#mudi sama

As I'm working, today's planned albums are

CMAT - Euro Country. A classic. I saw CMAT live. She's brilliant. She got my city's famously dead crowd dancing like someone had passed an electric current through them. Had us two-stepping. The album is great and comes at an interesting time where (American) country music is on the rise again, and there are elements of country music culture that CMAT has railed against in the past. Incidentally though, her attempt to invoke the imagery of European folk tales on the album cover comes alongside her least country-sounding album. It's CMAT's bold reach for pop stardom this album, and I mean that as a positive thing: I mean musically, this is her most ambitious album yet.

I've listened to it of course, but I also get through a lot of albums for radio reasons, so while I know what's good on this album, I feel I haven't given Lord Let That Tesla Crash its full due for emotional heft. So I'm gonna listen to it in full today again, more carefully. And I know a good few of my guests will want to talk about it, so I'm gonna be ready to meet them where they are!

Dove Ellis - Blizzard. This one's a new, late entrant for me. The album came out on Friday, but I've seen press and praise for it in passing and I want to give a proper listen. It's his debut album, a bit folk-rock, he's a solo singer songwriter. As I'm listening right now, I'm hearing songs like Pale Song and already thinking the Cameron Winter fans will love this one. He's got a relaxed vibe, lyrics like about love being a second chance, a voice a bit like Rufus Wainwright. A tiny bit alt country, possibly.

Mudi Sama - Will I Make It Out Alive? Debut album by the alt rock musician, and the shortest album on this list. 7 songs, 18 minutes. I might be able to squeeze in another album too. They're anthemic, energetic, lyrically hiding some contradictions and that always makes for interesting listening. I listened to a bit of it last night while getting ready for bed, but I was so sleepy that I don't think I have the best idea of the album yet. I've played singles like Jealous Type on the show before though, so I'm not unfamiliar.

VLURE - Escalate. Glasgow industrial dance music. I had honestly thought Show Me How To Live was their debut album a couple of years ago, but it looks like that has been demoted to an EP? I haven't fully followed along, but I think VLURE signed to a label last year and wanted to do a release properly. I've been following them since their big-on-Bandcamp days. I've listened to most of this album, all of it is not for me admittedly. Some of it is a bit too EDM for my liking. But there are songs like Better Days. It's the lyrics. The band say it's their love letter to Glasgow and its underground rave scene, and I really hear that.

There's been a genre name floating about that a friend introduced me to last year: “IDM” or a sort of ‘intelligent’ dance music, where the lyrics are meant to be paid attention to and are more than just another instrument. Barry Can't Swim, another absolute favourite pick of mine for album of the year is another artist (and Glaswegian) doing that sort of thing, where his poet friends do spoken-word poetry to his textured live-instrument dance music. And it works: I've raved in a summer field to Barry Can't Swim and loved every minute of it. I