Jens Lekman
Songs For Other People’s Weddings 
(Secretly Canadian)
★★★★

CONSIDERING how brilliant and enchanting his music is, bafflingly the romantic Swedish singer-songwriter Jens Lekman remains largely unknown outside indie circles. Which is presumably one reason why he has a side hustle as a wedding singer.

Inspired by Frank Sinatra’s 1970 Watertown album, Songs For Other People’s Weddings is a concept record that follows the course of a relationship between singer J and the object of his affection V, as J traverses the globe soundtracking other couples getting hitched.

Sprawling and ambitious — the 17 tracks range from sad ballads, hooky pop bangers to house music — there’s plenty of Lekman’s trademark deadpan humour and touching lines (“the only thing worth melting glaciers for is you”).

The Swede remains in a league of his own when it comes to chronicling the ecstatic highs and depressive lows of love and longing.

Big Thief
Double Infinity
(4AD)
★★★★

COMING three years after their sprawling, critically acclaimed double album Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, Big Thief’s new record — their sixth — is a much more focused affair, with just nine tracks.

Following the departure of bassist Max Oleartchik, the Brooklyn band is now a three piece, but their flair for making top drawer indie folk rock remains undiminished. I’ve often found it difficult to put my finger on what makes them so special, so amenable to repeated listening, though no doubt it includes frontwoman’s Adrianne Lenker’s emotive vocals and seemingly personal but often opaque lyrics combined with the fluid, melodic music.

Standout tracks include the romantic Los Angeles (there’s something about the way she sings the opening line “Los Angeles, 3:33, nothing on the stereo” that really gets me) and the catchy Happy With You.

Christian McBride Big Band
Without Further Ado Vol. 1
(Mack Avenue)
★★★

WORKING since the late 1980s, US jazzman Christian McBride has built up an impressive oeuvre, putting out 20 albums (The Movement Revisited, his epic 2020 jazz suite about four figureheads of the movement for African American liberation, is well worth a listen).

On his new record the 53-year-old bassist, arranger and composer has assembled an impressive big band and a plethora of talent for a varied set of classic songs including Come Rain Or Come Shine and Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, the latter with marvellous vocals from Dianne Reeves. Sting and Andy Summers join McBride on the opening cover of The Police’s Murder By Numbers, while an instrumental original, amusingly titled Op 49 — Cold Chicken Suite 3rd Movement, closes proceedings.

Arguably a little too backward looking, it’s nevertheless an interesting addition to his catalogue.