Joe Pernice
Sunny, I Was Wrong
(New West)
⭑⭑⭑⭑☆

JOE PERNICE seems to be one of those artists who, no matter how much critical acclaim they garner, are destined never quite to break through to the mainstream. And believe me, there has been a helluva lot of praise — for records like the 1996 altcountry classic Massachusetts and 2001’s power pop gem The World Won’t End from his other bands Scud Mountain Boys and Pernice Brothers, respectively.

Now in his late 50s, the US musician’s new album — his first solo longplayer, surprisingly — is a largely gentle set of mid-paced, lovelorn tunes, with guest stars such as Aimee Mann and Teenage Fanclub’s Norman Blake reflecting the huge respect he has among some of his peers.

Along with the easy-going melodies, it’s Pernice’s supremely melancholic vocal delivery and literary lines that make him one of my favourite singer-songwriters working today.

Arlo Parks
Ambiguous Desire
(Transgressive)
⭑⭑⭑⭑☆

STILL only 25 years old, Ambiguous Desire is the third record from London-born singer-songwriter Arlo Parks.

After two well-received albums of hip-hoppy indie pop, her new set is something of a departure. Documenting her recent immersion in the nocturnal spaces and subcultures of New York (Parks now lives in the US), it leans heavily into dance music, swapping her live band for synths and samples. She references The Streets, Burial and LCD Soundsystem as inspirations for the record, which she says has “desire at its centre.”

With Heaven taking its cue from the “morning music” DJs play as a bridge for those clubbers emerging into the daylight, like her previous work there is a wonderful and cohesive fluidity and lightness to the music. Her soothing vocals will continue to act as a healing balm for many.

Very cool indeed.

Marilyn Crispell, Anders Jormin
Memento
(ECM)
⭑⭑⭑⭑☆

MEMENTO feels like a quintessential ECM recording — spacious instrumental jazz with a contemplative ambience twinned with crystal clear production.

The high quality of music shouldn’t be a surprise when you consider the two experienced players involved — US pianist Marilyn Crispell and Swede Anders Jormin on double bass.

Recorded in what has become ECM’s defacto home studio — Lugano’s Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI — the set of original tracks apparently “circle around ideas of memory and loss.”

For The Children is a wonderful opener, it’s lyrical and sombre tone reflecting its inspiration — children caught up in ongoing conflicts such as Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan. The Keith Jarrett-style sonorous closer Dragonfly is a tribute to bassist Gary Peacock, while The Beach At Newquay is informed by Crispell’s first visit to Cornwall, with Jormin’s high-pitched bowed bass playing mimicking the cries of seagulls.