Blur – The Magic Whip (Parlophone)
Why you should listen: After 12 years, Blur are back, and sounding full of fresh ideas. What started off as a bit of noodling in the studio in Hong Kong has turned into this tightly crafted eighth album.
It might not be for you if… You’ve always considered Blur overrated. No amount of “kawaii” east Asian visual references used to promote this album will convince you otherwise.
What we said: “If The Magic Whip does turn out to be Blur’s final album, it’s certainly a nicer way of ending things, with its touching images of older, wiser men happily reconciled with each other and their past,” wrote Alexis Petridis, in the Guardian. Kitty Empire also gave the album four stars, in her lead review for the Observer New Review.
Score: 4/5
Bill Fay – Who is the Sender? (Dead Oceans)
Why you should listen: Since being coaxed back into the studio after decades away for 2012’s Life Is People, pianist singer-songwriter Fay has put together another tenderly played and beautifully written album of personal reflections.
It might not be for you if… You hate singer-songwriters who play the piano. If that’s not a problem, there’s little else to dislike about this record.
What we said: “Fay is now in his 70s, and his beautifully hymnal fourth studio album contains sublime, heartfelt ruminations on nature and the world from someone who knows his time is running out,” wrote Dave Simpson, in the Guardian. Read Kitty Empire’s three-star review from the Observer.
Score: 4/5
Bassekou Kouyaté & Ngoni Ba – Ba Power (Glitterbeat/Shellshock)
Why you should listen: Malian musician Bassekou Kouyaté adorns this album with added electric guitar solos, brass and keyboards – sometimes pulling attention away from his excellent command of the ngoni (west African lute).
It might not be for you if… You don’t have much of an appetite for Malian music, or preferred Kouyaté’s stripped-back sound from past releases.
What we said: “A fine selection of thoughtful songs”, wrote Robin Denselow, in the Guardian.
Score: 4/5
Eska – Eska (Earthling/Naim Edge)
Why you should listen: Eska, known as a session singer for Grace Jones, the Cinematic Orchestra and others, stretches her undulating voice over this eclectic album of folky pop.
It might not be for you if… You’re easily jarred by a singing voice that slides from yodels to falsetto-like cooing, in the space of one line.
What we said: “Her debut album, five years in the making, attests to the Londoner’s versatility, drawing on everything from psychedelic soul to folk infused with the spirit of Kate Bush,” wrote Paul Mardles, in the Observer.
Score: 4/5
Eska’s album is not streaming in full on Spotify, but is available to order on her website.
Best Coast – California Nights (Virgin EMI)
Why you should listen: Guitar-pop band Best Coast have never quite managed to top the giddy, diary-entry intimacy of their 2010 debut, but for those still listening, there are sparks of lyrical insight and sunny refrains.
It might not be for you if… You can’t stand frontwoman Bethany Cosentino’s obsession with California and the sunshine. Both are great – we get it.
What we said: “Bethany and Bobb’s third record is like a needy, narcissistic LA teen in an ironic Avril Lavigne T-shirt who loiters round the house, nagging and nudging you until you’ve no option but to be endeared by its gawkish vulnerability,” wrote Harriet Gibsone, in the Guardian.
Score: 3/5
California Nights is due out on 4 May in the UK and 5 May in the US, so is not currently available. Listen to its lead single, below.
What music are you looking forward to hearing this week? Let us know, as ever, in the comments.
