– THE MILITARY COUP –

Kate Tempest’s intellect and intensity has always been the cornerstone of her work but never before has an underlying feeling of dread come through in such a way as it does on Holy Elixir.

The best-selling author, Ted Hughes Prize winner and all-round poetry and spoken word phenomenon really started to gain mainstream music traction with the release of her two Mercury Award nominated albums, Everybody Down (2014) and the brilliant Let Them Eat Chaos (2016).

Now returning in 2019, Holy Elixir is the second track to be released from the forthcoming album The Book of Traps and Lessons.

Of course, the attention is easily swayed to Tempest’s excellent and ever thought-provoking lyrics; as always, deliberately raised high in the mix to give them an immediacy and intimacy like no other. She is a confidant and a canary in the coalmine.

Witness: “We’re living in this time that says, ‘No inhibitions, get yours, keep going the distance, no limits. But don’t bother protesting because nobody listens… Keep throwing your fists in slow repetition. Most of us manage; what makes you so different? Now, you seem a bright spark. Go ahead, take the road with the pilgrims. Head for the temples of democracy, freedom, growth, reason, liberty, hope… but don’t pay attention to what’s hanging from the rope… your loneliness is the symptom; not the sickness’.”

Powerful, panic-stricken and petrified, all the while, underneath, the slow burning bass line perfectly matches the lyrical performance. This is a track that makes as much noise in the spaces between notes as it does with each frantic beat.

The Book of Traps and Lessons will be released on 14 June.

MORE FROM THIS WEEK’S MIX

HUMAN BLOOM: CAPILLARY
SKINNY PELEMBE: NO BLACKS, NO DOGS, NO IRISH
CID RIM FEAT. LYLIT: FURTHER
JJ WHITEFIELD: YELLOW SARI

P.S. You can find all of the tracks reviewed above in the 45 Revolutions per Minute playlist below or click to access the 45 RPM Playlist on Spotify itself.

If you like what you hear (or even if you don’t), please engage in dialogue with me @45rpm_Reviews on Twitter. And, if you’d like to receive updates weekly, please subscribe to the email list to get these recommendations sent to your inbox weekly.

– SV –