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Picture Parlour: The Parlour
New album: Following last year’s EP Face in the Picture, a fabulously stylish, smart, swaggering glam-rock-pop debut LP by the Manchester-formed, London-based band fronted by the impressively raspy, gritty, vibratro delivery of Liverpudlian vocalist and guitarist Katherine Parlour and distinctive riffs from North Yorkshire-born guitar Ella Risi
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The Last Dinner Party: From The Pyre
New album: This fairly speedy follow-up to the London quintet’s Mercury-nominated debut album Prelude to Ecstasy of flamboyant, theatrical, baroque and art-rock-pop, continues in a similar rich, elaborate vein, with another strong set of swaggering numbers with influences from Abba to Kate Bush, Sparks, Lee Hazlewood to Leonard Cohen, with a sprinkling of darker undercurrents and deathly themes
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Sabrina Carpenter: Man's Best Friend
New album: Mischievous, provocative, satirical, saucy, sexy, intimate, explicit, shiny, cleverly catchy relationship songs, packed with naughty whip-smart wordplay pop, musical echoes of 80s and Madonna, to Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, all by the US singer-songwriter, and expertly produced across a range of funky to country styles by Jack Antonoff
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Kae Tempest: Self Titled
New album: A fifth LP by the acclaimed London writer and rapper brings further profound and passionate wordplay themed around their identity, personal story, and dark social issue themes, with a newer sometimes synth-pop sound and guests including Neil Tennant and Young Fathers
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Jacob Alon: In Limerence
New album: A sublime contemporary folk debut by the high-voiced Scottish singer-songwriter from Dunfermline, Fife, who exudes a fragile vulnerability, has warm musical echoes of Nick Drake and Jeff Buckley, finger-picking acoustic guitar, the gentle brush of drums and subtle, emotionally nuanced, poetic lyrics
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Remi Wolf: Big Ideas
New album: Smooth, enjoyable, engaging, approachable funky pop by the 28-year-old Californian with a variety of influences with a summery, catchy, carefree-feel collection on this second LP
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English Teacher: This Could Be Texas
New album: An outstanding debut LP – subtle, original and experimental – by the Leeds quartet of Lily Fontaine, Douglas Frost, Nicholas Eden and Lewis Whiting, packed with intelligent, tender, rich, thoughtful, observational metaphor, and broad, inventive instrumentation
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Brittany Howard: What Now
New album: The Alabama Shakes singer and guitarist returns with her second solo album after 2019’s superb debut, Jaimie, with an equally brilliant but wider scope of styles, from soul to funk, jazz, but also dancefloor energy, and more than a dash of Prince
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Part 1 selection of 2023 favourite albums
Welcome once again to the annual tradition of Song Bar’s favourite album releases of 2023. This is Part 1, and Part 2 is also out here. There’s no such thing as a chart rundown or ‘best of’ here, and these come in no particular order. This is all about quality and innovation …
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Ben Howard: Is It?
New album: Lush yet innovative, introspective folk-pop by English singer-songwriter and composer in his sixth album, influenced still by John Martyn, this LP is filled with unusual sounds, rhythms and effects and electronica to reflect his shock experience of two mini-strokes in 2022
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Lola Young - My Mind Wanders and Sometimes Leaves Completely
Debut album: The first LP by the 22-year-old Brit School graduate who found fame with a John Lewis advert song is commercial pop fusing the Adele ballad and Lily Allen moulds, but has a emotional edge fuelled by candidly addressing of her schizoaffective disorder.
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Sparks’ 27th studio album: The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte
New album: Sparky, humorous electro-art-pop joy throughout as the pioneering veteran Mael brothers Ron and Russell return with a classic 27th studio album, packed with catchy droll, silly, zeitgeisty wit and cinematographic scenes and characters
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Sports Team’s second LP, Gulp!
New album: The Cambridge-formed London-based band return with their follow-up after lauded 2020 debut LP Deep Down Happy with catchy, strongly written, swaggering guitar indie, bubbling with energy and an upbeat, arch humour aimed at life’s insecurities
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Sigrid’s second album
New album: High-quality mainstream pop by the high-voiced Norwegian singer-songwriter Sigrid Solbakk Raabe with this second album packed with of disco bangers and power ballads with a running theme of self-empowerment and gaining control in relationships
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Remi Wolf’s full LP debut Juno
New album: This full debut by the charismatic 25-year-old Californian matches her persona – fluorescent, fizzy funk-psych-pop full of bright singing, bursting with sugary, almost wieldy but playfully imaginative energy
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The Lathums’ full debut LP How Beautiful Life Can Be
New album: Breezy, sunny, uplifting, melodically beautiful as well as melancholy songs in this full debut by the Wigan indie band reminiscent of The Smiths and The Coral with that impressive, if familiar, jangly guitar sound that still resonates
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The Killers’ Pressure Machine
New album: An atypical LP from the American stadium fillers eschews the sometimes nonsense (“are we human or are we dancer”) air-punching pop-rock anthems for more reflective material inspired by Brandon Flowers’ Utah childhood
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This Is Really Going To Hurt, the second LP by Flyte
Album review: As beautiful and heartfelt a breakup album as any recently around, this second LP by the London trio is filled with stark irony and moments where things began to go awry, with music that echoes Sufjan Stevens to Elliott Smith to Neil Finn
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Ben Howard’s fourth LP Collections From The Whiteout
Album review: After 2018’s Noonday Dream, the British singer-songwriter returns with a collaborative LP with guitarist Aaron Dessner of the National adding other talents that help stretches his styles beyond folk into electronica and beyond
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This week’s very colourful square of album covers is matched by the quality of the music
Album reviews roundup: This week’s selection again reflects the times - divided political America to grief and isolation, but also presents an abundance of creativity, wit and musical invention crossing everything from jazz to hip hop
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