Sam Atkins: I’m sure there will be some other people who pick out fantastic recent albums by Benefits, or Sharon Van Etten as their best of the month. And deservedly so. But I won’t be able to summarise those as well as them, so I’ll stick with being the predictable pop fan and shout about Lady Gaga.
Mayhem has taken over my life. It’s hard to remember a pop album in the last few years that’s captured me in the simple and effortless way that this album does. Pure Gaga, her most similar album to her debut in over a decade too, but just front to back pop excellence. Nobody does it like Lady Gaga and it’s hard to imagine I’ll spend a day in 2025 where I regret sticking this fantastic album on.
Tom Burrows: I moved house in March and then immediately went on holiday. I’d be reluctant to recommend such chaos as beneficial to one’s bank balance or music listening habits. I like to listen to music in a state of flow or semi-concentration, but it turns out that when packing up all your possessions, there are lots and lots of little decisions to occupy your mind instead. So I tried with the new Saya Gray album, the Ichiko Aoba one, and the Marie Davidson one – but I fully absorbed very little of them.
Over the last few days though, I did listen to a couple of poetry-adjacent recommendations from the Picky Bs group chat. I have a love-hate relationship with this kind of music; at its best I love the melding of impactful songwriting and punchy music, but it can so easily fall into earnest poetry which completely turns me off. The new Benefits album, Constant Noise, stays on the right side of the line for the most part. The title track is a particularly well-crafted highlight with a lot of sharp turns of phrase (“as it stands, I’m running hot with rage – but I can’t remember my motive”) on a minimal backdrop of mourning voices.
And I have often struggled with Kae Tempest’s past work for the aforementioned, poetry-related reasons. But new track ‘Statue In The Square’ is an out and out banger. This is pretty much straight-up rapping, and Tempest has bars. Their delivery, weaving in and out of a simple beat, is their work I’ve most enjoyed to date. Looking forward to the album now.
And finally, I did get to FKA twigs’ live show which, need I say, was amazing. Go see her (if she has completed the paperwork to reach your territory).
Katie Livingstone: This Mother’s Day I was gifted with the ultimate experience… a whole uninterrupted afternoon to blast the tunes of my choice. Admittedly while doing housework, but I’ll take it.
I eagerly dove into Lucy Dacus, Forever is a Feeling. The Titular track is one of my favourites – “yeah you’re smart, but you’re dumb at heart” (raises hand), as well as ‘Limerance’ and ‘Best Guess.’ Actually, the whole album was beautiful and I can’t wait to catch Dacus at the Barrowlands in July, a venue upgrade from her last visit to Glasgow in 2022 where she wowed at The Old Fruitmarket.
I’ve been enjoying the teaser tracks from Julien Baker and TORRES upcoming country album, Send a Prayer My Way, with full drop in April. Dirt is already a standout track for me, a perfect wistful folk ballad with country twang, and I am looking forward to hearing more.
Been spoiled this month, a further new album this time from Japanese Breakfast which seemed to have been penned for me; For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women). I didn’t get to spend a much time it as I’d like, other than lifting my head from the dishes in the sink and thinking “who the fuck is this collab with, The Dude?” and yes ‘Men in Bars’ is indeed a song featuring Jeff Bridges, and I’m going to give the whole thing another listen as soon as I get a chance.
Rick Larson: I wrote about Sacred Paws last month, but now the album, Jump Into Life, is out. You owe it to yourself to become acquainted with this Glasgow band.
Seattle and its environs didn’t just invent grunge (with an assist from Neil Young, of course) but created a hearty strain of the rock we call “indie”. Great Grandpa carries on that tradition and its new album Patience, Moonbeam is quite good. The title hints at a preciousness that can infect this genre, but it’s not in this music, which is darkly pretty and often surprising.
James Spearing: As trailed by Tom back in January, the new DJ Koze album is nearly upon us. The few tracks already available have a mix of styles so it remains to be seen (or should that be heard?) how the album fits together with them. One track, ‘Buschtaxi’, did grab my attention immediately though, so here’s hoping much of the as yet unheard album leans in this direction. It’s the perfect beat for the change in the season and makes me want to drink an ice cold bottle of beer on a beach somewhere.
Picky Bastards 