Iggy Pop – Every Loser
After delivering the late career opus that was 2016's Post Pop Depression, Iggy Pop retreated into jazzy dysfunction on the "sombre and contemplative" Free.
Four years on, the Godfather of Punk returns to what he knows best, tall tales of excess and melodious hard rock.
Every Loser delivers on both fronts, from the aural assault of opening track Frenzy to the bluesy groove of Modern Day Rip Off and back to basics Neo Punk, an apparent ode to the primordial sound of the Ramones.
For the record Pop recruited a dream team featuring Guns N' Roses' Duff McKagan on bass and Chad Smith from Red Hot Chili Peppers on drums.
His expert backing band offer the chance for Pop to stretch out and the result is one his most diverse and creative records in recent years, with Comments bordering on the euphoric and The Morning Show delivering a deliciously tuneful take on soulful 80s yacht rock.
On The News For Andy he rails against rampant capitalism, while closing track The Regency has enough F-bombs to put Succession's Logan Roy to shame.
Every Loser sees Pop take on board the lessons learned from his recent releases, synthesising them into a more rounded and, dare I say it, radio friendly project.
Alex Green
Weezer - SZNZ: Winter
Weezer's fourth mini-album to be released in 2022 is the fun conclusion to the band's SZNZ project.
Inspired by Vivaldi's Four Seasons, the ditsy Californian quartet created each EP in tandem with each season.
This 21-minute offering sits somewhere between indie rock and grunge.
There are interesting hooks and catchy melodies dotted throughout the seven tracks, along with a mish-mash of tunes borrowed from the classical world.
I Want A Dog borrows from Danny Boy, and Sheraton Commander draws heavily on Albinoni's Adagio in G Minor.
Fans can look forward to an orchestra of thrashing guitars punctuated by lead singer Rivers Cuomo's shrill vocals.
Closing track The Deep and Dreamless Sleep offers an impressively climactic ending to Weezer's clever series.
Kirsten Lloyd
Rare Americans – Songs That Don't Belong
This collection does what it says on the tin.
Songs That Don't Belong brings together the tracks that failed to make it onto previous releases by Vancouver pop-punks Rare Americans.
This is reflected in the diversity and varying quality of the songs.
Frontman James Priestner, guitarists Lubo Ivan and Jan Cajka, and drummer Duran Ritz have been prolific since forming in 2018.
Their music draws on college rock and hip hop and the result will please fans of Twenty One Pilots.
Tremendous is a quirky hip hop cut that is good fun on first listen, but eventually grows tedious.
Little White Lies features a hooky chorus and playful storytelling, while Fool's Gold captures the melody of classic Red Hot Chili Peppers with light brush strokes.
Bruised, meanwhile, is a rollicking take on country and a total romp, capping off a mixed bag that will no doubt please fans.
Alex Green
MIKE – Beware of the Monkey
New York rapper Mike may only be 24 but has already released numerous albums and mixtapes.
Each has dealt with intensely personal questions, spanning depression, adulthood and the grief of losing his mother.
Beware Of The Monkey is different. It is both reflective and celebratory; downbeat and exalted.
The record takes its title from the Chinese zodiac, and follows on from Mike's tradition of dropping his albums on the different seasonal solstices.
Impressionistic funk, disco and broken beat provides the backtrack to his musings, with his hypnotic beat loops harking back to the work of the late MF Doom.
On his collaboration Stop Worry! with legendary dancehall singer Sister Nancy, he raps: "I peep your struggle in your pain, ma / I know my team. I wear your number when it's game time."
Monkey marks a new chapter for Mike, one that maintains the same sense of creative intensity while exploring new sounds.
Alex Green
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