Album reviews: Cathal Coughlan is beautifully bleak, while Zara Larsson offers irresistible pop
Cathal Coughlan; Zara Larsson.
Cathal Coughlan never stopped being a firebrand, even after he moved on from the apocalyptic art-pop of Fatima Mansions. But on his new album – arriving a decade after the underrated Rancho Tetrahedron – these flames burn fiercer than ever. Witty, wry, occasionally devastating, Song of Co-Aklan finds the London-based, East Cork-born artist reaffirming his gifts for melody, arrangement and beautifully bleak lyrics.
It also is his first substantial work since the triumphant reunion of Microdisney. Getting back together with his old songwriting partner Sean O’Hagan for a run of acclaimed gigs has clearly had a positive impact on Coughlan’s solo writing, with the new LP’s title track kicking off in a blaze of jauntiness.
Chamber-pop production wraps around Coughlan’s expressive baritone with results that are the most “Microdisney” thing he’s done in years. “Raise your hands if you don’t know what this means,” he croons at one point – perhaps encapsulating the confusion we’re all going through at the moment.
That mix of upbeat and ominous defines much of what follows. A rollicking piano introduces Passed-Out Dog, and then Coughlan sings “I’ve got bonemeal in my hair”. Hummable yet pulsating with dread, it’s Coughlan in a nutshell – and a worthy addition to one of the most storied canon’s in Leeside music.
One of pop’s biggest mysteries is why Zara Larsson isn’t filling arenas and headlining festivals. With 18 million monthly Spotify listens, the Swedish artist is hardly obscure. But she has yet to ascend to the level of ubiquity achieved by Ariana Grande and Dua Lipa.
Poster Girl might be the record to get her there. It driven by her take-no-prisoners personality (she has never been slow to call out misogynists on social media). And by the ups-and-downs she has been through across the past several years, with the fall-out from the split from a long-term boyfriend a recurring theme.
Typical is single Love Me Land, a full-throttle stomper with big swooning synths and Larsson owning lines such as “Never thought I would love again”. It’s irresistible pop – and couldn’t we all do with a bit more of that in our lives right now?
