The Tiger Lillies

A Dream Turns Sour
(Misery Guts Music)

4 out of 5

After 25 odd-years and dozens of albums, death, misery and unbearable pain have yet to bore the Tiger Lillies. Which is refreshing as there aren’t many bands around who can compose and sing about the drudgery and lowlights of life quite like them.

Dedicated fans will be pleased to hear that this latest album, a collection of British and German first world war poetry they’ve transformed into songs, is as haunting, black- humoured and startling as ever. 

From the almost upbeat, accordion-heavy opening track Death — “and your bright promise withered” — to the gloomy The Rain — “Remembering again that I shall die” — this is a unique collection of operatic, Gypsy-style tracks. 

Although the words are from great war poets such as Wilfred Owen and John McRae, they’ve been tastefully transformed into a collection of dark and beautiful songs, performed in the Tiger Lillies’ distinctive style. Highly recommended.

Indianna Purcell

MG Boulter

The Water or the Wave
(Harbour Song Records)

4 out of 5 

Lucky Strikes frontman Matthew Boulter has set the bar very high with his second solo album. 

This is something of a magnum opus from the lap steel guitar player who hails from Southend-On-Sea.

It features 11 original and exquisitely crafted songs, created with the help of some of the most talented musicians around including vocalist Lizzy O’Connor and legendary drummer Pick Withers. 

The Water Or The Wave is shot through with a natural beauty and casual genius that artists can spend a lifetime trying to achieve. 

Lyrically up there with Dylan, musically flawless and full of pathos, profound vagueness and hope, this album demands to be heard. Musicians beware — you may well give up when you hear this. 

But if you gamble on one album this year try this one — it won’t disappoint.

Brian Denny

Manic Street Preachers 

Futurology
(Columbia)

4 out of 5

Somewhere on a flight between Cardiff and Berlin, the Manics’ 12th album probably makes perfect sense. 

In any other setting Futurology might appear to be an irregular 13-sided object, with each track giving a different perspective of the whole.

Let’s Go To War channels The Special’s Ghost Town with eerie effect. Yet two songs later and there’s a krautrock instrumental Dreaming A City (Hugheskova) with added The Holy Bible-era guitar riffs and hints of drum and bass.

They sparkle in the rain for the power anthem Walk Me To The Bridge and grind out the Teutonic tease of Europa Geht Durch Mich.

Taking a post-punk approach is a sleight of hand with which the Manics disguise a return to the introspection of This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours. 

The solemnity of self-hate shapes this album emotionally. But it’s the spirit of New Wave that is the spark of creativity which underpins this musical mash-up.

Will Porter