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C-T-T-B. Read it. Podcast.

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Music.

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I can edit this bit out. Hello! So, yes, we're back.

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Podcast two are unlike the first podcast of

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this year we're actually talking about albums that come out this year excellent amazing

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so five albums this

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time around casey had to disappear unknown tea

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blood diamond hermosa hermosa marika

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hackman big sigh and the last

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dinner party prelude to ecstasy so

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we start with casey

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how despair welsh rock band from

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south wales formed in 2014 released two albums and then disbanded in 2019 and

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then reformed again 2022 oh my god oh technical issues already oh no yeah you should leave that in.

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Yeah that's the iPhone decided to try and throw itself to its own death rather

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than listen to us your iPhone just tried to throw itself off a ledge yeah fantastic,

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maybe that's the iPhone maybe the iPhone is passing judgment over how it feels

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about Casey how to disappear iPhone how do you feel about Casey how to disappear

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it seemed to get annoyed when I said it was their third album but you know is the third album so,

1:52

Casey who I hadn't heard of who I was not aware of actually I will say this

1:57

several times during this podcast wasn't aware of them before oh so how did I feel about them okay um.

2:05

What's an album nah

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seriously so this is I don't

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want you where would you pigeon this I

2:14

don't want to pigeon anyone but where would you put this they've been described

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apparently I read the Wikipedia thing they've been described as post hardcore

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yeah I saw that shoegaze more of late in the podcast post metal definitely shoegaze

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and various other posts there's a lot of posts in this so much posts that the

2:31

Royal Mail should be in trouble again Again, I would say that this is an album. No, I can do better than that.

2:38

I would say that this is definitely an album that has a particular sound that runs through it.

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No, I've got to really try harder. I would say that this is an album that's pretty solid.

2:52

Britain, this is a solid album. Yeah, it's a solid album. It's very one note,

2:58

and I don't mean that. Yes, it is. You know what I mean? Yeah, I do. For production-wise, it's very one-note.

3:03

There is a section in the middle, and I've not even talked about the beginning,

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but I'm just going to skip to the middle. There is a section in the middle of the album where, in terms of musical challenge,

3:12

it does change, and you do get a bit of the hardcore grrr.

3:18

Yes. And it does go more metal. And I think when it does go more metal,

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it's stronger, because the rest of the time...

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I have pretty much said that, yes.

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The rest of the time it just sort of goes along it goes along and it goes along

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and it's not inoffensive I quite, like some of it I mean I'm going to say I liked a couple of tracks in a moment

3:39

as I always do but it sort of goes along but it doesn't really hit its stride until it keeps going,

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and until it gets louder and more aggressive because the rest of the time it's

3:49

just sort of a one no and that's not a bad thing,

3:52

sort of sort of album no oh my god that's possibly the worst description I've

3:57

ever given but I agree on that exact point I've said some good screaming on

4:05

sanctimonious punctured wounds of heaven and bite through my tongue latter which

4:09

is possibly my favourite track I went.

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In fact oddly the tracks of the screaming,

4:17

seem to hit the mark better than ones that don't which is something I don't

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say very often so yes so I said it hits Stradman those that I'm survived by

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which has has that little yeah yeah yeah excellently titled St.

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Peter instrumental at the end of it and then Puncture Wins to Heaven which I

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think are the second and third tracks of the album to feature the growl,

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but even they introduce the growl it goes heavy and then they introduce possibly

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one of the better slower tracks as well with Blush which comes not that long

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after that as well so you've got the contrast but the rest of the time I'm sort of for Katie maybe,

4:52

but the rest of the time I love the guitar riff at the start of that Yeah,

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so that's one of the tracks from the earlier half that really struck out to me.

5:01

Well yeah you've pretty much summed it up I think it is that kind of thing where you kind of go,

5:08

I think if you were trying to kind of pitch it to people who were going like

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me, never heard of KC I've never heard of KC what would it sound like.

5:20

I'm thinking you're thinking Frown Rabbit, Idlewine Bit of Funeral for a Friend,

5:24

that kind of pop kind of thing and as you say it is just it's solid it's perfectly

5:32

fine and as you say ironically,

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where it goes more kind of rocky it actually works much better than the things

5:43

that are slightly more kind of subdued although I do like the kind of,

5:49

lyrical darkness of I was happy when you died yes.

5:55

Kudos for that there are a

5:58

couple of dark songs songs on on the on the podcast but that particularly

6:01

one yeah yeah on balance i was quite happy when you died yeah it's yeah and

6:08

on balance i was quite happy when this album didn't yeah so so i think i think

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i think we both agree that it's some good but mostly filler but okay filler but okay yeah,

6:21

we move on to unknown t blood diamond unknown t is daniel richie lena has made

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his name over the last five years as the important voice in the UK draw scene

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although clearly shockingly I was not previously aware of his work,

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although I was aware of at least two of his collaborators in this album so I

6:41

was aware of Loyal Connor. Who's a fascinating character just generally he's obviously been nominated for

6:47

Mercury Prize I think twice and also runs a cooking school nice,

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he didn't generally run a cooking school I was aware of Digger D who apparently

7:01

made him prison because my daughter has listened to Mr.

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D I did wonder where your daughter would come into this yes my daughter has listened to Mr.

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D on some of the songs nice so it's his first album after two previous mixtape

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albums right we're back to the mixtape albums again we're familiar with that

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sometimes it works yeah and actually I think it works well this is a.

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Unusually short short album from a UK rapper. So it's only 45 minutes.

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I have to say I like the short and snappy approach to the tracks.

7:37

It's more expansive sound than just drill which is what it is with other things. I agree.

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Yeah, literally this starts off with a kind of orchestra, again,

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there's another album and the podcast that starts off with an orchestral movement on 2023.

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I saw an interview with him online when he was talking about the kind of backstory

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of the album and saying that this record was trying to capture his life,

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his journey, a bit X-factor, but you know.

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And his growth as an artist over the last few years.

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And also, interestingly, he said his favourite track on the album was Time,

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which I tend to agree with, which starts there.

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What I quite like about this, it's commercial it does cover his journey if you

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listen to the lyrics in fact I'm on time there's a really great line about industry

8:33

plants which again comes in more later on podcast,

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and I think that it starts off the album starts

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off really strong with Welcome to My Strip Hocus

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Pocus with Lord Connor and especially Adolescence the song with Digger D which

8:48

I think is a really standout cut on the record but what I like is again the

8:54

album doesn't fall away it starts strong but actually unlike a lot of recent

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albums in this genre where I've had a strong desire to turn off the record,

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with this I was quite happy to basically continue and I think that's partly

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because it's a combination of, some really strongly structured bars.

9:15

Some surprisingly good hooks and it's a very clear clear rap sound as well so

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it's like it's not going to mumble today you have to hear what he's saying pay

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everything inventive but overbearing musical accompaniment,

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which compliments as opposed to fighting the raps which I think there's several

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things we've reviewed in the last couple of years where almost the,

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there's too much going on in the musical side of things that it's just overpowering everything else.

9:49

In the latter half of the album, I mentioned a few things at the start.

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There's obviously the now, I suppose, because of Stormzy, kind of compulsory

9:57

gospel-tinged kind of thing, so Rain, but really good, good, good.

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And I really like the final track as well, Till We Meet Again,

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which I also think is one of the strongest songs on the record. Yeah.

10:07

So I was actually fairly impressed by Unknown Tea, actually.

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For me, I agree, everything you've said. For me, it was drill.

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Drill and yeah i'm on my god a middle-aged

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man saying drill jesus it was drill but it

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was drill with an old school bouncing part as well i think

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that's what i what i liked about it it had yes yes

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it was modern yes it was very much

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british hip-hop as it is now but it occasionally

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sort of went into that sort of west coast bounce

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along the sort of vibe as well and

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i think actually on on the tracks like time and adolescence that's

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where you heard it and and and again what

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i also liked about this which was different was yes you

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had the journey from start to

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finish but that was kind of at the beginning and

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a little bit towards the end but actually in the middle you had other

11:02

stuff as well which was was also engaging i think we've reviewed a lot of albums

11:06

particularly by british rap artists the last couple of years where it is very

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much about the journey and it's very very personal and it usually corners around

11:15

life on the streets justice family love bad romance.

11:21

Yes all of that was here all of that was

11:24

here but in a way that wasn't i was about to say a way that wasn't drake but

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you know i mean yeah it was a way that wasn't just sort of set out as a as an

11:34

endurance or as something that the artists had to go through to get to the point

11:37

where they get to at the end of the album and that is not to delegate any of

11:40

the great rap albums we have I've listened to it the last couple of years, of which we've liked.

11:43

And I'm thinking of gigs and Dave and all those others, but,

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but this was really good. Yeah. It was, it was.

11:49

Tales of Life. You see Rain in the right hand.

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The right hand's quite fun. And then you had tunes like Avengers Assemble,

11:59

which sounded like Ragaton on speed. Yes. Yeah, it just throws in that. It's brilliant. Yeah, liked it.

12:07

Okay, moving on. Debut album from US German band made of Caitlyn Ziegler and Robert Goldbach.

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Hermosa. And obviously, I'm just calling Hermosa. The album track's called Hermosa, too. Indeed.

12:20

And they produced 90s shootgaze-inspired indie rock.

12:26

So from this album, I did like the track Hermosa from the album Hermosa by the

12:30

band Hermosa. Okay. Thank you very much. This is classic indie rock, isn't it? I mean, this is, you know, as... Hello, the 90s.

12:38

I was about to say, as the name suggests, plants its flag somewhere between

12:42

the now and the old indie scene of the 90s. I mean, it's got all those bands in there somewhere.

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It's, you know, particularly tracks like Ride It Out and Paper Heart.

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I could be listening to a 90s band, to be honest, and actually quite enjoying

13:00

it as well. It's done well. But what I also liked about the album is, again, not one note,

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like another album we reviewed earlier.

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You've got tracks like Two and Messy, which Messy as in Untidy, not the footballer.

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Both tracks demonstrating a lighter vocal and a more gentler sound.

13:21

Sort of dropped in the end there. But then you have something like Anti-Bucket List, which is very raw and very

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sort of shouty and very angry indie.

13:32

Yeah, the loudness of that. The loudness of punk indie from the 90s.

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But still very much in the 90s. And also, oh, also, the anti-bucket list.

13:41

Yeah. The delivery of the lyrics. Do you think in Macarena? Yes.

13:47

Yeah. It's got anger there. Of its time as well. References.

13:52

So, yeah, I enjoyed this one. Yeah,

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I have to say, yeah, it literally does what it says on the tin. Yeah.

13:59

And someone that's very rarely met a distorted guitar I didn't like.

14:04

I was thinking okay this can only disappoint me from that kind of point of view

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but thankfully as I say it's good immediately you've got the open track which

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is a very kind of my bloody valentine distorted guitar,

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sound I love Paper Heart,

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really catchy tune I love the lyric you took my paper heart and fed it through

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the shredder I think that That's really, really clever. Yeah.

14:34

I also love the kind of... It has a really good non-guitar solo in it as well.

14:39

It gets the people where you think it should be the guitar solo.

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And then the kind of drums and guitars just come in about two-thirds in.

14:47

And you're thinking, is it going to get a guitar solo? It doesn't,

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but it works really well. Love the riff on Ride It Out. I just say two.

14:56

I really like the kind of vocals on the chorus there. too much and then there's

15:03

the surprise of the bit sax coming in yeah which is like great and,

15:07

This is an interesting album because I should say that I became aware of this

15:11

record because someone I follow and interact with on Threads,

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a gentleman called David Scoffey, who apparently is also a singer-songwriter,

15:20

plugged the album because Caitlin's his wife.

15:25

He's someone that also does the kind of 10 random listeners thing.

15:28

Yeah, I've been meaning to ask you that. Do you want to have that conversation now or later? I thought,

15:36

oh, let's review, come in to do a review album, let's review that.

15:40

Everyone follow iOverload on Twitter. Thankfully, thankfully,

15:45

for Dave and Caelan, we both liked the album.

15:49

I didn't really, at the time, I thought, it's a shoegaze, I went, okay, fine, yeah.

15:53

Let's give it a try. Yeah, I actually thought this was genuinely an enjoyable record.

16:00

Moving on, Marika Hackman, The only person, big sigh, the only person on the

16:04

podcast we've reviewed before. I thought we had. Yes.

16:07

We reviewed, this is the fifth album. We reviewed a second album. Did we?

16:11

Back on podcast six, 2017, which was I'm Not Your Man.

16:19

British artist, obviously. This starts very atmospheric and piano based.

16:25

And it's quite subdued album musically, I think, overall.

16:29

Whilst there is bits that are not. but lyrically it's

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slightly more anxiety and stress-ridden but also quite

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cathartic so you got songs like hanging to

16:40

relate a song about past relationships where she's felt suffocated and

16:44

trapped and a song that's just

16:47

got so many good lines and it's unbelievable so it's like i wouldn't

16:50

i wouldn't like to hold my breath to be pushed under water when i'm coming up

16:53

for air thinking i'm like because every time i feel that yes because every time

16:58

i talk with suffocate remember when you said I'm a disease and you'd like to

17:02

kill me in your dreams again and then better and my heart won't grow with your fingers down my throat.

17:11

To be fair Hackman says herself that she thinks that's one of the best songs

17:15

she's ever ever written that particular song but there's a similar theme going

17:19

through tracks like Blood Please Don't Be So Kind,

17:23

which are also in a similar vein although I love again back to Saxophone on

17:27

the last album I love the The horns that are on Please Don't Be So Kind really works pretty well.

17:32

I really love the piano instrumental that's in the middle of the album,

17:38

Lonely House, which sounds very much Kate Bushy.

17:45

But there are a couple of moments that are slightly more up-tempo.

17:48

I think particularly Caffeine earlier on the album, which is,

17:52

again, quite dark, but quite fun.

17:58

And also, lyrically-wise, on vitamins, there's a lot I might just describe myself

18:03

as a sack of shit and oxygen. Yeah, which I think is, again, summing up the upbeat tone of the record.

18:12

I think this is an album I haven't listened to enough, but it's one of those

18:17

records that I think is probably one of those records that if you give it time,

18:23

it's one of those things that you kind of go, really good.

18:26

As is still quite interesting but.

18:31

Yeah I agree I think I didn't give this enough time and I will,

18:37

it's it's a mixture of very mature I

18:40

talk about mature pop music on this podcast sometimes this is very mature pop

18:44

music like it's some sort of cheese you would need to get into this is very

18:48

mature it's a camembert it's a real it's proper proper mature pop music but

18:54

it's very clever and And it's got very great, it's got great, clever lyrics.

18:58

I really like No Caffeine as an opener.

19:01

Yeah. It's probably one of the more melodic songs on the album as well.

19:04

That said, the album does remain pretty quiet until you get to the hanging, or hanging.

19:09

Yeah. And then the final third of the album kicks in, which I really enjoyed, actually.

19:14

I feel there's a sort of a closure to it all.

19:18

Yeah, I think in the second half. Yeah, it's stronger, isn't it?

19:21

Yeah, it's definitely stronger. so that final third you know you get you get

19:24

the gentle piano of and of the lonely house which is an instrumental you get

19:29

this the strained synthetic is it synthetic or twisted vocal of,

19:36

vitamins yeah just slightly distorted it's through it's put through something

19:40

definitely which i also like and then you get the really horrible song slime.

19:48

Which is great yeah so yeah

19:51

i i agree i agree it's it's an album that deserves to marinate and be listened

19:56

to again and again so we move on to the final album actually before and the

20:01

final album was being set set up by the fact that obviously bbc sounds of 24

20:06

came out So their top five were five,

20:09

Elmeen, apparently his soul.

20:13

Number four was Tyler.

20:16

Number three, DJ Peggy Goo. Number two, Olivia Dean, who I actually had heard of.

20:23

And number one were The Last Dinner Party. So, that album was meant to come out at the end of March.

20:32

Off the back of them winning this prize, whoever the record company are,

20:37

decided to bump it up a bit, so it actually came out a week ago.

20:42

So, The Last Dinner Party, predilected to ecstasy, worthy of the hype or not, Peter?

20:48

This is interesting, interesting because i know

20:52

nothing about record company shenanigans i

20:56

get look okay

21:00

i've read i've read i've read i've read this is actually a band i actually did

21:05

read into okay that's what i'm trying to say and i actually really like a classic

21:10

sort of indie act but this is a very well produced indie act you've got james

21:15

ford involved here james ford's a name that keeps cropping up on this podcast.

21:22

Apparently he's producing one of the upcoming albums of the year he might be

21:25

producing one of the upcoming albums of the year I can tell you that now but

21:28

prior to the Depeche Mode he has done Depeche Mode and he has done Blur,

21:33

it's got clear influences from the art rock scene it has got I think the obvious

21:38

one is Florence the Machine yeah apparently it's supported late last year yeah

21:43

and you know when you listen to tracks like that Burn Alive,

21:46

very strong there But you also get Bowie in there. Bowie's in there. I can hear Bowie.

21:51

And apparently they've said Bowie's an influence, so I can sort of pick it up.

21:56

So I like that. I like Caesar on a TV screen. I like Sinner because it was a bit of a 60s swing.

22:03

There's also an ABBA thing going on there as well.

22:08

Everything's going on. Yeah, and that's the thing.

22:11

It's got a lot going on. and i feel

22:14

like i feel like this is a this is one of

22:17

those but i said this to to to to my wife i said

22:20

i found this band and i'm reviewing and

22:24

i feel like they are one of

22:27

those bands that are gonna do a stage

22:30

at glastonbury this year and the state it's going to

22:32

be over subscribed it's going to be well they

22:35

did it last year i saw that i saw they

22:38

did it last year but they're going to be on like the second stage this year

22:41

or the first stage but okay and it's going to be

22:43

but it's going to be over subscribe so that's that they're a hype band and

22:47

i don't mean that in a derogatory way because actually i quite like some of

22:50

this stuff but i can't help feel there's a bit of polish here that wouldn't

22:55

be here normally and i'm just picking this up from nothing that you've said

23:00

or we've discussed but i'm getting a feel from you that you're about to reveal something.

23:05

No, I'm not. Oh, okay. Well, I'm going to make a real fact that they literally

23:08

got together at university. Yeah, no, that's what I mean. They got together at university and actually, obviously, a bit...

23:16

It's a bit polished, though, isn't it? Well, no, but I think,

23:18

again, it's a bit like... And I like... Let me just say this very clearly.

23:22

I actually really like this album. It's a bit like when they...

23:26

Yes! That was what I was about to say! I know, but people always say it's a

23:29

bit like when they're in industry plants. No, that's what I'm getting at.

23:33

And they're going, now we'll be playing live for like fucking four years they

23:37

put the graft in and yeah we were signed because once I was on the line doing

23:43

live gig and went oh my god we need to sign this that's what I mean they're bloody lucky,

23:48

they're a bit they are the wet leg of 2024 and there's

23:52

a lot of hype about them and I love a bit of hype but I'm

23:56

just a middle aged man with a lot of cynicism these days

23:59

so I've read too much into it they are the

24:02

wet leg they are the James Ford produced band of the

24:05

year other than the other one you know I'm all

24:09

for it I'm bought in I think this is

24:11

the next classic indie of the

24:14

UK absolutely in that long line of acts that includes Wet Leg and whoever came

24:20

before Wet Leg and stems all the way back to Bloody Oasis via the Arctic Monkeys

24:25

I think this album is absolutely glorious it's going to be great glorious for

24:30

staff any band Oh, and Will Fallis, sorry, Will Fallis.

24:34

Any band that names their album after the instrumental track that opens the thing.

24:43

Which I also like. Exactly, yeah. We're going to have a strange kind of orchestral

24:47

opening track, and we're going to name the album after that track. Okay, fine.

24:51

But for me, it's like, how can you go wrong with a band that sounds like Like a combination of...

25:02

So you didn't say Abba, but... Abba. For me, I was going with Sparks.

25:10

Ooh, yes. Very good. I'm sitting there. All right, yeah. And Burn Live,

25:15

Suzie and the Banshees. Yeah, yeah.

25:18

Bit of Medieval Babes in Goodyear. Yeah, you've lost me.

25:24

Lena Lovage, praise the all over the fucking show. It was interesting because

25:28

the first thing I ever heard from this band just before Christmas when I heard My Lady at Mercy,

25:33

and it came on YouTube after watching several things and I was going oh this

25:38

is interesting and as soon as the kind of 70s rock guitars came in the chorus

25:42

was going oh my god I love this band yes give me more give me more.

25:49

And it's just, yeah, it's just great. All members of the band write.

25:53

There's not only just one kind of thing.

25:58

And it's just a weird, wonderful thing.

26:04

Yeah. It's just like, I've actually written, look, in my notes here,

26:07

I've actually written, my notes begin at last, exclamation mark.

26:12

A wonderful return to the scene of a classic indie act.

26:17

Yeah. I mean, they're a band that are lifting from lots of other people.

26:25

Without doubt. They demonstrate their influences on their sleeve. But so unique.

26:29

And that's what you want from great artists. They've been going,

26:33

we're going to pull in stuff like this, but it's still not the same.

26:38

The cynicism has even got me after a couple of listens. I'm like, what's going on here?

26:43

You're wrong. I am absolutely wrong. I'm absolutely wrong.

26:46

This is an album that i've been

26:49

chewing over this is the most difficult album of

26:52

the podcast for me because i feel that i

26:55

am on if it's not this album it's the next album it's a classic i mean the next

26:59

album by them yes no but i know i think yeah but i think this is just really

27:05

terrific album the first listen i was like i don't know the second i was like

27:08

oh yeah i'm here yeah sit sit back and go yes this is,

27:13

the wet leg album this is the wet leg album I know this is the one this album

27:18

will be my top five at the end of the year I can tell you now exactly,

27:22

I'm just I don't know maybe I'm just trained to hear these things now and think what what,

27:28

However, what else might be in our top five by the end of the year?

27:32

I think James Ford's next produced album, aren't you?

27:35

I am going to mention some of the albums that we may or may not be reviewing.

27:40

So coming out in February, a new album by Declan McKenna, a new album by Sly

27:44

Youth, a new album by MGMT. Still playing this bit. Exactly. Wow. March, we have Yard Act,

27:52

Jesus and Mary Chain, Gordon, who was obviously in Sly Youth,

27:55

youth mack sahatchi who we've read

27:58

before judas priest cheryl crow dandy warhols

28:02

yes miss musgraves km5 then

28:08

we get to april apparently i've telly swift and they're not know how well she

28:12

obviously announced was winning grammys she's gonna go far that girl and jane

28:17

weaver who we've reviewed before and some of the band apparently you know is

28:22

the two of them there are two of them and apparently it's gone on the list.

28:28

I'm reviewed by the person you just mentioned. But yeah. Exactly.

28:30

Apparently that also comes out in April. Yeah. Brilliant. Looking forward to that.

28:34

Yeah. So yeah. Some stuff to look forward to.

28:38

Well, stay tuned, folks, because we'll try and podcast a bit more regularly

28:42

these days. Yeah. 40 and 2.

28:47

Actually, it's also going to be a bit weird because I'm almost certainly going

28:50

to post this one in the next couple of days rather than take several weeks to do it.

28:54

So it'll feel like we're like really kind of podcasting like every couple of

28:59

weeks. We're on fire again. It's excellent. Anyway, lovely to see you. Bye-bye. Till then.

29:04

You've been listening to the CTB Music Podcast.

29:08

The CTTB Music Podcast is a Vineland production.