STACK #202 Aug 2021

MUSIC REVIEWS

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Merpire Simulation Ride “It takes a village to hold on to you,” confesses Rhiannon Atkinson- Howatt, better known by her moniker Merpire. This striking line opens Atkinson-Howatt’s eagerly awaited debut, a record of lyrical strength in times of self-doubt and heartbreak. Anthemic and buoyant in energy, Atkinson-Howatt is a natural songwriter with a soulful, wiser-than-her-years vocal which makes you pay careful attention to what she has to say – though her words are unflinchingly honest and at times painfully relatable. Based off the strength of Simulation Ride , it’s inevitable that Atkinson-Howatt will join the canon of pioneering female indie songwriters; those who smash glass ceilings and remind listeners of the power of a woman’s unsilenced voice. (ADA/Warner) Holly Pereira

John Mayer Sob Rock

Liars The Apple Drop

Holy Holy Hello My Beautiful World When you’ve made a career

In an interview with Blackbird Spyplane, John Mayer explained that while Sob Rock bears MOR radio rock influences, the goal was “to make a new record from archival cloth.” In celebrating the “dynamic innocence” of Joshua Tree -era U2 and “pump-your- first-in-a-convertible” lyricism, Mayer manages to bring enough contemporary flourishes to the melodic thread to emphasise “new” in the former quote, extending the tradition rather than reappropriating it. Or better: fully embodying it. Mayer isn’t just another cat with a strat – “any song I write has to work on acoustic” – but if you’re craving nostalgia for the unremembered Eighties, borrow it from Sob Rock . (Sony) Jake Cleland

Angus Andrew, the creative force behind Liars, explores uncharted musical territory on the project’s 10th album, favouring unconventional soundscapes which yields impressive returns. On the track Slow and Turn Inward , intricately layered sounds reveal traditional instrumentation, Andrew’s vocal shepherding the tonal shift with its trademark dejection. Big Appetite bellowing with an urgency that is imposing. Similarly, Star Search wields an unshakeable intensity before transforming completely to a contrasting call and response. A record with many twists and turns, the biggest takeaway is that Andrew has a singular artistic vision, one that has produced the best record of his career. (Mute/PIAS) Holly Pereira builds in spectacular fashion, the crescendo seeing Andrew

over the past decade of making high-wire tight rock – increasingly guided by synths but hewing to your core – where do you go on your fourth album? Straight along that wire, folks. Hello My Beautiful World is another showcase of Oscar Dawson and Tim Carroll’s prodigious skill for playing the high moments off the lows, and driving roiling verses towards soaring choruses. It’s the flourishes that make the thing: the muted picking on opener Believe Anything , the trembling outro of Ghosts , Port Rd ’s gusting melodrama, and the sweeping spoken word of the title track that feels like it’s gesturing at a latter day Bad Seeds record. Grounded but epic, Hello My Beautiful World is a

tremendous package. (Sony) Jake Cleland

Rodney Crowell Triage In a career that has spanned some 50+ years, Rodney Crowell is well known for his outstanding storytelling and songwriting. Mentored by some of the best, (see: Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt), Crowell has become one that others look to for inspiration. Triage is his 18th album, and one that is fuelled but the political, climate and economic upheaval that has marked recent years. Add to that a health scare, to put a new perspective on life and the world. Deeply personal and lionhearted, Crowell’s primary goal here is to highlight the healing power of universal love. And he’s all about love. (ThirtyTigers) Denise Hylands

Jake Bugg Saturday Night, Sunday Morning Touted as the next big thing at 18, Jake Bugg certainly has a reputation that precedes him, though his straight-to-the-point lyricism remains almost a decade into his career. Now releasing his fifth record, the guitar-oriented songwriter shifts gear to expand his production into more modern sounds. Percussion takes centre stage alongside Bugg’s Dylan-esque vocal, spinning tales of nights out and the morning after, notably confessing his reluctance to commit to a relationship. He then does a complete 180, with the heartache-ridden piano ballad Downtown and acoustic closer Hold Tight demonstrating his well- honed sentimental side. Sincerity is certainly Bugg’s strength, this album seeing him reveal more than ever before. (Sony) Holly Pereira

Son Volt Electro Melodier

CHVRCHES Screen Violence

2020 marked the 25th anniversary of Son Volt’s debut album Trace , but instead of touring and celebrating, founding member Jay Farrar found himself in reverie, in lockdown. On this, the band's 10th album, Farrar hoped to concentrate on the melodies that influenced his early music making and give politics a rest. But, he says, “it always seems to find a way back in there”. Social protest songs sit side-by-side with odes to long- term relationships, following a blend of folk, country, blues, soul and rock, while checking in with the sounds (and name-checking) of early influencers. Time has given Farrar the opportunity to reflect on his gratitude and the conflict of these times. (ThirtyTigers) Denise Hylands

CHVRCHES' strength has always been their ability to put the ghost in the shell – the warmth in the electro – which makes this Poltergeist -esque cover art for third album Screen Violence so perfect. But if you look closely you'll see that the hand isn't pressing into or out of the TV screen; it's lifting the blinds, peeking at some unknown horrorshow that threatens to maybe kick off an IRL Droste effect. Once again the Scottish three-piece delight with their knack for infusing bittersweetness with immense warmth, investigating the conflicts that occur through and adjacent to our black mirrors via shimmering experiments into synth arpeggios and textured breakbeats. Lauren Mayberry's singular voice remains the queen of this gleaming sonic habitat, though a guest spot fromThe Cure's Robert Smith on How Not To Drown is a total treat. (Liberation) ZKR

26 AUGUST 2021

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