by Alex Lucas

This month we take it back to the 1970s with Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, which is a timeless masterpiece that has stood the test of time for fifty years. We also introduce you to Caroline Polachek and her first album since 2019.

Caroline Polachek Desire, I Want to Turn Into You

Caroline Polachek has returned, blissfully, with her sophomore album Desire, I Want to Turn Into You. Three years on from her fantastic 2019 debut Pang, Polachek has dropped a record which has bettered it. A hugely rewarding listen consisting of so many strands of what has informed some of the best art pop in the last 25 years, whether it’s Björk or Grimes (who appears on this LP), there’s so much to dive into here. ‘Fly To You’ featuring Grimes and Dido is a stunning yet tenebrous track with otherworldly vocals, a trope which runs through the record. There’s a remarkable chemistry between all three artists on this song, it’s simply wondrous. 

The melodies across the LP are irresistible and they’re reinforced by consistently punchy production. The opener ‘Welcome To My Island’ has such a rich quality to it and the following track ‘Pretty in Possible’ is one of the many superbly melodic tracks. ‘I Believe’ ends the first side, a vibrant dance cut and one of the best on here. The second side matches the first for quality, there’s the brilliant and bubbly ‘Blood and Butter’ and the unavoidably powerful ‘Smoke’. Vocally, this is a seriously impressive album, on every song here Polachek conveys a fantastic range. 

As the title and the sleeve of this record, along with the lyrical content suggests, Polachek wants to be transported somewhere brighter. The best songs and albums do that, they take you to a certain place and Desire, I Want To Turn Into You does that, time and time again. This is a fantastic album, full of complex, beautifully crafted and performed songs and I can’t recommend it highly enough. 

Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon

Down the road in Cambridge, in the 1950s, some very special relationships formed. David Gilmour first crossed paths with Roger Waters and Syd Barrett, who would go on to form one of the most recognisable and best-selling bands of all time. March is the fiftieth birthday of one of their most celebrated records and possibly the most iconic album sleeve we’ve ever seen; Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon. It’s tough to think of what to say about this album which hasn’t already been said in miles of column inches or in enchanted conversations, but there’s a very good reason this album, even fifty years on, still sits so vividly in the contemporary musical psyche. 

The 1970s was a special time for Pink Floyd, in just six years, they released four iconic albums, The Dark Side of the Moon kicked this off in 1973, Wish You Were Here, Animals and The Wall followed. Featuring two of Pink Floyd’s most famous singles ‘Time’ and ‘Money’, this is an LP packed with excellent songs, whether it’s the ethereal second track ‘Breathe (In The Air) or the vocally stellar ‘The Great Gig in the Sky’, there isn’t one song on this album which doesn’t feel totally central to its brilliance, the record flows seamlessly in its 42 minute run time. It’s auditory magnificence, the production is phenomenal and the instrumentation is even better. 

This is a personal invitation to treat yourself to one of the most eudaemonic collections of songs you’re ever likely to hear, get your best headphones, sit back and just drift into this album. Or better still, dust off the sleeve and put it on the turntable. 

But now the article’s over, thought I’d something more to say… 

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