Lucy Rose, “No Words Left” (Arts & Crafts)

“Conversation don’t come easy,” Lucy Rose softly sings on the opening track of her new album. “But I’ve got a lot to say.”

Guitar picking fills the space of the track “Conversation,” joined by subtle strings as Rose grapples with feelings toward a lover she longs for despite misgivings. “No one makes me high like you do... no one lets me down like you do.”

It’s the perfect start to the English-based folk artist’s gentle, yet salient album called “No Words Left.” Masterfully mixed, the album’s primary aesthetic feels stripped down — with an emphasis on piano and acoustic guitar parts alongside Rose’s Joni Mitchell and Laura Marling reminiscent vocals — but with the added color of brass and strings elevating the composition.

The album is also carefully paced. The instrumental track “Just a Moment” begins like a lullaby, the guitar softly strumming in. With peaceful interludes, like “Just a Moment” and the appropriately named “No Words Left (Pt. 1),” the album never forces itself along. Rather, it flows gently and patiently.

Though Rose remains delicate throughout, she strikes different tones on each song. In “Solo(w)” her pain is palpable as soft piano crescendos and she sings out, hypnotically and repetitively, “Cause something’s missing/When I am solo, so low, solo, so low.” ″What Does It Take” is pleading, while “Treat Me Like a Women” shows her resolve as she confronts the man who “fires” words at her: “And you treat me like a fool/Or do you treat me like a woman.”

“No Words Left” is melancholy in a way that feels relatable and raw. Rose knows she’s written a collection of blue songs and instead of fighting the inclination, she embraces it. In her closing track, she is good natured as she coos, “Song after song/All about me and my misery. And I’m still blue/so blue.”
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Blue is a color she wears well.

David Gray, “Gold in a Brass Age” (IHT Records)

David Gray’s lively folk record “Gold in a Brass Age” features his signature mix of electronic and folk. Both genres bring strength to the album: folk with its lyrical depth and storytelling style, electronic music with its added push.

The genre-cross works on most songs, as the album grapples with the passing of time.

The energetic, yet delicate “The Sapling” speaks of focusing on growth rather than “the ghosts of better days” with layered vocals and a choir that joins in. Gray’s gruff vocals come in on “Watching the Waves” as he wonders “Just how long can it be/’Till that melody strays,” in a song written after the death of a close friend.

The balance of electronic and folk is masterfully struck in most songs, but some feel forced into this trajectory. Rather than providing Gray a creative tool in the form of genre intersectionality, it at times feels like a chain only holding him back.

The title track, a catchy and thoughtful tune, may have been better served without electronic additions. A cuckoo clock sound effect is used in this song about time and distracts more than enhances the track.

The album is more experimental than Gray’s past work. In “Mallory,” distorted and layered vocals crescendo to an angelic peak resonating underneath Gray’s voice as he sings.
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There’s a sense of searching on this 11-track album that stays light-hearted. The world around him is changing, but, as he sings in “A Tight Ship,” he remains resolved to “dance like no one sees.”

NEW YORK (AP) — Fashion Week has ended in New York, leaving a trail of sequins and feathers, worn-out stilettos and blisters and traffic jams. But sometimes, fashion feels good: there were some moments of genuine, happy emotion. Here are a few feel-good moments of the week:
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BARRY IN THE HOUSE
No, Michael Kors didn’t make that orange bedazzled “Copa” jacket that Barry Manilow wore to perform at the designer’s show. We’re not sure who did, but it was fabulous.

Manilow, a surprise guest at Kors’ ’70s runway bash, belted his hit “Copacabana” from a glitzy stage set up near the catwalk as Bella Hadid danced beside him and rock muse Patti Hansen (married to Keith Richards) hopped up for a quick kiss after walking for Kors, an old friend.

Backstage after the show, Kors said he had met Manilow at a concert a year ago and invited him on board. The pop king had never been to a fashion show before, Kors said, calling Manilow the “cherry on the cake.”
—Leanne Italie

AGE IS JUST A ... WELL, YOU KNOW
The grand finale of designer Naeem Khan’s runway show featured three models, all over age 60, walking the runway in silver sequined gowns.

Karen Bjornson, Alva Chinn and Pat Cleveland were known for working with Halston in the 1970s and were part of a group known as the Halstonettes. Khan was an apprentice under Halston earlier in his career.

But it wasn’t the age of these models that was impressive, it was their attitude. These three had such confidence, pizazz and style that audience members were standing, applauding and whooping with joy. These models brought down the house.
—Jill Dobson

THE ORIGINAL SUPERMODEL RETURNS
And then there was famed ’90s supermodel Christy Turlington — heck, she’s one of the women they coined the phrase for — stunning the fashion world by turning up to walk the Marc Jacobs runway in a voluminous black feathered gown and matching fascinator, closing out New York Fashion Week with an emotional bang.

Taking to Instagram later, Turlington explained that she had turned 50 earlier in the year and “have arrived at a place where ‘why the ... not’ is the answer that comes up when I ask myself questions.” And she said she has “a 15-year-old daughter who I desperately want to see and hear me, and this is a medium that ‘speaks’ to her.”

Her appearance came as Jacobs put on one of his best shows in years, filling the runway with high drama and fairytale whimsy.
—Jocelyn Noveck

THIS ONE’S FOR MOM
In a week that focuses on appearance, it was refreshing to see a moment of pure tenderness.

Brandon Maxwell dedicated his show to his mother, Pam Woolley, who’s been battling breast cancer, and to other strong women everywhere. At the end, the designer escorted her down the runway for a final bow, kissing the side of her head as she wiped away tears.

Maxwell called the show “the physical manifestation of, I think, the strength that I saw her display over the past few months.”
—Ragan Clark

LAUGHTER ON THE RUNWAY
The Badgley Mischka show featured sleek, fitted dresses with stretch, in sequined metallic, black and green. But the end of the show was a vision in red, when all the models stormed the runway at once, in short dresses made of various fabrics, including lace, velvet and feathers — all in the same shade of crimson.
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Usually models remain stone faced when strutting the runway, but this finale had models smiling and clapping and clearly enjoying the hoots and applause from the enthusiastic crowd.
—Brooke Lefferts

NEW YORK (AP) — Hip-hop icon Lil’ Kim slayed as a blonde at The Blonds, performing her new song “Go Awff” to close the design duo’s New York Fashion week show inspired by “Scarface” and other classic gangster movies.

David and Phillipe Blond, always fashion provocateurs, wanted to incorporate their favorite “glamour gangsters” to walk in the Tuesday night show. Aside from Lil’ Kim, they included Paris Hilton, actress Karrueche Tran, singer Jillian Hervey of Lion Babe, Mj Rodriguez, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” winner Aquaria and reality TV’s The Clermont Twins, wearing practically nothing at all.

As for the clothes, the collection featured The Blonds’ typical edgy designs: jeweled corsets, thigh-high heeled boots and bold accessories. Phillipe Blond walked in a gold-lined white faux fur coat with gold hardware jewelry that spelled out “Blond.”
David Blond said the inspiration came as the pair discussed the cultural obsession of glamour.

“We watched ‘Scarface’ and we’re thinking of, like, how our clients are. They’re just like that. They’re sort of addicted to, you know, glamour. They’re addicted to sparkle, as we are,” said David Blond. “And I think that’s why we’re kindred spirits.”
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Phillipe Blond joked backstage about his runway vibe.

“Subtle,” he joked with Hilton backstage as she admired his “Blond” knuckle ring.

Much of the collection included crystals.

“To have glamour you got to have a sparkle, right?” said David Blond.

Jewels swung from Hilton as she walked, wearing silver from head to toe in a flapper-like bodice paired with a chunky necklace and silver bootie heels.
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Hilton called The Blonds “iconic, extra — just everything they make is just so beautiful.”

NEW YORK (AP) — Phillip Lim had some unusual guests on his New York Fashion Week front row: fellow designers.

Prabal Gurung and Jason Wu attended Monday to cheer him on, as did Alexander Wang on Friday at the Palm Angels show by Francesco Ragazzi.

“It’s my favorite thing when I see designers supporting other designers,” said Eva Chen, the director of fashion partnerships for Instagram. “They’re friends.”

She was seated next to Gurung for the 3.1 Phillip Lim show, which included a couple of standout coats done in wool to look like faux fur in bright white and hunter green. They were included in a palette of browns, black and gray.

Lim told The Associated Press after the show he was happy to see his designer friends on hand.

“It’s part of also championing community and galvanizing your peers and colleagues who understand your journey. And, you know, it’s such a lonely profession because it’s like, everyone from the outside looks so great, but we rarely get to socialize and come together,” he said.

Gurung said he was happy to be there to support his friend.
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“He is an extremely talented designer, but more than that, his heart and his soul and his intentions are in the right place and we are here to support it,” he said.

Chen, Gurung said, is the one who suggested the designer support network.“One day she said to all of us, ‘How about starting with you guys going into each other’s shows,’” he said. “We were just like, ‘Duh.’ I didn’t even think about it. So, very happy to be here.”

Wu said New York fashion is a “small family.”

“Everything’s changing and I think we’re just really stronger if we support each other. I think it’s pretty good to embrace our community,” he said.

Lim’s collection embraced “real, every day heroines.” He described it as one that showed off “comfort, protection, stability, sturdiness.”

Lim’s designs were at times asymmetrical, with an angled pleated skirt and a top draping off a single shoulder. A hooded dress functioned as both athletic and elegant and a pantsuit had long slits in the sleeves where arms can easily pull out. He carried that sleeve style into many other looks.

Lim said he partnered with Woolmark for the collection, making sure his wools were environmentally friendly. He hoped the move would show his intention to be “more conscious and sustainable.”
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Also seated front row was model Ashley Graham and actress Karrueche Tran.

NEW YORK (AP) — Tears flowed at the New York Fashion Week show of Brandon Maxwell when his mom accompanied him on the runway for his bow.

Pam Woolley has had a rough go of it lately. She was diagnosed with breast cancer after her son’s show last season. This time around, he dedicated the show to her and strong women everywhere.

“It really is sort of the physical manifestation of, I think, the strength that I saw her display over the past few months,” Maxwell told The Associated Press, alluding to her health struggles.

The clothes also embodied the polished elegance he is known for, and a simplicity he needed in his life.

Maxwell is coming out of an especially busy time. He’s a judge on the revived “Project Runway” in addition to a busy designer who has dressed Lady Gaga and Meghan Markle. His desire now is to “strip everything back.”

His collection ranged from pantsuits with plunging necklines and caped sleeves to full-bodied skirts that sweep to the ground and cinch at the waist. He designed in black and white and monochrome for some looks.
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A black sports bra with a keyhole was worn under a sleek black blazer trimmed with satin. There were cinched white coats worn over white skirts barely visible from underneath. Maxwell also showed black-and-white leopard print dresses with a subtle “B″ hidden in the pattern.

Bella Hadid walked in a satin white dress that zipped in the front to reveal a white turtleneck. Of the 35 looks, only six were in color.Though Maxwell is relatively new to orchestrating fashion shows, having launched his ready-to-wear line in 2015, he says he’s still come a long way.

“My very first show, I was hidden behind the door crying and I think I, at this time, I’d already had like six glasses of wine,” said Maxwell. “Today I’m just here sipping a water and I was just eating a chicken wing, so I’m feeling good.”

Karlie Kloss (a co-judge on “Project Runway”), Nicki Hilton Rothschild and Ashley Graham sat front row, and they’re not his only famous fans.

Maxwell told the AP it’s been an “unbelievable joy” to see other strong women, such as Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle and First Lady Michelle Obama, wear his clothing, along with Lady Gaga.

“When I see those women. ... they’re wearing the clothes to do good things for others,” he said. “Any time I’m able to dress a woman like that and be part of her day, it’s a blessed day for me.”

As a long-time friend and past fashion director for Lady Gaga, Maxwell said he’s enjoyed watching her during this awards season.

Lady Gaga won a Grammy Award on Sunday for best song written for visual media for “Shallow” from the movie “A Star is Born.” She shares the award with Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt.

She is also nominated for the Oscars’ best actress for her role in “A Star Is Born” and best original song for “Shallow.”
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“You wouldn’t be standing here interviewing me tonight if it weren’t for that friendship and someone who has so selflessly given me so much and rooted for me so much in my life and wanted the best for me,” said the designer. “It’s just a great joy. And she deserves it all.”

Beirut, “Gallipoli” (4AD)

Front-man Zach Condon of indie folk rock band Beirut has a penchant for world music, pulling various cultural influences into every record he’s made. “Gallipoli” feels especially inspired. Some of the zest lacking in the band’s 2015 album “No No No” is fully realized in this new album.

Triumphant horns, Farfisa organ, synthesizer and parading drums pervade the tracks. Notes are channeled, according to Condon, through broken amplifiers, PA systems, space echoes and tape machines in order to create planned imperfection. Vocally, Condon comes through more powerful on this album than on “No No No.”

“Varieties of Exile,” ″Gallipoli” and “When I Die” are standouts. “Varieties of Exile” brings bohemian, island influences used by bands like Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and adds The Smith’s Morrissey-like vocals.

The title track is lighthearted and jubilant, inspired by a brass processional Condon followed through the streets of the southern Italian town for which it is named. “When I Die” is more peaceful and joyful than morose. “When I die/I want to travel light,” Condon croons, “Don’t cry I/promise that I’ll get it right/I’ve been practicing my whole life.”

“Gallipoli” is the album we need today_one that celebrates the beauty of cultures colliding. Condon takes you with him, from the streets of Berlin to the coastline of Italy. As if cultural inclusion wasn’t obvious enough in its sonic representation, Condon makes it fully apparent on the band’s website which features an introduction to “Gallipoli” in seven languages including Portuguese and Japanese.
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Hearing Condon return to vocal and expressive brilliance in this 12-track collection is a sigh of relief for Beirut fans. “Gallipoli” will be sweet music to the ears of new and non-fans, alike, as the band continues its exploration of diverse cultural sounds.

“We Cast a Shadow” (One World), by Maurice Carlos Ruffin

A fear-driven, racially charged world is the land in which the narrator of “We Cast a Shadow” lives. Half the black community - and eight out of 10 black men - are arrested in their lifetime. A ghetto has been fortified, walling in the black population for the “health, safety and general welfare” of citizens. Curfews are enforced. Those who break the law can be deported. And for the narrator, a black man lucky enough to have avoided prison (unlike his father) and who holds a position at a law firm, his top priority is creating a better life for his son - even if that means turning him white.

Maurice Carlos Ruffin weaves many threads, from the fragile complexity of a father-son relationship to a person’s capacity for change. The world Ruffin creates is semi-satirically extreme, yet there is an air of plausibility that is unsettling. What is the result of fear, power and discrimination left unchecked? And where is the line between protecting your own and subjecting them to the very prejudice that has ruled your world?

Heart-wrenching and morally ambiguous, “We Cast a Shadow” explores questions of justice and self-actualization. Life’s fulfillment may only seem within reach when cultural assimilation to the most extreme degree takes place. But what is the price that is paid? The moral high ground in such a society is reserved for those who haven’t faced discrimination themselves, from the narrator’s perspective.

Unapologetic in his ability to make the reader uncomfortable, “We Cast a Shadow” is a challenging, thought-provoking debut by Ruffin.

Better Oblivion Community Center (aka Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers), “Better Oblivion Community Center” (Dead Oceans)


Singer-songwriters Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers have been navigating the dark corners of their own minds, but now come together as Better Oblivion Community Center for a concerted effort. Pondering your own capacity for good, missing someone so much you want to dig them up from their grave, questioning what lies beyond death — “If we’re going somewhere I’m ready/If it’s just dirt I’m not” — these are the subjects Oberst and Bridgers explore and in these subjects, they lay themselves bare.


Those familiar with the careers of Bridgers and Oberst know that the two are poets, lyrically revealing even their darkest thoughts to audiences. Oberst’s songwriting has allowed him to stand out in his solo career and with his early work in indie rock band Bright Eyes. Bridgers is newer to the scene, releasing her debut “Stranger in the Alps” in 2017 and collaborating with Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus to create the critically acclaimed group boygenius in 2018.


As Better Oblivion Community Center, Bridgers and Oberst commit to bringing dismal, burning imagery and salient pain into their writing. Their transparency is harrowing at times, but succeeds at being identifiable, reminding listeners that internal turmoil can be relatable in the end.


The album opens with “Didn’t Know What I Was in For,” relying heavily on the lyrics and distinctive vocals of Oberst and Bridgers to carry the weight of the track, while still incorporating a full band sound. “Service Road,” where the layering of Bridgers’ tender vocals over the strained, emotional sound of Oberst’s voice give the song a haunting quality, is accompanied by the searing imagery of a described brother, “Asking strangers to forgive him/But he never told them what it is/He did to them that made him feel so bad.”


A synthesizer creates an ethereal layer on the track “Chesapeake,” where Oberst and Bridgers again showcase their striking harmonization. “Forest Lawn,” named after the Los Angeles cemetery, is ambiguous (is the one missing deceased or out of touch?) and has a folk-quality to the style and writing.
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It’s difficult to find fault in “Better Oblivion Community Center.” Beautiful in their melancholy, Bridgers and Oberst work as a grand duo on their powerful self-titled debut album.

Deerhunter, “Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?” (4AD)

Leveled, steady, Bradford Cox coaxes, “Come on down from that cloud/And cast your fears aside.”

That perfect line leads Deerhunter’s “Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?” — cradling listeners in choruses that describe imminent oblivion.

Deerhunter’s latest album is bleak, but in such a way that invokes a sense of calm in an anxious, disparaging world. Fading time, fading individuality, a fading world: these are realities frontman Cox and bandmates — Lockett Pundt, Moses Archuleta, Josh McKay and Javier Morales — have accepted.

Consistent with their past work, “Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?” can’t be boxed into a single genre, with punk and pop tones among others. As the group’s eighth LP, the band is comfortable in its own lack of sonic cohesion. The harpsichord on “Death in Midsummer” provides a Western tinge, yet avoids being nostalgic with the layering of synth.

“Detournement” adds deep distorted vocals to a Radiohead-like atmospheric track, sounding futuristic. “What Happens to People?” adds jaunty keyboard to an upbeat track and sounds hopeful when it asks, “What happens to people?/They quit holding on.”

The unity of the album lies in the theme it draws from introspection and extrospection: Deerhunter sees the world for what it is, but repeatedly asks the question, what can we do with it? A seeming acceptance of disparity is shown through the pairing of dark lyrics with pleasant musical composition.

“No One’s Sleeping” decries the country’s “duress” as “violence has taken hold,” yet, if it weren’t for Cox’s deadpan voice and the subject of the lyrics, you might be fooled into thinking it was a much happier song. The group could be reflecting on times today or an apocalyptic setting as Cox sings out, “No one’s sleeping/The village green is nocturnal finally/Follow me to golden pond/There is peace — the great beyond.”

Deerhunter challenged the texture of their sound and context of their lyrics and produced a complex and pleasing result: a musical journey into their ideas of death and the beyond.
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A self-proclaimed sci-fi album about the present, “Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?” proves again Deerhunter can rise to the challenge of reinventing their sound without losing themselves — without disappearing.