Album review overview: Timber, Björk and more

Dozens of new albums arrive at Maxazine’s editorial staff every week. There are way too many to listen to them all, let alone review them. It ensures that too many albums are left behind. And that’s a shame. That is why today we post an overview of albums that arrive at the editors in short reviews.

Yakir Arbib & Conti Bilong – Afro Baroque

“Afro Baroque”: the title of the record covers the content completely. Pianist Yakir Arbib joins forces on this album with drummer and vocalist Conti Bilong from Cameroon, combining baroque melodies with African rhythms. Two seemingly incompatible extremes, but it works. The elegance of the baroque blends excellently with the power of African percussion. We hear Arbib on the piano, but in “Wana So” also on harpsichord and clavecin. Bilong not only provides the sharp, infectious rhythms, but also takes care of vocals in the Basa language. It all sounds rather experimental, and that is indeed what it is. But nowhere does it become forced or awkward. On the contrary, “Afro Baroque” exudes tremendous energy, especially in the title track. The duo cannot be denied courage: Arbib and Bilong even dare to dress a jazz classic in this new guise: “All Blues” by Miles Davis. Successful, in our opinion. (Jeroen Mulder) (8/10) (Elsden Music)

Timber – Boy To A Man

In his biography, Timber describes himself as a veteran, as a late bloomer. After making music for many years, this Rotterdam artist released his first album, “Book Of Life” in 2010, followed by “Clouds” in 2017 and “It Could Have Been Me” in 2021. The albums were very well received. He almost always performs live alone, and occasionally with a small band. Recently, Timber has released a new EP entitled “Boy To A Man”. It is an EP with five self-written songs. There are five acoustic songs, largely recorded live at Sound Vision Studio in Arnhem. Timber receives support from Martijn Willemsen (double bass), Jochen Hachgenei (cajon), Jeroen Schmohl (dobro), George Konings (acoustic guitar), Johannes Dopmeijer and Johan Kruizinga (both backing vocals). As the title of the EP already indicates, Timber describes in these five songs a period of life in which a boy grows into a man. He calls his music Americana pop himself. I have a bit of difficulty with the term Americana myself, because it does not belong to blues, it does not belong to country, nor to rock or pop. It is a bit of everything. But let us not think in boxes and compartments. What I do hear in any case are influences from James Taylor, Buffalo Springfield, CSN&Y, etc. What I find more important myself is that Timber is a musician who writes his own songs, and very beautiful songs at that, both in terms of lyrics and music. He proves this again on this record. There are five gems. Musically, it is put together excellently, and the lyrics are compelling and meaningful. Songs that, in my opinion, deserve special mention are the 2025 version of “Don’t Lose Touch”, which was already released as a single in a slightly different version two years ago, and the impressively sad “I’m Not Drinking Alone”. An excellent record by an artist who deserves a larger audience. (Eric Campfens) (8/10) (Own production)

Leprous – An Evening Of Atonement

The Norwegian progressive metal band Leprous presents with “An Evening Of Atonement” an impressive live recording captured during their sold-out show on 7 February 2025 at Poppodium 013 in Tilburg, Netherlands. Across two extensive sets, they showcase material from their entire career, from debut “Tall Poppy Syndrome” to the recent “Melodies Of Atonement”. Technically speaking, the band is a clockwork of precision with drummer Baard Kolstad and singer Einar Solberg distinguishing themselves through their almost natural class. The key to a good live album is capturing the power of a band’s performance, and this album does that perfectly with fantastic mixing and mastering that ensures the band and these songs sound absolutely gigantic. From the atmospheric “Castaway Angels” to the energetic “Like A Sunken Ship” and from the emotional “Passing” to the fiery “From the Flame”, the album shows the diversity and versatility of their music. The album proves that Leprous, in their current line-up, can combine technique with emotional depth without descending into technical self-gratification. (Tobias Braun) (9/10) (InsideOut)

Psychonaut – World Maker

The Belgian post-metal trio Psychonaut returns with their third album, “World Maker”, a work that demands both complete attention and repeated listening. What distinguishes “World Maker” from its predecessors is refinement in songwriting, whereby the basic method remains intact but the way in which Psychonaut composes and executes these latest arrangements drips with refinement and finesse. The album was influenced by personal events, whereby guitarist Stefan de Graef became a father whilst both his father and that of bassist Thomas Michiels were diagnosed with cancer. The result is a more subtle work that reflects maturity and nuance on themes of both grief and hope, but retains the recognisable elements such as chanting clean vocals, aggressive, harsh vocals and explosive riffs. Instrumental highlights such as “Origins” use Indian tabla to drive both the pulse and the melody and say so much even without lyrics. Epic tracks such as “And You Came with Searing Light” and “Stargazer” show some of Psychonaut’s strongest and most satisfying compositions to date. This is an album that unfolds slowly and reveals new layers with each listen. (Anton Dupont) (8/10) (Pelagic)

Björk – Cornucopia Live

Icelandic singer Björk releases with “Cornucopia Live” a spectacular triple live recording of her acclaimed multimedia show, recorded on 1 September 2023 at the Altice Arena in Lisbon. The live album integrates her ninth album “Utopia” from 2017 into a setlist of likeable highlights from earlier and later albums, creating a magical and harmonious whole. The opening, featuring original nature sounds and a shortened version of “Family” from “Vulnicura,” is performed with the sort of commanding beauty that makes Björk unique among singers. She rarely sounds better than on Cornucopia, where her voice, often working at extremes, is beautifully controlled and authoritative. The large-scale choirs and flutes and strings and textures with which she is surrounded never drown out the very human voice at the centre of the music. Whilst Cornucopia regularly threatens to overwhelm the listener with extended celestial and otherworldly soundscapes, this is a deliberate strategy. The album demonstrates that Björk is not only a visual artist but, above all, a singer and musician with an unparalleled ability to capture emotion and atmosphere. (William Brown) (8/10) (One Little Independent)