Album review overview: Young the Giant, Foo Fighters 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.
Flyingdeadman – Mirages
Flyingdeadman is a cinematic post-rock project from Western France. The project started in 2010 and has evolved over the years from a duo to (recently) a quartet with the addition of (live) drummer Louis. “Mirages” has been self-released and can be listened to on Bandcamp and Spotify, among others. What “Mirages” sets apart from their previous albums and mini-albums is that two tracks feature vocals. On ‘Rives’ Gurval Bagot can be heard, and on the most powerful track of “Mirages”, ‘Hate & Die’, we hear singer Eugénie, whose dreamy voice forms a beautiful contrast with the heavier guitar parts. “Mirages” otherwise does not differ much from the earlier work of flyingdeadman. I personally even find this new album a little better because of the vocals and the addition of (live) drums alongside the programmed drum parts. Fans of bands such as Mogwai, Explosions In The Sky, Caspian and Sigur Rós who like their post-rock mixed with influences from trip hop and metal have another 38 minutes of beautiful music. (Ad Keepers) (7/10) (iMD flyingdeadman)
Salamirecorder – Inside The Cage
The young band members of Salamirecorder (Austria) mix various styles and decades together. This creates a blend of garage punk, psychedelia and rock and roll, among others. Add the distinctive voice of Felix Schnabl and the vintage recording equipment, and a unique sound emerges. Even in the instrumental intro of ‘Brothers & Sisters’, the vintage, slightly muddy sound stands out strongly; together with the music, it gives the feeling of a very old LP. This sound fits the style of the music, but it is prominently present. This becomes especially noticeable in the louder vocals, which gives Felix’s voice a sharp tone. The most energetic tracks contain pleasant, extended instrumental sections. This invites you to turn up the volume, but due to the lower sound quality, this is not really an option. Parts of the music are predictable, but there are also nice surprises. The retro atmosphere is strong, so in that respect, “Inside The Cage” is a successful album. (Esther Kessel Tamerus) (5/10) (Siluh Records)
Web Web & Roberto Di Gioia – Kover Kover
Originally, the idea was to keep the true identity of the musicians in Web Web secret, but that plan quickly failed when the band members realised they would never be able to perform live as a collective. Meanwhile, the distinctive group around keyboard player and producer Roberto Di Gioia has established its name with a unique mix of spiritual acid jazz and fusion, so far only with original compositions. On “Kover Kover” Di Gioia, saxophonist Tony Lakatos, bassist Christian von Kaphengst and drummer Peter Gall draw from a completely different source. As the title already suggests, this is about covers. Not jazz standards, but tracks by Nirvana, Grace Jones, Talking Heads and Black Sabbath, to name a few. ‘Slave to the Rhythm’ is stripped of its glossy pop production and turned into a rather minimal jazz composition with a standout role for Lakatos. Hendrix’s ‘Burning of the Midnight Lamp’ was already quite ‘trippy’, but in Di Gioia’s version it gains an almost meditative quality. These are more than covers; these are radical reinterpretations. Web Web manages to transform the pieces into convincing jazz compositions, as if they had always been that way, knowing that most of the tracks originally consist of just three or four chords. Impressive work. (Jeroen Mulder) (8/10) (Compost Records)
Young the Giant – Victory Garden
“Victory Garden” is the sixth album by Young the Giant and arrives four years after “American Bollywood” (2022), which was received moderately. At just over 35 minutes and eleven songs that rarely exceed three minutes, it is a notably compact record. This brevity leaves little room for Sameer Gadhia to fully shine vocally, develop tempo changes or let the interplay between drums and bass truly flourish. That is exactly what made the self-titled debut and its follow-up, “Mind over Matter” so interesting, partly due to the subtly woven electronic elements. Drummer François Comtois once formed the musical backbone, with tight timing and dynamics. Combined with the adventurous playing of the other band members, this created emotion and depth in the songs. Together with Gadhia’s crystal clear vocals, this allowed the band to stand out. On “Victory Garden” that tension is largely missing. It sounds flatter and less urgent. It would not be surprising if this album quickly fades from memory. Perhaps it is time for a live album to bring back some of that old energy and revive “Mind over Matter” like intensity. For now, Young the Giant mostly sounds like background music. (Bart van der Sande) (5/10) (Fearless Records)
Foo Fighters – Your Favorite Toy
After the grieving “But Here We Are” from 2023, an album marked by the intensity of Dave Grohl’s personal losses, the twelfth record by Foo Fighters takes a radically different direction. “Your Favorite Toy” is raw, fast and unapologetically loud, driven by the fresh energy of newcomer Ilan Rubin on drums. The former Nine Inch Nails drummer replaces the dismissed Josh Freese and injects the ten tracks with a younger, mechanically precise urgency the band has not shown in years. Opener ‘Caught in the Echo’ bursts out of the gate with a punk-driven riff, while ‘Window’ returns to the gloomy indie rock of the late nineties era. On the title track, Grohl struggles with distraction and glamour; his message is clear: try not to suffocate in the glitter. ‘Spit Shine’ and ‘Of All People’ confirm the band’s deliberate choice for raw simplicity over polish. Closer ‘Asking for a Friend’ offers a bruised but hopeful final chord. Critics are divided: some hear a vital return to roots, others see a formula the band has already exhausted. Still, “Your Favorite Toy” sounds more honest than expected. (Anton Dupont) (7/10) (Roswell Records RCA)
