BRIAN FALLON & THE PAINKILLERS are 'NOT BAD FOR NEW JERSEY'

New Jersey Angel

By TIM DAVID HARVEY

By gaslight, I'm not trying to play New Jersey's devil's advocate. I love this f#####g city, like talking from across the way in Neew YAARK! The city I used to take an Amtrak train from to East Rutherford, just to watch the New Jersey Nets play. Back in my 20s, before Brooklyn and with more affordable air-fare, You just had to see Jason Kidd throw it up there to Vince Carter. Would have been there for the K-Mart days, too. I love Jersey, boy! Like I was Bruce, 'Born To Run' there. Besides, it's the home of Springsteen and the American dream, Jon Bon Jovi, and of course, The Gaslight Anthem.

Following the band's decade in the making, heartland reunion back in 2023 for the 'History Books', frontman Brian Fallon switches 'The '59 Sound' for an 80s one that the 'Sob Rock' of John Mayer, coming out of COVID, would be proud of. It's all Springsteen synths with a human touch and songs with the man that "went back-to-back" with The Boss, Brandon Flowers (who just released his own solo set, 'Thrasher' a few weeks back). All as the other NYC area adjacent Fallon tells us he's 'Not Bad For New Jersey' on his first individual album in four years. Featuring the self-titled single, 'Better Before', 'Love At The End Of The World' (featuring Flowers), 'On Good Terms' with Lori McKenna, 'Somewhere You Shouldn't Be' alongside Phil Collen, a 'Wolf By The River' and Mark Ribot, and the movie-making 'The Big Sleep', with Donovan Woods playing his part.

New romantics classic, all the way down to the 80s vibe pink neon cover like a summer sunset in Tokyo, this is Brian back to being Fallon, following his beautiful hymn sheet of a 'Night Divine'. His first traditional solo album of type since the 'Local Honey' of 2020. Not to mention his sixth set in total, ever since the band eponymous debut a decade ago. It's something to celebrate now The Horrible Crowes singer has matched his Gaslight output, album for album. Dropping 'Pearls' of wisdom on a Butch Walker produced song that sings, "Where the streets come alive/On the Lower East Side/And you're just like the city/You're just like a ghost/I still want you to have all the pretty things/Even if we're not close." 'Nobody Likes You In NYC' teases the same across bridges and boardwalks like, "Nobody likes you in New York City/They were sad, they were sad, they were sad/They got no use for no Animal boys/They were sad, they were sad, they wеre sad/Nobody likes you, but I love you/I wish I didn't, but I do."

'Fading On Me' riffs on a live 'Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out' for the real King of New Jersey, but the prince is close in off-purple. Yet it's deep in the Meadowlands were we find him 'Walkin' Through The Garden'. "Now, I searched along the rivers, and I searched among the stars/Looked out in California in the neighborhood bars/I kept my lantern burning so she would come back to me/But I think I saw the devil in her passenger seat." All for what might just be the best and most him album yet, pulling up his collar in a signature style and struck pose. A bruised and brooding Brian knows how to bring that heartland yearn across the shores, from the city all the way to the promised land. If Springsteen is the blue, bootcut jeans, Fallon is the leather jacket that goes over them. Not bad...and that's no gaslighting.

Playlist Picks: 'Pearls', 'Nobody Likes You In NYC', 'Love At The End Of The World (Feat. Brandon Flowers)'.

Spin This: John Mayer - 'Sob Rock'

 

Join ANGUS & JULIA STONE at the 'KARAOKE BAR'

Angus, Julia and Perfect Singing

By TIM DAVID HARVEY 

What's your go-to karaoke song? For 'Tron: Legacy', 'Four Brothers' and 'Mudbound' star Garrett Hedlund, it may just be the lead single and title-track off 'Karaoke Bar', the new album from ruling Aussie double-act, Angus & Julia Stone. The singing sibling's first album in two years, following the warm and wonderful 'Cape Forestier'. The 'Friday Night Lights', 'Unbroken' and 'On The Road' actor appears in the music video for said single that has shades of Scarlett Johansson and Pete Yorn's 'Iguana Bird', off their 'Apart' EP. Not to mention, many a lonely, Las Vegas night Killers, or Brandon Flowers blooming video amongst the Sin City neons.

Coupled with the other-worldly atmosphere of these 'Celestial Bodies', this is the Stones back in their most accomplished age. Back when Australian friends were introducing me to their music in Manchester and in-sync, listening to the pair in Santa Monica was like a dream. This is the sweet spot of albums like 'Snow' and the fall of their self-titled third. With this sixth, for a collective that have been doing their thing, together and solo, since 2006, they mark their 20-year anniversary with an album that really ties their catalogue together. Just like the Lebowski rug they lie on for the amazing album artwork. The only thing that looks better is Angus' Mickey Mouse Daytona 500 jacket (want) over a Bruce Willis vest and Julia's orange on white Wordtec, Louisville, Kentucky tee (also want...I'll make it work).

So, it's time to sing along. As clever concept lyric videos for 'The Cherry Farm' and 'Monroe', for all you weekend with Marylin guys, actually look like grainy, classic karaoke ones from the 80s. You know when the words light up, that's your cue to flow. Of course, karaoke comes from here in Japan. That word is as Japanese as capsule hotels, vending machines and half a cup of ramen. So, what better way to celebrate all this then with the Nippon neon sounding 'Take Me Back To Japan'? Singing, "You like cigarettes in the cinema/There's only a few places left where you can/Roll the die out with a half played hand/Take me back to Japan." As atmospheric, as the land of the rising's sunsets, and fellow lost in translation and love tracks of Lianne La Havas ('Tokyo') and Phoebe Bridgers ('Kyoto').

This snack bar with the perfect hosts, goes all over the show, too. Right to the moving 'Mexico City' end of the line. This Virgin album was also conceived in Greece, France and their native home of the likes of INXS (before the tragedy) and The Jezabels (before the stupidity), Australia, with all the people they met in the places along the way. From 'The Start', this feels like the 'Brightest Place', as Julia sings, "I chase the city lights for somewhere fun to go/I'm hiding out in the brightest place I know/I'm not a liar/It takes me higher, than I could on my own/I'll get home/I'm at home on the dance floor/Don't call me if you didn't want to stay for more," with a vivid vocal distort, like an opening to a 'Lost Weekend', in an experimental age A.I. couldn't hold a note to.

'Strangely Strangely', a breakup record with bite, is one of the best, best. Whereas 'Cowgirls Lover Boi', certified anti-Drake, is something Neil Young and his crazy horses would love in the sand. As Angus accents, "Rattlesnake, he bite like a snow storm/Can't get the saddle on the back while the horse run/He my cowboy, 40-gallon oil drum/At high noon, he'll put you in the ground son." Yet it's the title-track and Neil Diamond classic that will have you Hedlund, head-over-heels singing along like you were sweet on someone named Caroline. "BA, BA, BA!" Diamond tributes haven't been mined this strong since Hugh Jackman and an Academy Award-nominated Kate Hudson channelled Mike and Claire Sardina for 'Song Sung Blue'. But this one still passes the bar. You're up! What song have you got in your back pocket?

Playlist Picks: 'Monroe', 'Take Me Back To Japan', 'Mexico City'.

The 'Q THEORY' of WYCLEF JEAN'S jazz age

The Ecleftic 

By TIM DAVID HARVEY

Ever since Wyclef Jean sang 'No Woman, No Cry' by iconic idol Bob Marley, serving as his music muse. Settling 'The Score' of quite possibly the best hip-hop album of all-time, by one of its greatest groups. Ever since then, you just knew Jean was more than a real rapper. I mean, here's a guy who once rhymed in multiple languages, leaving us Bill Murray in translation. Opening the Fugees 2005 reunion show at the then M.E.N. arena in Manchester, England. Telling the usher, " I used to do your job, give me your jacket." All before rocking out in that garishly legendary M.E.N. arena blazer yellow. Something previously embarrassing, but then instantly iconic, as everyone in attendance wanted their own like golf's green jacket for The Masters, or the Naismith's Basketball Hall of Fame orange. Wyclef wasn't playing before he introduced a 'Ghetto Superstar' and Ms. Hill.

Carnivals of 'Ecleftic' classics by the hip-hop number have given us further rhyme to this reason. But now, Wyclef Jean takes a real quantum leap, like Scott Bakula. Showing us, he's got the jazz, akin to tribes that go quest. This q-tip in your ear, in all its abstractions offers up the 'Q Theory- Quantum Leap Vol. 2'. "So smooth and sweet" according to a brilliant bassist I know, these sounds fill up the scape with yet another scope to Jean's range. Following the 'Clef Notes' of volume one and the time 'Wyclef (Went) Back To School' in 2019. Taking us all to it as this jazz project explores the history of his Haitian roots and the inspirations of the late, great Quincy Jones' improvisations. What results in this second chapter is something else. Something thrilling in the same N.M.F. weekend where we get new, posthumous Prince ('Timeless'), fellow dread-ditcher Busta Rhymes bringing the late, great J Dilla back for 'Dillagence II', and Erykah Badu and The Alchemist becoming Abi and Alan 'Before The World Blows'.

The Alchemist, like the restaurant in Manchester, just mixed a classic concoction to give us Badu's best yet. Jazz is doing the same for Jean. Two classic catalogues have just become all the more compelling for a culture that needs to be celebrated in all corners of the world it unites, lyrically and sonically. Jean used to get down with the great Jerry Wonda. Here, under the piano with an acoustic, like the black and white album artwork of a young boy with innocence and fire in his eyes...and a couple of record sleeves by his side, he brings forth some friends to the fore for his foray into the world of Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Most notably, modern-day great Robert Glasper, Godwin Louis, Theo Croker and many, many more. The glasses on the table of the cover may be empty, but the hearts and musical minds are full. Right to the brim as you raise a glass in the 'French Quarter', or toast to those 'Harlem Nights' in a New York, 'Clef once called New Jerusalem on the iconic sequel to a classic, 'Carnival II: Memoirs Of An Immigrant'.

'Rocinha', with Glasper, Godwin and Patrick Pelissier just takes you there. Right into the heart of those beautiful Brazilian favelas. Sounding like a halfway house between Thelonious and the inspired intro to Spielberg's 'Catch Me If You Can'. 'Lady Havana' stamps even more passports in perfect percussion and poise, as Theo, Yiyi Sanchez and Axel Tosca. From 'Silk & Sand', featuring Jean Caze, Godwin Louis, Weedie Braimah and Axel Tosca, to 'Sugarcane & Watermelon', this Ecleftic epic encompasses it all, as Jean builds another band of brothers and sisters. Taking wing with Bradford Hayes on the God reaching 'Pegasus'. 'Farafina', alongside Robert Glasper, Elena Pinderhughes, Godwin Louis and Arden Altino, is so fresh you can touch it. And there are even some lyrics amongst all the licks here for this rolling stone, cold as ever. Alas, it's the curtain of a 'Toussaint Louverture' (feat. Mushy Widmaier, Dadi Beauburn, Jean Caze, Papa Jube, Emmanuel Laine and Weedie Braimah) that let the horns blow, like Gillespie, for his home. There's no place like it. Nothing sounds as good. Not even Andre 3000 with a flute, but we'd love to see this Fugee and that Outkast play together under a new blue sun. Get your blue notes ready.

Playlist Picks: 'French Quarter (Feat. Harvey Mason Jr., Niia, Robert Glasper & Theo Croker)', 'Sugarcane & Watermelon (Feat. Godwin Louis, Harvey Mason Jr. & Weedie Braimah)', 'Harlem Nights (Feat. Axel Tosca, Emmanuel Laine, Emmanuel Najee, Godwin Louis, Melky Jean & Patrick Pelissier)'.

Spin This: Wycelf Jean - 'J'ouvert'.

BUSTA RHYMES and J DILLA'S due 'DILLAGENCE II'

Do The Bus A Beat

By TIM DAVID HARVEY

If you've been reading the run of reviews (not really so much anymore, we're just talking about music we love) over this New Music weekend, don't take us the wrong way. We love to hear new music from Prince, and in that regard, are thankful to his estate. However, with that being said, we just want it to be all fair and done right by the man who once wrote "slave" across his face whilst performing and having more problems with Warner Bros. than Michael Jordan when Bugs Bunny and co sucked him down a golf hole for 'Space Jam'.

In a great weekend for hip-hop collaborations (as we have Erykah Badu and The Alchemist's Abi and Alan for 'Before The World Blows') and concepts (the 'Q Theory' of Wyclef Jean's jazz album), Busta Rhymes knows how to do it the right way with the late, great J Dilla. Paying homage just like when he was on his 'New York S###' in his Dr. Dre epic era. The legendary energy M.C., with the best hype man in the biz in Spliff Star, has flipped the Flipmode Squad script recently. Coming back in a big way, when everyone else was staying home, in 2020 with his superior sequel 'Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath Of God'. But now, with government name Trevor Smith's first album since his 2023 'Blockbusta', he releases the sequel to his 2007 Mick Boogie mixtape 'Dillagence', with the official album 'Dillagence II'. Blessed with exclusive access to over 300 unreleased beats from J Dilla this sounds even bigger than the time he went sonic with Clinton Sparks for 'New Crack City'.

Busta Rhymes first collaborative LP since the Leader of the New School and the Flipmode Squad posse cut 'The Imperial', also gives us Dilla's first record since 'The Diary' entry of 2016 for the late, great, prolific producer who passed an unbelievable twenty years ago now, one year before the original 'Dillagence'. Not to mention, the 'Spazzz' single and the latest 'Talk Ya S###' with the one and only output of Lil' Wayne. That alien looking blue man group avatar in these twin videos has his mouth permanently dragging carpet in reaction to the rhymes that remain as raw and ready as ever. And just wait until you see 'This Woman', featuring another late, great in neo-soul pioneer D'Angelo, for the latest. With a vibe of the 'I Know What You Like' collaboration with Mariah Carey, music videos have never been this naturally beautiful. 

There are classic collaborations across the board for these tracks bordered by conversations with Ma Dukes. This album is so good even friend Tyrese Gibson is basically telling Busta to go f### himself on I.G. (now, that's one reel you don't want to have slid into your D.M's). La Reezy makes his 'Entry', whilst CIE and Trillian become 'Royalty'. C.S. Armstrong ('Drugs'), Watch The Duck ('Run Em Down') and T3 ('Lay Down') also make their mark alongside a legend who has always let others rock the mic, from the streets to the 'Great Day In Hip-Hop' icons, so long as they rock it right. The bigger names come later. Big Sean says he will 'Wait 4 U' with Bxby. And Talib Kweli, and Armstrong again, gets back with Busta for 'Love & War'. Yet it's the Oscar and Grammy collaboration of 'What We Got In Common' that sees that last word, and the great Grammy family of Jon Batiste lift the Rhymes name into bright lights that don't shine as bright as Busta's own style that steals that show. All before this 'Kingpin' knocks ya head off in a white suit for the daredevil. Alongside Anderson .Paak, and the only man who could ever match his grandiose guest feature, sick sixteens...Ludacris.

The green graffiti of this classic from The Conglomerate really rides the train of thought that's off the rails and right onto the charts here. Approved by the estate of J Dilla, and his mother, Maureen Yancey, these are the first Dilla beats to see the light of day since Raekwon was 'Only Built 4 Cuban Linx' in his 2009 sequel. The long-standing professional relationship between Bus a Bus and Jay Dee goes all the way back to the original 'Extinction Level Event' of 2009, and this final world front still turns them up some. Being "extremely selective" with these three centuries of tracks, 'How The Boss Will Deliver' is different to his usual fast flow, giving you 'Back Pain, Chest Pain, Head Pain'. Until 'The Story Of The Old Man' is one you can't wait to hear by the hip-hop rocking throne.

'How You Want It', when it comes to this iconic wordsmith and one of his top-three producers, alongside Dre and A Tribe Called Quest icon Q-Tip who gave even more abstractions and light to 'The Big Bang Theory' of Smith's last second-wind. "Let me get them", he simply says. The real Rhymes come on the first single, 'Spazzz' when he spits, "Blunderin' fools that's wonderin' (Who's that?)/Bust Rhymes, reincarnatin' the boom-bap (B####)/Powerful blow, y'all should probably move back/Take notes, study my shit, school a new jack/Look, this what you do while I give you the new crack (Peep)/How I bang 'em and throw another loose stack/Bomb hard, you know it's the God when I spit, though." And that's not it. Your own diligence is due. Join and respect the conglomerate and throw a half-eaten donut up for James Dewitt Yancey. There's still nobody that could beat all Jay Dee, Dilla has left sprinkling across your speakers. Let those sirens ring out!

Playlist Picks: 'This Woman (Feat. D'Angelo)', 'Shoo', 'What We Got In Common (Feat. Common & Jon Batiste)'.

Spin This: Busta Rhymes - 'Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath Of God'.

J Dilla - 'Donuts'.

Listen to ERYKAH BADU & THE ALCHEMIST 'BEFORE THE WORLD BLOWS'

About To Blow

By TIM DAVID HARVEY 

Blown out of proportion. That's this week's New Music Friday for you. Headlined by the 'Timeless' nature of a Prince, very little promoted, but vault heavily raided, in what poses an ethical and moral dilemma. Yes, we still haven't heard music quite like this (even Celine Dion's version of 'With This Tear', can't quite match this), but should we? Prince is said to have not wanted any of his stored material to be released posthumously. So, should we even turn our ears to the 'Timeless' nature of his estates latest release? If you want something a little more respectful, Busta Rhymes gives us the sequel to his own due 'DILLAGENCE' with the late, great J. Dilla. And that's not the only creative collaboration pushing the envelope like Fugee Wyclef Jean's foray into jazz (the self-released 'Q Theory'). Abi and Alan are here, too.

Better known as neo-soul queen Erykah Badu and super-producer The Alchemist (Mobb Deep, Nas, and many, many more of rap's elite). 'Before The World Explodes (The Abi & Alan Experiment)' is finally here after years of high anticipation and long wait. Ready to explode across the world in all its experimental epic-ness. And this genius collaboration brings a few friends along for the ride, too. In this black and white film reel of shades and puckered up lips we have Creole Princess, Joi and Westside Gunn (also appearing on 'No I.D.') telling us 'I Just Play A Part'. Steve Lacy heading 'To The Moon' for a 'Plan C'. And the great Earl Sweatshirt putting his on for 'I Know That Man'. Not to mention, a pair of modern-day jazz greats in Thundercat ('They Ain't You') and Kamasi Washington for the closing 'Black Box' recording.

Yet on this sweet sixteen it's 'Valentine' (featuring DRAM) you'll fall for way before February. Reminding us of the Devin The Dude assisted 'Poisonous' by legendary underground hip-hop outfit, Dilated Peoples (also produced by Alch). All for an album that is a straight classic, not to mention one of the most cohesive and compelling of the calendar, from the moment the opening 'Echos' are heard. Baduzim making a stand and social statement about racism and sexism, saying "Ah, John Lennon said/They treat women like the n###s of the world, yes, he did." Now, read in-between those lines. Feeling like a trilogy conclusion to the 'New Amerykah' series that we last heard of a decade and a half ago with the classic and controversial (in the art of its amazing music video) 'Return Of The Ankh'. All as The Alchemist has been mixing creative concoctions with the genre and game's best of the best. But nothing, not even hearing Prince again, takes us higher than this. It's Erykah's earth once again.

A pair of apostles ('What The People Say', 'Hot BiBi') and a whole lot of magic ('Witch Doctor', 'Abracadabra'), this album amazes the senses it stirs. On 'Crossfade', Badu brings the beauty that comes with the art of storytelling and song-writing, singing, "It's like a cross between two animals/Two different breeds/He likes the sea/But that's just too cold for me/Don't go too deep (Ooh)/'Cause that's just too cold for me (Mm)." And that's just what Erica Abi Wright and Alan Daniel Maman are together. Forever in this always collabo. 'Next 2 U' holds you close like someone you'll have and se 'Next Lifetime'. Whilst 'Love Me Not' checks all the boxes, not merely picking at daisies. The chain is complete with the beautiful 'Breezy' that flows in with the wind of a changing season. "Her name was Breezy, she eats with chopsticks/She likes to party by herself/She drives a fast car and it's electric/She's at the red light, she's at the green light", Erica stops and goes. The experiment works, the two A's charge you up with something strong for a world on the brink of collapse. Nothing before, for the pair, has blown quite like this.

Playlist Picks: 'Echos', 'Witch Doctor', 'Valentine (Feat. DRAM)'.

Spin This: Erykah Badu - 'New Amerykah Part Two: Return Of The Ankh'.

PRINCE is 'TIMELESS'

Time After Time

By TIM DAVID HARVEY 

Sadly, Dolly Parton passed away this week. As did the great Pennywise and 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' of Tim Curry, Optimus Prime himself, Peter Cullen and the red bob of Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kasuma. May they all rest peacefully. Leaving a legendary legacy like no other. From artistry to philanthropy. Dolly worked more than '9 To 5', as she warned us of 'Jolene' and reminded us that when it comes to Whitney Houston, and her, 'I Will Always Love You'. What a way to make a living. In Dollywood there are also reports of a secret song buried in a time capsule. One that can't be opened until 2045. And you just know that it's going to be something. Just like all of the posthumous Prince material unearthed following his own sad passing a decade ago. Starting with the raw, but ready demo of 'Piano and a Microphone 1983', back in 2017. 

We just hope it's as ethical as Parton's prolific output. Because remember, here's an Artist who once recorded an album with fellow rock God Lenny Kravitz only to muse on its completion that it was just for them. According to legend, and the tao of the symbol, of course. With that being said, however, from outstanding 'Originals' to the return of 'Welcome 2 America', it's been real, but has it been respectful? As the amazing anniversary editions of some of his greatest classics ('Diamonds and Pearls', 'Sign O The Times') have heralded even more hits. But hits that he wanted? With or without this, the artist formerly known as, is absolutely 'Timeless', regardless. And the latest posthumous album, and the first since 2021, of the same name, doesn't need to prove that. Just like the purple haze left in his wake of his iconic shadow on the album artwork cover canvas. From highlights like 'I Wonder', to a live version of 'How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore' (from Oakland, back in 2016, right before he left us), a future Alicia Keys hit that Rogers Nelson takes back, these eleven tracks, for some, are worth the half-decade wait...in platinum.

'With This Tear', that was movingly release, with an affecting music video the same, on the ten-year anniversary of Prince Rogers Nelson's death is the posthumous hit that soars to 'Moonbeam Levels'. Recorded on Celine Dion's eponymous, first English-language, 1992 album, right before 'The Colour Of Love' was telling us to 'Think Twice' in regards to 'The Power Of Love'. This is another example of Prince manically, like Monday, making moving music for others. Yet with all due respect to the late, great Sinéad O'Connor, nothing compares to how the purple one does it. The reign continues on the instantly catchy chorus of 'Tick, Tick, Bang', that feels like another dynamite hit. "You're just a bombshell/If I ever get it, ever get it/There's no tellin', no tellin' how long I'd last/Before I tick, tick, tick, bang/All over you." BOOM! Even if these worked lyrics are not suitable for radio.

It's just all so Prince from the 'I Am You' outset to the studio outro ode of 'Bestest Friend' for Michael. So sweet, yet still the coolest man this planet ever housed, never giving in to saccharine sentiments. Exploring eras over the decades, from the jazz age of the classic 'Calabama' to the time when the icon just went by a loving guitar symbol (for a heart of 'Stone'), this all fits together so Sakanaction seamlessly for a man who blended genres effortlessly, as music itself encompasses it all. Still, from the revolution of 'Heaven', to 'The Guilty Ones' single, it might be the estate itself that is guilty of not paying attention to 'Heaven' as many fans have distanced themselves from an album that has received very little promotion. Would Prince really want this? Didn't he state he didn't want posthumous albums released, as his vault was raided in what was really mere moments after his death? The artistry is amazing, but the artist himself is what is worth so much more. Don't cash in on the beautiful one that never sold out.

Playlist Picks: 'I Wonder', 'With This Tear', 'How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore? (Live @ Oakland, 4 March 2016)'.

Spin This: Prince - 'Piano and a Microphone 1983'.

'THE GOLD ALBUM' by WEEZER sets the standard

Goldmembers

By TIM DAVID HARVEY 

Mike Myers may looooove gooold. But he's got nothing on this. Rivers Cuomo appearing on Jimmy Fallon's late-night show with his legendary Weezer outfit. Not to mention, a touch of Goldfinger. Appearing like the Willy Wonka of gold members. All the way down to those geeky glasses that just look like the late, great Buddy Holly. Friends, Weezer are back, and they'll play Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka around St. Valentine's Day next year, too. Lovers, this is for you. In their spectrum, this platinum rock act has given us all the colours for their series of self-titled albums. Blue, green, red. Most recently, teal and black. It was only a matter of time that the band went gold. And how fitting to mark their 20th album, following the last full-length hard rock 'Van Weezer' and their four extended play 'SZSN's over 2022?

Their first album in four years doesn't betray their outrageous output. Eleven albums in the last decade since 'The White Album' for these nerdy Beatles with a Beach Boy twist. These California kings of alternative American rock give us 'The LA Sound' with their latest classic. A seventh-seal of self-titled bliss. Their first colour album since 2019. Even Ed Sheeran doesn't make mathematics quite like this. A cool, compelling and classic concept. We can't wait until Mister Rivers' Neighbourhood goes purple like Prince. The sweet single 'Shine' really glows like the latest 'C.E.O'. as Cuomo and Weezer have been inspired by working on a feature film together. All for the first "Weezer" Weezer album since 2021's 'OK Human' coming out of COVID. Rivers Cuomo, Patrick Wilson, Brian Bell and Scott Shriner are back working together again. And this time they bring Wednesday (the North Carolina band, not Jenna Ortega) along to this New Music Friday for the instant classic collaboration of 'We Might As Well Be Strangers'.

That should be enough to lift these legends next to fellow one Brandon Flowers, sans Killers, as these thrashers welcome a wonderful weekend with Leon Bridges giving us the second act of his forthcoming album 'Happiness Anytime', set for the fall. Box-sets and Broadway residencies may have been cancelled, but this is what we really want to see. Weezer doing what they do best. Even if, Rivers runs deep, saying it best, "Cranking out another nineties jam/Wish I could do something new/But nobody wants to hear that/They just want the classics/You can't blame 'em, really/There's something special about your early s###." 'The Show Must Go On' like that showstopper. And you'll 'Say Yes' the minute you let this Tower Records CD play. Because let's take it back to the good old days when albums were all about breaking out the booklet as you lifted the lid and heard that sound of pressing the disc into the tray. The red and yellow album.

'Don't Make It Weird', Goldie says as he sings "I was walking down Montana/When I bumped into a lady that I know/I tried to make small talk/And then it got weird, yo." 'Hoops' is balling for your ears as it rings out. Whilst 'Nowhere' goes everywhere like the storm drains. Flowing with lyrics like, "I just wanna sit with you/If the grass is green and the sky is blue/It's enough for me/I just wanna sit with you/If the grass is green and the sky is blue/It's enough for me/Is it enough for you?" Because that, ladies and gentlemen, is love and life itself. The kind of California dreamin' for all you mamas and papas that has you 'Up In The Clouds' like, "dissolving into the night." Because even after all, "every Adam will pass away/No matter how hard you pray." Maybe it's about "getting lost in thе stratosphere/While еverybody is fake sincere." As Cali' as the Chili's, Weezer are about to go Hollywood with Keanu Reeves, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Johnny Knoxville for our generation. They've already been living in Beverly Hills, but in these LA times, there's no place like home. And for Weezer, that's back together. That's the gold. What a rush! As good as.

Playlist Picks: 'Shine Again', 'We Might As Well Be Strangers (Featuring Wednesday)', 'The LA Sound'.

Spin This: Weezer - 'Weezer (The White Album)'

'THRASHER' BRANDON FLOWERS continues to bloom with killer solo career

Welcome To Fabulous...Nashville

By TIM DAVID HARVEY 

Sin City to Music City, U.S.A. In-between scoring 'Direct Hits' with The Killers ('Read My Mind', 'Human', literally the first half of their 'Hot Fuss' debut album), Brandon Flowers has given us some successful solo sojourns. Back in 2010, 'Flamingo', named after the road in Brandon's Las Vegas hometown that also houses the infamous Sam's Town Casino (you know the name), was a compelling, credible classic. A darker, killer turn featuring the singles 'Crossfire', 'Only The Young', 'Jilted Lovers & Broken Hearts'. Not to mention serious standouts, including 'Hard Enough' (featuring Jenny Lewis), 'Playing With Fire' and 'On The Floor'.

A half-decade later, the style was switched up for this new romantic with 'The Desired Effect' of rolled-up suit-sleeves, like a Miami Vice beat cop waving Morrisey flowers. 'Lonely Town', 'I Can Change', 'Still Want You' and 'Can't Deny My Love' hit the jukebox. Whereas 'Between Me & You', 'Never Get You Right' and 'Diggin' Up The Heart' had yours. Now, over a decade later, with 'Tiger Blood' in his veins, shadowboxing in black and white for some album artwork that looks halfway between the desert and Music Row, Brandon is back by himself as a 'Thrasher'. But don't let that name or photo box you silly, this is no hard as nails album. Instead, the soft rock king, this side of Springsteen, returns to the country roots of American music. 

The opening track of his debut album was a sign. 'Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas'. And there are mirages of that here in a lost 'Paradise'. Otherwise he has 'Plans' on hitting the road, like the awe-inspiring lyric video of a real, great America. On this top ten closer, 'An American Dream', Flowers takes you further into the groundwork of those Americana aspirations, but it's on 'Miss Americana', that is not about Taylor Swift, even if this is Nashville, where things take a darker turn. "You know the messed up thing/If the truth be told/Grown men have noticed me/Since I was 12 years old/It always made me feel/Like some kind of prize/I guess I saw my worth/Through their porno eyes/If Jesus really suffered/And paid for all this sin/Then why do we still feel it/Again and again?" The 'Battle Born' prize-fighter scrapping for those who didn't have a voice...until they heard it in song, like scripture.

From the influence introduced on 'Does It Ever Cross Your Mind?', Brandon has a holy one to bear as his arms reach out for something more. Richer and deeper in his own solo career which he could have started all by himself. We love The Killer inside him. It's actually been another half-decade since the 'Pressure Machine' came in hot off the heels of 'Imploding The Mirage'. And we can't believe it's just been shy of a decade since 'Wonderful Wonderful'. Yet The Killers have had so many members come and go, it's almost like a solo story now. Nevada's own goes it alone on 'One Of Us', but has a whole legion of fans across the strip following him to a different Broadway from the one you know in the Big Apple.

Flowers already gave us the tale of 'Tyson vs. Douglas' and he continues that sport synergy on 'Angel' about a big hitter on the diamond. "Angel took the cross hanging 'round his neck/Pressed it against his lips/He’s batting over .500 this year/And there’s talk of scouts making trips/There's a girl who just moved in down the street/From deeper in the southwest/His uncles all warned him about messing with white girls/But he always liked them the best." The storytelling is as sublime as the Bruce who he knows best, as in these Badlands, Brandon finds 'The Red Ground' and a love that's ashes to ashes with the way it's starting to treat you good. Singing "When you done built a wall/Clear around your heart/The echoes of the past ring out/And ricochet/But you’re shooting like a star/So far from your home/Should’vе cut yourself loose/A long time ago" to the dust.

On the same New Music Friday where Weezer finally give us 'The Gold Album' for their standards, and Leon Bridges offers up part two of his forthcoming 'Happiness Anytime' album pursuit next month, this wrangler is one you'll put your bootcut jeans on for 'In A Heartbeat'. Those unmistakable vocals choking back the tears we hear with lines like "Me and Katie, we go all the way back to 1993/She was stubborn as a bull, she was beautiful to me/When you’re that age all you want is for to be women and men/But opened eyes get a front row glimpse into the end/She showed me the untouchable world/In the still of my backseat." Flowers' pop has always known how to sing about sin, but now this Mormon is in another part of the country, the terrain remains the same. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness we can only find in love. Whether that's for your brother or for yourself. Brandon has always known how to kill it. But he's never been this alive.

Playlist Picks: 'Paradise', 'Miss Americana', 'An American Dream'.

Spin This: Brandon Flowers - 'Flamingo'.

PHOEBE BRIDGERS finds new ground in a 'LOST WEEKEND'

The Weekend

By TIM DAVID HARVEY 

May Pang had a professional and personal relationship with John Lennon, between 1973 and 1975, during the working-class hero's brief break from artist Yoko Ono. The fellow Plastic Ono Band leader dubbed this departure their "lost weekend".

This also serves as the same name of  'Stranger In The Alps', indie folk rocker Phoebe Bridgers' third album. And her first in six years (just three if you count 'The Record', and 'The Rest', for her Boygenius supergroup with Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker) since she turned into 'The Punisher' like Jon Bernthal. And no, it has nothing to do with the fact that her former fiancée, ('Normal People' and 'Gladiator II' star Paul Mescal) is about to play Paul McCartney in Sam Mendes' Beatles biopics. Sure, there are lyrics to go here about the breakdown of that relationship, referencing the 'Aftersun' and 'All Of Us Strangers' actor's new love in singer/songwriter Gracie Abrams (whose own album came out a few weeks back). Yet these are the artist's own personal and powerful brushstrokes of beauty in the break. Sure, she's putting them out into the world, but they are still her business. Swifties, back down! Besides, Jack Antonoff is on this.

What critics and fans alike should really look at, in this magnificent new record that now Bridgers the gap with a big-three, is the new Americana ground Phoebe finds in this ambient folktronica age that is all hers. From the alps, to screaming 'I Know The End', whilst making out with a senior in her perfect 'Punisher' conclusion. Wearing the bones of her own black, superhero costume, this ghost works the machine on this Dead Oceans album. One that really swims in another year of 'Arirang' BTS domination. All you have to hear is the distorted opening vocal of 'The Outside' to see that Phoebe Bridgers is not playing around. "Crying in a suit and tie/But you should see the other guy/One more time for old time's sake/I’ll watch him get carried away/Fist through the drywall/I'm frozen in place/But not afraid." What more can you say?

Same song for the 'Lost Boys' lead single for all you Peter Pans. No Kiefer vampire, but an Elfin Bridgers role playing in the park, like Shakespeare (cue Robert Downey's "doth mother know"), with new 'Superman' Jimmy Olsen, Skyler Gisondo, all the way to the forest building of a 'Minecraft' like video game. Not to mention the 8-bit beat for the 'Kyoto' singer. "On a motorbike, doing 90 in a 55/To another life/Where they make you cut your hair/Impatient with a rifle and your papers/Weightless but not scared." Knights and roundtables, it's one of her chainmail strongest yet. You'll be singing along like all the other singles that flow as perfectly as riding around your local area in a suit and tie on a scooter.

Driving through alien rays in classic American muscle, Phoebe continues to strum acoustic for all her friends on some of the best cuts you'll hear in years...from any artist. Navigating love and loss, not to mention the perils of fame, this is Phoebe's most personal and profound project yet. Dealing with the death of her father Tony Bridgers. You can hear his voice on a voicemail for the moving 'Never Going Back!" backed by a banjo. But it's on the best of the album, 'Still Standing' were Tony really gets his dedication. "I wasn't too young to understand/I just didn't think it was so bad/And it wasn't, in a way/And now there is nothing/You're back to the ocean, burning red/I can't imagine you dead/But you are every day/Thank you for everything." Pain, purity, and the absolute beauty of family that lives on in the spirit of soul. And the art of this album.

So, focus on that, and hug your own like coach Doc Rivers said in last weekend's Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement speech. Whilst everyone else is picking apart the grace of 'The Governor's Waltz' and shining a light on that "hiding in the bathroom like Shelley Duvall" lyric. We all have those moments...not matter who we are. And in the same week where we failed to save more heroes, we should save more face, theirs and our own. Especially in this day and age of lukewarm "takes" and internet takedowns. So, put away those phones, like the in concert protocols that are about to happen on 'The Lost Tour'. I can attest, after seeing her in Tokyo's Zepp a few weeks shy of the Boygenius release in 2023, that it's a show like no other. Taking it to churches in London, like Hozier, the 'Panorama' LA storm drain lyric video (featuring Jake Minch 'Twice' interpolations) and the bright but brittle 'Liberty Tree' will look (yes, look) and sound amazing in this horn 'Haunted' house.

From 'Bobby' dedications ("Now I sleep in your shirts and you live in my house/You sing in the shower, I talk to myself"), to album title-tracks that sample Phil Lansky's idle chatter, this 'Lost Weekend' should be found on your turntables (with a 'Best Dressed' bonus) and playlists. All the way to the raw reprise in curtain concluding closing. 'Kill Me' will floor you. 'Lost Parade' is signature and sublime. Whilst new single 'I Can't Wait' and the made for a movie, moving 'Other Plans' should really put yours on hold, because this can't. 'As Above' and so below in all its atmospheric beauty helps bring this album home. "Trying not to look down/Making faces at a kid on the plane/Trying not to freak out/About bein' a couple days late/Started watchin' a movie/One where they go back in time/And it got to me/I don't know why." You know when you're airborne for so long and, in-between red eyes and that damn dry mouth that just can't help stomach airplane food, those fleeting moments that feel like forever up there help you become free from everything beneath you? Yeah? Well, this album is just like that. And you won't want to come down. So, don't look.

Ladies and gentlemen...the 'Lost Weekend'.

Playlist Picks: 'Lost Boys', 'The Governor's Waltz', 'Still Standing'.

Spin This: Boygenius - 'The Record'.

A stunning and scorching SAKANACTION Saturday at SUMMER SONIC

Sonic The Headliners

By TIM DAVID HARVEY 

What do Tokyo's Summer Sonic music festival and their Disney Sea theme park a few train stops over have in common?

Well, for one, they're not actually in Tokyo. More like the neighbouring prefecture of Chiba. A beautiful place, but I guess it doesn't have the same ring to it as Japan's capital and most famous city in the Land of The Rising Sun.

The other thing Disney Sea and Summer Sonic have in common is that here in 2026, they are both celebrating their 25th anniversaries. Here's to 2001, like a Dr. Dre album.

A certain name-sharing hedgehog, still in his prime, is also celebrating his 35th in Japan.

And what a quarter century it's been for two places that draw everyone, especially in the Summer, to Tokyo Station. Not just for the beautiful building and views of it across the way, but the train change that takes most Tokyoites and people from Yokohama next door (hands up) to Chiba's nose. 

Heading up court like the special Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers like, Summer Sonic, 26 basketball jerseys, showing love to the NBA.

The only thing that rivals the musically diverse Summer Sonic is the Fuji Rock festival that really amps up proceedings. We were there last year to check out Haim and Vampire Weekend, but this year Massive Attack and The xx rocked out in the Naeba ski resort. 

A month after July's hotter than ever Fuji rock, comes the outstanding Obon week headliner, Summer Sonic. You can watch sets by the beach and in a stadium, but if your skin is still peeling from the sunburn onslaught in the mountainous Fuji, then you can take some respite indoors for some convention centre like stages that are only mountain in name. And what's this? Cheap vending machines aplenty? Please...for the love of everything that's hydrated, please bring water with you (although food is not allowed), but when that's done, there as many vending machines as there are acts on the bill. And it's normal, and not high-priced either, like when you, say, ascend Mount Fuji. This is what I've heard, mind you. You think these legs are really scaling a mountain?

Saturday at the Mountain Stage was where it was at for us in a long weekend, headlined by The Strokes, that saw everyone from Jamiroquai to Jennie from BLACKPINK GO! The virtual insanity came from me, not realizing that this was an indoor affair, as I left it until late to make my way. Still, I did take in a big-three worth of acts that amazed. 

Remember Suede? Well, they've still got it, unlike that coat you should have never worn out in the rain, Seinfeld. Bringing their iconic album imagery and that 90s indie rocker oasis of a feeling, gone in a blur of summer haze, back. Cycling through the classics and cuts deeper than the darkness of the sweat soaked shirt. And when they closed with the 'Beautiful Ones', like Prince smashing a picture, man, it was over!

Talking heads remembered the time in warmth nostalgia. Especially when this crowd found themselves in a beautiful arena, with a beautiful (husband or) wife. Thinking "how did (they) get here" as they were being serenaded by a seventy-something, decked out in all orange, like his Broadway band. A man who simply wanted to show his travel photos to the crowd. And that man was none other than the great David Byrne in all his American utopia. Amazing like his latest album ('Who Is The Sky?'), Byrne, baby, Byrne, there is nothing like this David. Part Broadway, part TV show, you have to see this man at least once in your life. Once in a lifetime.

Sandwiched between Suede and David Byrne was top Japanese rock act Sakanaction, fresh off scooping up all the hardware at Japan's Music Awards for their Godzilla giant hit 'Kaiju' (which elicited roars from the crowd here). The bold and brilliant band that beautifully blends genres and homage like the Prince's and LCD Soundsystem's before them were in their element. The dual guitarists banging on single drums like a Haim 'Valentine'. And get this, the rush of the crowd filled out the arena even more than a Talking Head. Truth. I've got the little room for dancing to prove it. Although I still busted out the 'Pulp Fiction' homage 'Inari', latest single, moves. 

Ichiro Yamaguchi, Ami Kusakari, Motoharu Iwadera, Emi Okazaki and Keiichi Ejima rolled through some of their greatest hits and best set-pieces, as lasers and 'Blade Runner' like projections of geishas scanned through the merchandise draped crowd, throwing up the diamond, like Jay-Z. With a new soundscape brought to bear, it got so hot for Sakanaction that there was enough perspiration to get a couple more bottles of Pocari Sweat. Maybe enough to fill an aquarium. 

Speaking of which, upon arrival at the nearby Kaihin-Makuhari station you could see the shadow of singer Ichiro behind a plastic screen, poster promoting the Sakanaquarium that's coming back this fall after selling out the K-Arena, two nights in a row, and other stadiums last year. So much so, surely Fuji Rock is calling next. The banners where everywhere in the station. Even where you touch your IC, Suica, or Pasmo pass at the ticket barrier. Sakanaction are taking over Tokyo like a kaiju. Screaming like a monster. Blooming in more than a whisper.

'THE THREAD' of WILLOW'S wicked wisdom

Weeping Willow

By TIM DAVID HARVEY 

As per, there is plenty of music out this New Music Friday from her peers. The headliner Charli XCX's 'Music, Fashion, Film'. The legend Shania Twain's 'Little Miss Twain'. And The Strokes recording the new 'Reality Awaits' of autotune with super producer Rick Rubin out in Costa Rica. Yet, nothing, Sinead playing Prince, compares to the wicked wisdom of Willow Smith, right now. Word to her mother Jada's heavy metal act.

Pops may have got jiggy wit it, as the most famous member of the family. As successful as they come, from Bel-Air and rap's first Grammy, to multimillion-dollar movies that survived the slap. Not to mention, the "only reason your a## went to Miami." Whilst her older brother, Jaden, may have got their first on his own 'Pursuit of Happyness'. But the tear, or should we say 'The Thread', of what Willow has been on is like nothing, or nobody else, right now. Even outside of her growing artistic family tree. 

The same singer, who shaved her head at the age of ten so she didn't have to keep performing her monster hit 'Whip My Hair' for Jay-Z, on tour with Justin Bieber, so she could be a kid again, has almost released ten albums. And she's only just a quarter of a century young. Imagine what she'll have at 50. Or even just 30. Her latest ('The Thread') is more than an eight wonder. It's her second this year, after February's formidable 'Petal Rock Black' in black and white, with arms and hands held together. Not to mention, her fifth since 2021's 'Lately I Feel Everything'. Most don't have this much in ten years. Let alone half a decade.

Coming out of corona with her 'Coping Mechanism' the following year and 2024's epic 'Empathogen' the extra trick up Smith's sleeve, is that none of them sound the same. It's been like this for 'Willow' ever since the amazing artwork of the 'Ardipthecus' debut on Roc Nation and 'The 1st' second album. And now, this 'Thread' returns to her roots and the veil of some vivid visualizers, following the NPR NMF favourite 'Talk On The Hill' and it's iconic music video.

Blending progressive R&B, jazz and a meditative feeling, 'She's My Religion' is the high note however and where the iconography gets really legendary. Especially in the lyrics, "She's adorned in constellations/Kissing her skin, oh, woah/Each star, a quiet warning/Nature always wins/Her grace is a river raging straight towards the sea, oh/I am not worried 'bout a raft/Her voicе is inside of me and I know." No wonder pops is proud as punch on Instagram.

Creating its own musical language, the purple haze and reign of the album artwork intrigues. As does the title track and the 'Hell To Pay' if you miss out on this heaven sent talent, just because you wrote off the family name of hair whipping fame. This 'Tall Baby' stands higher than all that in 'The Present Moment' of an original sound that pushes the envelope of every genre in an artificial time in need of more, real intelligence and elements in the art form that needs to offically drop the "ficial" responsibility. 'Bone Collecting' like Denzel, the 'Unconditional' love sings, "I wanna be a part of your family/I wanna laugh and drink whiskey with your mother/I want to live in the in-between/Where this love is not about you or me/You or me, oh" in simple, signature odes to match the outstanding grooves.

Refusing to 'Shrink To Fantasy' ("I told you the truth from the start/Not a joke, not a game/Just the shape of this heart"), the most talented member of a terrifically so family is a star in her own right. NPR's New Music Friday album consideration tells us RIYL (recommended if you like) Frank Ocean. But to be frank, as outrageously talented as he is, his output has nothing on us. We recommend him, if you like HER. A 'Crush On Eternity' and the forever push of music that comes with Mei Semones harmonizing "I've kissed desire and called it grace (Mm)/You wrotе your name across my face (Yours always). This is what mainstream music really yearns to be. This thread will go on forever more.

Playlist Picks: 'She's My Religion', 'Shrink To Fantasy', 'Bone Collector'.

THE STROKES use of autotune on 'REALITY AWAITS' is a stroke of genius

Reality Beats

By TIM DAVID HARVEY 

Back in 2009, Jay-Z declared the 'Death of Auto-Tune' on his smash single 'D.O.A.' from his trilogy conclusion album, 'The Blueprint 3' (still not getting why this cover's prime colour was red, but let's digress). An artificial singing style popularized by the legendary likes of T-Pain. Who since that G.O.A.T. crucifixion has put out some lovely Motown albums, showcasing his vocal skill sans the digital lifts. 

He wasn't the only one, back then. Not to mention, this high-note lob pass goes as far back as Blackstreet singing into plastic straws for hits like 'Don't Leave Me' and 'No Diggity' off the 'Another Level' album. And let's not forget, the late, great Roger Troutman of Zapp (and a hilarious Chris Rock skit) hooking 2Pac and DR. Dre's 'California Love' remix, either. And check the original, where, as my college friend once pointed out, "he goes sick." "Computer. COMPUTER!" Absolute genius.

Another stroke of genius, pun intended (twice), comes with Julian Casablancas and The Strokes new album 'Reality Awaits'. Produced by the creative act of God producer, Rick Rubin, and their first album since 2020's 'The New Abnormal' during COVID times. This seventh seal of a nine-track wonder is another great to add to a classic catalogue ('Room On Fire', 'Angels'). Back in 2001, when The Strokes asked 'Is This It', like a leather glove on the hip, The Strokes, like Rock N Roll Hall of Fame White Stripes, alongside them took it back to the good ole, simpler times and recording techniques. Just like the 'Elephant' in the room of London's Maida Vale studios.

This RCA and Cult record, dubbed "even sexier" like the 1980s Nissan 300ZX in the band's Instagram teaser video, focussed forward however. Despite the reality of the 'Awaits' album artwork and its Richard Prince Marlboro man like 'Cowboy'. And it's a master move, like putting 'The White Lotus' favourite actor Walton Goggins in the 'Going Shopping' music video, alongside the sci-fi needle drop of the 'Falling Out Of Love' second string single. 

Lip-syncing (how apt in all this) Casablancas' "Like a tiger, they will chase you down/With words instead of claws/They will seduce you 'til you reach the point/To let yourself get mauled, oh/The worse reality gets, the less you wanna hear about it/Solidarity can be difficult/When you got cool stuff to lose" lyrics, like Saturn's rings laced around a cherry, Goggins shows he really is a rock star Decked out in a 'Miami Vice' city story proud suit. Although, anyone whose seen him 'Dreamin' Wild' with Casey Affleck in the true story of Donnie and Joe Emerson's 1978 debut album finally coming to light, knows this is already all too true.

That same song was distributed on promotional cassette tapes to promote this album recorded in Costa Rica with Rubin. One that features standout tracks like 'Lonely In The Future', 'Liar's Remorse' (what a title) and 'The Fruits Of Conquest'. But from the ode outset of some 'Psych S###' to the storybook end of 'Tyrants Of The Mellow Moon', it's the use of autotune that really amazes and sets the tempo for this new reality that's anything, but abnormal. Just await it, as Julian harmonizes "Forget the things that they did, yeah/Obey the words that they say, yeah/Get it on my desk on time, yeah/Got plans, I'm going online." The 'Dine N'Dash' of this album is anything but a dime a dozen. The rap game may have left the autotune's ring on the bedside table, but here, it rocks. 

Playlist Picks: 'Going Shopping', 'Lonely In The Future', 'The Fruits Of Conquest'.

Time For Some SAKANACTION

Credit: @Sakanaction on X

How Sapporo's finest are reeling in the prize of Japan's best live band...

By TIM DAVID HARVEY

There's nothing like fishing in Spring.

Last month, Japanese rock band Sakanaction (a portmanteau of the Japanese word for "fish" and the "action" they always bring to arenas) played a fan club only member show in Tokyo to mark the awe-inspiring Ariake Arena being renamed to the SGC Hall. Counting down their fan favourite voted for songs (let's hear it for 'SORATO'), before breaking into their biggest hits 'Shintakarajima', 'wasurerarenaino' and 'Kaiju'. They also debuted a d&b Soundscape that could even give the Dolby Atmos, that last year's 'SAKANAQUARIUM' live shows and accompanying DVD were filmed with, a run for its speakers.

Speaking of fan favourites, their classic, like a yukata or kimono in the music video, 'Yoru no Odoriko' just went viral, re-entering the Japanese Top 50 at number one. Now being joined by the charting 'New Treasure Island' and the monster 'Kaiju'. One of Japan's most revered bands are well and truly back. But they really never left. A top ten in Japanese music, five if you just look at rock, Hokkaido's very own have been touring and soaring like a fishing line cast out to water. What's next is to get a bite from overseas. But before all that, Ichiro Yamaguchi (vocals and guitar), Motoharu Iwadera (guitar), Ami Kusakari (bass guitar), Emi Okazaki (keyboards) and Keiichi Ejima (drums) are set to light up the Land of the Rising Sun with summer sunrises in the Far East beauty.

If last year's Shinkansen speeding and touring trip through towns, and last month's fan club in Ariake weren't enough, Sakanaction will play Japan's Summer Sonic festival in Tokyo and Osaka this August. Headlined by the likes of The Strokes, David Byrne, Jennie of BLACKPINK, FKA Twigs, Jamiroquai, fellow Japanese acts BABYMETAL and Bump Of Chicken, and of course, themselves. 

Not only that, bassist Ami Kusakari will be performing at another festival this coming Saturday (May 23rd) in Gamagori, Aichi. The Mori Michi Ichiba festival at Laguna Beach and Laguna Shia, following Kusakari's performance with eclectic and electronic artist Kyoka last November for the MUTEK JP 10 festival at Shibuya's Spotify O-East, will see Ami play her personal passion project, last year's amazing album 'Garden Studies', which still blooms beautifully to this day, like a Ginkgo tree.

Speaking of nature, then there's the SAKANAQUARIUM that had everyone in Japan looking through the glass last year. It returns for the fall. Playing multiple dates in September and October, in Osaka, Kobe and Tokyo's Nippon Budokan. A former martial arts hall of the Tokyo 1964 Olympics, first played to rave and controversial reviews by some local lads called The Beatles, and most recently housing legendary acts like Norah Jones, The Smashing Pumpkins and Foo Fighters. Iconic. Just as Sakanaction are in Japan, with a legacy the rest of the watching world outside of Asia needs to see. Anime soundtracks and such will help with that, but once the tank of their aquarium rocks and rolls over you, you'll be fishing for more.

Incredible set pieces, classic choreography, and laser shows that light up the night like neon crossing Shibuya's streams of tourists. You'll wish you could hold your phones up, but for the love of all that still exists in a live show...please don't. There's nothing like a Sakanaction set. Especially when it comes to the amazing Sakanaquarium. Ichiro's (who started the year with his own solo set) inspired vocals hit the high notes and seats, whilst the great guitar of Iwadera influences more to come. The brilliant bass of Kusakari, and all the elements of the rest of the instruments she plays, are backed by Okazaki's incredible keys (the end of 'Kaiju' is iconic). All as Ejima gets epic on the skins. 

The music, their music, is more than enough, but with a show that stops everything else in their tracks, some of their songs are joined by special Sakanaquarium music videos, starring dynamic dancer and actor Runa Miura and directed definitively by Yusuke Tanaka. Moviemaking moments of magic. Lights, camera, Sakanaction. Surely a new Sakanaction album will come soon, following the amazing 'Adapt' in 2022. But it's not like this band isn't busy, with more concerts than the Tokyo Dome, knocking it out of the park. 

In March they came forward with their latest single 'IRANAI', and it's incredible and playful, neon 80s like music video, featuring avant-garde dancer, model and actress Aoi Yamada with a blonde Bob. Wearing Yamaguchi's Talking Head like suit, akin to a second skin. You'll be wanting to play their hands on eating game with your friends, more than a Nintendo Switch 2, as you dance like John Travolta and Uma Thurman in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. The call and response of the "Iranai iranai/Iranai iranai/Na no ni kanjiteru" chorus that Ichiro Yamaguchi improvised with the fans on the spot at last month's SGC show was inspired, and something you'll probably see in concert at forthcoming shows that go to the future. 

One that is Sakanaction's. Selling out the K-Arena, the largest venue dedicated to music, two nights in a row last summer, in Yokohama Bay. Get your cheerleading pom poms ready. They're number one.

Need any more proof that Sakanaction are the best live act in Japan?

Go fish!

DUAL REVIEW: BTS - THE COMEBACK - LIVE/THE RETURN - A DOCUMENTARY

4/5 (The Comeback)

4/5 (The Return)

Back To Seoul

62 Mins (The Comeback) / 93 Mins (The Return). Starring: RM, Jin, J-Hope, Suga, Jimin, Jung Kook & V. Directors: Hamish Hamilton & Cameron Whitelaw (The Comeback) / Bao Nyguen (The Return). On: Netflix.

Switcheroo. Last week, Flea, candid and compelling, offered moving stories about his late, great guitarist bandmate in the Netflix documentary 'The Rise Of The Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother Hillel'. The same time RM, Jin, J-Hope, Suga, Jimin, Jung Kook and V of South Korea's very own leading K-Pop act BTS made their long-awaited after their mandatory military service. All for 'Arirang', their highly-anticipated, brilliant, brand-new album, featuring the streaming single 'Swim' and the 'Body To Body' opening dancefloor number. Giving us 'The Comeback' live on Netflix in the same weekend. Much like how fellow boy band phenomenon Harry Styles gave the streaming service 'One Night In Manchester' to coincide with his solo release, 'Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally'. This New Music Friday, Flea blew the trumpet on his first ever solo album, 'Honora', in honour of the bassist's family. All on the same day we got ready for 'The Return' of BTS again, in their new Netflix documentary film. Don't call it a comeback...that was so last week.

Netflix may have lost out to Paramount when it came to the acquisition of Warner Bros. (thanks a lot, Trump), but look what else they've picked up. Most recently, not only being the only streaming provider to televise this year's World Baseball Classic, they also gave us the MLB opening night between the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants. But it's the N x BTS deal that may just get an ARMY of new subscribers following. Disney used to be the Kingdom of BTS. From the 'Monuments: Beyond A Star' series detailing their hiatus, alongside the 'Permission To Dance' swan song live in LA, to all the documentaries about the solo work of J-Hope ('J-Hope In The Box') and Suga ('Road To D-Day'). Not to mention the hugely popular 'Are You Sure?!' travel series by Jimin and Jung Kook, which just sky-dived its second season in Switzerland. Yet that was the past and the best to come that was promised. And kept, as we see the future now, live on everybody's favourite streaming service that belongs to their best friend.

Now, what better way to debut their return record than with a homecoming in Seoul, South Korea, like no other...live? How about in the heart of the city, live from Gwanghwamun Square? The iconic temple that feels like a gate to the city featuring brushstrokes of projection mapping, added on to it for the effect at night, similar to what the digitally iconic TeamLab Borderless did to Kanazawa Castle and more, here in Japan. Classic, like the traditional dress of women singing the album title name's folk song as they sway in love, sorrow and endurance. Yet when the silhouettes of the magnificent seven appear on the map of the heart of Seoul, you just know it's on, like one of their biggest hits. Performing powerhouse records like 'Mic Dop', 'Dynamite', and other smooth like 'Butter' numbers, to go along with instant classic choice cuts off the new album. "Swim...swim." All as RM coolly took a seat, like this was a 'Yet To Come' performance, thanks to his going hard in rehearsals leaving him down on one knee, in matrimony with the Boyz II Men ballad seat.

In the engaging 'The Return', a documentary directed by Boa Nguyen ('Live From New York!', 'Be Water', 'The Greatest Night In Pop'), BTS debate whether they are using too long a sample of 'Arirang' in their album lead off track 'Body'. But as they sing, "my beloved/Who leaves me behind and departs/Your feet will tire/Before mine ever do," it's clear to hear that in-yun in 8,000 past lives, these boys would still be together. Most break...not this bulletproof squad. Candour and conviction are matched with a camaraderie that shows even the military couldn't tear apart what was already an army. And when they reunite on a beach, live online for their legions of fans, BTS behind the scenes like when Jimin asked Jung Kook if he was sure, you just know this one is more than just seven strong. Sealed with viral moments and a labour of love and trust of the process in a studio setting in Los Angeles, California. All the way back home across the shore and a live, studio plugged version of 'Swim'. A new lap for a group that has already taken its victory one and is about to run, run, run together again. The return has come all the way back. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

Further Filming: 'BTS - Monuments: Beyond The Star', 'BTS - Permission To Dance: On Stage - LA', 'Are You Sure?!'

REVIEW: FLEA - HONORA

4/5

Flea's Bag

A Flea has 'A Plea'. To "build a bridge" and "shine a light", as the Red Hot Chili Pepper bassist and trumpet player makes something beautiful on the lead single from his debut album 'Honora', produced by Josh Johnson. "I don't care about your f###ing politics", he declares, running, jumping, and generally, just moving like the Flea that he is in an instantly iconic music video, directed by his own daughter, Clara Balzary. "Now we are all human beings here", he adds in a track that asks "who's your neighbor, who's your friend" to the hate that's all around. This is not 'Acid For The Children', like Michael Balzary's moving memoir, more inspiration for them to see the Californian sun, as the Los Angeles times of the Lakers superfan warns, in purple and gold, "you're scaring the kids, the beautiful kids," with "civil war" echoes in the background. More than just a "little scrap of squiggly crayon on a paper", Flea gives us one of the most innovative and influential songs of the first quarter with the indelible mark, "See the god in everyone/Everyone leaves out no one/And everything besides love is cowardice/You wanna be brave, you wanna be tough?/Peace and love is the toughest, hardest thing you can do/Build a bridge, it's where the courage is." 

Live for peace and love, because it really is all we've got. I bet you never thought BTS and the RHCP would have something in common, aside from an army of fans, but here they are, playing Netflix and Spotify (or wherever you stream your sounds) hot potato. Last New Music Friday, the South Korean pop powerhouse released their 'Arirang' album after years of mandatory military service for their members. All whilst filming 'The Comeback' live for Netflix from Seoul's legendary Gwanghwamun Square. On the same day, the most successful streaming service also gave us the documentary 'The Rise Of The Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother Hillel', featuring moving accounts from Flea and Anthony Kiedis, the perfect precursor to this week's album from Flea. Not to mention a new BTS documentary, 'The Return', on, you guessed it, Netflix. Flea's album joining the likes of those boys, BLACKPINK, Harry Styles, Labrinth, J. Cole, Jill Scott, Willow, Mumford & Sons, U2, and Bruno Mars, who brought the Chilis out at the Super Bowl, as one of the best albums, and the most compelling, in an already complex calendar.

It's hard to believe it's been four years since the Red Hot Chili Peppers great comeback, with guitarist John Frusciante in tow. One that gave us two albums, 'Love Unlimited' and the 'Return Of The Dream Canteen', in the same year. And this doubling up, from doc to solo set, is definitive, too. Lucky for us, we've had thirteen albums from the Red Hots. Not to mention that many from Frusciante, and also a set of albums under his alias, Trickfinger. Finally, Flea is getting in on the act with an amazing album that is so iconic we can't wait until he blows like Miles again. All the way down to 'Honora's' (named after a loved family member) amazing album artwork, featuring Flea's mother-in-law Shahin Badiyan in sixties Iran with a bird on her shoulder. Sure, we know Flea as one of the best bassists around. Like Este Haim, or Ami Kusakari of Japan's Sakanaction. Known to defy the conventions of looking bored with the bass, as he moves across the stage, like the lines on a song-sheet. But his horn section is incredible too. So much so, this jazz album is even better than Outkast member Andre. 3000's iconic, Grammy grabbing 'New Blue Sun'. We're sure we'll see a Flea at the Blue Note jazz club, here in Tokyo, soon. Better put on a shirt.

All around the world, we're waiting, in concert, for a man who has laboured long enough for his own passion project. He started recording an album back in the mid-90s. He almost had it in '98, but scrapped his plan in order to make 'Californication'. Yet the scar tissue of his best laid plans remained. In 2012, Flea gave us 'Helen Burns', an epic EP, but this is an actual album. One that features Radiohead's Thom Yorke, like you've never heard him before, at the 'Traffic Lights', and the great Nick Cave (on the Western movie ready, 'Wichita Lineman') one week after he remade his 'Peaky Blinders' Red Right Hand theme for the bad seed of 'The Immortal Man' (yep...on Netflix). But it's the 'Morning Cry' precursor of the ten-minute 'Frailed' that might be the cinematic highlight of the set. Although this jazz album's cover of Frank Ocean's 'Thinkin Bout You', and its live performance with a small orchestra on Late Night Will Jimmy Fallon is really turning talking heads. Yet, reuniting with the great master of funk George Clinton, Flea really speaks on 'Maggot Brain' when he urges us to look at what we're doing to a planet that's rotting at the core.

"Mother Earth is pregnant for the third time/Because, ladies and gentlemen/You have knocked her up." Similar to that Andre Benjamin was saying when he said "mother earth is dying, and we continue to f### her to death" as he vibrated higher on 'The Love Below'. This Nonesuch label album wants to put down more for the record, too. And it shows and tells. Featuring all the players. Even some of his Hot Chili friends that have helped him get by with a little help. Inspired by Michael's love for jazz, the 'Golden Wingship' really spread its own, covering the greats like Ann Ronnell ('Willow Weep For Me'), and even taking us back 'Under The Bridge' to classic call and response Chili's with the closer 'Free As I Want To Be'. Like Yorke sings at the traffic stop, "The whole or just a part of it/Call us when you're sick of it/Other people's prejudice/Can you spot the difference?" There's a message to this music for you radio, heads. There's more playing behind the notes in a man who has never stuck to the hymn sheet, or script. Even when he's amazingly acted in everything from 'The Big Lebowski' to 'Boy Erased'. This isn't the first time the Red Hot wild card has taken a left turn. But it's his most personal and profound yet. Bass to trumpet, in your honour, this is the best Flea market. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

Playlist Picks: 'A Plea', 'Frailed', 'Thinkin Bout You'.

Spin This: Andre. 3000 - 'New Blue Sun' 

DOCUMENTARY REVIEW: THE RISE OF THE RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS - OUR BROTHER HILLEL

4/5

He Was Red Hot

95 Mins. Starring: Anthony Kiedis, Flea & John Frusciante. Director: Ben Feldman. On: Netflix.

Dave Navarro, Josh Klinghoffer, Will Ferrell? California's band, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, have had more legendary former members than there are Lakers jerseys in the Los Angeles' rafters. Such is the nature of line-up changes in rock music, that feels like a sport in itself, the Grammy museum being just across the road from the purple and gold home in Figueroa. No past member, mind you, save the returning John Frusciante, was more of an iconic influence than late, great guitarist Hillel Slovak. The man that the great Frusciante based his own freaky styles on. He's here, on record, to tell you as such. One of the great guitar Gods we lost tragically in 1988, when he was just 26-years-young.

Next New Music Friday, Flea will finally give you his own solo project, 'Honora', that we just have to honour and trumpet. Set to be an instant classic like its iconic album artwork of record dedication love in black and white. The first RHCP release we've been peppered with since 2022's double-delight return of 'Love Unlimited' and the 'Return Of The Dream Canteen'. And this documentary, 'The Rise Of The Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother Hillel', directed definitively by Ben Feldman, is the perfect precursor to this. Even though the band's official Instagram confirmed that this doc was actually unofficial, despite testimonials from Anthony Kiedis, Flea and John Frusciante...this was before the great Chad Smith's time to shine on the skins. Streaming on Netflix, for their own big weekend, after hitting a home run with the World Baseball Classic, following their strike-out on the Warner Bros. deal. Giving us not only their long-awaited 'Peaky Blinders' movie, 'The Immortal Man', but 'The Comeback' of South Korean pop juggernaut BTS for 'Arirang'.

Slovak was a sweet, sensitive soul, who was taken far too soon by the influence of drugs. In those LA times he was a rider of the storm, without a shirt, like the murals of the legendary Jim Morrison that open the doors to Venice Beach...wide. Hillel would journal like a beat poet and even scrawl sublime sketches that will remind you of the art of John Lennon...all in his own style, mind you. He had such an inspired impact on others. Especially Anthony and Michael...just wait until you hear the story of how he became "Flea". And why for this rise of the Red Hots is this film the perfect set-up for Balzary's solo set, next week? Because Hillel was the one who told Flea he should pick up a bass and slap it, like Este or Ami. Seeing Flea get emotional will break your heart in an utterly moving and sad story as Kiedis gets candid and compelling, too. Hillel Slovak appeared on four Chili Peppers albums, appearing on one track of the magnificent 'Mother's Milk', and the crosswalk with their sock of c###s out, 'The Abbey Road E.P.', but his memory and impression is still on the strings, punctuating their percussion to this day. The Red Hot Chili Peppers don't rise without their brother. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

Further Filming: 'Devo', 'Keith Richards-Under The Influence', 'Red Hot Chili Peppers: Woodstock '99'.

REVIEW: BTS - ARIRANG

4/5

Back For Love

ARMY, rejoice and stand up, as the military service stands down and discharges. BTS are back in your area, about to cause mass hysteria. Almost a mere month after fellow K-Pop phenomenon BLACKPINK! returned to meet their 'Deadline' with an EP to make you 'GO!' All on the same weekend they will air 'The Comeback' of their 'Arirang' album live on Netflix. Much like the 'One Night In Manchester' Harry Styles and the streaming service gave us to mark his new perfect pop album, 'Kiss All The Time, Disco, Occasionally', a fortnight back. His One Direction were the Backstreet Boys biggest boy band of all-time. That was until BTS became the most fantastic since the fab four of The Beatles. Take that! And now after all members, RM, Jin, J-Hope, Suga, Jimin, Jung Kook and V, have finally completed their mandatory military service for the South Korean army, here's proof that they're back for good...and love. 'Arirang' in Korean being a traditional folk song passed down through generations of longing, separation and resilience. Found in translation to the devotion of a "beloved one." In-Yun, 8,000 past lives.

Let it ring out, as the bells of 'No. 29' toll. This album title's folk roots also serve as a symbol of peace between the north and south. These Bangtan Sonyeondan, "bulletproof boy scouts" already know how to bring the watching world they dominate together, from speaking at the United Nations to ones across the world knowing their big hits, word-for-word, like they were learning Korean. Add the sensational single 'SWIM', on a stunning ship, to the streams, as this sweet song is even sung in English. And guess what her name is, as 'Riverdale' and 'Hustlers' actress Lili Reinhart co-stars? "Swim, swim/Water falling off your skin/Swim, swim/I could spend a lifetime watching you", sung by 'Are You Sure?' Disney + travelogue cohorts Jimin and Jung Kook ("cham, cham, CHAM!"), probably written whilst they were taking in the scenes of Switzerland. Solo sets from all members, most notably RM, J-Hope and Suga, have tided us over during their four-year hiatus. But now they return to a crowded calendar that's already given us Labrinth, friend of Hope, J. Cole, Jill Scott, Willow, Mumford & Sons, U2, Bruno Mars and many more, like Red Hot Chili Pepper Flea going at it on his bass own for next week's trumpet solo.

Play the horns for this one though, because the moment the outstanding opening of 'Body To Body' goes skin-to-skin with your speakers, you know it's back on. Instant repeat. All for an American pop inspired left turn for these chopped and screwed, hardcore 'Hooligan's' calling themselves crazy with Britney Spears shout out respect, no toxicity. These idols brought us back up from a modern-day system of a down, teaching us to love ourselves. Now they return with a much grimier, gutter set, albeit still suited up in trademark garb to go with their new album logo that has already become ARMY member iconic. Sure, you'll miss the smooth sounds of 'Butter' and the hits that exploded on the charts like 'Dynamite'. Maybe the cute, pure pop days left the day they shaved their scalps for another army. The bubblegum has perhaps burst. But they already told us the best was yet to come. And this could be it! It might not be their biggest and best (a new, nuanced 'NORMAL' on their instant hit-making 'Merry Go Round'), but from version '2.0' dialling it up, to the sick sample of 'they don't know 'bout us'', this could be the most compelling and cohesive set that finally garners them the Grammy they should have been granted by now.

All the way grown up, 'Aririang', long-awaited and highly-anticipated, like nothing else, is something else. Something more. More mature. Whether out of this world 'Aliens' or acting 'Like Animals' with feral feeling, these boys who will always be like themselves have become your valentines again, akin to their rose installations in London, Los Angeles, and of course, Seoul. That's all they needed to promote an album that already surpassed four million pre-orders before it even hit shelves and streams. No song snippets of the saccharine 'One More Night', or sincere 'Please', 'FYA' (sublime). No single until 'SWIM' hit shores at the same time. But it barely mattered. The ARMY knew, and in turn we trust this. To follow 'Into The Sun', like Icarus, singing, "Twenty-four, 24/7 feel like twenty-four (Twenty-four)/태양을 향해 뛰어도 (뛰어도), 가까워지진 않아도 (않아도), oh, no/Don't be afraid, 기억해, 그저 잠시뿐인 걸 어두운/밤을 지나/아침이 오는 걸 맞으며 눈을 떠 into the sun" with sugar and hope. And if you miss the anthems, never fear. They're all here until the 'ARMYRANG' last call of dedication. The big hits are back with Hybe hype. The reunion is done. Here is the 30th Korean national treasure. It's time to enlist this. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

Playlist Picks: 'Body To Body', 'SWIM', 'They Don't Know 'Bout Us'.

Spin This: BTS - 'Proof'

REVIEW: HARRY STYLES - KISS ALL THE TIME. DISCO, OCCASIONALLY

4/5

Kiss

Disco ain't dead, at least not occasionally, on the brand-new album from Harry Styles, 'Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally', released this New Music Friday. One that you actually will listen to all the time for its pure pop, popping candy of compelling hits. Four years after we're still recovering from the party at 'Harry's House', 'As It Was', and that lead single we still can't get off our minds or playlists. Ever since the One Direction lead star and occasional actor ('Dunkirk', 'Don't Worry Darling' and a Marvel project in the works(?)) gave us the 'Sign O The Times' of his self-titled debut, we knew there was a 'Fine Line' between this young prince's solo sets and the biggest boy band, bordering between The Beatles and BTS, dripping in 'Watermelon Sugar'. Rest peacefully to his band brother, Liam Payne.

Now, this young Jagger (get that biopic ready) proves, with moves, that he really is a movie star, who can dance his way through an all action set-piece, too, with the amazing 'Aperture' single. Singing, "I've no more tricks up my sleeve/Game called review the player/Time codes and Tokyo scenes/Bad boys, it's complicated/It's complicated" to a Hollywood music video. All as he and super-producer Kid Harpoon play Elton John and Bernie Taupin again. 'Harry's House' garnered him a Grammy. This 'Kiss' may just add another trophy to the family cabinet. Complete with sure-fire singles ready to go, as he bobs and weaves under the disco ball, holding his glasses in the middle of a cold countryside. Album art to go alongside the big, BTS like Netflix debut, and the forthcoming 'Together, Together' tour that really brings them out, like the blingy suits that would do Bowie proud. This album from the great Brit, performing at The Brits, taking cues from Ziggy, and of course, the purple one, for this young star's reign. The outstanding success of One Direction may have led to all of this, and rightfully so, but this new one will have you calling the Timothée Chalamet cheeky chappy of music by his own name.

"We belong together", like Mariah Carey, Styles said, on some promotional posters and billboards in New York, Manchester, Palermo, São Paulo, and Berlin that teased this new project, back in January. And now, Harry follows Labrinth, J. Cole, Jill Scott, WILLOW, Mumford & Sons, U2, Bruno Mars and BLACKPINK, with another album marching in to help 2026 GO! A dozen delightful tracks of 'Pop' pleasure from the setting off single to the 'Carla's Song' closing dedication. There are anthems, like 'American Girls' (for all those who can't get enough...get your hands up), on this Erskine and Columbia record, but when it comes to sweet smelling songwriting, it's 'Coming Up Roses' that will be your late Valentine, as Styles sings, "Just for tonight, let's go hangover chasing/And I'll talk your ear off about why it's safe/As I fumble my words and fall flat on my face through the truth/Just say the word and we'll take up the test/Where we flirt with the bad ones and skip all the rest/But we see out the night with your head on my chest, me and you." Lyrics to go from a man whose work mirrors the circular artwork designs on its YouTube videos. Get ready to turn your screen around, like photo taking frustration, and sing-a-long.

Learning all the words, from 'Ready, Steady, Go!', to the moving 'Dance No More', 'Are You Listening Yet'? Because for all those who still write him off as boy band material (but look at all OD made), you don't know your basic facts (in an "oh, oh, oh", Paul Rudd SNL superfan voice). And you're missing out on some of the best music you'll hear, straight out of London (and in Italian) crossing Abbey Road, in pop's golden era. This is anything but 'Paint By Numbers' with subtle powerhouse tracks like that. With the Kid, Harry harpoons songwriter Tyler Johnson, and even beautiful backing vocals from Wolf Alice's Ellie Roswell and the House Gospel Choir. This "life mantra" inspired by LCD Soundsystem and Stardust's own 'Berlin Trilogy' really gets the 'Taste Back' ("must be lonely out in Paris") after a 22-month tour supporting Styles' last two albums. 'The Waiting Game' telling you it was worth it with words that are wise ("You can romanticise your shortcomings, ignore your agency to stop/Write a ballad with the details, while skimming off the top/A personality, considering you've been a little overhonest lately/And you apologise, a dirty clown"). On 'Season 2 Weight Loss', that has nothing to do with The White Lotus, Harry harmonizes, "Aren't you for sale if you're cashin' in cold?/You've got to sit yourself down sometimes/It's hard to tell when the thoughts are my own/And the old hat gets harder to hold." But with his in his hands, he holds on to a style that is uniquely his own. It's a grand occasion sealed with a kiss. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

Playlist Picks: 'Aperture', 'American Girls', 'Coming Up Roses'.

Spin This: Harry Styles - 'Harry's House'/