STACK #200 Jun 2021

FEATURE MUSIC

instrumental intensity escalates around the two-minute mark. Throughout Blue Weekend , Rowsell’s vocal delivery reflects different personas – from angelic (on the fingerpicked Safe From Heartbreak If You Never Fall In Love ) to Gwen Stefani-esque Punk Princess ( Play The Greatest Hits ) – with staccato Sprechgesang the perfect choice for Smile , which Rowsell has explained was written out of a “desire to fight back against those who try to define her”: “I am what I am and I'm good at it/ And you don't like me? Well, that isn't f-cking relevant.” How Can I Make It OK showcases summery, HAIM-esque harmonies, the highest part (“I just want you to be ha-a-a-a-a-appy...”) pleading like a frustrated inner-voice that’s been ignored for way too long. Immediately afterwards, Play The Greatest Hits – a vortex of reverb, sassy handclaps and alternating riff/chant breakdown (“Play the greatest hits!”), which channels I Want You So Hard (Boy’s Bad News) by Eagles Of Death Metal – barges in, unapologetic. Producer Markus Dravs (Arcade Fire, Björk, Brian Eno, Florence + The Machine) has undoubtedly refined the Wolf Alice sound on the follow-up to their Mercury Prize-winning Visions Of Life set. Song arrangements are super-lean; every single instrumental flourish, metallic riff or cymbal clash is essential. But never fear, Wolf Alice’s snarling underbelly remains omnipresent – it’s just used more sparingly so that when the sleeping beast awakens, the impact is huge! Bryget Chrisfield P hotographer Sally Mann is fascinated by personal histories – how we tell the story of ourselves. In her book Hold Still: A Memoir With Photographs she writes: “Memory’s truth... is to scientific, objective truth as a pearl is to a piece of sand.” There's an echo in researcher Rosalind Cartwright's words: "Memory is never a precise duplicate of the original… it is a continuing act of creation.” It's an art that Lucy Dacus practices, finding pearls in the sands of memory. On her latest album Home Video the Virginian musician looks to primary sources from childhood. Old friendships and formative experiences are revisited, all recast under the light of her writing. Songs like VBS (Vacation Bible School), trace the heightened emotional states of first romance. Thumbs details an episode of friendship and family reckoning so moving it inspired its own Twitter account from fans eager for an official release. And Hot & Heavy soars at the heart of the album, a cathartic rock anthem of reflection and growth. SimonWinkler

Blue Weekend by Wolf Alice is out June 4 via Liberator/Dirty Hit.

WOLF ALICE REFINE THE CHARM & SNARL “S trong” vibes, Lipstick On The Glass and reckless behaviour (“I’m alive, I feel like

wounds for Wolf Alice’s third record, saying she wrote these songs in the hope that they “might make people feel listened to if they are going through something”. Opener The Beach swells from Rowsell’s whispers into lush, textured harmonies as the

Marilyn Monroe/If you’re all popping pills, you know I won’t say no”) – Blue Weekend is a vivid collection of Ellie Rowsell’s personal recollections. And Rowsell obviously reopened some old

LUCY DACUS SIFTS MEMORY'S SANDS

Home Video by Lucy Dacus is out June 25 via Matador/Remote Control.

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