Matt Finucane keeps on churning ‘em out, and amazingly, without any dip in quality. Much of Finucane’s appeal is in his lack of pretence, and I’d even go so far as to include ‘workmanlike’ as a positive descriptor. In the way The Fall and The Wedding Present are workmanlike – solid, dependable – you know what you’re going to get, their albums will always sound like their albums. While I described 2019’s ‘Vanishing Island’ as ‘a mixed bag’, that mix feels more focused on this outing.
‘The Outer Worlds’ is Matt Finucane’s ‘space’ album, but also not so much: it’s equally his glammy post-punk album where any lyrical themes are loosely connected. But then, sometimes to discover outer worlds, we need to go deeper into our inner worlds, and here, Matt spreads out in all directions, with some classic indie rock riffers – like ‘Something That Can Help’ and the Bowiesque ‘Creature of These Times’ alongside some less conventional or obvious songs.
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‘Caught making Signals’ is a rush of punk energy- the guitars may be clean and choppy, but there’s no shortage of edge here. Elsewhere, ‘Envy the Birds’ brings some sweeping, spacey synths into the mix, and there are some hints of Magazine in evidence here.
‘Derision’ finds Finucane in full experimental mode, with a feedback drone providing the sonic backdrop to a spoken word performance on which the vocals are prone to being lost in surges of noise – and it’s a strong piece, tense and atmospheric, and a world apart from anything else we’ve heard from Matt so far.
‘The Outer Worlds’ sees Matt Finucane push beyond his previous limits and embrace a more adventurous, exploratory approach, without losing any of his distinctive character.
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