"And especially, from every shire's end of England/ The holy blissful martyr for to seek/ That them had helpened when that they were weak." So begins Merrie Land, the second LP by The Good, The Bad & The Queen, a supergroup made up of Blur frontman Damon Albarn, guitarist Simon Tong from The Verve, bassist Paul Simonon from The Clash and Nigerian drummer Tony Allen. Titled Introduction, the album's brief opener is based on an excerpt from Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales -- the perfect premise for a record concerned with the uncertain future of a post-Brexit UK.
Merrie Land is the follow-up to the band's self-titled debut, released a little over a decade ago. The world has changed drastically since then -- Trump is US President, climate change is worsening by the day and Britain is anxious about its future as it tries to finalise a Brexit deal. As a group that principally takes its inspiration from its motherland, the last of these issues seems to have hit The Good, The Bad & The Queen the hardest. This is evidenced by the waltzy title track in which Albarn bids adieu to the EU: "If you're leaving please still say goodbye/ And if you are leaving can you leave me my silver jubilee mug."
Throughout the album, solemn images of England and its history crop up, whether it's the World War I references on Nineteen Seventeen ("thousands of white crosses in a cemetery") or the nostalgia of The Last Man To Leave ("manicured lawns of England, barricaded in the 50s"). But Albarn does have other interests besides rhapsodising about his native land. On Drifters And Trawlers, he offers an intriguing vignette of a weary fisherman ("Sweet lord I've done enough today/ I've seen the jetsam rise and fall… I shall go into town in the devil's name alone"); on Lady Boston, with the aid of the Welsh Côr y Penrhyn Choir, he muses on our inevitable end ("Where do I go now? Where will you carry me?"); and on The Truce Of Twilight, he warns: "Enjoy it while it lasts because soon it will be different."
Quotable lyrics: "Are we green, are we pleasant?/ We are not either of those, father/ We are a shaking wreck where nothing grows/ Lost in the sky-coloured oils of Merrie Land" (Merrie Land).
Listen to this: Merrie Land, Lady Boston, Drifters And Trawlers, The Truce Of Twilight, The Poison Tree.
THE PLAYLIST
Tik Shiro (Feat. Joey Boy, Touch Na Takuatoong) / Dee Dee
Veteran Thai artist Tik Shiro marked three decades in the limelight with "35 Years Of Tik Shiro: The Last Live Concert back" in June. But as it turns out, that wasn't the last we'd see of him. He has since released the comeback single Sad Man, and now follows that up with Dee Dee (So Great), a collaboration with two of the most prominent Thai artists from the 90s: rapper Joey Boy and dancing king Touch Na Takuatoong. The funky dance jam begins with whistles and hand claps -- a sure sign of a potential earworm -- and contains lyrics about finding joy in and new perspectives on what we've already got. "Can't find happiness/ Well, just wait 'til Friday," he sings, reaching for an obvious pun (the words "happiness" and "Friday" are near-homophones in Thai). Touch then comes in with his countrified vocals while Joey concludes with a ten-bar rap verse. Dee Dee is a reinvention that feels reassuringly similar.
The Vaccines / All My Friends Are Falling In Love
The Vaccines' latest album, Combat Sports, has been out less than a year but the quintet are already back with a new tune. Returning to their punk-leaning indie-rock roots, All My Friends Are Falling In Love sees the UK group offer good old lurching guitars complete with a shouty, anthemic chorus and everyday lad lyrics ("I took you out at the start of the week/ We went for dinner with people like us/ I wanted you to think I could be chic/ But we went home on the back of the bus"). It's a fun one, although not quite on the same level as early hits like If You Wanna, Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra) and Post Break-Up Sex.
Dido / Hurricanes
There's still a few months to go until Dido's fifth LP, Still On My Mind, hits the shelves. Before then, we get to savour the gorgeous first cut, Hurricanes. Dido's first new release since 2013's Girl Who Got Away, the song retains much of the sonic aesthetic that has dominated her music since 1999's landmark debut No Angel. "Let me not turn away/ From happiness or pain… Let me face the sound and fury/ Let me face hurricanes," muses the 46-year-old Grammy-nominated singer in her glacial voice over a sparse, trip-hop-inspired melody.
Perfume Genius / Alan (Rework)
Originally written for his long-time partner and appearing on the 2017 album No Shape, the ballad Alan receives a slight makeover here as part of Perfume Genius' collaboration with W Hotels. Set to soaring strings and tender piano, the majestic track finds the indie-pop performer in an intimate moment, singing about being safe and secure ("Did you notice/ We sleep through the night/ Did you notice, babe/ Everything is alright"). These sentiments might be aimed at his partner, but they would resonate with any human being. Hence why all proceeds from this rework are being donated to Immigration Equality, a New York-based nonprofit organisation supporting the LGBTQ immigrants.
Helado Negro / Please Won't Please
Operating under the stage name Helado Negro, Ecuadorian-American electro-pop artist Roberto Carlos Lange returns with the promise of a new record. Here is a first taste. With Please Won't Please, Carlo proudly embraces his Latin identity ("That brown won't go/ Brown just glows"), while still acknowledging the fact that racial tensions will always be the elephant in the room ("And we'll light our lives on fire/ Just to see if anyone will come/ Rescue what's left of me"). Despite the song's political poignancy, he sounds level-headed throughout, thanks to his trademark warm baritone.
