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Flavour of the Month
- Matt McNab
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
A personal review of some of my favourite albums and songs from the last month.
The last three months have been manic for me. I’ve been attending conferences, taking part in residential courses and exploring Scotland. Now, having wrapped up my nine months in Edinburgh last week, I am in the process of moving to Bristol.
Flavour of the Month has fallen by the wayside during this period so here is my attempt at catching up: a summary of new music that caught my attention in March, April and May.
This month features Japanese Breakfast, Perfume Genius, Black Country, New Road, Florist, Bon Iver and Deerhoof.
Artist: Japanese Breakfast
Album: For Melancholy Brunettes (and Sad Women)
Label: Dead Oceans
Genres: Indie pop, indie rock, dream pop, shoegaze, chamber pop
In 2023 I was sat on the grass in front of the Other Stage at Glastonbury, waiting impatiently for the arrival of Japanese Breakfast, the first act of the day. Alas, their set was cancelled 5 mins before kick-off, with the band stuck in traffic on the M4. The disappointment of not getting to see them perform Jubilee lasts to this day, For Melancholy Brunettes brings us a very different vibe, perhaps reflecting Michelle Zauner’s film score work. FMB doesn’t give us the hits that we got in Jubilee, but this is a coherent piece of art which sounds brilliant from start to end.
Artist: Perfume Genius
Album: Glory
Label: Matador
Genres: Art pop, indie rock, indie pop, chamber pop, folk, modern classical
I wasn’t familiar with Perfume Genius until March, so I’ll skip the usual spiel about the artist’s background. This album is endlessly cool, is produced superbly and pulls at your heartstrings throughout. I love how difficult it is to label his music, steadily floating between genres. “It’s a Mirror” will go down as one of my tracks of the year.
Artist: Black Country, New Road
Album: Forever, Howlong
Label: Ninja Tune
Genres: Experimental rock, post-punk, post-rock, art rock, chamber pop, baroque pop
By this point I hope it’s well-known that I love Black Country, New Road. I find a way to mention them wherever possible while reviewing other artists’ work and now I can review their work directly. Forever, Howlong uses a lighter palette of sounds than previous BCNR albums, aided by the absence of male vocals. The album also leans heavily on its traditional classical influences but still enjoys frequent changes of time and key signature, leading to surprises in each song. The album is coherent, something which their recent live album lacked, and I look forward to hearing it in full when I see them in September.
Artist: Florist
Album: Jellywish
Label: Double Double Whammy
Genres: Indie pop, indie folk
Florist’s eponymous 2022 album took me by surprise, becoming one of my most played albums that year. “Red Bird Pt. 2 (Morning)” infiltrated my brain every day with its blanket-like intimacy. Jellywish builds on this, giving us some more of the same, with slightly bigger tracks thrown in, like “Have Heaven”. Emily Sprague’s smooth, nasal vocals shine on “Jellyfish”, while “Levitate” allows her to stretch her talk-singing muscles. This album is proving to be an excellent way of escaping the chaos of the city on my commute!
Artist: Bon Iver
Album: SABLE, fABLE
Label: Jagjaguwar
Genres: Indie folk, indie pop, indie rock, experimental pop
Recorded in a cabin in the woods using an SM57 microphone and battered guitar, Bon Iver achieved his legendary status with his debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago, in 2007. Now on his 5th studio album, the singer-producer enjoys the freedom to experiment and collaborate, resulting in a wonderful new sound made up of unique textures and effects.
Artist: Deerhoof
Album: Noble and Godlike in Ruin
Label: Joyful Noise Recordings
Genres: Experimental rock
Deerhoof is a San Franciscan band known for their experimental sound and self-produced albums. “Noble and Godlike in Ruin” is their 20th LP and leans into the band’s noise rock influences more than their recent work. As always, the drumming is excellent and produced in an exciting, industrial fashion, encouraging plenty of headbanging throughout. My favourite track, “Sparrow Sparrow”, is a great example of how Deerhoof manage to find a good balance between new and accessible sounds on this album
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