bear’s den – The Album Review

Josefin Öhrn + The Liberation beat the not-too-stiff competition this week, while Game of Thrones pulled off yet anther of its trademark shockers by not producing a complete disaster of a pop album.

Spotify playlist at the bottom.

Josefin Öhrn + The Liberation – Sacred Dreams

A psychadelic trip through the realms of electro-pop and lazy, hazy country blues desertscapes.

Rating: 7.5/10 – Read full review

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Various Artists – For The Throne (Music Inspired by the HBO Series Game of Thrones)

A collection of pop tunes based on the smash TV series. Provides an absolute shocker by not being a complete disaster.

Rating: 7/10 – Read full review

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Otoboke Beaver – Itekoma Hits

Spiky Japanese girl-punk. It’s sometimes tricky to follow the thread of the tracks but satisfyingly aggressive at times.

Rating: 6.5/10

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The Cranberries – In The End

Emotional farewell from the band that carries many of the sounds that made them famous, but with a more mature and sombre edge.

Rating: 6.5/10

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Mammoth Penguins – There’s No Fight We Can’t Both Win

Catchy indie-pop from this Cambridgeshire tiro, but the hooks and vocals fail to set the band apart from their many contemporaries.

Rating: 6.5/10

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Marissa Nadler & Stephen Brodsky – Droneflower

Initally promising sparse and atmospheric folk-rock, but the album fails to kick on as hoped.

Rating: 6/10

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Catfish & The Bottlemen – The Balance

Radio-friendly indie rock, not unpleasant to listen to, but hardly inspiring.

Rating: 6/10

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Guided By Voices – Warp and Woof

24 songs in 37 minutes on this soft alt-rock album with the occasional hint of Bowie and country.

Rating: 6/10

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Bear’s Den – So that you might hear me

Bland indie-folk, heard it a thousand times before.

Rating: 5/10

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Here’s a playlist of all of the above if you want to listen to this week’s selected new releases.

A few more items of interest here than last week. Really looking forward to the new one from Josefin Öhrn + The Liberation after being impressed by their performance at Mutations Festival earlier this year. There’s also an emotional release from The Cranberries, completed after the untimely death of lead singer Dolores O’Riordan. I’ve literally no idea what I’m going to make of the Game of Thrones-inspired collection of artists on For The Throne, but it may be good for a laugh. Hope Ed Sheeran‘s little ditty is on there.

Spotify playlist at the bottom.