Review: This is ex-Teardrop Explodes frontman and cult hero Julian Cope's third record in as many years - he's operating at the speed that a lot of 60s/70s psychedelia artists that he was inspired by were and, in turn, making everyone else look a bit lazy. As a songwriter his satirical and absurdist sense of humour shines through; he makes you laugh as often as he makes you want to tap your foot and sing-a-long. And the uniqueness of his personality shines through with countless witty lines. A case in point is the brilliant "They ruined my Subbuteo and made their escape / Four Jehovah's in a Volvo estate", which is talk/sung over a motorik beat replete with mind-bending mellotron. Elsewhere, the bedroom-glam rock album opener 'Too Freud To Rock'n'Roll/Too Jung To Die' is a brilliant takedown of someone who's seemingly wound him up on the internet. With tunes this good, long may the rebirth of Cope continue.
Review: Porcine quintet Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs laugh in the face of fate with Death Hilarious, a brutal and energetic offering of sadistically calculated aggression embroiled in knowingly self-destructive lyrics. The band have broken through the immersive approach basked in on 2023's Land Of Sleeper, now shredding any sense of hope for contentment held out for erstwhile. Allegedly inspired by an intense touring schedule, the band felt the need to reflect the superhuman biopower required of them in LP form: and in light of frontman Matt Baty's anxiety, the lyrics exorcise self-doubt, and critique neoliberalism and forced optimism in close step. Enlisting El-P of Run The Jewels on 'Glib Tongued', here's also a diverse mix of doom, noise rock, and post-metal, with surprise gothic synth solos garnishing an otherwise punishing mire of rock sludge.
Review: For the first outside of the US and Australia, the World Party best of is released. The band, led by late, great multi-instrumentalist ex-member of The Waterboys Karl Wallinger, who remains one of the finest musicians in British pop history. The group, which included Robbie Williams' musical director Guy Chambers for some time, dealt in the best kind of pop music, borrowing from such a diverse pool of influences to create something timeless. A standout hit on here is as relevant now as it was back in the 80s when it was first release: 'Ship of Fools' is about the greed of our leaders and is depressingly apt. Meanwhile, 'She's the One' was famously covered by Robbie Williams and it's testament to the underappreciated genius of Prestatyn-raised Wallinger that it's one of Williams' best known songs. He's a monumental talent whose legacy will resonate for generations.
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