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newmusickarl · 7 months

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5-9’s Album of the Month Podcast – Episode 8 Out Now!

The August review episode of the 5-9 Album of the Month Podcast is here and as ever I will take a seat alongside 5-9 Editor Andrew Belt and Check This Out’s Kiley Larsen to review five high profile album releases from the past month in music, and ultimately name one as our Album of the Month at the end of the discussion.

For this latest episode, the five albums we discuss are:

WEEDKILLER by Ashnikko

Death Is Nothing To Us by Fiddlehead

STRUGGLER by Genesis Owusu

The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons by The Hives

No Joy by Spanish Love Songs

If you want to listen to the August episode or any previous episodes on Spotify simply click the link below, but also be sure to follow 5-9 Blog on Instagram and Twitter for more news and polls relating to the podcast, along with other great content like film reviews, sports articles and more.

Listen to the August 2023 episode here

Album & EP Recommendations

For That Beautiful Feeling by The Chemical Brothers

It’s time we gave The Chemical Brothers their flowers – like properly.

For the past three decades, the duo of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons have been a constant - delivering iconic, instantly recognisable dance tracks and some of the best electronic music the world has ever seen. Whilst some guitar bands are often put on a pedestal beyond their worth, The Chemical Brothers by comparison don’t always get the recognition they deserve for their longevity and consistently excellent output. Now 10 albums into their career, the Brothers are aging like fine wine, with this latest opus - titled For That Beautiful Feeling - right up there with their very best work.

As ever, the Brothers have crafted this record as a mesmerising sonic journey, with each track able to stand alone as a magnificent piece of art whilst also seamlessly segueing together to form one mind-altering experience too. It’s a balance that only the best can muster and it seems like the duo have taken the best parts of their 30 year career to forge the inspiration for this new effort. The Weight plays out like Block Rockin’ Beats Version 2.0, a hypnotic blend of hip-hop and pulsating electronica. Skipping Like A Stone is then their latest collaboration with Beck, with it’s choral-like beat ensuring it hits every bit as hard as their previous classic together, Wide Open.

Those two tracks would be enough to recommend this one, but honestly this album is littered with incredible moments. Singles Live Again, No Reason and The Darkness That You Fear sound even better in the context of the whole, with the latter having been reworked to better fit the mould. Feels Like I Am Dreaming is then a heady 7-minute colossus, transporting you across several new dimensions during the song’s duration. Goodbye is then my pick of the whole record, with a gorgeous soul sample immersed wonderfully within transcendent beams of synths at every turn.

This is without a doubt one of the records of the year so far, with the duo building on 2019’s No Geography to deliver yet another late career highlight. Not only are The Chemical Brothers one of the UK’s best live acts, but after this album we should recognise them for what they are – one of our most enduring artists, period.

Listen here

Dream Big by Soda Blonde

Back in 2021, Irish indie-pop outfit Soda Blonde emerged out of the ashes of the excellent Little Green Cars, with the four remaining members of that band releasing their debut album under the new Soda Blonde guise. That Soda Blonde debut, titled Small Talk, would finish in my Top 30 Albums of 2021 and even receive a nomination for the Irish Choice Prize (the Irish equivalent of the Mercury Prize). Now with this sophomore outing, they may have even surpassed the predecessor.

Full of confidence, Soda Blonde are sounding more assured in their new skin, with Dream Big presenting a stunning collection of songs full of breathtaking musical variety and killer hooks. The opening run of Midnight Show, Bad Machine, Boys and the title track is particularly mesmerising, as the band guide you through glorious arrangements full of strings, rhythmic guitars and clusters of memorable moments. That’s not to say the back half doesn’t deliver too though as the gorgeous An Accident strips things back for a beautiful moment of vulnerability. After that, My First Name sees frontwoman Faye O’Rourke’s majestic vocals stand out amongst a magnificent collage of strings, bluesy guitars and stomping drums for one of the record’s biggest highlights. Going Out then gives the album the grandstand finish it richly deserves, a towering 7-minute epic that sees every member of the band operating at the highest possible level.

This is a phenomenal record from start to finish and another effort that goes straight towards the top of the pile for 2023 so far. So if you haven’t heard of Soda Blonde before, now is the time to get yourself acquainted.

Listen here

All Those Things I Thought I Knew by Emzae

When it comes to up-and-coming pop musicians, there are few that I have come across that are as inspiring as Derby-based singer-songwriter, Emzae. Not just because of the vibrant, synth-soaked personal tales that make up her dazzling debut album, but also the grit, determination and DIY-attitude that went into getting it made.

Diagnosed with M.E. in her teens and having left school at 14, a career in music would simply have been left as a pipedream for anyone else. The fact Emzae’s debut album is now out in the world, is a testament to her unrivalled passion and fortitude. The culmination of 6+ years of graft, her life savings and nothing more than sheer will, it’s even more incredible when you realise the entirety of the record is all entirely of her own making. That’s right, everything was written, recorded, performed, produced – and even promoted – all by Emzae herself. So to have this album at all is a complete triumph, but for it to be this excellent is damn near a miracle.

For fans of CHVRCHES, Lorde and Let’s Eat Grandma, Emzae’s brand of pop is both warmly familiar yet carrying her own unique stamp. The contemplative Overrated is a sublime welcome to Emzae’s world, before the stuttering groove of As This Day Fades To Another and soulful melancholy of New Construction show the diversity of her sound. Around the midway point the album then hits its peak, with the atmospheric heartache of Another Lesson Learnt, the catchy chorus of Some Kind of Cliché and bluesy ambience of Lucid Dreaming three of the album’s finest moments.

That said, the final stretch of the record also packs in the audio splendour too. I Guess, Anyway is a near six-minute mini-epic, with Emzae’s self-motivation and confidence beaming out of the lyrics as the music increasingly swells around her. It’s All Cyclical then takes things up a notch with spoken word passages and a trance-like outro, leading perfectly into the pulsating pop of Extraordinary. As Emzae sings “This is what it feels like to be free” on addictive and uplifting closer Thrive, it’s evident how cathartic the process of making this album has been for her and it radiates out of the music.

By the end of the record, Emzae’s infectious positivity will have fully taken hold, leaving you with just the biggest smile on your face. A truly excellent debut and I already can’t wait for the next one. Take a bow Emzae, you should be nothing but proud.

Listen here

Stoned & Supremely Confident by Childe

Sticking with the pop debuts and another impressive first outing so far this month came by way of Childe, whose soulful vocals and catchy hooks make his music impossible to ignore. First discovered at Dot-to-Dot festival in Nottingham earlier this year, Childe’s natural talent was evident from the get-go and I’m pleased to say this vibrant debut really makes it’s mark.

At just 9 songs and 23 minutes long, there’s really no reason not to dive into this one especially when there are so many great moments to be found. Just take a listen to the synth-soaked rush of Chemical Balance, the plucky guitar groove of Better Friends, the raw emotion of Death Wish and the nostalgic charm of My Reply, and I’m sure you’ll want to discover more of Childe’s music.

Listen here

Strange Disciple by Nation of Language

“Releasing their first two albums (2020 debut Introduction, Presence and 2021 follow-up A Way Forward) at the peak of the COVID-pandemic, Nation of Language could have easily faded back into obscurity as quickly as they emerged out of it. Yet through seemingly nothing more than word-of-mouth recommendations alone, music fans started to discover the dazzling indie-pop being crafted by the New York-based trio. Quickly building up a cult following of devoted fans, they emerged out of lockdown an unstoppable force, putting on enigmatic live performances whilst boasting an enviable collection of nostalgia-soaked synthpop anthems. Now in just three short years, they have gone from album No.1 to album No.3 and, if Strange Disciple is anything to go by, they are showing no signs of slowing down their momentum.

On this latest opus Nation of Language very much give the fans what they have come to expect from them, which is retro-inspired tunes in the vein of great bands like New Order and OMD. There are no radical sonic direction changes, so if you enjoyed their first two records the good news is you’ll likely love this one as well. This is simply Nation of Language having now mastered their sound, taking it to grand new heights. Some of their finest tracks to date can be found here, songs of romantic adoration and unhealthy infatuations backdropped against playful synth melodies that just make you want to groove.”

Read my full review for HeadStuff here

Listen to the album here

Sea of Mirrors by The Coral

Indie legends The Coral may be best known for their classic early 00s output, but those that have stuck with them will know that in recent years, they’ve very much been delivering the goods as well. Their last outing, tenth album Coral Island, was a highly ambitious double album that struck a chord with fans both old and new, going on to become one of 2021’s most acclaimed projects. Now back with another two projects, released separately this time, the first part Sea of Mirrors has arrived and it sees the Liverpudlian band continue their hot streak.

Full of soaring, cinematic instrumentation, The Coral prove once again they are in incredible form right now. Singles Wild Bird, That’s Where She Belongs and Oceans Apart are wonderfully constructed and sonically impeccable, whilst the string-tinged Child of The Moon and widescreen, Ennio-Morricone-infused North Wind also demand repeat listens. Overall, another fantastic outing from The Coral and I hope they keep delivering albums as stellar as this one.

Listen here

Australian Carnage – Live At The Sydney Opera House by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis

Then on the live albums front, seeing Nick Cave & Warren Ellis perform was without a doubt one of the most memorable shows I’ve been lucky enough to see in recent years. Pulling together the best moments from Ghosteen and Carnage, with a few other Bad Seeds classics sprinkled in, it was a powerful, emotionally hard-hitting live performance like few I’ve seen.

Now if like me you wish to relive that show, or indeed hear it for the first time, a new live album from the final performance of the tour at Sydney Opera House is now streaming. Well worth the nearly two hours of your time but please – have the tissues ready!

Listen here

Freak Show EP by ALT BLK ERA

And finally on the EPs front, ALT BLK ERA have long been one of the thriving Nottingham music scene’s most promising up-and-coming acts. Now it seems word is finally getting out about this alt-rock sister duo, who fuse mind-melting electronica, heavy rock and razor-sharp bars for a sound that is entirely of their own making. If you are yet to hear their hypnotic genre-defying sound, then this debut EP is the perfect introduction, with the opening trio of I’m Normally Like This, Misfits: SOLAR and the horn-backed title track all well worth checking out.

Listen here

Also worth checking out: HELLMODE by Jeff Rosenstock, Hit Parade by Roisin Murphy, Mid Air by Romy, Playing Robots Into Heaven by James Blake, KILLJOY by Coach Party, This House by Pale Blue Eyes, GUTS by Olivia Rodrigo

Tracks of the Week

Angry by The Rolling Stones

Arguably the biggest music news of September so far, the legendary Rolling Stones announced their first album of original material in 18 years will arrive on the 20th October. Accompanying the news of the release was the album’s opening track Angry, a vintage Stones outing propelled by a stuttering guitar riff, a stellar solo and Jagger’s ageless vocals.

Listen here

Only by Sampha

Six long years after his Mercury Prize-winning debut Process, electro-soul singer Sampha is finally back with a new album, Lahai, which also arrives on the 20th October. Spirit 2.0 was a great lead single and now second single Only just adds to the album’s promise, with a smooth groove, Sampha’s soulful vocal tones and exquisite production.

Listen here

Wishing Well by Sundara Karma

Also arriving towards the end of October will be the third studio album from Reading rockers Sundara Karma, their first full-length since 2019’s Ulfilas’ Alphabet. After some more experimental and somewhat uneven EPs, the singles so far have suggested a return to form for the band, with the dreamy Wishing Well easily the best of the bunch so far.

Listen here

Victim / The Bear by Lonely The Brave

Elsewhere, Cambridge quintet Lonely The Brave are also readying their fourth album due for a November release – their second since the arrival of Jack Bennett as their new vocalist. It’s another record where the signs are promising so far, with this latest double A-side release unveiling two soaring new cuts from the tracklist. Victim sees Bennett’s gravelly vocals surrounded by an impressive wall of noise, whilst closing track The Bear steadily builds to an uplifting, string-tinged crescendo.

Listen to Victim here

Listen to The Bear here

Date Night by Lossline

Off the back of their first two records Fading Affect Bias and When I Look Out I See No Stars, Manchester band Lossline have started to build a decent following across the country. Listening to new single Date Night it’s easy to see why, a wonderfully sparse track that steadily builds into some tremendous swells, drawing shades to local acts like James and Bill Ryder Jones in the process. One to watch!

Listen here

Diving (Acoustic) by Bombay Bicycle Club & Holly Humberstone

Without a doubt my most anticipated record for the final quarter of the year, every song off Bombay Bicycle’s forthcoming sixth album My Big Day has been sensational so far. Whilst in recent days they have released their excellent fourth single from the record, Turn The World On, I actually want to recommend this acoustic version of their Holly Humberstone collaboration, Diving. The main track itself is fantastic but when the song is stripped back to just an acoustic guitar and the voices of Jack Steadman and Holly Humberstone, it is truly goosebump-inducingly special.

Watch the live performance here

Listen here

Big Shot (Live At Glastonbury) by Fontaines D.C.

And finally this week, Irish post-punk titans Fontaines D.C. have recently released a deluxe version of their highly acclaimed third album, titled Skinty Fia go deo. This new version includes live session performances as well as remixes and interesting covers of both U2 and Whipping Boy. However, the track to dig out if you have not heard it yet is the Glastonbury 2022 performance of Big Shot, which strips the song back to just Grian Chatten, a piano and a string quartet. Utterly sublime, it was one of the performances of the whole festival that year and it’s great to finally have an audio copy to revisit again and again.

Watch the live performance here

Listen here

Also worth checking out: KPR by Yumi Zouma, Cousin by Wilco, Turn The World On by Bombay Bicycle Club

REMINDER: If you use Apple Music, you can also keep up-to-date with all my favourite 2023 tracks through my Best of 2023 playlist. Constantly updated throughout the year with songs I enjoy, it is then finalised into a Top 100 Songs of the Year in December.

Add the playlist to your library here

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thecatcrew · 8 days

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The most gorgeous siblings 😍🥰🖤🩶

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chillyfeetsteak · 3 months

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I first became fascinated with it a few years ago when I noticed it out an airplane window on a flight from Texas to Southern California. In an expanse of endless desert, suddenly, a vast body of water. When I got home, I immediately looked it up on a map. The Salton Sea.

It’s the largest landlocked body of water in California. It sits right on top of the San Andreas Fault at over 200 feet below sea level. It is more than twice as salty as the Pacific Ocean. It is completely toxic. And I had never heard of it before then.

(photo essay under the cut)

In the early 1900s the Colorado River was diverted through a series of irrigation canals in order to provide water for the farmlands of Imperial Valley. One of the head-gates broke during a flood, and the desert basin filled with water for 2 years before it was fixed. The unexpected lake soon became a popular vacation destination; it was stocked with fish, and resorts and hotels popped up along its shores. It became known as a great place for sport fishing, waterskiing, and yacht parties. Big name celebrities visited. At one point, it had more annual visitors than Yosemite.

Salton Sea has no outlet, and is only filled via agricultural runoff. As the water evaporated in the hot desert sun, the lake became more and more saline. Chemicals began to build up from the run off causing toxic algae blooms, and mass die-offs of fish and birds started in the 80s. By the 90s, the beaches were littered with fish gills and bird bones and the resorts were abandoned. The lake began to dry up as irrigation run-off was diverted away. The exposed lake bed is also toxic, and the high desert winds kick up the dust, making the air poisonous.

Despite the unpleasant odor, the noxious air and the summer temperatures regularly reaching 120°, a renaissance of sorts began in the early 2010s. Artist and nomad colonies began to spring up around Salton Sea. Bombay Beach, once a popular resort destination, is now mostly a ghost town, but the folks who remain have turned the ruins on the shores into an outdoor art installation gallery where the found-art sculptures are cyclically destroyed by the elements and then replaced with new ones. Many of the houses and RVs in town are themselves art pieces.

In nearby Slab City, a settlement of off-the-grid lifestylers, you can find even more folk art. Salvation Mountain is a manmade hill painted with bright colors and bible verses and maintained by a community of volunteers. East Jesus is a sculpture garden and art installation.

This past weekend my partner and I finally made the pilgrimage to the Sea. California has the benefit of being home to a huge array of biomes. In just a couple of hours you can travel from snowy mountain peaks to lush oases to endless sand dunes. Driving the hour or so south from Palm Springs towards Salton Sea is like driving towards the end of the world.

Bombay Beach especially enamored me. The beach is crusted with salt and millions of tiny shells and bones. It smells awful, like sewage and chemicals and low-tide and rotting fish. You drive out onto the beach and park anywhere amongst the sculptures and deteriorating resort ruins. The art feels raw in a way I haven’t experienced before. It reminds me of seeing paleolithic cave art. Humans made this, with no motivation other than to create something intriguing or beautiful or sad. Not much can live out here, but what you find fills me with a great adoration for humanity. Despite the asphyxiation of the natural world, the human spirit persists.

#im sure most people know about this place but i didnt so!!#i hated writing essays in school but now in my 30s i do it for fun apparently #photos are all mine except the first one #salton sea #bombay beach #slab city #salvation mountain

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tripadvisortour · 1 year

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Dharavi Slum Tour Overview Location: Mumbai, Dharavi Start Point: Mahim railway station End Point: Dharavi Kumbharwada Timings: Between 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Dharavi is Asia’s largest slum area and home to millions of people. Through this tour, you will get to see the local industries how people there produce things without the help of expensive machines and earn their livelihood. You will also get to see how they are happy in their small area. A professional guide will be there with you on your Dharavi Slum Tour to explain the beauty of the place. Experience life in the Slums of Dharavi. Spend time with some kids and local people in the slums. Experience the life in the slum of Mumbai the way in which industrial and residential life mingles here beautifully. Our 2 hour and 30-minute introduction to Dharavi aims to give visitors a much more nuanced understanding of life and work in Mumbai slums. You can also add lunch with a local family cooking class, pottery class or street art walk after the morning tour. Not only will you get additional insight into Dharavi, but you’ll provide a local family with some extra income! It will take 2 and a half hours to explore the place. Suitable For: All age groups. Package Offer: A tour to the slum area of Dharavi of Mumbai How to Reach: The location mentioned is easily accessible through public transportation and local trains. However one can book a private taxi toward the starting point as well. Event Details: on 28th January 2023 Saturday Time: 10 am Price: 499/- per person 📍Third Wave Coffee Mahim West. DM for more details!! Contact us for bookings!! +918356957765 www.tripadvisortour.com @tripadvisortour Follow us for more ☝️ #travel #dharavi #travelphotography #mumbai #bombay #mumbaiupcomingevents #instagood #travelgram #mumbaievents #instagram #beautiful #slumtour #wanderlust #travelwithlocals #dharavislumtour #slumtourism #travelblogger #instatravel #dadar #colaba #mumbaitours #exploremumbai #slumdogmillionaire #andheri #mahim #traveling #ig #tripadvisortour #mumbaiweekendevents #incredibleindia (at Dharavi, Maharashtra, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnr65jTox9W/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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candicebella · 2 years

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The Lovely Escapist

#Beautiful destinations #wanderlust #travel #California #Bombay Beach #Seaside #Summer

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creole-cappy · 2 years

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#music #art #beauty #bombay bicycle club #vibes

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hotvintagepoll · 17 days

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Propaganda

Deborah Kerr (Bonjour Tristesse, An Affair to Remember, The King and I)— For several decades she held the record for most Oscar nominations without a win (6 in total), and she was a prolific leading lady throughout the 40s and 50s. She's best known today for the romance An Affair to Remember with Cary Grant, and as the governess in The King and I. Many people have this erroneous perception of her as extremely prim, proper, and virginal, but this could not be further from the truth. When she first came to Hollywood under MGM she was typecast into boring decorative roles, but broke sexual boundaries for herself and Hollywood generally in From Here to Eternity, when she made out (horizontally!) with Burt Lancaster (on top of him!) in the famous Beach Scene. She went on to play many sexually conflicted women, a character type that would define most of her post- Eternity work. She continued to break Hays Code boundaries with Tea and Sympathy, which addresses homosexuality/homophobia head-on, and even did a topless scene in The Gypsy Moths 1969!! One of the only classic stars to do so. She deserves a more nuanced and frankly a hotter legacy than she currently has!!!

Devika Rani (Achhut Kanya)—She was grandniece of Rabindranath Tagore (laureate). She was sent to boarding school in England at age nine and grew up there. After completing her schooling, she joined the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the Royal Academy of Music to study acting and music, at a time when aristocratic women did not enter showbiz. She studied filmmaking in Berlin. It is well known that she underwent training at the UFA Studios in the art and technique of acting under Eric Pommer, and other aspects of film production including costume and set designing and make-up, under eminent directors like GW Pabst, Fritz Lang, Emil Jannings and Josef von Sternberg. She is also reported to have worked with Marlene Dietrich. She had a multi-faceted personality and took on many responsibilities of film production at Bombay Talkies, a studio that she co-founded with Himanshu Rai in Mumbai in 1934. She often took care of hair and make up, supervised set design and editing, scouted for new talent and mentored them. She was the face of Bombay Talkies, and also the reason behind the political and financial backing the studio received, at a time when even women from red light districts refused to work as actresses. She was the first recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, when it was instituted in 1970.

This is round 3 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Deborah Kerr:

I think she was one of my first crushes before I realised I was bi in The King and I when I watched it as a kid honestly. The kissing scene in From Here to Eternity is iconic for a reason. Actually tried to learn the accents for the characters she was playing if they weren't English which is more than pretty much anyone else was doing then. Played very restrained characters who frequently seemed to be desperate not to be so restrained. Did horror movies without venturing into hagsploitation tropes. Gave Marni Nixon the credit she deserved for her share of the singing in The King and I.

Anne Larsen is a peak late 1950s bisexual with big MILF energy. Have you seen the behind the scenes pics of her wearing a suit?? Have you????? Vote Deb as Anne Larsen.

Nominated for an Oscar six (6) times and never won, but besides her having actual talent (hot), and besides her looking Like That (very hot, also beautiful), she was always playing women who are, like, crazy repressed. Which makes it fun and easy for me to read these characters as queer. Icon!!!! You know what's hot? Playing ambiguously gay in vintage Hollywood.

Her face and talent and body, yes, ofc, duh. But also!!! Her HANDS!!!! I may be but a simple lesbian, but she is the best hactor (hand actor) that ever lived and that's HOT! For propriety's sake I feel I must redact a large portion of my commentary on this subject. Anyway. She's hot in her most famous roles (mentioned above), and also some of her sexiest hacting is on display in An Affair to Remember (her hand on the bannister when Cary Grant kisses her off-screen??? HELLO???), Tea and Sympathy (when she's trying to persuade Tom not to go out and she keeps flexing her hands like she wants to reach out to him but can't??? ALLY BEHAVIOR! WE STAN!), and The Innocents (which opens and closes with extended shots of her hands bc director Jack Clayton was also an ally and he did that for ME). Much of her appeal also lies in the fact that she often played deeply repressed characters and you know what's hot? When those uptight characters finally unravel. It's sexy. It's cathartic. It's erotic. Plus, she's beautiful to look at in both black & white and technicolor, and the more of her films you see, the more you can't help but fall in love!

Literally is in thee most famously sexy scene of all time (or maybe just during the hays code era which is what we're talking about HELLO), which is the beach scene with Burt Lancaster in from here to eternity. To quote a tumblr post of a screen capture of a tweet of a video of joy behar on the view: "y'know, there used to be movies where they were kissing on the beach... From Here to Eternity. They're kissing-- Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr are Kissing on the Beach and then the WAVES crash!! You know exactly what they did!"

She might have a reputation of being chaste and virginal or whatever, but we all know it's the quiet ones who are certifiable FREAKS

Devika Rani:

Achhut Kanya (1936) is the only one of hers I've seen but hot DAMN

#devika rani #deborah kerr #hotvintagepoll #fuck that old woman #ladies 3

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