SPK
In The Thick Of It

Truly, the luscious, soulful new album from Manchester singer-songwriter Caoilfhionn Rose (pronounced Keelin) moves through a tapestry of curious musical inflections; nods towards folk, jazz, ambient, electronica and even a subtle influence of psychedelia, it never stands still to take a breath, despite its ethereal and delicate core. Out April 9th on Gondwana Records (Mammal Hands, Portico Quartet, Matthew Halsall, Hania Rani), in Truly, the young singer-songwriter has accomplished a body of work that is both sonically and lyrically wise beyond her years.

Réédition de ce classique afrobeat/reggae funky perdu depuis 1978. Sorti au Nigeria cet album est le seul de la carrière de Sea lion. Pour les fans de Fela Kuti, Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, Segun Bucknor...

The fantastic “Wraithlike” opens Maxïmo Park’s third album with a burst of energy that feels like Roxy Music infused with the high-spirited pop-punk of Supergrass—the track is one of the Maxïmo Park's strongest. Quicken the Heart producer Nick Launay (whose impressive career spans the decades, from PiL and The Slits to Grinderman and Yeah Yeah Yeahs) brings just the right amount of edge to the band's sound. Where its previous release, Our Earthly Pleasures, aimed for shinier pop tones, here the band digs down for a darker, slightly grittier feel. The rubbery bass and menacing vibe of “The Penultimate Clinch” is as memorable as the best of The Stranglers, and even the single “The Kids Are Sick Again” has a certain darkness, with grating guitars and oscillating keys pumping up Smith’s lyrics about suburban boredom. From the delightfully sharp guitars on tracks like “Calm” and “In Another World” to the sentimental and romantic “Questing Not Coasting” (“I need to connect to you now!” Smith wails), Quicken the Heart is a real pleaser, harking back to the earliest sounds of this great English band.

Hip hop beats, chiming Rhodes piano, squelchy synth lines, and trippy guitar riffs, straight from Portland !