The Alternative Album Chart: The best new indie albums this week
Just when the argument that alternative music is dying a slow and wretched death started to gain traction, 2023 surprised us all. A stellar year for the arts across all forms, music has been one area that has been particularly impressive so far, with each month providing a host of compelling albums that have shown that this apparent demise of music is nothing more than a fallacy. Furthermore, this is aided by a welcome journey into the past, with Talking Heads reissuing a classic record to sweeten the deal.
Whilst some weeks have been more sparse than others, this week has proved to be fertile, with a variety of brilliant releases, as the end days of summer roll in and autumn starts to rear its head once more. Whilst the arrival of the year’s final quarter might be on the horizon, summer is still very much underway, and the releases this period have been enough to keep us from contemplating too much about the days getting shorter.
In recent weeks, we’ve enjoyed corkers from the likes of Grian Chatten, The Clientele, Jungle and The Hives. In the past seven days, we’ve had an array of artistic triumphs provided by punk supergroup Fiddlehead, freak-out garage legends Osees and the long-awaited return of British indie heroes Tribes. All have shown in their own way that modern music is as healthy as ever.
So, for this week’s Alternative Album Chart, we’ll leave you with the releases above and more, as this collection provides more than ample content to keep listeners fascinated until the next batch arrives in time for the August bank holiday. A lot is happening in music right now, and this potpourri proves it.
The best new indie and alternative albums this week:
Death Is Nothing To Us – Fiddlehead – 4.5/5
Coming in hot as this week’s ‘Album of the Week’ is Fiddlehead’s third record, Death Is Nothing To Us. A building block on the heights reached with the band’s first two albums – 2018’s Springtime and Blind and 2021’s Between the Richness – the new record sees the band refine their craft and pierce the soul more profoundly than before. Across this collection of 12 tracks, the Patrick Flynn-led band, also featuring Basement guitarist Alex Henery, deal with the ephemeral nature of life in all its forms, including fatherhood, love, death and grief. Influenced by the frontman’s own experiences and Roman poet Lucretius’ work On The Nature Of Things, a line from which the title is derived, there’s real substance here.
Thought-provoking, rousing and, at points, tear-jerking, this record imparts itself on the soul in a way that so many don’t, with exceptional performances from Flynn and the rest of the group, who waste no time in getting off the mark as the needle hits the groove. From the death of parents to the loss of friends and heroes, whilst the quartet take you into the pits of grief, they also bring you out of it, offering a ray of light through the clouds and asserting that life really is “where this is at,” as Patrick Flynn told us in a new interview. An aural experience of the finest quality, this is another welcome chapter in the band’s relatively short but already accomplished story.
This Is Not Your Fault – Green Gardens – 4/5
Over the past few years, Green Gardens have built a strong reputation as one of the Leeds music scene’s most beloved acts. Now, they’re ready to share their long-awaited debut album, This Is Not Your Fault, an impressive exploration of grief, guilt and acceptance. While the album deals with emotions that often leave us feeling isolated and alone, especially grief, the carefully layered instrumentation and delicate vocal refrains give the record an intimate, communal feel. Therefore, as the band delve into heavy topics, hopefulness lingers – there’s a light leaking through – creating a cathartic and reassuring listening experience.
Green Gardens have delivered a spectacular debut which feels wholly their own. The four-piece indulges in raw vulnerability, accompanying their lyrical journey with instrumentation that moves between melancholy and hopefulness, creating a stunning dichotomy that revels in life’s complexities. [Words: Aimee Ferrier]
Rabbit Head – Tribes – 4/5
It’s a comeback that has been more than a decade in the making. After bursting onto the British indie rock scene at one of the worst possible times, Tribes seemed to mark the start of a promising new generation of musicians who were going to go into the halls of mainstream labels, shake up the power dynamic, and bring rock music back to the people. But that was a pipe dream and one that fell apart almost as quickly as it came together. After just two studio albums, 2012’s Baby and 2013’s Wish to Scream, Island Records dropped Tribes from their roster. When combined with personal tensions and a shift in audience, the band were faced with the harsh reality of continuing to struggle or breaking up. Eventually, they chose the latter.
Rabbit Head is the culmination of a journey that doesn’t end well for most bands. All of the sweat and toil that the band members put into Tribes was seemingly for not… until they reclaimed their identity and began to re-shape their legacy. If nothing else, Rabbit Head proves that Tribes are more than just a flash-in-the-pan from the dying days of the original indie rock boom. They’re a solid unit that still has something to say all these years later, and if they’re lucky enough, hopefully, enough people will listen this time around. [Words: Tyler Golsen]
Intercepted Message – Osees – 3/5
Few artists are as changeable as Osees. The same project has comprised John Dwyer’s solo freak folk compilation Orinoka Crash Suite in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the garage rock sound of The Oh Sees in the late 2000s and 2010s, and, now, Osees’ bookend sound as “early grade garage pop meets proto-synth punk suicide-repellant”. As that mantra suggests, Dwyer is at his most liberated and that results in a daring effort.
The latest entry into Osees’ ever-changing sound, Intercepted Message is primarily a study of synth in all of its glory. It contains elements of their previous work, with psych and punky influences, but largely abandons their garage rock sound. The most essential element of Osees maintain their ever-changing nature and openness to experimentation. Though most of the record is pervaded by frantic, oscillating soundscapes, Intercepted Message actually finds itself in its withdrawal from this – the release provided by the record’s serene final moments is only enhanced by the chaos that comes before.
He may be the mastermind behind Osees, but take Dwyer’s words on the record with a pinch of salt – this may be a record for tired times, but it certainly isn’t what you’d think of when you hear the words “pop record”. Nor is it what you’d expect from the label who put out the likes of garage rock legends Pussy Galore and Jay Reatard. It might not even be what you think of when you hear the name Osees – but isn’t that their whole appeal? [Words: Elle Palmer]
Unreal Unearth – Hozier – 3/5
Everyone has their own version of hell. At least, that’s what Hozier had in mind when creating Unreal Unearth. “Funny how true colours shine in darkness and secrecy,” he sings in an ode to the beautiful recreation of self that takes place after a relationship leaves you in pieces on the floor.
Hozier’s world has rosy edges and a soft, dewy centre. We’ve come to know him as an artist who celebrates positivity with his blend of pop and poeticism; a true artist of the uplifting, a master of beauty. During live performances, audiences are entranced by his raw evocation and down-to-earth presence.
Unreal Unearth steps outside of the unexpected, however, with a much darker, more tainted outlook. Inspired by Dante’s Inferno, the Irish singer’s third studio album is a considerably deeper, more refined offering than ever before: this is his most on-the-nose venture into the realm of politically-charged, angst-filled material and, my, it’s a journey. [Words: Kelly Scanlon]
Dizzy – Dizzy – 2.5/5
There is nothing overtly wrong with Dizzy’s latest self-titled album. However, the third offering from the Canadian indie pop outfit is so obliquely pop that its songs often sound like the backing track to a vaguely dramatic moment in a teen drama rather than a convincing album effort.
Ultimately, Dizzy is a just fine indie-pop record, but there’s a nagging sense that the band were attempting something slightly more that didn’t quite land. There are dazzling moments, and ‘Open Up Wide’ undoubtedly brought fresh energy to the album with it – but they need to give their strongest moments time to breathe more.
The album starts a lot stronger than its final notes, but even in tedious moments, Dizzy is the perfect soundtrack to daydream to. It owes an almost meditative quality to its love of repeating lines, which, if fully embraced by the listeners, can inspire an almost dreamlike state – but only if you relent to the repetitiveness. [Words: Poppy Burton]
Reissue: Stop Making Sense – Talking Heads – 5/5
In 1984, Talking Heads made history with their landmark concert film, Stop Making Sense. Directed by Jonathan Demme, the movie was filmed across three evenings of live performance at the Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, in December 1983. At the time, the band was on the road, touring in support of their latest studio album, Stop Making Sense. The film derived its name from the lyrics of one of the album’s popular tracks, ‘Girlfriend is Better’.
The performances were spliced into one seamless show of lavish design. David Byrne, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz appeared on stage backed by an extended cast of musicians, backing singers and choreographers through a blazing, energetic set packed with hits old and new.
Despite the controversial decision to retire from the road, Stop Making Sense served as an arresting show-stopper, a perfect summary of Talking Heads’ success to date. Accordingly, on Friday, August 18th, Talking Heads will release a deluxe vinyl edition of the Stop Making Sense soundtrack via Rhino in conjunction with the movie’s 4K restoration, which will hit cinemas later in 2023.
The two-LP set includes a 28-page booklet with previously unpublished photos and new liner notes from all four band members. For the first time ever, the entire concert film will be unveiled with the inclusion of previously omitted tracks, ‘Cities’ and ‘Big Business / I Zimbra’. See the full tracklist below and preorder the album here. [Words: Jordan Potter]
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