Taiyo Sawada's 10 Albums for April-June 2025
Hello.
Well, I'll get this done before the month is over. My regular feature: Taiyo Sawada's 10 albums every three months. Here is the list for April to June 2025!
Right. Let's get started right away.
First up is Yungblud's new album, 'Idols.' I'm not exactly a huge fan of his, but I actually find his cheap presence quite appealing. It reminds me of Billy Idol in the 80s—and perhaps he acknowledges that himself, as he has even performed with him—but on this album, aiming for a step up as an artist, he delivers arena rock with a Britpop flair throughout. It's straight-up arena rock with that slightly wet, grand string sound reminiscent of Oasis, The Verve, or Suede. I had thought of him more as a loud-rock-leaning arena rocker, so this approach was a surprise, but then again, nobody ever decided that this kind of sound shouldn't be done by someone like him. He's managed to pull off a 'winner takes all' move and make it his own, which I think is quite clever. It expands his range of expression, too. I feel like he caught me off guard, and I have a feeling this will extend his career as an artist.
Next is Sleep Token. As I've mentioned here a few times, this is a groundbreaking album. It's the first time a new-generation metal band has debuted at number one on the UK and US album charts. The fact that it made people feel like something was about to change makes it valuable and worth discussing. However, as an album, I felt the development in the second half was a bit scattered, and there were moments where I thought, 'They could have made this a bit louder; it's a bit too quiet.' In terms of cohesion, I think their previous album, 'Take Me Back To Eden,' will be remembered as the masterpiece. That one had more of that stature in terms of length, the balance between hard and soft, and the sonic range. Still, with 'Emergence' (city pop) and 'Caramel' (reggaeton), there are two game-changing tracks for metal, and I don't think its value will diminish, so it's definitely a work that deserves to be talked about.
Next is Bon Iver. In his case, every album is seen as a candidate for album of the year, or sometimes even nominated for a Grammy, and he's viewed as the representative of artists with high critical acclaim. But for me, this is the first album since his second one that really resonates and that I like. That means it's been about 15 years, one way or another. The last two albums felt a bit too focused on technology, and his essential heart as a singer-songwriter didn't really come through, which was frustrating. But on this album, his first in six years, it's a return to folk—or rather, a heartwarming blue-eyed soul album. I didn't think he was capable of such soulful singing, so it was fresh in that sense, too. Even so, the sound management via electronics or technology is still firmly in place, and his original signature style—something like 'nature within artificial beauty'—is fully realized. In a way, I felt this was the type of work I had been waiting for from him.
Next is Model/Actriz. A New York-based electro band. I think they emerged two or three years ago, and at the time, I remember thinking, 'It's been a while since I've heard a New York indie band.' This is their second album. To use an analogy, it's like LCD Soundsystem turned into industrial rock. The metallic noise, which feels industrial or like industrial waste—something early industrial rock had—creates a stinging rawness that is incredibly thrilling. It's the kind of stimulation that rock should inherently have, and I hope this kind of thing is cherished. On one hand, The Dare represents the DJ nightlife worldview that has been passed down since the post-punk revival era, while on the other, they express violent impulses and sexual edginess. I wish they were a bit better known as a hip entity representing the current moment. They seem to have been invited to participate in a Miley Cyrus album, so I think they could stand to get a bit more attention.
Next is the new album from Little Simz. She has released various things, but as a main new album, I think it's fair to say this is her first since the 2021 masterpiece 'Sometimes I Might Be Introvert.' This album isn't a concept piece like 'Sometimes,' which had autobiographical content; it's a work that approaches things with greater musical diversity, focusing on band sound and experimenting with various approaches from neo-soul to funk, baroque pop, reggae, and guitar rock. Particularly noteworthy is the collaboration with male artists, realizing an all-star lineup of alternative Black male artists including Obongjayar, Moses Sumney, Michael Kiwanuka, and Sampha. From this selection, you can see where she wants to stand in the current hip-hop world. Interestingly, this style is very close to the approach taken on the new album by fellow Brit Loyle Carner. It's an approach to hip-hop that moves away from the concept of tracks made by so-called producers and uses live instrumentation. Especially now that trap has reached its limit, I think this is starting to be chosen as one of the breakthroughs.
However, the artist I've come to like with an intensity that might even surpass Little Simz is this Annahstasia. Looking at her, she seems like a rapper or R&B/jazz artist, but she is actually a folk singer from LA. Moreover, she's quite orthodox, and the image reminds me of early Joni Mitchell. It's a very standard type, mainly acoustic guitar with occasional strings, but what's surprising is her voice. It's low, raspy, and has a tremendous amount of grit. Listening to it, I sometimes think, 'Is this Shinichi Mori?' (laughs), but as you keep listening to this voice, it becomes quite pleasurable. This impact alone should be enough to get people talking, and as expected, she was introduced on the famous British BBC music program 'Later... with Jools Holland' before the US. Indeed, it seems like the kind of thing that discerning adult listeners who like Mojo or Uncut would enjoy. It also pairs well with the one noisy rock track at the end, which sounds like Neil Young doing grunge, so I feel like we can expect some even more interesting developments.
Yes. And here is Lorde, who was just released! Speaking of her, she was a pioneer of the current indie diva boom in the first half of the 2010s alongside Lana Del Rey, and was even called the 'future of music' by the late David Bowie, who entrusted her with the future. However, after the unknown price of achieving success at 16 and hitting a wall with a serious creative slump on her previous album, 'Solar Power,' she has returned with this. It's nice to see the return of the dark, heavy electro style of her early days that predated Billie Eilish, but the naked confessions that trace back to childhood memories and strongly re-examine her own identity weigh heavily on the heart. Some of it even hints at her having had an eating disorder. You can find that out by searching for the lyrics, but even if you don't know that much, the feeling comes across clearly through the sound alone. Out of the four albums she has released so far, this is the most realistic and sincere, and as someone who has supported her since her debut, it's a work I hold dear.
Next up is Black Country, New Road. BCNR, that is. This is their third album and their first since moving to a three-woman front vocal lineup. I feel like opinions on this were split between those who preferred the dandyism-tinged post-rock of the Isaac-fronted era and those who support where they are now, having overcome the hardships of their current lineup, which has a sort of university-circle glamour (though they had that before, too). But, as I've said a few times, I honestly never liked the slightly nerdy or incel-like vibe that was common in this type of post-rock band, and I feel it's very significant that they've changed the image of such bands into something more gentle and open to women. I'm just happy that they stood back up, using the heaviness of a member leaving due to mental health issues as fuel. In addition, the slightly avant-garde and strange pop sensibilities that the three female leads express one after another are addictive and not straightforward; I feel a positive power here that suggests they will build a new era from this point on. I absolutely want to support them.
However, if we're talking about a similar path, for this time at least, I felt more momentum and aura from this second album by Caroline. They were highly acclaimed by some fans since their debut, but this is a talent from Manchester with great scale. While they possess advanced jazz techniques—playing different phrases and shifting rhythms simultaneously with a large ensemble—it never sounds difficult, instead ringing out as an exciting edge, and at its root, there is a solid, beautiful folk melody line. Furthermore, the vocals by the female members, much like BCNR, successfully soften the kind of mental machismo common in this genre, and it even includes a collaboration with Caroline Polachek, which I suspect was realized because of their shared name. Despite the reputation, reaching number 78 in the UK is still too low, but I believe they will definitely rise through word-of-mouth.
And finally, Turnstile. I think this will be one of the representative albums of 2025. They broke into the US Top 30 with their album 'Glow On' in 2021, accompanied by critical acclaim as a 'promising talent in hardcore.' Back then, I thought, 'Hardcore with Jane's Addiction and The Offspring?' but as someone raised on pure 90s alternative, whether it was hardcore or not, I was happy that they were taking the approach of good old-fashioned rock—recombining elements of US mainstream rock from that era to create a new sound—and doing it head-on. And this time, on top of that foundation, they've added elements of The Police and Tears for Fears. Fantastic guitars drenched in flanger. Despite that, they still have the power to make today's punk kids mosh and dive. It's mysterious, and it's a refreshing relief that they've become a breakthrough for a scene that had hit a dead end by becoming too sonically uniform with melodic hardcore and pop-punk. Moreover, I can easily imagine these songs becoming the centerpiece of their live shows even more than the previous ones. That's how much each track stands out. 'Fontaines D.C. for indie rock, Sleep Token for metal, and Turnstile for punk.' I want to keep saying this like a mantra for a while.