Short Attention Span Record Reviews, Sep 26 Vol. 3

JAKE XERXES FUSSELL – The Old Beloved Path
The term “folk music” has come to include everything from Mumford & Sons to Phoebe Bridgers, but if we apply the Alan Lomax definition then only this guy’s the real deal nowadays. (8) 

RHIANNON GIDDENS – Hope Is The Thing With Feathers
Grammy-winning Giddens revisits her roots and the folk music of the Carolinas where she comes from. Her voice remains a force to be reckoned with. (8)

GODFLESH – Decay 
Industrial metal pioneers’ infernal, uncompromising, allegedly final album makes sure they go out with a bang. (7)

MAMA TERRA – Inner Space
Excellent jazz with a spiritual vibe, from Glasgow. (8)

THE MARY WALLOPERS – Paddywhackery
They make Irish folk music sound like rock ‘n’ roll, falling somewhere in the middle between The Pogues and Dropkick Murphys. (8)

THE ODYSSEY CULT – Volume Three
Psychedelic rock supergroup channels their inner Hawkwind. (8)

ORVILLE PECK – Mule
A masked gay country singer? Who got sober and sings about it? On paper this should suck but it’s actually great, dark and catchy and disturbing. (8)

PROTOMARTYR – Hotel Usona
I carefully listened to their third album in 2015 and the fourth one in 2017 and even though I liked them, I never really became a fan. The seventh one is an entirely different beast however, with an expanded sound going beyond post-punk towards something truly grandiose – in line with the “end of the world” concept. (8)

EMMA RUTH RUNDLE – These Killing Times
Like a cross between Chelsea Wolfe and a darker Tori Amos, Rundle gives the goths a great album to feel excited about, or be miserable with, which I guess in their case are synonymous concepts. (8)

SPIDERS – Crystal Eyes
I love these guys (and girl). Not to ovedo it with the "girl rock" references, but they do sound permanently stuck in 1979 like a cross between early Girlschool and early Blondie. (8) 

SAUL WILLIAMS – Leap Life
The experimental spoken word/abstract jazz pieces are a bit hard to swallow, but he makes up for it on the Faithless-like bangers. (7)