February Favourites: Ozzy Osbourne returns, Grimes unveils a masterpiece and HMLTD give us life

February 27, 2020
Entertainment

The second month of the year has gone by so quickly, and with, unfortunately, only a handful of good albums. No matter; February has been about experimentation, raw emotion and pure fun and these six records demonstrate those qualities wonderfully.

HMLTD – West of Eden

These kooky Londoners are one of our favourite new bands at the moment thanks to their addictive debut experimental rock album West of Eden. There’s something different in every track and it’s so strongly millenial that it’s almost a caricature of itself – but that’s by no means a bad thing. This is a band who admittedly haven’t yet found their sound, but we’re happy to listen to them trying to find it.

HMLTD - West of Eden HMLTD – West of Eden

Nathaniel Rateliff – And It’s Still Alright

And It’s Still Alright is Nathaniel’s first album without his band The Night Sweats since 2013’s Falling Faster Than You Can Run, and while it’s not the best thing he’s ever put out, it’s certainly his best solo output so far, both lyrically and musically. We can’t get enough of the raw emotion in these tracks, inspired by some of the most difficult times of Nathaniel’s life.

Nathaniel Rateliff - And It's Still Alright Nathaniel Rateliff – And It’s Still Alright

Tame Impala – The Slow Rush

As predicted, another incredible album from our favourite Aussie psych band. The Slow Rush is a synth-pop wonder with vintage grooves and a certain catharsis that’s a far cry from the guitar-heavy sounds of yesteryear. We’ve waited five years for this, but Kevin Parker is on top form and it was certainly worth the wait.

Tame Impala - The Slow Rush Tame Impala – The Slow Rush

Grimes – Miss Anthropocene

While we had high hopes that Miss Anthropocene would be an excellent release, we were worried we could be looking at a production-heavy creation with very little of the depth it was purported to have. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case and Miss Anthropocene is a transcendental darkwave collection of music with sinister themes and a strong running concept surrounding climate change. Frankly, we just want more.

Grimes - Miss Anthropocene Grimes – Miss Anthropocene

King Krule – Man Alive!

Man Alive! sees King Krule at his most confident; perhaps that’s the result of fatherhood or just a growing fan base, but it certainly shines through. The album is strangely uplifting, and that blend of cool jazz and post-punk is the most avant-garde it’s ever been. Much more cohesive than 2017’s The Ooz, critics are praising the versatility and optimism of Man Alive!.

King Krule - Man Alive! King Krule – Man Alive!

Ozzy Osbourne – Ordinary Man

We refuse to listen to a negative word against Ozzy at this point in time; this is a man who put all the strength he had left into what was probably his final album and, while it might not be the greatest rock album in history, you can’t deny the fun factor of Ordinary Man. Ozzy recognises his worth as one of those legends whose music is to be enjoyed and not analysed. As long as you don’t take it too seriously, it’s a really wonderful record.

Ozzy Osbourne - Ordinary Man Ozzy Osbourne – Ordinary Man