It’s the end of the month. Makes sense to look back on some of the best albums May had to offer. So why not.
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Savages – ‘Silence Yourself’
(Matador, released May 6th)
Says reviewer Joe Zadeh: “Savages’ brand of post-punk nods subtly to Bauhaus and Wire, but their translation is a wilder, impatient beast, squealing with immediacy and thrashing with insurgency. There is a modern, angry masterpiece in here.” (Review)
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Ghostpoet – ‘Some Say I So I Say Light’
(PIAS, released May 6th)
Says reviewer Matt Oliver: “Patting you from the palm of his hand, Ghostpoet sits loftily, courting a preservation chamber lit by synths and orderly electronics capable of a domineering aspect set to an unhurried flicker: ‘Them Waters’ is something for new wave vampires to lock themselves into.” (Review)
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The National – ‘Trouble Will Find Me’
(4AD, released May 20th)
Says reviewer Reef Younis: “This long into the band’s career, the narratives here – on love, on loss, etc – aren’t new, but they’re crafted with an intimacy and intensity that inspires a simple, continued devotion. ‘Trouble Will Find Me’ contains the same qualities that made 2005’s ‘Alligator’ and 2007’s ‘Boxer’ albums so vital and personal.” (Review)
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Laura Marling – ‘Once I Was An Eagle’
(Virgin, released May 27th)
Says reviewer Gemma Hampson: “It’s a long album – 16 songs with interlude – but ‘Once I Was An Eagle’ (appropriately) flies by. New intricacies emerge on every listen, from the ghostly percussion of ‘Little Love Caster’ and the sweetest of melodies in ‘Pray For Me’. Without doubt, this is one of the folk albums of the year.” (Review)
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Primal Scream – ‘More Light’
(Ignition Records, released May 13th)
Says reviewer Robin Murray: “A sprawling document, more of an old-fashioned double-LP than an iTunes listing, ‘More Light’ is, in short, an inspirational return. By no means their most straightforward endeavour, it finds Primal Scream covering ground they know well as well as exploring fresh territory.” (Review)
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Vampire Weekend – ‘Modern Vampires Of The City’
(XL, released May 13th)
Says reviewer Gareth James: “Having described this record as “darker and more organic”, it’s certainly true that Vampire Weekend has found a sonic subtlety that suits them. Songs take unexpected diversions: the charging rhythm of ‘Worship You’, for example, is wonderfully offset by a distorted, intense and giddy solo, which slowly collapses into a multi-tracked wash of soaring vocals.” (Review)
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Find more albums reviewed on these here pages.
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