Monthly Album Roundup: August 2019

The first instalment of a monthly series covering 10 major releases of each month in a collection of mini-reviews. All opinions are my own and please remember that it's okay to disagree with me, I'm always open to discussion/debate!

Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell (8/10)

Norman Fucking Rockwell is a resounding triumph of pillowy, dreamy balladry from the California superstar. Her previous albums having been marred by cringe-worthy, recycled narratives of hopelessly attracting terrible men and upholding a ‘dangerous girl’ image, her songwriting tedious and desperately edgy, this new effort refines her style into something magical. The lyricism is far sharper and more nuanced than we have previously seen from her, still operating in similar thematic space but this time with a great deal less cliché and more scope, wittiness and emotional weight. Her previously soporific vocal delivery has become more alluring with the help of enchanting melodies and beautiful, soaring choruses (see: ‘The greatest’ for a wonderful example) helping to give a great deal of the tracks on NFR immensely satisfying payoffs. Lana took a sizeable risk releasing an album stacked with one glamorous, long-winded ballad after another, but the result is an album which feels like the magnificent realisation of the potential she has often teased.

BROCKHAMPTON - GINGER (7/10)

The latest album from ‘America’s favourite boy band’ embraces the boyband label perhaps more than ever before - GINGER is a melodic, often pop-centric affair, with songs like the title-track, and opening pair ‘NO HALO’ and ‘SUGAR’ feeling more glossily produced than the group’s music ever has. There is an overwhelming feeling of emptiness here, emotionally and sonically, which both works (mostly) to the album’s benefit and also to its detriment in certain areas. The minimal and eerie production touches leave even the most upbeat songs on this project feeling skeletal and ghostly, the album reaching a visceral emotional peak on the stunning ‘DEARLY DEPARTED’ I do find myself wishing a great deal of the vocal performances were more engaging, particularly (and surprisingly so) from Kevin Abstract. Tracks such as ‘ST. PERCY’, ‘I BEEN BORN AGAIN’ and ‘LOVE ME FOR LIFE’, while they do have distinct qualities to them, feel frustratingly formless and lacking in strong direction or engaging structure. Anyone hoping for the flashy, hook-centric and infectious style of 2017’s Saturation trilogy or even the noisy abrasiveness of iridescence will likely be disappointed and sure, the group’s dynamic is not as refreshing or exciting as it once was, but I believe this album is a lovely exercise in alt-pop melancholy.

Young Thug - So Much Fun (7/10)

While Young Thug doesn’t innovate or in fact do anything all that daring across the 19 track runtime of ‘So Much Fun’, the album is packed with phenomenal earworms in Thug’s eccentric delivery, his catchy-as-ever flows and the fantastically sugary, infectious production. The end product is an addictive rollercoaster ride of an album with very few dips in action. Undoubtedly Thugger’s best effort since Jeffry. 

Rapsody - Eve (5/10)

Rapsody’s follow-up to 2017’s excellent Laila’s Wisdom is interesting in concept, but ultimately a little flat in execution. A tribute to powerful black women, there is certainly a lot of heart in what Rapsody was trying to achieve but her ever-commanding rapping performances and immensely witty lyricism fail to make up for the instrumentation that in stark contrast to the vivid, rich LW, feels mostly flavourless and non-descript, particularly towards the middle of the project. There is also an overriding sense that Rapsody, in terms of her approach to song-crafting is failing to play to her strengths. Where before perhaps her most captivating skill was the ability to carry intense emotional weight and laser-like topical and conceptual focus across her songs, on Eve, the approach to concept is far looser and more general. As a result, there is less to latch onto from a songwriting perspective. Overall, fairly mediocre and a disappointing project from one of my favourite rappers of today.

Clairo - Immunity (3/10)

The viral singer-songwriter sensation delivers an album that is as offensively inoffensive as it is trite and unassuming. There is very little to capture my attention here, from the lifeless instrumentation, to the forgettable vocal performances to the lyrics devoid of any significant personality. 

Taylor Swift - Lover (4/10)

Following up the forced change up in style of Taylor’s approach that was Reputation is ‘Lover’, her sixth studio album. This project returns to the sweet, bright aesthetic of her earlier work with some of Taylor’s most positive songwriting in years. However, it is the songwriting which proves to be Lover’s Achilles heel. While Jack Antonoff’s soundscapes are a nice enough backing for Taylor, the album is padded out with uninteresting, filler song ideas and cheap, irritating slogans substituting for charismatic writing - see: ‘If I was a man, I’d be the man’, ‘you can’t spell awesome without ME’. For all the album’s good intention, Taylor Swift remains unable to give a fresh or remotely intriguing perspective.

Jay Som - Anak Ko (6/10)

Jay Som returns with, a concise, 35-minute collection of sun-kissed, colourful tracks which smoothly meander through shades of dream-pop, indie and even punk. The songs often carry a strong sense of wonder and likeable innocence and boast vivid, trance-inducing instrumental tones. A highlight of the year in the indie genre.

Bon Iver - i,i (5/10)

Bon Iver’s mesh of folk and electronic music sounds cleaner and more seamless than ever and results in some of his best-produced songs to date. However, for all the tasteful sonic experiments on here, the best tracks are generally the most naked - the chilling balladry on songs like ‘Hey Ma’, ‘Naeem’ and ‘Salem’ stealing the show. As for the rest of the project, a great deal of the tracks lack satisfying climaxes and sufficient coherence or structure as standalone songs. This holds a lovely and near-spiritual sounding album back from having as strong a payoff as it is easy to see it could have done.

Snoh Aelegra - - Ugh, those feels again (6/10)

A likeable concept album about falling in and out of love boasting extremely pretty vocal melodies and glamorous production. Snoh’s music, while it has an enjoyable tenderness to it, could admittedly benefit from a little more vocal personality and a more definitive songwriting identity to set her apart from the crowd. Nevertheless, this is a nice listen.

Little Brother - May the Lord Watch (8/10)

Little Brother pick up right where they left with a collection of sunny, soulful and introspective hip-hop tracks, their sound as refreshing and endearing as ever. Phonte and Big Pooh sound as slick as ever and remain charmingly intelligent lyricists. While it’s easy to argue Little Brother are playing it safe on ‘May the Lord Watch’, the consistent rock hard solidity of the tracks here is undeniable. The only major gripe I have with the project is with a handful of the female-sung hooks on tracks such as ‘Everything’ and ‘Black Magic’, most of which tend to run a little thin. Nevertheless, this is fantastic, grown-man rap, more than welcome in the 2019 hip hop landscape.