Norwich is not the first place most people think of as a hub of riveting music but it’s where female duo Sink Ya Teeth hail from. Consisting of bassist Gemma Cullingford and singer Maria Uzor - with both throwing synth into the pot where necessary – the pair have proved themselves a vital presence in the live arena.
Released to coincide with a new documentary on his life by filmmaker John Scheinfeld, In the Key of Joy celebrates the multifaceted genius of Brazilian producer, composer, keyboardist and vocalist, Sergio Mendes.
Though set in a handsomely-realised 1912, many of The Winslow Boy’s period details seem disconcertingly contemporary, from aggressive tabloid journalists doorstepping an unfortunate family to boorish behaviour in the Commons. There’s a very funny rant early on from patriarch Arthur Winslow (Cedric Hardwicke), complaining about his elder son Dickie’s insufferable musical tastes, in this case 78rpm records played on a huge wind-up gramophone.
Around the turn of the millennium, when Dan Snaith started releasing music – initially as Manitoba, then Caribou, and latterly also Daphni – he tended to get lumped in with the folktronica movement. In fact, the closest he came to actual folk was a heavy influence from the more delicate side of late 60s psychedelia.
Grimes is hilarious. For all the grandiose conceptualism, apocalyptic visions, high tech sonic manipulation, outré costumes, modish witchery, multiple personas, arch media baiting with her billionaire boyfriend and all the rest, she is still essentially a dork. When she emerged from the weird end of the 00s online electronic music landscape where semi-serious lo-fi genres like “witch house” and “seapunk” abounded, she always seemed kind of goofy with it.
To anyone out of their teens or without a grasp of the Korean language, BTS are probably an unknown quantity. Yet, they are probably the most successful boyband, if not the most successful band, in the world. In fact, just as Abba had a massive effect on the Swedish economy in the 1970s, BTS are a game-changing economic asset and boost to South Korea.
Ozzy Osbourne stands on the front cover of his new album grinning mischievously in a horror-style bowler hat and cane. Look into the eyes, though, and there's also a hint of sadness. The Prince of Darkness (71) has been beset by a series of health problems, and this, his 12th studio album, may also be his last. If so, what a way to bow out. Ordinary Man's songs look back at the singer’s life with a mix of trademark lunacy and wistful regret, topped off with guest appearances that range from rapper Post Malone to Rocket Man, Elton John.
Like many of rock's best recordings, Ordinary Man was born out of healing. Quite literally. It was conceived as a distraction from a bout of pneumonia and a diagnosis of Parkinson's. Ozzy started putting together an all-star band with Duff McKagan (Guns N' Roses) on bass and Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers) on drums.
For the album's musical lynchpin Ozzy took a contrasting approach. He enlisted the help of guitarist/producer Andrew Watt (29), best known for working with acts like DJ Snake and Cardi B. This tension between styles is key to the album's success. Watt brings a melodic pithiness to everything he plays, including thick sludge-metal licks ("Goodbye") and demonic Sabbath-style riffs ("Today is the End").
Ozzy is in surprisingly fine voice too. On "Under the Graveyard" delicate finger-picked guitar gives way to a howling sermon on death and life-on-the-edge. A more reflective take on mortality comes on the title track - a sprawling "November Rain-ish" number where Elton John plays the role of Axl Rose and Slash (more or less) reprises his classic solo.
It's not all doom. For much of the LP Ozzy is simply having maniacal fun. "Eat Me" is classic Ozzy horror-book material, and "Scary Little Green Men" is a punchy little number about aliens, featuring Tom Morello on guitar. Another highlight is "It's a Raid" (ft Post Malone), a high-octane punk-stomp about the day Ozzy accidentally called the cops on himself.
There's only one really superfluous track, "Take What you Want", a somewhat jarring duet with rapper Travis Scott. That aside, Ordinary Man is the most poignant, deranged and high-volume album about growing old you're likely to hear.
Overleaf: Ozzy's video for "Under the Graveyard"
Moonlight Benjamin, the fierce and deep-voiced vocalist from Haiti, is a powerful presence on stage. On her second album, she is once again supported by a tight cohort of French musicians led by guitarist Matthis Pascal, who has written the music for Moonlight’s Creole lyrics.
8 ½ is one of the classic films about the art of cinema. There is something about the make-believe of movies, and our buying into the dreams they foster, which suggests reflection and self-referencing, as if films offered a mirror to our inner lives and the stories we tell on the big screen.
Spook The Herd concludes with “A Fitting End”. In a cracked, reflective voice, Hazel Wilde sings: “I want a door to the Nineties…what a fitting ending, what a perfect scene.” By hoping for a portal into the recent past, it seems an attempt is being made to escape into – or even bring back – times when there was less negativity to deal with than today. A form of nostalgia maybe. Or a criticism of where things are now.