The Alternative Album Chart: The best new indie albums this week
2023 still shows no sign of turning its tap of excellent music off. Following suit from previous weeks, the past seven days has produced yet another exciting batch of sonics from a variety of artists. Whilst Mitski has undoubtedly been the highlight of this period, others have piqued our interest, with a surprise reissue of a classic album by The Who providing an additional sweetener.
Following on from August, which was one of the most fruitful chapters for music this year, September has risen to the challenge seamlessly. Tussling with its predecessor for the highest number of great albums released, we’ve seen many prominent names already release records and remind us why they are so celebrated.
In recent weeks, we’ve been blessed with new releases from Sparklehorse, Courtney Barnett, James Blake and Slowdive. This one has seen another exciting menagerie arrive, and outside of Mitski’s latest masterpiece, The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, rock mainstays Chrissie Hynde’s Pretenders return with a body of fresh sounds, as has Tame Impala and Pond member, Jay Watson, under his solo moniker, GUM.
So, for this week’s Alternative Album Chart, we’ll leave you in the company of the above releases and more. This package provides abundant material to keep listeners charmed until the new one arrives next week. Enjoy.
The best new indie and alternative albums this week:
The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We – Mitski – 4.5
“You believe me like a God, I destroy you like I am,” sings Mitski on ‘I’m Your Man’, the penultimate track of her new record. It’s a song that she proclaims is about the patriarchal man inside her head, but it could just as easily be applied to her audience. On The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, it’s difficult not to hang on to every word Mitski sings as if she is a God herself. Delivering crashing crescendos and poignant lyrics, she shows no mercy in her destruction.
Mitski has dubbed The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We her “most American album”, but it’s also her most universal. In just 11 songs and a duration that barely surpasses half an hour, Mitski delves into the unavoidable destruction and difficulty of love, whether it be love of the world, the self or others. The record harms and heals in equal measure, flitting between Mitski’s internal monologue and external self-reflection, with highly concentrated emotion infusing every line and every instrumental swell. Love may be just as inhospitable as the land and the self, prone to endless mistakes and missteps, but that won’t stop Mitski from trying. [Words: Elle Palmer]
Relentless – Pretenders – 3.5
Chrissie Hynde has practically been rock royalty for the past two decades. From her work with The Pretenders to inspiring legions of aspiring rock stars to pick up their instruments, Hynde could easily rest on her laurels as one of the mothers of modern rock and roll for the rest of her life. While most artists of Hynde’s age might take their foot off the gas, Relentless proves she’s still interested in seeing where the music takes her.
Granted, some of the album’s strengths could also be counted among its weaknesses. While the greatest moments on the record feel like the band undergoing musical reinvention, not all of them are cut out to be singles, like the drastic headtrip in ‘Just Let It Go’, which takes a few listens to click with listeners fully. Bringing the album to a grand finale, Hynde’s final ballad, ‘I Think About You Daily’, deserves to be ranked among her best ballads, speaking candidly about the great musicians and friends she lost. With the help of breathtaking string work by Jonny Greenwood, Hynde leaves her audience on a sullen note as if to remind them to make the most of their short time on this Earth.
Then again, that mindset is what Relentless is all about. Nothing in this life is guaranteed, and Hynde is making sure that she’s still performing every song as if it’s the last that she will ever write. Just like the title would imply, Hynde doesn’t appear to be letting up for a second across her four decades in the music industry. [Words: Tim Coffman]
Strange Disciple – Nation of Language – 3.5
Strange Disciple, the latest release from synth-soaked trio Nation of Language, is an album marked by obsession. Its cover features a Christian Little painting of a monk, seemingly agonised by a sheer sense of devotion. The question is to what? A lot of listeners will point to this album being an exercise in 1980s worship, with it recalling the work of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and Talking Heads. But Nation of Language have created a record that far exceeds retro-nostalgia. The real devotion at play here is to emotion, which they masterfully capture by recreating a live feel, and the contagious joy you get from dancing at a gig can be felt across every one of its ten tracks.
The vocals are never overpowered by the introduction of electric guitars or keys, and every synth line and groove feels intentionally placed. For all the glimmers of shoegaze and krautrock that burst through the record, it’s never overcomplicated. This restraint is why its tracks are so imminently danceable. The beats are catchy, cohesive, and quaint. As for the 50/50 split of criers and dancers at their shows, following this sublime offering, I imagine there will be more dancers to come. It’s almost poetic that on an album so concerned with emotional extremes, catering to both sides allows the more joyous one to prevail. [Words: Poppy Burton]
Saturnia – GUM – 3.5
Across his five albums with GUM and nine as a co-leader of Pond, not to mention his role in Tame Impala from the very beginning, Jay Watson has become a forerunner within Australia’s thriving contemporary psychedelic rock scene.
His latest album, Saturnia, ventures into a diverse array of influences, drawing inspiration from the likes of Nick Drake, sci-fi funk, cosmic disco, baroque psychedelia, prog-folk, and electro-pop. With his latest release, Watson also embarked on a different artistic journey, emphasising greater restraint within his musical landscapes. When you possess the talent to harmoniously blend a spectrum of moods and sounds, the challenge lies in discerning what to pare down for the betterment of the song — an endeavour he adeptly accomplishes in Saturnia. Read our new interview with Watson here. [Words: Kelly Scanlon]
Race the Night – Ash – 2
The Covid-19 pandemic marked the longest period in which Tim Wheeler, Mark Hamilton and Rick McMurray of Ash had been apart since the 1980s when they met at school in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland. When the group gingerly reunited in 2021 for a livestream gig, they were apprehensive but excited to return to their beloved craft and cherished friendship.
Ash intended to release a follow-up shortly after releasing 2018’s Islands. In fact, they had already laid the groundwork for the next serving of energetic pop-rock, but the pandemic rained on everyone’s parade for some time. Now, Ash return in full force with Race the Night, an 11-song package that observes some good friends embracing in passionate reunion, retracing well-worn steps in their discography.
Ash have returned with an album brimming with sonic urgency that’s not reflected in its creative stance. They could be excused for bringing little to the front lines of musical evolution, but as a writer with a mild aversion to pop-punk, one hoped they could bring something new and lyrically absorbing to the table. Instead, I’m convinced Race The Night is the result of a lyricist vacantly placing one foot in front of the other, contriving canned hits with no sign of necessitous or innate creative impetus.
It’s nice to know these guys are still having fun creating music, but I’d like to hear something new and conceptually intrepid. [Words: Jordan Potter]
Reissue – The Who – Who’s Next – 4.5
Remember that monolith the apes paw at in wonderment at the beginning of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey? How nonchalant and “rock ‘n’ roll” would it be if a band were to urinate against it as if it were an urban scaffold? Well, that’s the trick The Who thought they’d pull in 1971 for their Who’s Next cover art.
The image is at once impossibly iconic and representative of the band itself. The urination isn’t outlandish on a level of Blind Faith’s child pornography, of course, but it goes far enough to reflect the group’s roguish front, especially that of volatile drummer Keith Moon. The title ostensibly invites the listener to join the implicit countercultural motive, while the monolith references an important source of artistic inspiration for the band.
Behind this bold and amusing sleeve design lies the main attraction, however. Who’s Next comprises a roster of iconic tracks that were initially intended for the abandoned rock opera, Lifehouse. Following the success of the highly conceptual Tommy in 1969, Pete Townshend began to devise a new concept from a series of columns he wrote for Melody Maker in August 1970. Alas, the guitarist grew disillusioned with Lifehouse and suggested The Who return with a non-conceptual rock album.
Who’s Next marked a turned corner for The Who. Their blossoming embrace of the synthesiser as an integral instrument and Glyn Johns’ fastidious production allowed the band to create their most refined work to date. Meanwhile, Moon employed a distinctly subdued drumming style less reliant on lengthy, explosive drum fills to allow the synth lines space to shine.
This landmark album will be honoured with a multi-format reissue on Friday, September 15th, via UMR. The album has been remastered from the original tapes by longtime Who engineer Jon Astley and will be available across eight different release formats with bonus tracks, including Blu-ray, which features a Steven Wilson Dolby Atmos Mix of the album, CD, and digital.
For the vinyl fanatics among us, the album will be available across 4LP (live at San Francisco), 3LP (demos) and single LP editions. These are available in half-speed and coloured vinyl options. The 4LP set is available for pre-order now for £69.99. Meanwhile, the full 10CD and Blu-ray Super Deluxe edition would set you back a handsome £229.99. [Words: Jordan Potter]
