What We’re Listening To: Sleaford Mods’ New Album & Other Things You Need To Hear

Record reviewer Peter Baker brings you the releases you need to know about. Below, a pianist takes on The Beatles, soul meets big beats, and one of Ireland’s up-and-coming folk singers finds inspiration in the bird kingdom.

New music

SLEAFORD MODS — ‘UK GRIM’

Nottingham’s prolific Sleaford Mods are angry. They have every right to be — their UK is grim, not just up north, it’s grim everywhere. The duo of Jason Williamson and Andrew Fearn have been detailing the demise of their very English dream and the brutal rise of austerity for years and on UK Grim, their frustrations are front and centre, present in every aspect of this gritty observation of modern-day UK. Abrasive soul meets grinding big beat, political commentary is layered over minimal techno, stitched together by post-punk production. Think the bastard child of John Cooper Clarke and The Chemical Brothers or Mark E. Smith fronting The Prodigy, but these comparisons don’t do the Sleaford Mods justice, because what’s on show here is truly unique. UK Grim is in your face, it’s coarse and confronting and it’s also vibrant and enduring!

Record label: Rough Trade

Release date: Out now

Listen to: Force 10 From Navarone

For fans of: The Fall, Chemical Brothers, Viagra Boys

LISA O’NEILL — ‘ALL OF THIS IS CHANCE’

Lisa O’Neill cuts a unique silhouette in today’s musical landscape, one that draws from the riches of her home country. Lisa is a gifted singer-songwriter, who hails from County Cavan in Ireland, her 2019 album Heard a Long Gone Song was awarded folk album of the year by The Guardian and she was recently hand-picked to adapt Bob Dylan’s All the Tired Horses for the epic final scene of Peaky Blinders. All of This is Chance is her first outing for Rough Trade and it’s simply magical, packed with tales of cuckoos, peacocks, wild berries, bees, the earth and the sky. Drawing from nature’s own, Lisa is supported by a host of acclaimed musicians, who help to shape and craft an album that truly transcends. A raw and beautiful work from one of Ireland’s up-and-coming treasures.

Record label: Rough Trade

Release date: Out now

Listen to: Old Note

For fans of: Joanna Newsom, Lankum, June Tabor

YO LA TENGO — ‘THIS STUPID WORLD’

Yo La Tengo have been forging their own path for nearly four decades, fiercely independent, utterly eclectic and sometimes wilfully difficult. This Stupid World sees the trio, comprising Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew, contemplating our world’s finite existence and everyone’s part in that story. Self-produced and recorded in a “live” setting, the core elements of each song see the trio all playing together as the tape machine rolls, giving the whole album an overwhelming sense of forward momentum. Sinatra Drive Breakdown, Apology Letter and Brain Capers are all fine examples of this momentum, whether it be rhythmic or chaotic. This Stupid World is easily Yo La Tengo’s most compelling and concise album in ages. Highly recommended.

Release date: Out now

For fans of: The Clean, The Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth

BRAD MEHLDAU — ‘YOUR MOTHER SHOULD KNOW: BRAD MEHLDAU PLAYS THE BEATLES’

Piano virtuoso Brad Mehldau was born in 1970 in Jacksonville, Florida. Raised on a diet of classical piano lessons, he soon discovered jazz and moved to New York to study music, where he trained under Fred Hersch, Jimmy Cobb and others. Mehldau is not shy when it comes to interruptions (check the previously released cover of Paranoid Android I by Radiohead). Recorded live at Philharmonie de Paris in 2020, we find Mehldau shining a light on one of the greatest songbooks ever, The Beatles, highlighting what an accomplished musician he is. Stand-out tracks include Your Mother Should Know and I Am the Walrus.

Record label: Nonesuch

Release date: Out now

For fans of: Keith Jarrett, Joshua Redman, Pat Metheny

On tour soon

SOAKED OATS — ‘WORKING TITLE’

It’s hard to believe Working Title is in essence Soaked Oats’ debut album, but it’s certainly worth the wait. From the infectious immediacy of The Way it Works through to Day to Day, it’s clear things are working differently. Gone are the catchy odes to stone fruit. Here are 10 well-crafted creations, often complex, sometimes chaotic and others reserved. There’s a sense of boundaries being explored in Divide Simple and boundaries honoured in Simple Pleasures as this quartet pushes themselves and their processes to new heights, with the assistance of studio wizard Tom Healy (Tiny Ruins). Check out the gorgeous Pink Beach featuring Motte — it’s a stunning tune, simple in form, yet beautiful in creation. As far as debuts go, it’s up there and certainly worth investigating.

Record label: Dot Dash

Release date: Out now

Listen to: Pink Beach featuring Motte

For fans of: Kevin Morby, XTC, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Peter Baker is a local industry stalwart with 30 years’ experience and musical tastes from 80s electronic through to reggae, soul, jazz and country. If you’re lucky, you’ll find him in Tāmaki Makaurau behind the counter at Marbecks.co.nz, sharing his love of music. Read his album recommendations on Viva every Saturday.