Album of the Week

We're celebrating anyway, because Spinvis has a Christmas album. Lutke Krub and Zeven Kerstliedjes comes more or less out of nowhere. Until now, Erik de Jong has mainly appeared on a few prominent punk albums this year (Hang Youth, Ploegendienst), but this is a different story. Sweet. He sings about the deserted Groningen village that gave the album its title, about the AEX index, the Three Wise Men from the East who indulge in the best hash. It's not Sinatra, it's not Mariah Carey either. It's Spinvis who is hunched over in the corner of the living room with an acoustic guitar. The stewed pears are gone, it's a bad path and so we'll sing only seven more songs. CD / LP

New in



	Nu-metal is, miraculously, back in full force, and so is Linkin Park , miraculously. It's the band's first album since the passing of Chester Bennington, the first with Emily Armstrong. And in many ways From Zero sounds like a new band, or at least new. You hear a band that's alive, that's with the times, and at the same time brings a wealth of musical experience with them. CD / LP
	GIVE ME PEACE ON EARTH! Shout it out the window again - and not in brackets. On the anniversary edition of George Harrison 's Living in the Material World, the message sounds sharper than ever, literally, as does the ex-Beatle's guitar playing, which is at its absolute peak in 1973. Also worth listening to: twelve outtakes and a version of 'Sunshine Life for Me' with four members of The Band. CD / LP / 2LP
	Froukje had a live reputation long before she had a debut album. So it's not so crazy that there is a live album so soon: Live in Brussels . In Ancienne Belgique the music of Noodzakelijk Verdriet comes and 'old' hits like 'Ik Wil Dansen' and 'Niets Tussen' are received as classics. Acoustically it is just a bit more striking, with band just a bit more danceable. What a repertoire, already. CD / LP
	For 21 editions now, producer Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammed have brought (A Tribe Called Quest) jazz veterans together for what always results in an exciting and surprising mix. On Jazz Is Dead 021, Younge and Muhammed themselves are central again, although highlife legend Ebo Taylor, the late drummer Ivan Conti (Azymuth) and pianist Dom Salvador also contribute (Jorge Ben) a memorable contribution. CD / LP

 

There's more out today, of course: Shawn Mendes is just Shawn on his honest first album in five years ( CD / LP ); the filthy blend of disco, post-punk and funk that is Warmduscher is more infectious than ever on Too Cold To Hold ( CD / LP ).

Pre-orders

	When Pitchfork gives an album a 9.1 it must be really good. Diamond Jubilee (February 21, 2025) by Cindy Lee , for fans of Ariel Pink, The Ronettes and David Lynch films, is finally coming out physically. CD / LP
	Childish Gambino wasn't happy with his album 3.15.20 (2020) so he remade it - but better. Atavista (December 6) is the result. LP