NTTR - No Time to Review

This is a very good live document, but I think 66 is much more realistic for me than the 72 I initially predicted. The biggest strength is still the fact that this actually sounds live. Orbital are not just replaying the studio versions with crowd noise around them. The tracks breathe more, the transitions matter, and there is a rougher edge to the whole thing that suits this period of electronic music very well. The middle of the set is where it works best. “Impact” , “Remind” and “Are We Here?” all gain something from the live setting. There is more movement, more tension, and a stronger physical feel than on record. “Are We Here?” is still my favourite track because it has the best balance between atmosphere and progression. It is long, but at least it feels like it is going somewhere. “Chime” is obviously a strong closer too. It is simple, direct and still works perfectly in a live context. But I don't think the set is equally strong from beginning to end. That is the main ...

This is impressive, but I think I admire it more than I love it. Sheila Chandra’s voice is obviously extraordinary. There are moments here where it feels like one person is creating an entire ensemble by herself, just through rhythm, resonance and phrasing. The “Speaking in Tongues” pieces are probably the clearest example of that, and hearing them live makes the technique even more impressive. What I like most, though, is when the technique disappears a little and the emotion takes over. “Lament of McCrimmon / Song of the Banshee” is probably my favourite because it has more atmosphere and more of a real journey. “Ever So Lonely / Eyes / Ocean” is more immediate, while “Nana / The Dreaming / Fine Horseman” is probably the piece where the voice-and-drone format feels most complete. I also like the fact that these performances were chosen for feeling rather than perfection. That gives the album a real live character, and it stops the whole thing from becoming a sterile vocal showcase. ...

This is quite different from the darker, more progressive side I normally associate with Gabriel Keller. Méli-Mélo is much more direct, much more focused on French chanson, folk and acoustic arrangements, but there are still enough small progressive touches to stop it from becoming completely conventional. The arrangements are probably the strongest part for me. The cello gives the album a real identity, and the occasional violin, clarinet and harp add colour without making the songs feel overloaded. I also like the way the different vocalists change the tone from one track to another. It helps a lot on an album this long because otherwise the acoustic/chanson palette could become too uniform. “Les Demoiselles” is my favourite track. The clarinet gives it something a little different immediately, and I like the way the arrangement feels lighter and more playful than some of the more serious songs around it. It is probably the track where the album’s title makes the most sense to me: ...

This is probably one of the stranger M83 albums, and I like that more than I actually love the record. “Blister Sunrise” starts brilliantly. It has that huge shoegaze/electronic wall that M83 can do extremely well, and for a moment I thought the whole album was going to sit somewhere between early M83 and the more melodic side of the later records. But it very quickly becomes something much less predictable. There is a lot of instrumental material, more abstraction, some almost neoclassical passages, free-jazz touches and several tracks that feel more like ideas developing in real time than conventional songs. That makes the album interesting, but it also creates the main problem for me: I admire quite a lot of this without really wanting to replay all of it. “Feeding Time” is probably my favourite. It starts in a much softer, almost folk direction and then suddenly changes shape completely. That kind of unexpected turn is exactly what makes this album work when it does. “Blister Sunr...

There is quite a lot here that should normally work for me: progressive structures, darker atmosphere, electronic details, heavier riffs and the usual Pure Reason Revolution vocal interplay. And for most of the album, it does work. But probably not enough to justify the high-70s score I first expected. The main strength is still the balance between different sides of the band. They can move from heavier guitar sections into softer, more atmospheric passages without making the album feel completely fragmented. The electronic elements also help because they give the record a bit more personality than standard modern prog. It is clearly ambitious, but it does not spend 50 minutes trying to prove how complicated it is. “Hold Your Wrath” is my favourite track. It is the one where the longer format works best for me. There is more patience in the way it develops, more space, and the ending gives the track a real sense of destination. It is long, but unlike some of the other extended materia...

Nessa Barrett – Tough Love — 64/100 Tough Love works mainly because it has a clear atmosphere and because Nessa Barrett commits completely to it. The whole album sits in that space between dark pop, pop rock, dreamier alt-pop and a slightly gothic, decadent aesthetic. It is polished, compact and easy to listen to, and there are enough guitars, organs and darker textures to stop it from feeling completely generic. What I like is that the album has a real identity from beginning to end. Even when the songs are not especially strong, they belong to the same world. There is a visual and sonic consistency here that makes the album feel more complete than a simple collection of singles. And at around 34 minutes, it never really has time to become annoying or repetitive. “Bad Girls Never Die” is my favourite track. It has more attitude and more immediate personality than most of the album. The hook works, the darker pop-rock energy is stronger, and it feels less passive than some of the mo...