January 2023 Album Reviews
A surprisingly stunning first month for music
This year, I decided to set myself a challenge. To combine my love for music and for writing, my goal is to write music reviews for new album releases that stand out to me from each month of 2023. With January having come to an end, it’s time for the first batch of reviews, and we’re kicking things off with three great records.
This month’s reviews:
The Murder Capital’s ‘Gigi’s Recovery’ (20 January, Ireland)
CVC’s ‘Get Real’ (13 January, Wales)
Margo Price’s ‘Strays’ (13 January, US)
More highlights from this month at the end.
The Murder Capital - ‘Gigi’s Recovery’ Review
Three and a half years have passed since their debut record and The Murder Capital have come back better than ever, and doing a 180. Instead of a post-punk album filled with anger and despair, the Irish band is giving us something new. Even before you start listening to the album, the evolution is striking. From a cold-toned cover with faceless protagonists wrapped in a suffocating sheet, to a painting with a peaceful, introspective feel, full of colour and promise. Rather than moping around in the monotony of a daily life sacrificed by the pandemic, the group preferred to celebrate life in all its intensity. ‘Gigi’s Recovery’ is a record about change and accepting to live with your past.
The Murder Capital’s debut record ‘When I Have Fears’ explored the depths of loss and despair. A lot has changed since 2019, as the band has continued to explore life on a personal and interpersonal level. The opening title ‘Existence’ sets the stage with a tense introduction, promising us with a dark and existential record as the lyrics ‘existence fading’ grow increasingly louder and all-consuming. The emotional tone of the album is further set with the transition into ‘Crying’ a song about heartbreak and the need for connection. The desperate bridge makes for a memorable opener.
Then comes ‘Turn My Head’, a catchy single about loss and breaking with the past. Its lyrics are honest and foreshadow more vulnerable songs to come. It uses synths beautifully to create a futuristic sound while being one of the only upbeat songs in the album, creating some variation and being one of the few titles to sound like their first record.
‘Ethel’ further builds on the theme of dealing with the past, declaring that there is only “One chance in this life”. This time, the song brings a lot of positivity to the table. As a part of the album's recognition of the fragile nature of life, the "one chance" lyric is warned with the phrase "You best get it right."
The theme of ‘Belonging’ is vulnerability and holding to people closest to you for support. "You lived through my weakness, it shines on you," is a brutally revelatory line that is eerily simple in execution.
In ‘The Lie Becomes the Self’ a hypnotic sound is produced as it appears to move through phases of building up and falling down, entirely changing the normal framework of a song. For me this song is about our thoughts and perceptions of ourselves and others lying to us and affecting the person we become. ‘The Stars Will Leave Their Stage’, earlier in the album, is another good example of how the band uses this Pixies' quiet-loud-quiet trick to perfection.
‘A Thousand Lives’ tells a familiar tale of insecurity, love, and the need to be seen through someone else. A few songs later, love is explored in dazzlingly positive way with an upbeat song in ‘Only Good Things’. It’s one of the many signs of the theme of growth in the album.
There are a few songs I didn’t mention, but there is still a lot to uncover in this album, which might need a few listens to fully grasp all the meaning. The record ends with ‘Exit’, echoing the intro, going full circle. “Existence, changing”, the song closes: life is changing for the better and new feelings are on the horizon.
Poetic, emotional and painfully honest, 'Gigi's Recovery is a journey of self-discovery as beautiful as it is deeply personal. It’s a cathartic and vulnerable album about recovering from the past and the need to accept what happened. McGoverns vocals and lyricism tell us the story of growth and embracing life as it is, including its dark parts. Discovering Gigi's Recovery as it unfolds is a pleasure comparable to reading a good novel whose end leaves us stunned, moved and satisfied.
Score: 8/10
CVC - ‘Get Real’ Review
I stumbled on this album by chance, never having heard from the band before and not really knowing what I was getting into. But, as the sucker for 60s and 70s (inspired) music I am, the first song immediately captured my interest. With this debut record, the Welsh psych-rock band - also called Church Village Collective, after their hometown - spread their joyful energy that is reflected in the band’s philosophy of “peace and love and having a good time, stay real, stay true and that’s it”.
This attitude to life can certainly be felt throughout the LP. One of their songs, ‘Sophie’, seems to be joking about one of their friends not wanting to sing backing vocals. To me moments like these show that this bands personality is one of friends having fun. In fact, if one adjective had to be used to describe the record it would certainly be ‘fun’. The album is full of playful moments with interesting shifts and turns in most songs, backed up with great mixing. These joyous, dynamic and well polished tracks, with their lush harmonies and mixture of rock and retro-pop, certainly make for an entertaining experience.
Unfortunately their is a rather fine line between fun and dull, and the album also comes close to the latter. Where the album falls short is in its lack of innovation. CVC clearly has a lot of influences, and while diverse influences can be good it can also mean that their is a lack of distinctive sound.
The band is clearly influenced by Crosby, Steely Dan, The Beatles and Supertramp, to name but a few. The track ‘Winston’ is clearly inspired by 60s psychedelic rock, while ‘Knock Knock’ dabbles in funk and the vocals of ‘Woman of Mine’ at time sounds like an Alex Turner impression.
While these are all great sources to draw from, it sometimes feels like you’re listening to all these artists rather than the band itself. Part of what makes this album so fun for me, is spotting all the different references. The question is whether these songs will still be as enjoyable after the the idiomatic references have lost momentum. You end up remembering the bands they're emulating more than CVC itself.
For now though, the album has been one of the most enjoyable to come out this month. A playful and catchy record, ‘Get Real’ sounds like a colourful ode to the seventies that, while lacking in real innovation, shines through in personality. It’s a solid debut record, and I will be looking forward to their future work, hoping they develop into something truly unique and do not remain stuck in their web of influences.
Score: 6/10
Margo Price - ‘Strays’ Review
I’m not usually a fan of country, but some artists pull it off well. Margo Price is definitely one of those artists. Perhaps because it’s more on the rock’n’roll side of the genre. The presence of rock music is especially taken to new lengths on this record from the bat. ‘Been to the Mountain’ - my favourite song of the record - kicks off the album with a nice groove and amazing bass tone. Other highlights include ‘Light Me Up’ which shifts from a folk ballad to 60s psychedelia with Jimi Hendrix like solos. ‘Change of Heart’ has a blues rock vibe to it while ‘Time Machine’s’ scratchy guitars take more from indie rock. Sometimes the rock explorations kind of miss the mark but overall they’re part of what I believe to be the essence of this album.
Its lyrical content also makes it stand out. Throughout the album we witness Price reflecting on her life while in the middle of a shroom trip. Touching about diverse topics such as relationships, sex, addictions and pregnancy, among other things, Price urges her listerners to “take your best shot”. Even though not all genre-bending experiments quite pull off, 'Strays' psychedelic reflection on the human experience is never a boring listen.
Score: 6/10
Usually, the first month of the year isn’t when the best music is released. Fortunately, this January has been positively surprising. Exacerbated enthusiasm at the beginning of the year or real intuition, the new album of The Murder Capital could already be among the best records of 2023. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There is much more I haven’t touched upon. Who expected for example, that Lil Yachty would release on of the best albums of January? (I certainly didn’t) This month has been a promising start for music this year.
Rating scale:
10/10 one of the best albums ever
09/10 amazing, all time classic
08/10 great record, listening to this all the time
07/10 really solid record, everyone needs to listen
06/10 a good record but I probably won’t want to return to it too often
anything bellow: not for me, won’t be rated
Other highlights from January 2023:
Lil Yachty - ‘Let’s Start Here’ (27 January, US) 7/10
Genre: psych-rock, neo-soul
Gena Rose Bruce - ‘Deep Is The Way’ (27 January, Australia) 6/10
Genre: singer-songwriter, indie pop
The Arcs - ‘Electrophonic Chronic’ (27 January, US) 6/10
Genre: neo-psychedelia, blues rock
King Tuff - ‘Smalltown Stardust’ (27 January, US) 6/10
Genre: neo-psychedelia, folk
Didn’t like/didn’t care for:
Ryuichi Sakamoto - ‘12’ (17 January, Japan)
Genre: ambient
Måneskin - ‘Rush!’ (20 January, Italy)
Genre: pop rock, hard rock
Mac DeMarco - ‘Five Easy Hot Dogs’ (20 January, Canada)
Genre: instrumental rock
True Faith - ‘Get To Ground’ (10 January, US)
Genre: coldwave
