W/e 27/06/25 - Loyle Carner, HAIM, University, Yungblud, Elvis Costello

A fairly average week. HAIM are our winners, but don’t do enough to break into our top 30 for the year. However this offering is almost 500 places up on their 2020 album.

Sam is our happy camper 😀. It’s a rare ☹️ for Mark.

Elvis Costello lands next to Hold Steady and Carole King on the classics.

Andy

Loyle Carner - Smooth summer grooves. Pleasant rhymes. Nice stuff 6.5

HAIM - Never sure quite what to make of HAIM, sometimes I think they’re pretty talented, sometimes they’re just a LOT. This falls on the enjoyable side in the main and there’s a couple that are actual bangers 6.5

University - I’ve been listening to a fair bit of turn of the century emo recently and so have these lads it seems. Good stuff, although I think they’re need to do more Iron Maiden homework 7

Yungblud - This was pretty decent without reinventing the wheel. He’s a good lad 6.5

TotW - Everybody’s Trying to Figure Me Out by HAIM

Elvis Costello - I like Declan, never listened to this one before and don’t recognise any of the songs, cover notwithstanding, and I rather enjoyed it. All classic American music styles covered - 7

Guy

Loyle Carner – It’s the usual smooth rhymes by Mr Coyle-Larner. It’s perfectly listenable but it just doesn’t really blow my skirt up. Best track for me is Hopefully with Benjamin Zephaniah - 6

Haim – I like Haim but I found this all a bit pedestrian. Most of the tracks were slow ballads. I enjoy it much more when they are rocking it out and pulling funny faces – 6.3

University – some raucous, punky indie here. There’s a raw energy here but it’s backed up with some nice tuneful riffs and a decent amount of variety – 7.3

Yungblud – A solid offering from the young blood. There’s a mix of influences here – everything from AC/DC to Oasis. Enjoyed it – 7.7

Elvis Costello – nowt wrong with a bit of Elvis. This is a little different to some of his other albums and explores a few different genres but still sounds great – 7.3

TOTW – Lovesick Lullaby - YungBlud

Sam

Loyle Carner : I like him and his delivery is good but this is very low key and a bit dull at times so it’s a 6.6

Haim : in the past they have annoyed me on record and live . This Sheryl Crow influenced offering is much better . Take 15 mins off it and it’s a belter . 7.4

University : chaotic madness from Crewe . But fortunately I like chaotic rock . I’d see them live . 7.7

Yungblud: he’s a good guy , I’m a fan. This is heavily influenced by My Chemical Romance and there ain’t nowt wrong with that. 8

TOTW : many contenders…I’ll go for The Greatest Parade by Yungblud

Elvis Costello : he’s got a great voice , plenty to enjoy here , tho it stumbles occasionally. 7.5

Phil

Loyle Carner 6.5

Musically, pleasantly folky ; even rocky on All I need. His rap style is a bit lethargic though.

HAIM 7.8

HAIM have been compared to Fleetwood Mac and I can see the similarities. They’re perfectly poised on that cusp between pop and rock and they milk it for all they’re worth. This album is full of cracking tunes and they sound like they’re having a great time. What’s not to like?

University 7.5

Noisy, chaotic and confrontational. Some tracks sound like they were made up on the spot. This is not a criticism. Bet they’re great live.

Yungblud 6.75

Widescreen, stadium rock. Reminded me of Coldplay at times. This is not a compliment. Impossible to dislike but equally impossible to love.

TOTW – University – History of Iron Maiden part 1

Classic

Elvis Costello 7.5

After a run of four cracking albums for openers, I lost patience with Elvis. His lyrics just seemed to get too clever for their own good. I haven’t heard this one before but it sounds like he’d outgrown that cleverness. There are some great songs here – I particularly enjoyed American without tears – and my main reservation is that the acoustic arrangements are a bit ho hum. I’d have preferred a bit more electricity. But still, a fine album.

Simon

Loyle Carner: Hate from his last album was a great track but couldn't get into this at all - far too soporific for me. 5.5

HAIM: a band I was aware of but had never listened to because I assumed they wouldn't be my thing - my assumption was correct, couldn't get particularly excited about this although there's some decent songwriting on display (not least Now It's Time). 6.5

University: newish band and a debut album, and whilst I commend them for their passion and ambition I found this hard going, needs a bit more variety and subtlety in amongst the relentless noise. 6

Yungblud: wasn't much bothered by his last album but enjoyed this more - he's somewhat of a chameleon, this has shades of Bowie and Blur amongst others, but it's engaging and listenable throughout even if it does go a bit Robbie Williams at times. 7

Elvis Costello: I've never heard anything by Elvis Costello that's made me want to listen to more of his stuff, and that hasn't changed after listening to this. I didn't hate it, it's just not my thing. 6

TotW: HAIM - Now It's Time

Erol

Yungblud - I love this lad. His vocals are full of emo angst set against a stylised rock/pop backdrop. This is a high end production that just sounds so good. 8.5

Haim - it bobs along nicely and is perfectly listenable but there wasn’t much here to excite me. It’s also a bit too long to be churning out the same tempo stuff. I found myself losing interest towards the end. 6.5

Loyle Carner - really enjoyable jazz-infused mellow rhymes. And not a swear word in sight. I like his style, even if it is a little slow. 7.5

University - engaging but it’s let down by the pointlessly abrasive screeching vocals. 6

TOTW - Hello Heaven, Hello - Yungblud

Elvis Costello - he’s a decent songwriter but I’ve always struggled to enjoy his voice or music. This offered little to change my opinion. 6

Mark

Loyle Carner - I like the real drums on the jazz infused beats, but musically it's so slow and downbeat it's barely there, more like a poetry recital than a music album so difficult to get massively excited about. Admired rather than enjoyed, as the old saying goes - 5.5

Haim - masters (mistresses ??) of the modern west coast sound, kind of a Tom Petty / Sheryl Crow for the 2020s. Remember really liking them when they played in the tent at Reading a while back, not sure this will necessarily win over anyone not already into them but a nice mellow summer's listen - 7

University - when they manage to stay in the same time signature for more then a few bars it's not too bad I guess, some of it a bit like the Pavement classic we did a few months back, but on the whole I just found this all too discordant, stop start and shouty - 5

Yungblud - sorry but this was really bad. He strikes me as someone who doesn't really like music, it's just a convenient outlet for his ego. Horribly over treated auto tune vocal doesn't help, and the music is just overblown nonsense, as if Robbie Williams deluded himself that he was going to try and write Tommy or something, rubbish - 4

TOTW - Down To Be Wrong by Haim.

Jim

Loyle Carner 4

Jazzy hip-hop dullsville. Yawn

HAIM 7.5

When I saw 15 tracks, I was expecting to feel ‘if only they’d cut out 3 or 4 filler tracks…” but I really enjoyed this all the way through. They subtly mixed it up, albeit within narrow swimlanes, and it has a confident cool about it. Fleetwood Mac cool might be a stretch, but it’s heading in that direction. Always nice to end on a belter. Hope they keep the cool for the live gigs and drop the ‘yu guiiys are sooo amaaazing,..’ cheesefest we heard in Madrid

UNIVERSITY 6

Raw and engaging, so I look forward to more. Splattered with a few too many, disrupting tuneless moments

YUNGBLUD 6

Not pulling up any trees and as with his previous albums the overall sound is OK but there aren’t any especially memorable tracks. He is a bit of an EMO Robbie/Coldplay, on Zombie in particular

TOTW: HAIM- Now it’s time

Elvis Costello 6.5

A first full album listen for me. I can see the attraction, but it didn’t flick my switches

Matt

Loyle Carner - 6. Enjoyable in parts but just didn't go anywhere or do anything.

Haim - 7.6 Invoking the spirit of Laurel Canyon with more suavity and confidence than previous outings.

University - 4.5 There might be the kernel of a coherent sound there but needs some discipline.

Yungblud - 7 I quite enjoyed chunks of this. He's certainly an entertainer- the emo Perry Como?

Totw - Haim, Take me Back.

Annette

Loyle Carner: 6.5

Haim: 7.5

University: 5

Yungblud: 8

TOTW: Lovesick lullaby by YungBlud

Adam

Loyle Carner

If dentist waiting music had lyrics. Not quite but it is slow. Commended for some smooth grooves in places. Will be interesting to watch his Glasto set back. 5

Haim

Topical album name given I’ve given two fingers to the corporate monster this month. Another solid outing from the sisters. 6

University

These folks might need to go back to higher education for a small tune up here and there. I do like the heaviness to this but it’s maybe a wee bit too messy in places for my tastes. 6

Yungblud

Rock meets pop. Can see why he’s received well by the masses. Enjoyed a few tracks. Plenty of swagger (but probably a shallow veneer for a large amount of ego and arrogance) from the lad. 7

TOTW - Yungblud - Lovesick lullaby

Classic

Don’t let me be understood a standout on here and a first listen through for me. Enjoyed the education. Fingers, crossed we don’t end up with the namesake of the album. 7

Justin

Loyle Carner - like the low key jazz style music but find the rapping quite boring. 5.9

Haim - often think they are more hype than actually that good but this had a really good west coast cool feel to it. Down to be wrong is a real classic. 7.1

University - enjoyed the grunge/electronic mash up 7

Yungblud - fun live and nothing painful but ultimately just rocky pop 6

TOTW History of Iron Maiden Pt 0.5 - University

Classic: Elvis Costellio - 7