Rock

Modern Nature
The Heat Warps
Bella Union BELLA1671CD; LP: BELLA1671V

Modern Nature’s previous albums have been characterised by an improvisatory, open-ended approach, but on The Heat Warps the songs are more clearly structured, while still making use of space. The opening ‘Pharaoh’ is light and spare with buoyant drumming and blobs of bass. It’s enriched by Tara Cunningham and Jack Cooper singing in harmony throughout, and ends up as an unlikely cross between Can and Crosby, Stills & Nash. As guitarists they also have a remarkable chemistry, each using a clean sound and engaging in subtle interplay – on ‘Glance’ they trade two-note figures as the vocal action goes on around them, and on ‘Radio’ they gently decorate the song, drawing the listener into its dreamy, folky drift. MB

Sound Quality: 90%

The Hives
The Hives Forever Forever The Hives
Play It Again Sam PIASR1579CD; LP: PIASR1579LP

The Hives reckon wearing cool clothes is essential to making good music, and these sharp dressers take the essence of ’60s garage rock, refit it with modern parts and fuel it with memorable tunes. In recent years the Swedish five-piece have become battle-hardened from touring campaigns supporting AC/DC and The Rolling Stones, and their intent here was to make an arena rock album full of singles. The end result is all-action. ‘Hooray Hooray Hooray’ features buzzsaw guitars, adrenalised drumming and an exultant chorus; they add wry humour to the mix on ‘Legalize Living’; and what ‘OCDOD’ lacks in psychoanalytical veracity it makes up for in excitement. MB

Sound Quality: 85%

Kill the Robot
Kill The Robot
Dark Lab RESKTR008CD; LP: RESKTR007LP

Guitarist and vocalist Stephen Gibb has been involved in an unusually wide range of music. The eldest son of Bee Gee Barry Gibb, he has performed with his dad, while simultaneously being drawn towards hard rock and heavy metal. Kill The Robot is named as a sort of protest against the depersonalising effects of AI, and his songwriting yields an expansive sound full of melodic detail. ‘Mothership’ and ‘See The World’ have an epic sweep that reminds of Radiohead, Steven Wilson and Tears For Fears. But Gibb had planned to collaborate with the late Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters and ‘No13ise’ and ‘Right Now’ find him exploring much darker, heavier territory. MB

Sound Quality: 85%

Gina Birch
Trouble
Third Man Records TMR1041C; LP: TMR1041V

Birch played bass and sang in The Raincoats, one of the most original of the late ’70s post-punk bands. They were raw, naive and unpredictable and sounded like they were learning on the job, and had a fan in Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. Her career has been rejuvenated via Third Man Records and while she retains some of that early innocence, this is a focused, melodic set based on programmed grooves and gentle skanks. On ‘Causing Trouble Again’ she references Nina Simone, Yoko Ono and other female artists who’ve changed the rules in a ‘man’s, man’s world’ and on ‘Cello Song (Tape Edit)’ she achieves a gravitas redolent of Marianne Faithfull. MB

Sound Quality: 80%