Album review overview: Lykke Li, Peter Frampton 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.

Michael Weston King – Nothing Can Hurt Me Anymore

Two years ago, British singer-songwriter Michael Weston King and his wife, Lou Dalgleish, were preparing a new album for their joint project My Darling Clementine. During that period, a stabbing took place in their hometown, Southport, in which three young girls were murdered. One of them was their six-year-old granddaughter, Bebe. Michael and Lou suddenly had other things on their minds than their joint project. Of course, the loss of their granddaughter had to be processed. This resulted in solo projects for both of them, because everyone grieves in their own way. Lou’s album will be released later this year, and Michael’s has recently come out. For this album, titled “Nothing Can Hurt Me Anymore”, Michael wrote some songs anew, and for others he dug into his own archive and even found, for example, a cassette tape with songs that fitted this event. One might expect a sad and heavy album. It is not overflowing with cheerfulness, but there are enough moments of light that offer hope. The recordings were partly made in Addaband Studios in Mid Wales and partly in Yellow Arch Studios in Sheffield. He is supported by a group of excellent musicians, including Colin Elliot (keyboards), Shez Sheridan (various guitars) and multi-instrumentalist Clovis Phillips. The eleven songs are beautifully performed. The lyrics are more than ever worth listening to, once again proving that Michael is an excellent composer and lyricist. He is capable of writing both tender songs, such as “La Bamba In The Rain” and sounding furious, as in the impressive “The Golden Hour”, in which he blames far right groups for hijacking this terrible event for their own gain. A beautiful album, unfortunately, created in response to such a terrible event. Absolute masterclass. (Eric Campfens) (9/10) (Continental Song City)

Rexoria – Fallen Dimension

“Fallen Dimension” is the fourth album by this Swedish power metal band. The album contains eleven tracks that are all well constructed, but do not include any real standout moments. Frida Ohlin is the driving force behind Rexoria. Not only is she the singer, but she also plays keyboards and is responsible for the lyrics. Because of this, she has a large share in what she calls the “Royal Metal” sound. On the closing track “Heart Of Sorrow” she sings a duet with Johnny Gioeli, known from Axel Rudi Pell and Hardline. This is also the best song on the album. The packaging is attractive, the execution is solid and competent, but there is too little happening to truly engage the listener. The songs go in one ear and out the other. A modest pass for this standard power metal album. (Ad Keepers) (6/10) (Black Lodge Records)

MUNA – Dancing on the Wall

MUNA returns after four years with new material, namely their fourth album “Dancing on the Wall”, and this time the Los Angeles trio sound sharper and darker than ever. Where their self-titled album from 2022 still felt sun-soaked and confetti-filled, Katie Gavin, Naomi McPherson and Josette Maskin channel the nervous energy of a city in political crisis on this new record. The opener “It Gets So Hot” hits immediately with synths and restless production, while the title track “Dancing on the Wall” may well be the most definitive MUNA song the band has ever written, a chain of longing and self-mockery that becomes an anthem for the dance floor. “Eastside Girls” is a brilliant ode to Los Angeles, “Girl’s Girl” bubbles with venomous joy, and “Mary Jane” recalls the best of eighties synth pop. Not everything convinces equally. “Big Stick” lacks musical urgency despite its political weight, and some interludes feel unnecessary. Still, “Dancing on the Wall” proves that MUNA remain one of the most committed pop collectives of the moment, a band that effortlessly combines dancing and meaning. (Anton Dupont) (8/10) (Saddest Factory Records)

Lykke Li – The Afterparty

Lykke Li, who doesn’t know her? After “I Follow Rivers”, she tried to score more hits, but it never really worked out. With “The Afterparty”, the Swedish pop artist Lykke Li delivers her sixth, and possibly final, album. The record is compact, only nine tracks in just under 25 minutes, but what is there speaks for itself. Li describes the album as a document of her lower self, revenge, shame and despair, but all that anxiety is danced away on the dance floor, carried by swelling strings and electronics. Lead single “Lucky Again”, featuring a sample of composer Max Richter, combines orchestral arrangements with an uptempo dance beat and is immediately the highlight of the record. “Not Gon’ Cry” opens with galloping energy, while “Are You Happy Now” bursts into triumphant brass reminiscent of Gloria Gaynor. The piano piece “Famous Last Words” shows her vulnerability. The diaristic nature of the album is both its strength and its weakness, as it passes so quickly that there is hardly any room for it to settle. Still, if this is her farewell, Lykke Li does it on her own terms, turning resentment into beauty. (William Brown) (8/10) (Neon Gold/Futures)

Peter Frampton – Carry the Light

Sixteen years after his last album of new material, Peter Frampton returns with “Carry the Light”, his most personal record to date. Co-written and produced with his son Julian, and enriched by an impressive guest list including Sheryl Crow, Tom Morello, Graham Nash, H.E.R. and Benmont Tench, the 76-year-old guitar legend sounds like someone who has nothing left to prove yet still gives everything. The title track opens with stomp dance chants from members of the Absentee Shawnee tribe, after which Frampton’s signature guitar takes over in a plea for unity. “Buried Treasure” is a moving Tom Petty tribute, with every line referencing a Petty song and Tench delivering an intense organ contribution. Sheryl Crow shines on the mid-tempo rocker “Breaking the Mould,” and Tom Morello injects his protest rock energy into “Lions at the Gate”. The jazzy “Islamorada” with H.E.R. and the multi-part “Tinderbox”, inspired by Marvin Gaye, show the breadth of Frampton’s musical horizon. “Carry the Light” is a joyful and vital comeback. (Anton Dupont) (8/10) (UMe)