Tunes from 1980s, country jam with yodels & more

Saurabh Chadha

Album of the month
There’s beauty in the belief that all’s not lost
Harry Styles — Fine Line (Sony Music)

Harry Styles returns with his sophomore album “Fine Line” after a successful self-titled debut album in 2017. The keenly awaited album is sufficiently satisfying musically, and startlingly affluent lyrically. The opening track “Golden” provides an upbeat bass with anthemic backing vocals and dazzling 1980s tune that make the song perfect for long drives. “Watermelon Sugar” is probably the most recognisable song of the album, while “Canyon Moon” has the most cinematic sound with the early 1970s vibe. The album’s lyrical themes revolve around the ecstasy and agony of romance. Acoustic ballad “Cherry” rises out of the cliché and haunts in its intimacy, “I noticed that there’s a piece of you in how I dress/ Take it as a compliment.”

The six-minute “She” is genuinely elating, with Pink Floyd-esque rhythm section and vocal delivery. Piano ballad “Falling” takes the blame for a broken relationship as Styles confesses, “I’m in my bed but there’s no one here. There’s nothing to blame but the drink and my wandering hands.” The track shows Styles at his most vulnerable. “Treat People With Kindness” is a feel-good song with a great message that is sure to connect with every listener. “Lights Up” commences with strummed acoustic guitar and delicate synths before a weighty R&B beat drops and Styles sings, “What do you mean?/ I’m sorry by the way/ Never going back now/ Be so sweet if things just stayed the same.” The album rightfully reinforces Harry Styles as an individual.

Essential tracks: She, Falling, Cherry, Adore You, Lights Up

Rating ****

Expression of despair & romance
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy — I Made A Place (Drag City)

Bonnie Prince Billy returns with “I Made a Place”, his first full length release of original material since 2011’s “Wolfroy Goes to Town”. This time he takes help from a Louisville band, including picker Nathan Salsburg, ex-Gary Burton Quartet drummer Mike Hyman and singer-songwriter Joan Shelley. Opening track “New Memory Box” begins with banjo before mounting into a strong country jam, complete with yodels from Oldham. “Dream Awhile” plays like a sweet lullaby, where Bonnie suggests, “When I have a problem/ I know just what to do/ I got to bed and dream awhile/ something will come through.” The album’s second half is slower but strikingly beautiful. “The Glow Pt. 3” is a creative expression of despair and romance that brings forth Billy’s love for mysterious nature. “How worried are you when you don’t see the glow, when it stuffed deep and awfully in a junk draw below, that’s broken and locked and out of the way, how worried that it won’t come out ever?” he sings.

The album is a bit more consistent, making immense use of Jacob Duncan’s flourishing wind and horn arrangements. One of the album’s headliners is the gorgeous “Look Backward On Your Future Look Forward To Your Past”, a country-folk setting about destiny and contentment, inspired by Oldham’s mother. “This particular assemblage of molecules and memories someday soon may just run out of gas/ so look backward to your future and look forward to your past.” Throughout the collection the mood often shifts between dull and cheerful, sometimes within the same track. The album closes with “Building a Fire”, a perfect piece to finish. “You are building a fire, you making it bright,” he sings with a reserved confidence about love and relationship.

Essential tracks: Dream Awhile, I Have Made A Place, The Glow Pt.3, Look Backward On Your Future Look Forward To Your Past

Rating ***

Explosive, yet poignant album
Stormzy — Heavy is the Head (Atlantic)

One of the most anticipated British albums of recent time, “Heavy Is The Head” is the second studio album from rap sensation Stormzy. Gang Signs & Prayer earned Stormzy a Brit Award in 2017 and positioned him as the biggest rap export from Britain. He then played a gigantic Glastonbury headlining set last summer, the first by a Black British solo artist, confronting his place on the throne. In the album, he displays a lyrical show of force, pausing for brief moments, to reveal how far he’s come. The 16-track album comprises a mix of up-tempo bangers and thoughtful slow jams. The catchy “Own It”, features Burna Boy and the sensational Ed Sheeran, displaying their expanding versatility.

On “One Second”, Stormzy talks about fame’s bare impact on personal life and the inequalities of martyrdom with a stunning feature from “H.E.R. Lessons” is the album’s most tender moment that appears to confirm rumours of the rapper’s infidelity while the rapper spends most of the playtime asking for forgiveness. The rapper constantly finds endless ways to connect with his audience by telling them to never follow anyone spreading a negative message. Stormzy is a true philanthropist at heart. In July 2018, he launched the Stormzy Scholarship, a studentship which funds the study of two Black students at Cambridge University.

“Pop Boy” features a thrashing beat and raps about being the very best in your city. “Ayy, in my city, I’m the top boy, and I didn’t even have to be in Top Boy,” he raps. “When Banksy put the vest on me/It felt like God was testing me,” he raps on “Audacity”, recalling his performance at the Glastonbury, where he wore a stab-proof Union Jack vest designed by the street artist Banksy. The atmospheric vibe created by songs like Rachael’s “Little Brother” and “Crown” is particularly special and adds to his purpose. Known for developing underground musical setting, as well as being a persistent political protester, Stormzy is a spokesman of Black empowerment. The intensity of his message is harmonised by his fineness in craft as he glides over dirt, dance, and soulful hip-hop beats with poise.

Essential tracks: Own It, Handsome, Vossi Bop, Audacity

Rating ***

Top 10 Singles

 1. Circles Post Melone (NM)

 2. Memories Maroon 5 (CU)

 3. Heartless The Weeknd (FD)

 4. The Box Roddy Ricch (CU)

 5. Someone You Loved Lewis Capaldi (NM)

 6. Roxanne Arizona Zervas (CU)

 7. Lose You To Love Me Selena Gomez (FD)

 8. Highest in the Room Travis Scott (NE)

 9. Good As Hell Lizzo (NM)

 10. 10,000 Hours Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber (CU)

Legend:

CU: Climbing up; FD: Falling down; NM: Non-mover;

NE: New entry