating her second album but I admit I am falling behind on the Dua Lipa hypetrain, I mean it's been a while since she's really impressed me. This song was promising but I can't get over how flat the beat is, I at least expected something theatrical and over the top for a movie soundtrack single. I still want her to do a Bond theme, but if it's like this. 

Rating: 6/10

"Middle Child"

J. Cole

Prepare yourself for wokeness! J. Cole is back with a bit of a banger that hits harder than most of his last album, in which he tried way too hard. I still feel that a little here but I can appreciate the delivery even if the beat should really be more interesting. Perhaps he should work with Travis Scott or James Blake, then we could see a really great song. 

Rating: 7.5/10

"These Four Walls"
Pretty Vicious

Yeah after "Are You Entertained" I was starting to panic in regards to Pretty Vicious's upcoming debut, but I think I've settled again now. No, this doesn't exceed "Move" but that guitar solo mixed and that chorus do deliver. My expectations are high, please don't disappoint me.
Rating: 7/10

Thank you for reading the January 2019 Edition of Monthly Music Recap, with the new format it was a lot more work than ever before but I think it works a lot better and I'm prepared to do this much each month for this installation.