Album review overview: Florence + The Machine, Bob Dylan and more
Dozens of new albums arrive at Maxazine’s editorial staff every week. There are too many to listen to, 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.
The Charlatans – We Are Love
After eight years, the British band returns with their fourteenth album, recorded at the iconic Rockfield Studios, where they last worked nearly thirty years ago during “Tellin’ Stories”. Those sessions were overshadowed by the death of keyboardist Rob Collins, and “We Are Love” honours that history without dwelling on it. Producer Dev Hynes brought the band back to their roots, complemented by work from Fred Macpherson and Stephen Street. The title track is an optimistic anthem that Tim Burgess describes as a ride in a convertible along the coast, while “Deeper And Deeper” reaches back to their early psychedelic sound with Hammond organ and fuzzy guitars. “Kingdom Of Ours” opens with signature keys and lyrically refers to Collins. “For The Girls” is a sunny anthem, and “Out On Our Own” feels claustrophobic and constantly shifting in direction. The experimental “Salt Water” includes beach samples, and the closer “Now Everything” lasts nearly seven minutes and ends instrumentally. The album balances nostalgia and innovation. (William Brown) (7/10) (BMG)
Greensky Bluegrass – XXV
The progressive bluegrass pioneers from Michigan celebrate their twenty-fifth anniversary with a retrospective album full of reworked classics and a few live favourites now appearing on a studio album for the first time. The band invited friends such as Sam Bush, Billy Strings, Lindsay Lou, Nathaniel Rateliff and Holly Bowling to join this thirteen-track celebration. “Can’t Stop Now” opens with lightning-fast banjo and Sam Bush on mandolin, a perfect showcase of their jamgrass style. Billy Strings lends his voice and guitar to “Reverend”, Lindsay Lou adds beautiful harmonies to “In Control”, and Nathaniel Rateliff sings on the deceptively upbeat “Past My Prime”. The band proves that their virtuosity and improvisational skills have only sharpened over twenty-five years. Songs like “Broken Highways” and “Windshield” get a fresh touch, while “Who Is Frederico” and “33443” finally make their studio debut. Produced by Glenn Brown, the album sounds bright and dynamic, a celebration of tradition and friendship. (Tobias Brown) (8/10) (Big Blue Zoo/Thirty Tigers)
Despised Icon – Shadow Work
The Canadian deathcore veterans return after six years with their seventh album, sounding like a band completely in control. Produced by Alex Erian and Eric Jarrin and mixed by Christian Donaldson, “Shadow Work” presents the most refined version of their brutal death metal blended with hardcore. The title track opens mercilessly with blast beats and coiled riffs, while “Over My Dead Body”, featuring Matthew Honeycutt of Kublai Khan TX, radiates pure hardcore energy. The dual vocal assault of Alex Erian and Steve Marois reaches new heights on “The Apparition”, which weaves black metal influences with devastating breakdowns. “In Memoriam” offers a haunting pause with keyboardist Misstiq, while “Omen Of Misfortune” and “Obsessive Compulsive Disaster” form a murderous combination. The short “ContreCoeur” brings grindcore intensity in French, and closer “Fallen Ones” features flamenco guitar and dark death metal dynamics. After two decades, Despised Icon still proves themselves among deathcore’s finest songwriters, without gimmicks or bombast. (Anton Dupont) (8/10) (Nuclear Blast)
Florence + The Machine – Everybody Scream
Florence Welch experienced a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy she experienced while on tour on her sixth album as Florence + The Machine. “Everybody Scream” is a dark, therapeutic record exploring themes of mortality, womanhood, and witchcraft. Produced with Aaron Dessner and Mark Bowen of IDLES, it sounds raw and honest without losing its signature grandeur. The title track opens with a glam rock rhythm full of shouting, while “One Of The Greats” and “Witch Dance” continue the theatrical nature of her earlier work. “Kraken” tells of alienation from one’s own body with powerful harmonies, and on “You Can Have It All”, Welch rises like a phoenix from the ashes. The album combines folk horror with mysticism and literature, from the Brontë sisters to Mary Shelley. Where earlier albums often built towards a single climax, Welch now lets thoughts flow more naturally. The closer, “And Love”, offers a subtle, calm exhalation after all the fury. (Elodie Renard) (8/10) (Republic/Polydor)
Bob Dylan – Through The Open Window: The Bootleg Series Vol. 18
The eighteenth instalment of Bob Dylan’s Bootleg Series documents the transformation of Robert Zimmerman into the voice of a generation. This collection of 139 tracks spans 1956 to 1963, from his very first recording as a fifteen-year-old in a St. Paul music shop to his legendary Carnegie Hall concert. The box includes 48 previously unreleased recordings, including sets from Gerdes Folk City and the complete Carnegie Hall concert from October 1963. You hear Dylan experimenting with his voice, finding his identity, and evolving from Woody Guthrie imitator to the most influential protest singer of his time. Outtakes from his first three albums showcase his development, such as alternate versions of “Man of Constant Sorrow” and “Seven Curses”. Collaborations with Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, and performances at the Newport Folk Festival capture how the world first encountered his genius. Produced by Sean Wilentz and Steve Berkowitz, these early years are presented not as a phase to move past, but as the foundation of greatness. (Norman van den Wildenberg) (9/10) (Columbia/Legacy)
