GAZ COOMBES: Turn The Car Around (Virgo)
Valuation: ****
Conclusion: Britpop idol is in full swing
MARGO PRICE: Stray (Loma Vista)
Valuation: ****
Conclusion: soulful storytelling
BELLE AND SEBASTIAN: Late Developers (Matador)
Valuation: ***
Conclusion: melodic pop with twists
With Blur at Wembley, pulp at festivals and Noel Gallagher dusting off Oasis standards for his solo tour, we’re all set for a summer of Britpop nostalgia.
But for one of the faces of Cool Britannia, the revival has already come and gone. As the frontman of Supergrass, Gaz Coombes has spent the last three years reviving old successes and is now ready to move on.
Supergrass were among the brightest and most vibrant of Britpop bands.
Their 1995 single Alright was a cheeky anthem of the time, and their reunion tours culminated with an appearance at Taylor Hawkins’ emotional tribute concert last September and a Glastonbury set that Billie Eilish watched from the side of the stage .
As the frontman of Supergrass, Gaz Coombes has spent the last three years reviving old successes and is now ready to move on. Supergrass were among the brightest and most vibrant of Britpop bands
But reliving his youth, albeit in front of adoring fans eager to hear the crowd-pleasing hits, goes only so far in satisfying creative urges, and Coombes, 46, grew restless as the Supergrass comeback blossomed.
“Playing those songs live again was special, but there’s a side of me that wasn’t fulfilled,” he admits. The result is that the owner of Britpop’s most famous sideburns is returning to a solo career that’s steadily gained traction since his old band began a decade-long hiatus in 2009. His latest effort, Turn The Car Around, is his most successful work to date. He hasn’t lost sight of the melodic craft that powered Supergrass.
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“You and me, all these good times,” John Lydon sings in this uplifting love letter to his wife Nora, who is living with Alzheimer’s. The heartfelt ballad is an unusually tender song by the former Sex Pistol and will represent Ireland in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
There are nods to the classics – Bowie from the Hunky Dory era; The Beatles’ White Album period – and some sharp alternative rock numbers with hints of fellow Radioheads from Oxford.
But there is also a contemplative, considered touch that gives his songs emotional depth. Having played most of the instruments himself on his previous three albums, Coombes has assembled a new band this time, and these songs are built around a strong confluence of guitars and keyboards, with added harmonies from vocal trio The Roxys.
If you’re looking for the carefree singalongs of Supergrass this isn’t for you, but Long Live The Strange has a pounding live feel – an ode to the power of music inspired by Coombes taking his teenage daughter to a concert – while the influence of Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood dominates the gnarly, modern rock of Don’t Say It’s Over.
Coombes sings about his wife Jools on “Overnight Trains” and “This Love”. “Life isn’t the same when you want things like summer rides and night trains,” he sings of the former. This love compares his marriage to “Romeo and Juliet”. . . except that we both survive.”
The vibe is life-affirming and the album closes with Dance On, a lovely acoustic ballad in which Coombes states, “The only way is straight ahead”. He may miss Britpop’s second edition this summer, but Turn The Car Around hints that his solo career is going well along the aisles.
“I was a dancer, a saint, an assassin… a nobody, a truck driver shaman,” Margo Price sings on a new album that not only outlines her varied resume, but also reaffirms her position as one of Nashville’s most compelling storytellers.
The singer, who pawned her wedding ring to break through in music, has overcome addiction, rejection and tragedy and is battling strays.
“I was a dancer, a saint, an assassin… a nobody, a truck driver shaman,” Margo Price sings on a new album that not only outlines her varied resume, but also reaffirms her position as one of Nashville’s most compelling storytellers
After seeing her previous 2020 album That’s How Rumors Get Started, which was delayed when husband and co-writer Jeremy Ivey was grounded for Covid-19, she is dying to make the most of this release, and the Themes of freedom and escape are central to Been To The Mountain, on which she sings about struggling through a hard life.
She’s also moving away from country to rock with Father John Misty collaborator Jonathan Wilson as co-producer. Mike Campbell, formerly of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, is a guest on Light Me Up, a crunching guitar number. Indie rock siren Sharon Van Etten adds harmonies on the radio.
But Illinois-raised Price, 39, keeps her tough bite. “If you break both your legs, don’t come running to me,” she warns on the bluesy Change Of Heart. “Only love can tear you apart,” she laments on the heartbreaking ballad “Landfill,” singing with a soulfulness that’s utterly believable.
Once reserved for superstars like Taylor Swift and Beyonce, the art of surprising album drops has now reached the world of jarring indie pop. Belle And Sebastian’s Late Developers was announced last Monday and is available today. It follows 2022’s A Bit Of Previous and showcases the band’s melodic strengths.
Once derided as fey wallflowers, the Scots have proven remarkably resilient and are still going strong 26 years after their first LP, Tigermilk.
Once reserved for superstars like Taylor Swift and Beyonce, the art of surprising album drops has now reached the world of jarring indie pop
With bright, Smiths-like guitars predominating, a few tracks would have easily fit on previous albums. One song, the acoustic When The Cynics Stare Back From The Wall dates back to 1994.
The best moments come when they flow confidently between genres. “So In The Moment” is a slick nod to the Wings hit “Letting Go.”
The biggest surprises are “Do You Follow,” a funky duet by singers Stuart Murdoch and Sarah Martin, and booming 1980s synth-pop “I Don’t Know What You See In Me.” A whole album along those lines would be a real jolt.
All albums out today. Gaz Coombes kicks off a tour April 15th at The Limelight, Belfast (ticketmaster.co.uk).