Not a popular week - our 2nd lowest this year, with all 4 in our bottom half overall.
Twin Atlantic are the winners though and also have a very popular TOTW.
beabadoobee is in the bottom 10 for 2024.
After a plethora of š, Sam now has the ā¹ļø with his lowest set of scores this year.
Mark is our š.
Van Morrison seemed to be more respected that loved and he sits with Shack and Carole King on the classics.
Jim
beabadoobee 5
Seem to remember previous offerings as pretty decent power pop and her live shows had a rocky edge. This was neither and a tad annoying by the end
Oso Oso 6
More Phoenix inspired JJ although not quite as interesting as Joywave, the last one that earned that comment
MAVI 6
Didnāt mind this: jazzy chillout hip hop. A little different to much weāve reviewed in the genre.
Twin Atlantic 7
Started off unremarkable, but picked up as it went and had a few TOTW contenders in the 2nd half. Snow Patrol meets Glasvegas.
TOTW: Twin Atlantic - Meltdown
Van Morrison 7
Never listened to him, and whilst itās not really my bag, it was pretty nice. Had more soul to the folk than I was expecting .
Justin
Beabadoobee - Just slow and boring. Not for me 4
Oso Oso - standard soft indie jingle jangle. 6.7
MAVI - quite liked the jazz/trip hop undertones. Rapping style also nice. As far as this genre goes pretty enjoyable overall 6.9
Twin Atlantic - afternoon festival rock. Hard to imagine this being anyone's favorite band as all songs competent but never on fire 6.2
TOTW That's what time does - Oso Oso
Van Morrison - the problem I have with Van Morrison is that it always starts well but then never quite picks up. Apart from that it is is obviously a quality album and knew a lot more tracks than I expected. 7
Phil
Beabadoobee
I was expecting another dreary pop album a la Pixey but I was pleasantly surprised by this. Beabadoobee has a voice that reminds me of Corinne Bailey Rae and she seems similarly confident about her music. The arrangements are varied and mostly memorable as are the lyrics. One of her earlier songs, apparently, was called I wish I was Stephen Malkmus and whilst I donāt hear any Pavement references, that does rather suggest an artist who doesnāt see herself as just any old pop singer - 7
Oso Oso
Not bad. A bit uneven but they win marks for the relentlessly upbeat feel of the album. Dog without its bark is a small gem but nothing else matched it for me. That said, Iād probably go and see them live ā 6
MAVI
Gets marks for some interesting musical backdrops. On the evidence of them, MAVI certainly has eclectic taste. Also, to be fair, his flow didnāt always fit the āhow many words can I cram into this barā style of so many of his peers (Tether, for example, was entertainingly chaotic). Not as dreary as a lot of rap so a respectable - 5.5
Twin Atlantic
I canāt remember which music journalist coined the phrase āindie landfillā but if you listen to Steve Lamacq on 6Music youāre never more than three tracks away from yet another example. Here come Twin Atlantic, straight from Central Casting, to bring the term to life. Dull and totally unmemorable ā 4.5
TOTW ā Beabadoobee ā Beaches.
Classic
Van Morrison
This album blew me away when I first heard it, in the early 70s. Those loose, open-ended arrangements I just found bewitching. It was as if the musicians would have carried on playing forever if they didnāt have to cram their efforts into a 40 minute album. I have listened to quite a few other Van Morrison records since, listening out for that same vibe but I never did find it.
Famously grumpy, Van these days has added Conspiracy Theorist to a sadly diminishing CV so do not, on any account, allow him to buy you a drink. Youāll never get rid of him. Still, he did make this album and for that I can forgive a lot - 10
Andy
beabadoobee - Pleasant enough without blowing me away. On the festival shortlist more out of necessity than anything else 6
Oso Oso - Pretty standard indie that starts at a certain level and maintains it for 29 minutes, which is commendable I guess 6
MAVI - Smooth grooves backing up some strong, almost Kendrick level, bars. A very enjoyable listen 6.5
Twin Atlantic - Caledonian melodic rock? Yes please! 7.5
TotW - Meltdown from off of Twin Atlantic
Van Morrison - I'd not listened to this before and thought I'd like it more thinking it would be closer to Them than Ivan's more recently stuff. Just couldn't get on with it though for some reason 4
Guy
beabadoobee - Andy summarised this best as āpleasant enoughā. The weird thing is that if you see her live, she comes over as much rockier and edgier. This is tuneful and has hints of Edie Brickell in places vocally but is a bit too slow for me to score high - 6.5
Oso Oso - As a JJ aficienado you wonāt be surprised to hear this was well up my street. Sounded very much like a cross between Phoenix (who I love) and Vampire Weekend. My only criticism is that it was too short! Yes, you hear it here firstā¦ - 8
MAVI - OK but nothing outstanding on the music front and too much auto-tuned vocals for my liking - 5.8
Twin Atlantic - Definitely hints of Snow Patrol in this. I quite liked his strong Scottish vocals too. It was a bit āsoft rock by numbersā but it sounded OK to me. Meltdown was a good tune - 7
TotW - The Country Club - Oso Oso
Van Morrison - Not listened to Van Morrison for a while and this reminded me that he can knock out a tune. Enjoyable 45 minutes - 7.8
Erol
Beebadoobee - I agree with Justin. This was dull and utterly uninteresting. The music seeping from the tannoy system in Superdrug is more inspiring and thatās saying something. 3
Oso Oso - fairly basic, half decent indie. Listenable but nothing to write home about. It needs more oomph. 5.5
MAVI - soft rap with a mild jazz-infused background. It was quite refreshing to listen to a rap album that was neither aggressive nor sweary. 6.8
Twin Atlantic - their last album was pretty good and this was even better. I like their new direction which is much more pop-rock. A cross between Deacon Blue and Biffy with a dash of Snow Patrol as others have noted. 7.9
TOTW - Meltdown, Twin Atlantic
Van Morrison - I have never really listened to Van as he was a bit before my time, but this is class. A hypnotic blend of folk and blues. My only criticism is that I have never been a huge fan of his voice. I canāt fault his songwriting or musical talent though. 8
Sam
Beabadoobee: god almighty this was rubbish , veering in to pinky and perky territory at times . 3
Oso oso : reminded me of someone else, but it skipped along very nicely. 7
Mavi: please go away ā¦ take your vocoder and your naff lyrics with you : 2
Twin Atlantic: punchy , enjoyable Scot rock . 7.7
TOTW: Meltdown Twin Atlantic.
Van Morrison: I imagine this sounded very intriguing in 1968 . I actually like his voice . And he is talented but itās too slow and occasionally weird for me : 6
Annette
Beabadoobee -5
Oso Oso - 6
MAVI - 5.5
Twin Atlantic - 6.5
TOTW - I couldn't miss you much more. Twin Atlantic.
Mark
Beabadoobee - I actually liked this more than most it would seem, not massively my go-to genre but there's some decent songwriting here, albeit a bit wafty and twee on a few near the end - 6.5
Oso Oso - pretty average lo fi indie, some okay tunes but all a bit listless I thought - 6
MAVI - the kind of album I can admire and would win critics awards but I don't exactly love. Some lovely lush backing tracks and righteous lyrics, but not one to really get me on the good foot - 5.5
Twin Atlantic - Serviceable sub-Biffy/Foos arena rock, can easily imagine them reasonably high up the bill at festivals without ever threatening the top step - 6
Simon
beabadoobee: I wasn't a fan of her previous album and this is more of the same - I'm sure it resonates with her Gen Z fan base but to my ears the songs are lightweight and rather irritating (her voice is a bit grating as well). It's getting good reviews but I'm far from convinced. 4.5
Oso Oso: well it's not pushing any musical boundaries - if anything the style is a bit dated - but it has a cheery and upbeat disposition that is difficult not to like, and you can't fault them for that. 6.5
MAVI: didn't mind this - some melodic, jazzy laid back grooves and an easy-going vocal, although not sure it'll stay long in the memory. There are worse things to listen to on a hot Italian beach. 6.5
Twin Atlantic: vocal is unmistakeably Scottish, but musically it reminded me of those annoying American frat rock bands we've had the misfortune to listen to from time to time. Not for me thanks. 5.5
Van Morrison: bit before my time and can't say I found this easy to get into, even though it's beautifully arranged and he's obviously a talented songwriter. May have been more my thing if I'd been born 15 years earlier. 6
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