N.E.R.D
No One Ever Really Dies
Disclaimer: If you're new to N.E.R.D and think, "Hey, I like Pharrell Williams and Happy is my favourite jam", then perhaps this isn't the album for you. Or maybe it is, but fair warning – the R&B/funk/pop-rock outfit are back wholeheartedly, unapologetically and exquisitely. Their somewhat curiously self-titled fifth album – their first in seven years – spills over with hefty collaborations (Rihanna, Ed Sheeran, Kendrick Lamar and M.I.A. to name a few) and is a deluxe dossier of genres from ska to disco, but with the trademark energetic N.E.R.D touch. Williams and co have taken a step into the political arena with this record. Standout track Don't Don't Do It! cleverly wraps the heavy subject matter – the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott by North Carolina police in 2016 – into a package described by Williams as "jubilant". Other highlights include banger ESP, Lemon and Lifting You.
9/10
Lucy Mapstone
Linkin Park
One More Light: Live
There couldn't be a better way to honour Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington than with this album. The collection features songs from the band's One More Light tour, which was cut short following Bennington's shock death in July this year. It shows him off at his best: on stage, giving the audience everything with his powerful vocals. The band dedicated the album to Bennington and from beginning to end it stays with you. From the haunting rendition of One More Light to old favourites like Numb, In The End and What I've Done, it's all exactly as it should be. The stripped-back version of Crawling is a stand-out. Somehow the lyrics of each song seem more poignant now, and Bennington's voice cements itself in the annals of artists and talent gone too soon from the world of music.
8/10
Kerri-Ann Roper
Luke Bryan
What Makes You Country
The sixth album from bro-country superstar Luke Bryan is perhaps best seen as both a guide for those uninitiated in the ways of 'country' whilst landing firmly in the nothing special pile for those already clued in to the genre. On the opening track Bryan tells us that everyone from cowboys to city dwelling secret fans (among others) is "country" in their own way, after the opening lyrics inform us of the discussion with "people talking about what is and what ain't country". It's unfortunate (or deliberate?) that the opening/title track could well be the best song on the album, perhaps given a run for its money by penultimate love anthem track Driving This Thing: which does (sort of) make you wish for a Chevrolet truck. If you have a passing interest in the genre it's a record worth giving a spin - even if you aren't truly country.
6/10
Ryan Ward
Monster Rally
Flowering Jungle
Listening to Monster Rally's new album Flowering Jungle amid the coldest winter Britain has seen in years is a little like using coconut-scented shampoo: it may make you feel like you're on a desert island, but you'll still see your breath when you leave the house. Monster Rally, otherwise known as LA's Ted Feighan, expertly curates a dreamy island mood with the help of lazy Hawaiian steel-pan guitars and crisp sunny beats. The album is not ambitious, picking a theme and running with it to the end, but its relentless commitment to setting a scene springs comparisons with Eden Ahbez's primal psychedelica in Eden's Island, or (though opposite in tone) Bon Iver's cabin-in-the-woods aesthetic. While this attention to detail and slick sampling is Flowering Jungle's strength, by the 16th track of island music the listener may start to wonder if Feighan has anything else up his sleeve.
8/10
Zander Sharp
