FEATURE:
One for the Record Collection!
IN THIS PHOTO: IDLES/PHOTO CREDIT: Tom Ham
Essential November Releases
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LOOKING ahead to albums out next month…
IN THIS PHOTO: Snail Mail
that you will want to own, there are some great releases that I am going to direct you towards. I am going to start with the week ending 5th November. This is a week that sees the release of one of the most-anticipated albums ever: ABBA’s Voyage. There are few albums this year where there is such an excitement and degree of anticipation! For fans of ABBA and new converts, this is an album that you are definitely going to want to own! I would recommend people pre-order the first album from the Swedish legends in forty years:
“Voyage is ABBA’s first new studio album in 40 years. An incredible 40 years since their last studio album The Visitors, ABBA have not only recorded two new songs, ‘I Still Have Faith In You’ and ‘Don’t Shut Me Down’, that will both feature in the concert, but they have recorded and produced an entire new album. Recorded together at Benny’s studio Riksmixningsverket in Stockholm.
Abba will perform a revolutionary new concert that sees Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid performing digitally with a live 10-piece band, in a purpose-built arena in London”.
I am especially looking forward to hearing what we will get on Voyage. The new singles, I Still Have Faith in You and Don’t Shut Me Down, are classic ABBA! I feel we will get an album that is among heir very best. After such a past year or two, a new ABBA album is just what we need!
There are four other albums from this week that I want to recommend. The fantastic Aimee Mann prepares to release Queens of the Summer Hotel. It is an album that I would urge people to pre-order. Having recently released the first single, Suicide Is Murder, I am intrigued to find out what the rest of the album sounds like. This article provides further details:
“Queens of The Summer Hotel’, the new album from Aimee Mann, is set for release on November 5 via her own SuperEgo Records. Mann started developing the new music in 2018 when she agreed to write songs for a stage adaptation of ‘Girl, Interrupted’, Susannah Kaysen’s memoir about her psychiatric hospitalisation in the late 1960s. It was material that Mann understood well, having had her own struggles with mental illness. The album consists of a song cycle constructed from music that Mann wrote for the show, sung by Mann and orchestrated with her longtime collaborator Paul Bryan, using strings and woodwinds in a nod to the project’s theatrical origins.
In celebration of the forthcoming record, Mann is debuted the lead single, ‘Suicide Is Murder,‘ alongside an accompanying music video starring James Urbaniak, and directed and produced by Puloma Basu and Rob Hatch-Millerw which you can watch below.
“I started to write this song because I’ve known people who committed suicide and friends who’ve had loved ones die from suicide,” Mann notes. “I think the phrase ‘suicide is murder’ took on a meaning for me as it’s the worst thing to have to deal with in the aftermath. It’s just terrible. Because every person who knows the person who committed suicide will blame themselves in some way for not noticing or stepping in or doing something. They’ll till the end of their days, say, ‘was there something I could have done?’”
In many ways, ‘Queens of The Summer Hotel’ is the unintentional part two to Mann’s 2017’s album ‘Mental Illness’—both exploring themes of self-harm, depression and suicide. However, the new album was written more quickly than any of Mann’s previous records. The assignment to write songs for someone else’s project offered Mann “a sense of liberation, freeing her to enter another person’s consciousness and story—and a brand-new set of musical structures—through the lens of Kaysen’s own alienation. Although several different characters narrate the songs, they’re not strictly tied to any narrative. But together, they form a portrait of one woman’s crisis of disassociation as seen through another woman’s eyes.”
“I honestly felt almost possessed when I was writing this record as I’ve never written so fast and intensely,” recalls Mann. “I found the material very interesting and obviously really personal. I had specific ideas about what I thought the character’s backstory could be and incorporated a lot of shared experiences to flesh out specific characters discussed in the memoir”.
One of my favourite bands from the 1990s, Hanson, are releasing their new album, Against the World, on 5th November. More a project than a traditional album, Rough Trade explain what we can expect:
“Pop-rock trio Hanson are making 2021 all about new music with their seventh studio release, Against The World, set to premiere with seven consecutive monthly singles throughout 2021. “'Annalie' welcomes people into this music with an uplifting spirit while highlighting much deeper meaning in the lyrics and story, which is a call out for grace amidst the journey of life. We felt like it was a great song to begin this epic journey,” said Zac Hanson.
Over the next few months, fans can anticipate tracks across the spectrum of pop and rock, from the power-pop of 'Don’t Ever Change', featuring Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick on lead guitar, to 'Fearless' which tips its hat to the symphonic work of the band’s previous project String Theory. “The common thread in these diverse songs is the perspective that many of them echo. They all reflect on seeking a way through challenges in different ways. That theme, and the camaraderie we’ve felt as a band and with our audience helped inspire the title Against The World,” said Taylor Hanson.
"Against The World is all about striving to be the best you can be, forging a path you believe in. No one else knows what you are capable of but you, and you define your place in the world,” added Isaac Hanson. Alongside the release of music throughout 2021, the concert series will take place from July-October at the legendary Cain's Ballroom in the band’s hometown of Tulsa, OK.
Penelope Isles’ Which Way to Happy is out on 5th November. The Brighton band are one of the brightest and most interesting around. Everyone should pre-order a copy. It is shaping up to be a terrific album:
“When you’re trying to make it through tough times, you need a little light to find your way. That light blazes brightly on the alchemical second album from Penelope Isles, an album forged amid emotional upheaval and band changes. Setting the uncertainties of twentysomething life to alt-rock and psychedelic songs brimming with life, colour and feeling, Which Way to Happy emerges as a luminous victory for Jack and Lily Wolter, the siblings whose bond holds the band tight at its core. Produced by Jack and mixed by US alt-rock legend Dave Fridmann, the result is an intoxicating leap forward for the Brighton-based band, following the calling-card DIY smarts of their 2019 debut, Until the Tide Creeps In. Sometimes it swoons, sometimes it soars. Sometimes it says it’s OK to not be OK. And sometimes it says it’s OK to look for the way to happy, too. Pitched between fertile coastal metaphors and winged melodies, intimate confessionals and expansive cosmic pop, deep sorrows and serene soul-pop pick-you-ups, it transforms “difficult second album” clichés into a thing of glorious contrasts: a second-album surge of up-close, heartfelt intimacies and expansive, experimental vision”.
Before moving on to 12th November, there is another album from 5th that is worth exploring. Snail Mail’s Valentine is one I am really looking forward to. The moniker of Lindsey Jordan, Snail Mail’s music is phenomenal! I am going to pre-order myself, because Valentine is an album that is impossible to ignore:
“One of the most anticipated follow-ups in indie-rock, Valentine was written and produced by Lindsey Jordan and co-produced by Brad Cook (Bon Iver, Waxahatchee). Written in 2019-2020 the album is filled with romance, heartbreak, blood, sweat and tears.
On Valentine, her sophomore album on Matador, Lindsey solidifies and defines this trajectory in a blaze of glory. In 10 songs, written over 2019-2020 by Jordan alone, we are taken on an adrenalizing odyssey of genuine originality in an era in which "indie" music has been reduced to gentle, homogenous pop composed mostly by ghost writers. Made with careful precision, Valentine shows an artist who has chosen to take her time. The reference points are broad and psychically stirring, while the lyrics build masterfully on the foundation set by Jordan’s first record to deliver a deeper understanding of heartbreak”.
I shall come onto 12th November. There are some really big releases this week. There are five albums from this week that I am going to highlight. The first album is Courtney Barnett’s Things Take Time, Take Time. The Australian artist is one of the most original and finest songwriters around. Go and pre-order your copy. Never one to compromise with short song titles, the single, Write a List of Things to Look Forward To, gives us a taste of what the album is about. This article from God Is in the TV gave a few words about the track:
“Courtney Barnett has shared new song ‘Write a List of Things to Look Forward to’ from her upcoming new album, Things Take Time, Take Time, due to be released on November 12th. The track is intended as a love letter to friends and focuses on the joys of friendship. “I found a deeper communication with people in my life – deeper conversations”, Barnett notes of this new phase. “And a new level of gratitude for friendships that had been there for so long that I had maybe taken for granted”. The song sees Barnett explore a deeper level of songwriting and the song title is inspired by a piece of advice given to her by a friend to help lift bouts of unhappiness”.
I am moving things on and it brings me to Damon Albarn’s The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows. The hugely prolific and multi-talented songwriter is someone that never disappoints! Go and pre-order his new album.
“The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows, the new studio album from Damon Albarn, will be released by new label homeTransgressive Records. The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows was originally intended as an orchestral piece inspired by the landscapes of Iceland. This last year has seen Albarn return to the music in lockdown and develop the work to 11 tracks which further explore themes of fragility, loss, emergence
and rebirth. The result is a panoramic collection of songs with Albarn as storyteller. The album title is taken from a John Clare poem Love and Memory.
Albarn says “I have been on my own dark journey while making this record and it led me to believe that a pure source might still exist”.
I always love what Damon Albarn does and, compared to Blur, Gorillaz or anything else he does, his solo work has its own sound and direction. I will listen to the album a lot when it comes out. Do make sure that you order your copy and do not miss out.
Another big album comes from IDLES. Their latest, Crawler, appears to take a slightly different direction compared to their previous work. I am pumped to see what Crawler sounds like. The band are one of our greatest treasures. I know there will be big reviews and a lot of love for Crawler when it comes out on 12th November. Go and pre-order an album that is going to be among this year’s greatest:
“Idles return with their new album Crawler – an album of reflection and healing amid a worldwide pandemic that stretched the planet’s collective mental and physical health to the breaking point.
Frontman Joe Talbot says, “We want people who’ve gone through trauma, heartbreak, and loss to feel like they’re not alone, and also how it is possible to reclaim joy from those experiences.” Idles albums have always been anchored by these overarching themes, but the ability of the band to juxtapose beauty and rage with humor and drama has never felt more satisfying than on Crawler.
These stories are vividly brought to life through Idles’ most soul-stirring music to date, recorded with co-producers Kenny Beats (Vince Staples, Freddie Gibbs) and Idles guitarist Mark Bowen. There are, of course, numerous moments that will inspire absolute mayhem in a packed concert venue, but there are also fresh textures and experiments that push Idles into thrilling new territory. “I don't really see us as a ‘rock band’ and working with Kenny [Beats] freed us of the idea of genre,” Talbot enthuses. “On this album, our dissolution of ego was helped by Kenny’s humble nature and willingness to learn. He has boundless passion for making the best song possible. Not the best ‘rock’ song — the best song possible.” He continues, “It was writing selfishly that helped make it possible. Reflecting. Telling my own story. Not trying to tell everyone else's story. Not trying to fix the world — just talking about how I am fixing mine”.
Coming after the departure of their long-time member Jesy Nelson, Little Mix are releasing Between Us on 12th November. The album is a combination of the existing and popular tracks from the trio and some brand-new material. Even if you are not a huge fan of Little Mix, I would still recommend you pre-order Between Us:
“The album is a celebration of a decade of global hits from a record-breaking pop band. Last month saw Little Mix celebrate 100 weeks in the Official UK Singles Chart Top 10, the most for a girl band in history. All of those Top 10 hits are featured on the album including their No.1 singles Wings, Black Magic, Shout Out To My Ex; and Sweet Melody, alongside major hits such as Touch, Move, Power, Salute; and their latest Top 3 smash Heartbreak Anthem. It also features five brand new sensational Little Mix songs that the trio have been working on over the last few months, bringing their decade of chart smashes bang up to date”.
It is clear that the new album is both a celebration and a new chapter from the group. I do wonder how they are going to progress after the release of Between Us. I have been following their music for a few years and have seen how they have developed. They are definitely one of the best British Pop acts.
Before finishing up with four albums from 19th November, there is one more from 12th that I want to spotlight Pip Blom’s Welcome Break is an album that people should know about. This is a band that I have been supporting for a while now. The upcoming release from the Dutch quartet is not to be missed! Go and pre-order a copy of an album that will certainly make an impression:
“Actively seeking out moments of creative-authenticity, be it via a slightly- out-of-tune guitar or proudly-fuzzed vocals, Pip Blom take us back full circle and introduce us to their Welcome Break- an eleven-track release which resonates with about as much decisive allure as it’s Boat precursor, but this time with a bit more contemporary chaos to boot. Where Boat reckoned as a fresh-faced, yet gloriously fearless game- changer, Welcome Break is the self-assured older sibling who, with an additional year or two behind themselves, isn’t afraid to speak out, take lead, and instigate a liberated revolution-come-bliss-out.
Following an extensive touring schedule which saw the Dutch 4-piece roam over field, oceans, and Glastonbury’s John Peel stage following the release of their debut record Boat, any such cool-cat would be forgiven for wanting to kick back, and indulge in some very appreciated, time off. As is often the way, such timely-abandon cannot be said for Pip Blom however, who immediately began to gather up all her soaked-up inspirations taken from the road, and manifest a re-energised sense of self, and ritualistic songwriting.
It’s at this stage in our indie-fairy-tale that things start to get ever so 2020. Whilst the world was suddenly put on hold as a result of Covid-19, Pip Blom, who’d made plans to return to their favourite ‘Big Jelly Studios’ in Ramsgate, England, were suddenly faced with a very sticky, kind of dilemma. “We’d scheduled to go into the studio in September but summer started moving and there were a couple of countries not allowed to go to the UK anymore... a week before we had to go, the Netherlands was one of those countries”- notes Pip.
In total, three weeks were spent recording what would become the groups sophomore release; a Al Harle engineered love-affair which was self- produced entirely by the band and culminated in a legally intimate, fully- seated album play-back, to six, of Ramsgate’s most chorus-savvy and ‘in- the-know’ residents. Getting out of their hometown and into an environment which removed all notions of “normality” or personal space, was an atmospheric godsend in terms of motivation; an act which encouraged Pip Blom to re-adjust and buckle down as a unit again, after spending so long in mandatory isolation”.
Whereas one superb act beginning with the letter ‘a’ is sure to make news with their album release, another beginning with the letter ‘a’ brings out a much-anticipated album near the end. Adele releases 30 on 19th November. Having put out the single, Easy on Me, on 15th October, the album will definitely reach new discoverers of her music. I am not certain whether she will release other singles between now and 19th November (I am writing this on 15th October). Fans of Adele will definitely want to get their copy. The sense of anticipation is palpable! Before moving on, I want to quote from an interview Adele gave with Vogue (she did one for British Vogue too). She spoke about how 30 is going to be different from her previous work:
“For this and other reasons, the new album is different from her previous albums. “I realized that I was the problem,” Adele says. “Cause all the other albums are like, You did this! You did that! Fuck you! Why can’t you arrive for me? Then I was like: Oh, shit, I’m the running theme, actually. Maybe it’s me!”
I ask if she revisited any iconic divorce albums in the process of writing hers—I am thinking of Sinéad O’Connor’s I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got—and Adele responds that she didn’t know she was making a divorce album. She’s not sure it is one, in fact. “He’s not one of my exes. He’s the dad of my child.” If the new album is a divorce album, it’s a different kind of divorce album. “It was more me divorcing myself,” she says, exploding into a laugh that sounds like a balloon buzzing around a room as it deflates. “Just being like, Bitch, fuckin’ hot mess, get your fuckin’ shit together!”
PHOTO CREDIT: Alasdair McLellan for Vogue
“It’s sensitive for me, this record, just in how much I love it,” Adele adds. “I always say that 21 doesn’t belong to me anymore. Everyone else took it into their hearts so much. I’m not letting go of this one. This is my album. I want to share myself with everyone, but I don’t think I’ll ever let this one go”.
I’m not sure I will survive another of Adele’s new songs, but as she plays four more, it becomes clear that they are mapping a progression. The next one is cathartic, a soulful promise of new love that has her repeating variations of: “I just want to love you for free / Everybody wants something from me / You just want me.” The fourth song is downright upbeat, meant to be a laugh-while-you’re-crying respite from the heaviness—“Otherwise we’d all kill ourselves, wouldn’t we?” Then comes a joyous anthem. Over gospelly organ she sings: “Let time be patient / Let pain be gracious.” Toward the end a chorus of her friends chimes in, chant-singing, “Just hold on, just hold on,” over and over. “The thing that they’re all singing is what my friends used to say to me,” Adele explains. “That’s why I wanted them to sing it, rather than an actual choir”.
One of my favourite bands, Elbow, are gearing up to release Flying Dream 1 on 19th November. This is one you will want to pre-order. I have been a fan of theirs for many years now. It has been hard for them – like it has been for all artists – to record how they are used to. It does seem like the creative process was an interesting one for the band:
“Elbow release their ninth studio album, Flying Dream 1. The band wrote Flying Dream 1 remotely in their home studios before coming together at the empty Brighton Theatre Royal to perfect, perform, and record the songs.
The album is produced by Craig Potter. Long term collaborator Alex Reeves returns on drums and percussion with Sarah Field on clarinets and saxophones. Backing vocalists were Wilson Atie, Adeleye Omotayo, and Marit Røkeberg from London Contemporary Voices and old friend and long-time collaborator Jesca Hoop”.
Elbow are one of these bands that are so consistent and always arresting. Each of their albums produces some killer tracks that really catch you off guard. I am looking forward to Flying Dream 1 and what the music sounds like. I would point people in the direction of their album if they are looking for a brilliant and memorable listen.
The final album I will mention for November is from two musical legends who sound prefect together. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’ Raise the Roof comes fourteen years after the superb Raising Sand. Again, this is an album that everyone needs to pre-order, as it is a magnificent listening experience when these two titans come together! This is an L.P. that is long-overdue:
“Reunited after some fourteen years, following the historic success of their first collaboration Raising Sand (2007), which reached number 2 on the UK album chart, generated multi-platinum sales, and earned six Grammy Awards including Album and Record of the Year. Like its predecessor, Raise The Roof was produced by T Bone Burnett, who worked with Plant and Krauss to expand their collaboration in thrilling new directions, accompanied by drummer Jay Bellerose, guitarists Marc Ribot, David Hidalgo, Bill Frisell, and Buddy Miller, bassists Dennis Crouch and Viktor Krauss, alongwith pedal steel guitarist Russ Pahl among others.
The album features twelve new recordings of songs by legends and unsung heroes including Merle Haggard, Allen Toussaint, The Everly Brothers, Anne Briggs, Geeshie Wiley, Bert Jansch and more. Other highlights include a Plant-Burnett original High and Lonesome, and the Lucinda Williams classic Can’t Let Go”.
If you need some tips and guidance regarding the November albums worth pre-ordering , I hope that the above has helped out. It is an exciting month where a couple of massive artists – Adele and ABBA – are putting out new albums. I would encourage people to check out all of the November-due albums I have highlighted. It is expensive buying all of them. In each case, streaming the albums is an option. This year has been a really strong one for music. As we can see, there is no shortage of quality…
BEFORE the last month of 2021.