Dean Blunt- Black Metal Found this an odd listen in that I don't think I've ever felt simultaneously immersed in and totally distant from a record whilst listening. The guitar work on the first few tracks had a nice, hazy Kurt Vile sort of feel, which I liked, the girl's vocals were great and I dug the call and the response stuff, but I found the main vocal really jarring and off-putting. Some of the longer tracks in the middle showed promise, nice sparse beats and wordless vocals, but then (particularly in "X"), there were blasts of dancehall/euphoria sounds coming out of nowhere that really didn't fit with the rest of what was going on. Some of the harsher electronic stuff reminded me of Encre, but a lot less interesting. The last few tracks where there was a more grimy, spoken-word vocal worked better, but I sort of felt I was done with the album by that point and wished he'd taken more of that approach throughout. There were elements here that I did enjoy, however the album as a whole felt disjointed and lazy, a bit of an identity crisis, and I almost felt that it was intended to be a difficult listen. 2/5 Ariel Pink- Pom Pom ...and almost instantly, I found myself pining for Dean Blunt. I really can't articulate what it is I dislike most about this record. "Plastic Raincoats" felt like it was made to be a soundtrack to some kooky mobile phone commercial and the playground chanting was infuriating. Then there was the excessively glam guitar work, the weird, uncomfortable porn groove stuff and pan pipes. PAN PIPES. It's hard to believe that this was a record released for listening pleasure and not a sleep-deprivation tactic from Guantanamo Bay. I certainly felt like I'd been waterboarded with Red Bull, or Relentless, or something even more ropey. I considered giving it one point for actually being able to provoke such a hostile response from me, but since I hated everything about it, I ended up with that Ugly Kid Joe song stuck in my head which only exacerbated my fury. NIL POINTS The Decemberists- What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World I really like The Decemberists and all the essential ingredients are present here: theatrical lexicon, orchestral flourishes, skillful musicianship and lovely harmonies. Might be a grower, but finding this lacking in big memorable songs. The single is great and a lot of the folkier tracks have a bit of a Richard and Linda Thompson vibe, which I liked, but overall quite a safe yet palatable listen. 3/5