Albums of the Week: AngelHeaded Hipster, Peter Grimes, American Head
The three best new releases you should listen to
This week’s best new releases include various artists singing the songs of Marc Bolan and T. Rex, a new recording of Benjamin Britten’s 1945 opera and the latest record by The Flaming Lips.
Various: AngelHeaded Hipster – The Songs of Marc Bolan & T. Rex (BMG £13)
Marc Bolan was the “platonic ideal of a pop star - glamorous, impish, lovable yet elusive”, said Tim de Lisle in The Mail on Sunday. Now, 43 years after his death, he receives “one of the biggest compliments known to songwriters” - a tribute by Hal Willner, the great producer who sadly died earlier this year of Covid-19, soon after completing work on this wonderful album. Willner’s special gift was for matching material and artist, and here a starry array of Bolan fans - including U2 with Elton John, Joan Jett, Nick Cave, Peaches, and Marc Almond - deliver beautifully realised covers of some of his best songs.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
There are moments when Bolan’s “defiantly gibberish” lyrics feel exposed, said Neil McCormick in The Daily Telegraph. “I got giraffes all up in my hair and I don’t care,” croons Father John Misty on Main Man. But in fact, it scarcely matters. With its “intriguing cast, exotic songs and dazzling arrangements”, this treat of an album is a “loving, rich, strange and rewarding delight”. My advice: “Bang a gong, and get it on.”
Britten: Peter Grimes (Chandos; £23)
This superb new recording of Benjamin Britten’s breakthrough 1945 opera, by the Bergen Philharmonic under Edward Gardner, is up there with the “finest” ever, said Erica Jeal in The Guardian. It was made last year following several semi-staged performances and acclaimed concerts – and the recording is thus “extraordinarily well run-in”. Even in audio only, it registers as a “genuine music drama”. The music “leads us through the story in one urgent, vital sweep”, the sound is “huge and thrilling”, and there’s “sparkling interplay between singers and orchestra”.
This “outstanding” Peter Grimes is one to “cherish”, agreed Hugh Canning in The Sunday Times – and it preserves Stuart Skelton’s “immense incarnation” of the title role. His Grimes is “brutish” in his treatment of the apprentice, yet “heart-breakingly vulnerable” in the mad scene. Erin Wall and Roderick Williams provide fine support, and the Bergen choruses (with singers from the Royal Northern College of Music) “share the honours with Gardner’s superlative orchestra”.
The Flaming Lips: American Head (Bella Union; £10)
Recent Flaming Lips albums have been “gimmicky or unlistenable”, said Will Hodgkinson in The Times. But on American Head, they rediscover “what they do better than anyone, which is a dreamy, richly melodic take on psychedelic rock containing stories culled from experience”. Their best album since 1999’s The Soft Bulletin, it’s a strangely moving “hallucinogenic epic about the other side of the American dream”. Harmonies and melodies “unfold with ease” and crescendo before breaking into “musical Technicolor” and there is a luxurious, Beatlesque quality throughout. Just wonderful.
This is an album about memories of childhood and adolescence, said Elisa Bray in The Independent. The sound is “accessible, tender and surreal”. Many of the songs are augmented by backing vocals from Texas country star Kacey Musgraves. And the bucolic tone throughout “conjures flashbacks with wide-eyed wonder”, especially in the “melodic gem” Dinosaurs on the Mountain. Evocative and beautiful, the album is a thrilling return to peak form.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Quiz of The Week: 27 April - 3 May
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By The Week Staff Published
-
'Protest charges unlikely to stick'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Universal donor blood is 'close' to reality
Under the Radar Scientists identify 'cocktail' of enzymes that destroy harmful antigens
By Rebecca Messina, The Week UK Published
-
Silversea cruise review: a Central and North American adventure
The Week Recommends An incredible journey featuring cultural exploration, cooking classes, comfort and more
By Yasemen Kaner-White Published
-
The Westbury Hotel review: stunning suites in charming Dublin
The Week Recommends This hotel is the perfect spot to while away a weekend in Ireland's capital
By Kaye O'Doherty Published
-
Drama movies 2024: new films out this year
In Depth Latest reviews include The Boys in the Boat, One Life and Tchaikovsky's Wife
By The Week UK Last updated
-
Best new hotels and places to stay in 2024
The Week Recommends Featuring stylish island resorts, historical properties and wilderness retreats
By The Week UK Last updated
-
Albums of the year: best music of 2023
The Week Recommends A look back at the best pop, rap, jazz, dance, classical and rock releases
By The Week UK Published
-
Savoy Grill by Gordon Ramsay review: an institution reinvented
The Week Recommends Traditions are maintained and the tweaks are clever and modern
By Neil Davey Published
-
Tulum: a Mexican beach town of 'two halves'
The Week Recommends With the 'pueblo' and 'Zona Hotelera', Tulum is home to great hotels, restaurants and beach clubs
By William Leigh Published
-
La Zebra review: beach chic, perfect tacos and secret cenotes
The Week Recommends Enjoy a stylish stay in Mexico at this family-friendly beach hotel and restaurant
By William Leigh Published