Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell

The eccentric and multi-instrumentalist songwriter has released his seventh album. Sufjan Stevens is a unique artist. But most of all, he is a guy that you would like to hang out with. And that's really interesting if you think about it for a bit· there aren't many musicians around the world who are genuinely weird. Like literally weird. How many Bjork's, Prince's, Sufjan's and Florence's do you think there are out there? I mean, his last words in "Fourth of July" are constantly repeating "We're all gonna die". C'mon, Sufjan, let's have a walk.

"Carrie & Lowell" is about darkness and introversion ("I am a man with a heart that offends with its lonely and greedy demands. There’s only a shadow of me; in a manner of speaking, I'm dead", from "John My Beloved"). Unlike his previous and partially electronic project, "The Age of Adz", this time he returns to his folk format. And all the words are about his childhood and his mother's death, Carrie.

There are no read-between-the-lines songs in here. They are all quite direct and sincere and you feel like diving in his mourning, singing along the guitar/piano-driven tracks. Sufjan suffers like a normal human being who has just lost his mother. And this is actually sweet. But he writes about it like everything else around him is dead, too, thus leaving you without hope. And the most weird thing of all? He makes you feel nice about it with his melodies, just because he is that kind of guy· he can transform his dark lyrics and sad chords into some kind of redemption. For him and for you, too.

Undoubtedly, one of the best things he has ever recorded.  Highlight: "What's the point of singing songs if they'll never even hear u?".

AnArtCalled... 9,5/10

Laura Marling - Short Movie

It's a fact that Laura Marling is fully capable of combining folk tradition, country stories and indie production. She's done it many times in the past, four if we want to be accurate. So, let's suppose that Laura has a new album out and she has done it again for a fifth time. Is there something new she has to offer or she is just duplicating her other albums all over again, just to keep her fanbase and her artistry happy? Keep reading...

It's a fact that Laura Marling has been nominated 3 times for a Mercury Prize for her music. She has never won, but that's not the case. She is one of the main reasons behind an upsurge in folk music the last ten years, plus she has never changed her style, in order to be mainstream or to top the charts. That's another thing you have to consider if you want to listen to her new songs.

It's a fact that Laura Marling has had universal critical acclaim all these years. She never had a single bad review for one of her albums, which sometimes was a little overestimated, to be honest. For me, "I Speak Because I Can" is her best effort to date - strong songwriting, wisdom beyond her years, a true sophomore trip to self-discovery and an even stronger title as a personal statement.

So, we are in 2015 and "Short movie" comes out. And it is all about the time she spent in America. A British female folk songwriter living the American Dream? Well, not. In these songs, Marling takes a deep breath and dives into the hard everyday reality, the Hurricane Sandy in New York ("False hope"), the alienation of Los Angeles ("Walk alone") and her disability (or her ability) to adjust to the new challenge she created for herself. She felt so "Lost in translation", as she has stated recently, that she could not help but create music about this. Music that she produced herself, sometimes using electric guitars ("Don't let me bring you down", "False hope") and sometimes feeling like a rock band ("Gurdjieff's Daughter").

Even if I insist on my first statement about her second album, I have to say that every Laura Marling project is multilayered, truthful and simple (not simpleminded though). Her constant craving to be stronger as a songwriter never lets anyone down and that's something to start with if you have not yet listened to her songs - she tries. And she tries really hard.

AnArtCalled... 8,5/10

Marina and the Diamonds - FROOT

When "The Family Jewels" was released, Marina Diamandis had just been through some hard times, so her music was really intense and vulnerable in many ways. The album was critically acclaimed, so she had a hell of a year. And then "Electra Heart" happened and though it was a concept album with a lot of potential, it failed in many ways. Her GaGa synthpop tracks were poor as far as the melodies are concerned and the smart videos did not save the day. She looked damn pretty in those, we have to admit it. So what happens now, in 2015?

Well, Marina is a pure songwriting talent and that's a fucking strong asset. This time, with her third album, "FROOT", she is capable to showcase this exact talent. She has written all the songs by herself and she has co-produced all of them along with David Kosten (Bat For Lashes). And it works. It works like Amy and Tina presenting the Golden Globes.

The sound is still electronic, but she has again found her indie twist. With a voice as powerful as hers, it's smart that she and Kosten chose to produce the songs with a minimal touch, using basic rhythm sections, reverbed pianos, distinctive guitars and throwback synths, so that the vocals can actually be heard. Marina demanded to be produced as a band. And the result is more than rewarding for her and her vision.

If you try to find a big hit in "FROOT", you just won't, so stop trying. On the other hand, you can find many emotional Marinas and though the project is not a concept album like "Electra Heart", it serves as one, emotionally. There is the naked-soul Marina in "Happy". There is the girl-power Marina in the masterpiece "Can't pin me down". There is always the rock star (or the Charli XCX) Marina in "Forget", the 80's pop-funk Marina in "I'm a ruin", the new-wave pop Marina in "Froot" and so on.

Marina and the Diamonds has always been retro as a project, even when she has tried to be mainstream. And that's her thing. She can write catchy melodies in order to put her name in the charts, but she can always be unique with her sound and her image. This time, she is musically exceptional as well, more than ever before. "FROOT" is not only her strongest body of work to date, but also a top-10 album for 2015 so far.

And hands down, earl grey bitches, she is fucking Greek.

AnArtCalled... 9/10

Ben Howard - I Forget Where We Were

- Ben Howard is a folk artist.
- Think again.
- Ben Howard is a rock artist.
- OK, think a little harder.
- Ben Howard is an indie rock artist who actually loves electronics, not only acoustic guitars and drama.
- That's my boy!

I think the intro-dialogue, which played in my mind a few hours earlier, is simply the best way to explain my surprise, after having listened for the very first time to Ben Howard's new album, "I Forget Where We Were". It feels like Radiohead having produced a new Bon Iver album and yet, it's not that at all. He doesn't play safe, so that he can win another Brit Award or the Mercury Prize. He produced the album himself along with his drummer, Chris Bond, and he literally forgot where he has been in the past.

The first track, "Small Things", reminds me of another opening song - "Closer" by Kings Of Leon and their 2008 release, "Only By The Night". And that's the feeling of the whole album - it's dark, it's sexy and it's totally unpredictable, something that makes it even more interesting. Sometimes, you can listen to his strangle to be faithful to his new sound and at the same time not to forget his folk artistry. But, somehow, Howard manages to be a sophisticated rock artist ("Rivers In Your Mouth", "I Forget Where We Were") and a folk songwriter ("End Of The Affair") as well, without destroying the songs' cohesion.

"I Forget Where We Were" is one of the biggest music surprises of 2014, not only because it showcases another part of Ben Howard's talent, but also because it confirms that when an artist is not attached to his success, he can go beyond his control and thus create beautiful things.

AnArtCalled... 8,5/10