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Huw Marc Bennett's third album, Heol Las (Blue Street), takes traditional tunes from Glamorgan and submerges them in languid arrangements, touched by global influences and woozy doses of surf rock and sitar. The album thrums with a fitting beauty and energy, as it drifts from the industrial valleys to the Gower peninsula.The album features synthesiser-driven tracks such as Cân Gwasael (Wassail Song) and Yr Abaty (The Abbey), which sound like lost library-music theme tunes for spooky children's TV dramas. Other tracks, such as Y Fedwen (The Birch), are like sparkling radio-friendly nuggets of lost Sain Records psychedelia.Bennett's album also explores themes of Welsh heritage and identity, with Angela Christofilou adding lyrics inspired by Bennett's nieces being the first generation in his family to experience Welsh-medium education. The album is a revitalising and revelatory blend of Wales's past and future.Other notable albums out this month include Joshua Burnside's It's Not Going to Be Okay, Akkajee's Pölynkerääjä (The Dust Collector), and the Weaving's Dlúth & Inneach (Warp & Weft).

BTS, the world's biggest pop band, has made a significant comeback with their new album 'Arirang', which showcases a blend of K-pop experimentation and memorable hooks. The album, named after a traditional Korean folk song, aims to reclaim the band's identity as a Korean act after their previous work became more westernized. The album features collaborations with western artists such as Jpegmafia and El Guincho, known for their work with Björk and Rosalía. The result is a diverse sound that captures the K-pop spirit of experimentation while maintaining a litany of catchy hooks. The album is divided into two distinct moods, with the opening trio of songs showcasing RM as the band's guiding creative force. The songs feature elastic beats, echo-laden drums, and processed vocals, demonstrating the band's ability to have fun and experiment with different sounds. The lead single, 'Swim', is a softer, more straightforward pop track that is expected to top the charts globally. However, the album also features deeper tracks like 'Merry Go Round' and 'Animals', which showcase the band's ability to balance light and serious themes. While the album has some minor flaws, such as duplicate themes and underwritten tracks, it concludes with a surprise: 'Into the Sun', a stripped-back track with vocal effects that adds a curious edge to the album. Overall, 'Arirang' is a successful bid by BTS to reclaim their status as a Korean act and a global pop phenomenon.

Madeleine Dring, born in 1923, was a composer with an unconventional career that spanned theatre, pantomime, and cabaret. Despite her untimely death at 53, her music has been rediscovered, and her seriousness as a composer is now evident.The album Through the Centuries: Songs of Madeleine Dring, performed by Kitty Whately and Julius Drake, features a wide-ranging survey of Dring's work, drawing on poets from Shakespeare to her contemporaries. Dring's ability to find distinctive new melodies for old classics, such as It Was a Lover and His Lass, is showcased, along with her knack for word-setting.Whately's warm, supple mezzo-soprano brings these fervent outpourings to life, while Drake's piano accompaniment provides the perfect balance of support and independence. The album offers a variety of moods, from the passionate Love Is a Sickness and Echoes to the tongue-in-cheek Encouragements to a Lover and The Cuckoo.The encore, Dring's arrangement of Cole Porter's In the Still of the Night, is a delightful addition, showcasing her skill in reinterpreting popular songs. This album puts paid to any idea that Dring was not a serious composer, instead highlighting her unique voice and contribution to classical music.

The announcement of BTS's comeback album has transported me back to a bygone era, one marked by all-consuming passion and a dash of secrecy. As a teenager, I was deeply invested in K-pop, particularly BTS, but I often found myself hiding this obsession from peers due to fear of ridicule. In those days, it was uncommon for groups of girls to openly discuss or watch new music videos from popular K-pop bands like BTS or One Direction. We'd often gather in private settings, like late-night Skype calls or in the back of a classroom, to share and enjoy our favorite content. This clandestine nature of fandom was partly due to the stigma attached to being a 'fan girl.' The author recalls feeling self-conscious about their enthusiasm and downplaying it to avoid being labeled as 'crazy' or 'obsessed.' This behavior was not unique; many teenage girls have similar experiences, often softening their passions to fit in or avoid criticism. The question remains: why is it that displaying genuine emotion is frequently misconstrued as unhealthy dependence? Looking back, the author feels a sense of protection and softness towards their younger self, who found solace, connection, and belonging through BTS's music and universe. During a particularly challenging time, when the author moved to Melbourne alone at 17, BTS's extensive content provided comfort and something to look forward to. This period of intense fandom ultimately helped the author make meaningful connections and discover creative outlets like writing. The experience was pivotal in their personal development, offering a safe space to express themselves and explore their creativity through fan art, fan fiction, and more. With the release of BTS's new album, Arirang, and a world tour on the horizon, the author is eager to revisit their teenage self, embracing the excitement and joy that comes with being a fan. This nostalgia-tinged comeback is not just about the music; it's about reconnecting with a part of themselves that they had set aside.

In 1986, thrash metal reached a critical point with landmark albums from Slayer, Megadeth, and Metallica. However, across the Atlantic, a group of teenagers were forging their own path in the genre. Kreator, Sodom, Destruction, and Tankard, dubbed the 'big four' of German thrash metal, were faster and meaner than their American counterparts.These bands made up for their lack of finesse and professionalism with sheer aggression. Destruction vocalist and bassist Marcel 'Schmier' Schirmer notes that they focused on writing songs that 'punched hard' rather than striving for musical perfection.The German thrash metal scene was marked by its rough and violent approach, with bands drawing inspiration from English heavy metal albums and American thrash metal bands like Slayer. The scene was also influenced by the political climate of the time, with the presence of the Berlin Wall and the Cold War.Bands like Formel 1 from East Germany, who released their live album Live Im Stahlwerk in 1986, were also part of the thriving metal scene. Despite the challenges faced by these bands, including limited resources and censorship, they managed to create a lasting impact on the metal genre.Today, bands like Kreator, Sodom, and Destruction continue to tour and produce new music, with Kreator's 16th album, Krushers of the World, and Destruction's upcoming US tour with Overkill and Testament. The legacy of German thrash metal remains strong, with its unbridled aggression and brutal sound continuing to influence metal musicians to this day.