The first of this week’s hottest albums is Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation, the tenth solo album from Edwyn Collins. The 11-track album was recorded at his Clashnarrow Studio in Helmsdale, north-east Scotland, and was co-produced by Edwyn with Sean Read and Jake Hutton, who all play on the album. The album also features James Walbourne on guitar, William Collins on bass, Carwyn Ellis on guitar, Lena Wright and Bianca White on backing vocals and includes two co-writes – ‘The Mountains Are My Home’ with Carwyn and ‘Strange Old World’ with William.
On 11 September 2024, Symphony of Lungs came to life at the BBC Proms with an outstanding performance from Florence + The Machine and Jules Buckley, reimagining the album Lungs in its entirety. This included best-selling fan-favourite singles such as ‘Dog Days Are Over’, ‘You’ve Got the Love’ and ‘Cosmic Love’ in addition to rarities Florence admitted she hadn’t performed in at least 15 years, including ‘Bird Song’ and ‘Falling’. Jules Buckley with his team of arrangers transformed the already beautifully produced album into an orchestral and choral masterpiece.
When Karl Wallinger left The Waterboys in the mid-’80s to form World Party, it took just one song to convince fans that this was no mere side project. That song, ‘Ship of Fools’, along with ‘Is It Like Today?’, ‘Way Down Now’, ‘Put the Message in the Box’ and ‘She’s the One’ populate this first-ever worldwide release of the 16-song greatest hits package Best in Show, which draws from the albums Private Revolution, Goodbye Jumbo, Bang!, Egyptology, Dumbing Up and Arkeology.
The Father of Make Believe carves out new sonic territory for Coheed and Cambria amidst all of the wailing guitars, drums that crack like fireworks, and Claudio Sanchez’s aching, powerful voice that centres us through moments both placid and pinwheeling. But where the set really forges new ground is in how Sanchez embraces the role of main character. He’s often used epic songcraft to mask the stories he wanted to tell: reflections on an addicted father; memories of his beloved grandfather; concern about raising a child in a cruel world; hopes and fears around the love of his life. This time, he’s writing more directly about his life and, especially, his unusual career. Sanchez is the Father of Make Believe, gazing down upon this world he’s wrought.
Stygian Waves builds on the impeccable musicianship and stellar songwriting of Envy of None’s acclaimed 2022 self-titled debut. With this new album, the Canadian-American supergroup boldly ventures into a spectrum of new guises – from alt-pop and industrial rock to synthwave and hard rock. Recorded primarily in Toronto in 2024 and entirely self-produced, Stygian Waves is the culmination of each member’s distinct musical vision, blending haunting melodies, moreish riffs and richly layered electronic textures into a compelling and unique sound.
Our release of the week, The Overview, sees Steven Wilson return to expansive, progressive music, a genre he helped redefine and repopularise with both his solo and Porcupine Tree releases. The two wildly ambitious side-long tracks are each made up of distinctive musical sections that flow from one to the other, playing out as unique and continuous pieces. Wilson’s 21st-century progressive music updates the classic ‘prog’ musical palette to incorporate everything from glistening electronics to post-rock and beyond, which brings the genre right into the beating heart of the current musical landscape. Headphones and a wide-open mind are recommended.
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