Album review overview: Agnes Obel, Carly Rae Jepsen 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.

Jacob Wick – I’ll Make You Coffee While You Still Sleep

There will be plenty of people who do not make it past a minute into the opening of “I’ll Make You Coffee While You Still Sleep”. We are treated to an orgy of unstructured sound and the voice of Jacob Wick reciting a text in an improvised melody. The chaotic beginning of “Every Day I Stand on the Balcony and Hope You Walk By” will invite few people to keep listening until Wick puts his trumpet to his lips and allows that instrument in particular to do the talking. Above all, Wick is an insanely good trumpeter who, on this album too, really does not care about musical boundaries. His music is sometimes purely experimental, intended to probe, explore and above all to make a statement: Wick does not colour within the lines of jazz music. Yet that pure jazz is indeed the foundation, especially in pieces such as “New Jersey Turnpike 3am Cold Coffee Stale Milk” and “Sentado en la barra con un Nazi y Ramón”, whose title (“Sitting at the bar with a Nazi and Ramón”) is exemplary of the discomfort that Wick evokes almost permanently and which seems to be a goal in itself. Everything grates and scrapes, in his own compositions and in interpretations of classics such as Sinatra’s “My Way” and Cole Porter’s “Every Time We Say Goodbye”. Free from conventions, decidedly individualistic and not rarely peculiar. We will not turn down that cup of coffee. Strong, please. (Jeroen Mulder) (6/10) (Ropeadope)

Iron & Wine – Hen’s Teeth (Deluxe Edition)

Earlier this year, the eighth album by Iron & Wine, “Hen’s Teeth”, was released. The album was recorded simultaneously with its 2024 predecessor “Light Verse”. Now, still in the same year, a deluxe edition appears with six additional tracks. Of these, “In Your Ocean” and “Grace Notes” were already on the album, but now in acoustic form. The reasoning behind it is understandable: the album was well received and enough inspiration for new songs emerged during the sessions. The step towards a deluxe version was therefore a small one. Yet more is not necessarily better. It is up to the listener to determine how this expansion relates to their own attention span. The original album, through to the closing track “Half Measures”, lasts about forty minutes. That is a nice length of time to immerse yourself in Iron & Wine’s calm music, without nodding off into a seventies feeling. Moreover, “Half Measures” made a fine farewell. The deluxe edition builds on that with “Three Strangers”, “California Sober”, “Pilgrim’s Highway” and “Say What”. In these songs too, Sam Beam once again lets us hear his poetic view of the world, connections and spirituality. There is certainly something to be said for that, although the additional tracks do not add as much for every listener. (Bart van de Sande) (7/10) (Sub Pop)

Railroad Earth – Will of the Water

After four years away, the well-known Americana ensemble celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary with an extremely well-balanced new studio album. On “Will of the Water”, the band presents a thoughtful mix of traditional folk, acoustic bluegrass and refined country influences. The compelling single “Let the River Flow” exudes enormous musical maturity and forms a wonderful flagship for this release. Guests such as Ronnie McCoury enrich the compelling “Stream of Time” with virtuosic acoustic string playing. The restrained “Winding Road” also demonstrates extraordinarily tight craftsmanship and a clear artistic vision. Production-wise, an extremely transparent sound has been chosen in which every instrument comes perfectly into its own without overlapping the other parts. This coherent body of work offers profound listening pleasure for lovers of authentic roots music. (Cian Murphy) (8/10) (Ineffable Records)

Carly Rae Jepsen – Day and Night

With “Day and Night”, Carly Rae Jepsen delivers exactly what you might expect from her: pure pop fun, without any fuss. The double album splits into twelve songs for daytime and twelve for night-time, and that distinction works surprisingly well. The “Day” side leans on sunny guitars and seventies psychedelia, with singles such as “On Wires” and “After All” as notable highlights. Here Jepsen sounds looser than ever, as if she finally no longer has to prove anything to anyone. As soon as “Don’t Leave Me on the Dance Floor” starts, the record switches to the night side, where synths and disco beats take centre stage. That contrast between organic and electronic keeps the listener engaged for all 24 tracks, which is quite an achievement for an album of this length. Not every song is a radio hit, but the atmosphere remains intact and the recognisable pop sensibility of “Call Me Maybe” shines through everywhere. Fans of cheerful, danceable pop get exactly what they come for. America loves a pop star who does not take herself too seriously, and Jepsen once again provides proof of that. (Daniel Harris) (7/10) (Interscope Records)

Agnes Obel – The Meaning of Flowers

Agnes Obel has been steadily building an interesting body of work since her 2010 debut “Philharmonics”. It is up to the listener to determine whether this is on an upward trajectory, remains level or is instead declining. After “Citizen of Glass”, Obel moved to Deutsche Grammophon, more or less the Blue Note of classical labels. Not really surprising, given the development she demonstrates on her albums, with stillness, soundscapes and experiments increasingly taking the upper hand while compact compositions and vocals recede into the background. On “Myopia” from 2020, and even more on her latest release “The Meaning of Flowers”, Obel more often uses voice transformers and pitch shifts. Or rather: her voice as an instrument in its own right. There is certainly something to be said for that, as it brings with it an individualistic and layered atmosphere. On the other hand, for lovers of her early period, at the time of “Philharmonics” and “Aventine”, it is increasingly a farewell to her natural, beautiful voice. So there is something for everyone. If you prefer singer-songwriter Agnes Obel, you can still turn to “Citizen of Glass” to a certain extent. If you are looking for the meditative, health-food-shop side, then “The Meaning of Flowers” is certainly worth an audiophile listen. (Bart van de Sande) (7/10) (Deutsche Grammophon)