Alternative Album Chart: the best new indie and alternative albums this week
After 14 years of cultural neglect, the Conservative government has been unseated. They’ve indulged in lockdown parties, spread Brexit lies, and engaged in questionable business deals, but as they attempted to settle back into power, the public pulled the chair out from under them. Among the many impacts of this political shift, one of the most subtle yet profound will undoubtedly be reflected in the music we hear in the coming years.
Over the course of torrid Tory austerity, we’ve seen politics enter the fray of alternative music once more. Of course, it was part of the indie boom that preceded the present post-punk mainstay, but in a much more marginal way than it became when the hopes of youth were dashed by EU-exits, untenable rent, the homicide of the high street, stagnant wages, engineered division, and, of course, rising avocado prices.
In turn, in the world of indie music, this division became dissonance. Hopeless apathy hushed singing into smarmy spoken word, and ‘epic’ and ‘anthemic’ were traded for ‘cutting’ and ‘genre-less’, as the festering world around us was channelled into a sourer sound overall.
Whether it’s a subconscious response or not, that will change with the advent of a Labour government—not to mention the fact that policy changes on arts funding, nightlife grants, education and everything in between will make their mark, too. Alas, political impacts remain to be seen. But for now, you can bet on the fact that the arrival of Keir Starmer and co will have shifted the dial of the zeitgeist in a manner that we will soon know.
So, perhaps this particular album chart marks the start of some intangible change. Maybe the records cooked up from hereon will swing the sound of alternative music in a landslide switch-up. Thankfully, the one thing that the records below do prove is that come what may, we’ve got a crop of incredible and diverse artists at the moment, spinning the times with uniquely interesting authenticity.
The best new indie and alternative albums this week:
Kiasmos – II – 4
Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds and Faroese musician Janus Rasmussen first emerged as Kiasmos in 2009 to share their exciting debut EP, Thrown. Since then, they have maintained a markedly sporadic portfolio of “emotional rave” music that never fails to entice fans with a prosperous blend of experimental textures, danceable beats and dreamy ambience.
The duo’s new album, II, is the very long-awaited follow-up to the eponymous debut LP of 2014. Fans may well have forgotten all about Arnalds and Rasmussen through the perils of political madness and pandemic mystery if it weren’t for a pleasing selection of EPs released in the interim. All the same, there’s nothing quite like a full serving of deciduous techno music, especially one of such sonic cohesion.
Arnalds and Rasmussen have a discerning eye for beat drops, which never fail to spice things up for the live show. Yet beneath the danceability of these techno beats is a cavern of inspiring textures drawn in and out of the mix seamlessly to provide structure and variety. II contains moments of reflective tranquillity, ecstatic movement, and orchestral grandeur.
An album should carry enough variety to keep the focused listener engaged yet flow with a distinctive identity; Kiasmos have certainly delivered on this front. [Words: Jordan Potter]
Camille Jansen – The Loose Screws – 3.5
The concepts of being an “old soul” or claiming to be “born in the wrong generation” are eye-roll-inducing at best. So often, nostalgia becomes a bore or an excuse to roll out something tired and done before. But in the case of Camille Jansen’s debut album, The Loose Screws, it feels like a time machine back to better days when simplicity was beauty, and the scrappy heart of artistry was still intact.
There’s something intrinsically linked with Bob Dylan that pervades the tracks. Maybe it’s Jansen’s sprawling melodies that sometimes meander off as if following a train of thought, or maybe it’s the simple finger-picked guitars that lead so many of these tracks. But I think mostly it’s the kind of compromise-less vision that coloured Dylan’s early albums and endless love for music heard across his Bootleg Series. The Loose Screws feels reminiscent of The Freewheelin Bob Dylan or his first, folky releases — full of unique stories told only in his own language of lyrics and musicality.
As she launches her debut album, Jansen boldly does the same. It feels weird to claim that an album this simple is brave and bold, but it feels that way in this day and age. Clearly not caring at all about making a quick hit, but instead being dedicated to honouring her musical heart and spirit and saying what she wants to say in her way, the result is a cohesive snapshot of who she is, shared in a good old fashioned way that will never go out of style. [Words: Lucy Harbron]
Kokoko – Butu – 3.5
Historically, the traditional music styles of Africa have always leaned more towards danceable rhythms than other continents. Particularly in Central Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the lineage of traditional folk music has never particularly gone away. In fact, the dance-centric folk music of the Congo helped to influence the nation’s modern musical output, with more and more artists combining the nation’s distinctive sound with modern sensibilities and music technology. Perhaps the greatest example of this experimentalism in the modern age comes in the form of Kokoko!, based in the capital city of Kinshasa.
Most modern dance albums, particularly recently, are built around a selection of bland and repetitive beats, with very little added to make the music listening experience enjoyable for somebody who is not out of their head on illicit substances. With Butu, though, these beats are complimented perfectly by the soulful vocals and emotional power of singer Makara Bianko, as well as the growing influence of traditional Congolese music, which is particularly evident on tracks like ‘Salaka Bien’.
In addition to the music and lyricism itself, Butu also features an unavoidable amount of diegetic sound – car horns, road noise, and distant talking voices, for example – which aid in creating an all-encompassing atmosphere for the album. The record is clearly a love letter to the music scene and nightlife of their native Kinshasa, and the range of background sounds inherent throughout the tracklisting helps to transport the listener to that diverse and vibrant land. [Words: Ben Forrest]
HNNY – Lights Shine Through – 3
Electronic music can often provide the best sonic antidote to procrastination. From Floating Points to Four Tet, producers who work in a softer, more subdued iteration of the genre have mastered the art of the album you can fall into, the kind of record you hit play on and before you know it, you’ve completed all of those tasks you’ve been putting off for the last month. In 2015, HNNY provided his own take on this serene, study-friendly music with his debut album, Sunday.
Despite the success of the titular track and standout ‘Cheer Up, My Brother’, the Swedish producer held off on releasing a full-length follow-up. Now, almost a decade on, he returns with his long-awaited sophomore offering, Light Shines Through. It’s a reflective record that moves away from the soul samples of his debut, instead leaning even further into electronic serenity and simplicity through tiny, twinkling offerings.
The vocal parts are even more limited and interrupted, and I am barely able to finish a word, never mind a sentence. Synths sparkle and shimmer but never ostentatiously, and while the pulsing percussion certainly cuts through the noise, it does so politely, as if asking for permission. It’s certainly the kind of record that you could stick on at the start of a study session and get lost in, though you might have to queue it up a couple of times as it only clocks in at 24 minutes long. [Words: Elle Palmer]
Kasabian – Happenings – 2
This review is largely negative, so it is worth beginning with some positives about Kasabian. They are consistently one of the most exciting live bands out there. The way they adjusted to conflict within the band and took up the mantle without Tom Meighan is inspiring, and they are responsible for some of the biggest bangers in UK music in recent history. It’s also worth saying that everything that makes the band good is present on their new album Happenings; however, it is so contrived that the LP as a whole is borderline unlistenable.
Happenings sounds like an album by a band that can’t agree on a direction. While some tracks are dark, brooding, and experimental, others are anthemic and (trying to be) inspiring ballads. This makes the listen as a whole so haphazard that even the good songs are impossible to enjoy. As the intro track plays and you get ready for the promise of ecstasy, you’re instead left with a sugar pill and a disappointing 50 minutes.
Something needs to be said for some of the awful lyricism in this album, too. Tracks like ‘GOAT’ and ‘Passengers’ try to be inspirational-sounding but end up being some of the most cringe-inducing music the band has ever made. Overall, Happenings is a messy attempt at making a cohesive album. It sounds like the first draft of a band caught in the midst of an argument will go down as one of Kasabian’s worst outings so far. [Words: Dale Map