Album Reviews: Paul McCartney, Maisie Peters, Tove Lo

Paul McCartney – The Boys of Dungeon Lane
Liverpool, England

No one has had a career quite like Paul McCartney, though on his latest record, he seems the most interested in reflecting on simpler days than trying to break the mould. For a record that shows a McCartney who has never lost his touch as a melodic powerhouse, it also reveals one who has perhaps lost his hunger for new sonic frontiers. While this is still a rich album in many respects and a strong musical idea palette, you may actually find more unexpected and charming moments in his new Wings memoir. McCartney goes from his sombre late-era acoustic to a booming mid-career rock on “As You Lie There,” even blending in a bit of RAM experimental production, for a fun, if at times messy track that shows how many hooks he can still loose on ears at once. That soft, almost wilting folk is the core of “Days We Left Behind” however, with Paul tracing his amazing life and reminiscing about the young years that may have gone by too fast with his superstar lifestyle. The storytelling matches the bouncy spirit of the music on “Life Can Be Hard,” as McCartney taps back into a more animated storybook type of track, and crafts something not overly complicated but impressive in the way it ties it all together. More late-70s ideas collide with the modern production of “Salesman Saint,” as Paul weaves a kind of wandering ballad to the man trying to make a life on the road, not dissimilar to his career.

Jungle – The Wave (Single)
Essex/London, England

Moving back into their fully fleshed out groove pop over their soulful, throwback slow jams, Jungle feels at their sharpest production form on “The Wave.” Lydia Kitto’s vocals are even smoother than usual, as the subtle harmonic or potentially sly chorus effects give her a depth of sound, while keeping her voice in a strong, airy place that feels closer to fabric than anything else. The details here are quieter but just as layered as usual, as they seem to be building a more earthy and wooden tone to the latest record. The bass is a constant sonic ground for this track to build and dance around, only being occasionally met sonically by the synths that grow on it. Though perhaps a bit more like a textural and mixing evolution of a track from Volcano, it feels like the band is slowly building the perfect live set to mix all their albums together into one show.

Maisie Peters – Florescence
Steyning/Brighton, England

Taking acoustic pop and driving it with a more maximalist approach, Maisie Peters really finds new magic in the sound. Interestingly, this record feels like the true indie promise we should’ve gotten out of Taylor Swift’s shift away from pop to more rustic tones, emotionally dense, lyrically rich, and never boring. That’s not to take away from Peters’ vast tapestries or voice as an artist, but rather, to note how clever all the details and pop know-how are baked in. The bright, sparkling quality of “Say My Name in Your Sleep” is like a warm blanket, despite all its venom, gaining a glowing momentum so the track can feel quiet yet deafening at times. “Kingmaker” brings in Julia Michaels to make a radiating track that builds in waves until it’s a massive bonfire, with the final boom of those drums and synths hitting like a truck. Peters goes more straight desert pop on “My Regards,” with a sly desperada smoky, cool to her delivery, though the lyrics tend to lessen the effect into more of a dream-like view of the self. The production mixes into the aesthetics on “Questions,” to create a swirl of vocal magnetism, with every chorus feeling like a more dangerous and magnificent storm building on the horizon.

Tove Lo – I’m Your Girl Right? (Single)
Helsingborg, Sweden

As a master of mixing doubt and pain into infectious dance pop for the full emotional experience, Tove Lo hits the mark on her latest track. Blending house and more driving club music, the song is a sonic feast of different classic textures, amidst her tale of dependant love, and lust fading into paranoia. It’s this constant oscillation between the radio-ready production and the gradual reveal of darker and darker shades of her story that keep Tove Lo such a mesmerizing artist, doing all of it in under three minutes this time. The manic nature that the song starts to break her lyrics and vocals apart as the song goes on only enhances this overall feeling of doubt, and shows why Tove is such a powerful dance force.

Tanya Tagaq – Saputjiji
Cambridge Bay/Iqaluktuuttiaq, Nunavut

Given her vast range of collaborations over the years, it’s always exciting to see the new colours that Tanya Tagaq is painting with on an album. Her latest record blends the spirit of punk, goth and even metal from a production point of view to enhance the dark stories here, while her voice truly runs a full spectrum of sounds and tones, to create a one-of-a-kind listening experience that hits hard. “Fuck War” blends the dredge of a grimy, Nine Inch Nails industrial chug with the full range of her throat singing and wailing vocals elsewhere to create a full sonic statement piece against the entire war complex, and evoking its pain and devastation in its sounds through its vicious attack. There’s a more club-influenced backing to the performance-art spoken word drive of “Razorblades,” as Tagaq finds a cool middle ground between something you want to move to, and something that’s truly awakening your mind to deeper contemplation. As a raw punk dagger, “Foxtrot” is an invigorating trip that is as shocking and frightening as it is amazing as a production from a sheer cutting angle. Amidst all this however, Tagaq crafts a slowly heartbreaking picture on “Exit Wound,” as your world is slowly torn apart note by note, with her vocals crafting a whole second painting in the background of the track.

For more music reviews from Owen Maxwell, click here.