Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Black Milk’s fourth studio album, the humbly titled Album Of The Year, was produced almost entirely by himself, with minimal assistance from Will Sessions, and originally released in 2010 via Fat Beats. Boasting the massive, bulldogging ‘365’ for starters, Black Milk’s perennial achievement only extends to ever more gain, nailing an idiomatic bossy, noughties-to-tens stadium hip-hop sound. This nonetheless varies itself, as we move from funk-sampling bombasts like ‘Deadly Medley’ to on-the-floor ass-slingers such as ‘Distortion’ and romantic bouncing-car lowriders like ‘Over Again’, on which Monica Blaire’s vocals especially shine. Now Vinyl Me Please reissue the rapper’s milestone record on limited edition "gold nugget” vinyl, limiting it to just 1000 copies.

Review: Don Blackman's self-titled debut, released in 1982, is a jazz-funk masterpiece that has long been overlooked despite its significance in the genre. While it may not feature the familiar production of P-Funk luminaries like George Clinton, its essence resonates deeply within the Venn diagram of funk, soul and jazz-fusion, placing Blackman at the center of a unique musical nexus. Produced by Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen for GRP Records, the album stands alongside other funk classics like Fuzzy Haskins's A Whole Nother Thang and Bernie Worrell's Blacktronic Science. Tracks like 'Hearts Desire', with its captivating slap bass groove and 'Holding You, Loving You', showcasing romantic lyrics and harmonies, exemplify Blackman's artistry. His blend of aggressive jazz-funk is not only infectious but also reveals a distinctive sound that deserves recognition. This reissue of Blackman's album serves as a timely reminder of its place among the top funk records.

Review: Alice Coltrane's Eternity marks a unique period where her music transcended traditional jazz boundaries. Created just after she established her Vedantic Center, this album explores both secular and spiritual worlds through richly layered compositions. Moving between Vedic chants, lush orchestration and cosmic jazz, Eternity reveals Coltrane's expanding vision and personal growth. No longer solely defined by her husband's legacy, she crafts a distinct sound that balances earthly experiences with a profound spiritual journey thus making this album a transformative listen in her storied career.

Review: Recorded live at UCLA in April 1978, Alice Coltrane performs on piano and organ alongside Roy Haynes on drums and Reggie Workman on bass. The trio creates a transcendent experience, inviting listeners to journey into the depths of sound and self. Coltrane's performance blends intensity with serenity, drawing you closer to the music and your inner being. This concert, much like John Coltrane's A Love Supreme, seeks transformation. Transfiguration captures a rare moment of musical and spiritual connection, where music becomes a vehicle for liberation and transcendence.

Review: John Coltrane's Sun Ship, recorded in 1965 but released posthumously, captures the last moments of his legendary quartet with drummer Elvin Jones, pianist McCoy Tyner, and bassist Jimmy Garrison. The album showcases a band fully immersed in Coltrane’s move towards freer structures, exploring rhythm and melody in a way that feels both intimate and expansive. Opening with the title track, the quartet fractures rhythm and melody, creating a sense of tension and release that sets the tone for the entire recording. Garrison and Jones weave around Coltrane's saxophone, blurring the lines between time and pulse, while Tyner’s monumental solo pushes the boundaries of harmony.Tracks like ‘Ascent’ and ‘Attaining’ spotlight the rhythm section, where Garrison and Jones stretch and compress time with an improvisational looseness that retains a powerful drive. ‘Dearly Beloved’ offers a moment of reflection, with Coltrane’s lyrical playing cutting through the multi-layered, almost ritualistic rhythmic landscape, reminiscent of his earlier meditative works. The final track, ‘Amen’, hints at swing, but quickly morphs into something more abstract, blurring the lines between Coltrane’s past and future sound. Sun Ship feels like a pivotal moment in Coltrane’s journey—a summation of everything the quartet had achieved, while also signalling his impending leap into even more avant-garde territory. It is both a farewell to one of the greatest quartets in jazz and a glimpse into Coltrane's final phase of artistic transformation.

Review: Dungen's latest release offers a captivating journey through their signature blend of psychedelic rock and Swedish folk influences. The opening track sets a compelling tone with its intricate rhythms and lush instrumentation, drawing listeners into a rich auditory landscape. As the album progresses, each composition introduces unique textures and melodies, showcasing the band's evolution and depth. The production is meticulous, with each element thoughtfully layered to create a cohesive and immersive experience. This release not only honours Dungen's roots but also pushes the boundaries of their sound, offering both longtime fans and new listeners a fresh perspective on their musical journey.

Review: By the time Fleetwood Mac put out their self-titled 1975 album, a lot had happened to the band. Landing seven years after their first eponymous record - how's that for breaking the rules? - this is the first LP to feature Lindsey Buckingham as guitarist and Stevie Nicks as a vocalist, Bob Welch having left a year earlier when the pack relocated to California, ushering in their tenth lineup in eight years. Although arriving to somewhat muted response critics lauded the release even if the public wasn't exactly gushing, and time has shown where the truth really lies. Rolling Stone, among other publications, ranks the LP among the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, with the three Top 20 singles - 'Over My Head', 'Rhiannon', and 'Say You Love Me' - now among the Mac's most treasured. A soft rock landmark

Review: This album is a testament to Ghostface Killah's resilience as a storyteller. The project explores themes of wealth, violence and survival, with Ghostface delivering vivid narratives laced with humor, offbeat details and a raw energy. This reissue released on red and purple vinyl, is filled with guest appearances, that rarely overshadow Ghost's distinctive voice. The production is a mix of hard-hitting beats and soulful samples, offering a backdrop that fits the gritty themes, especially on tracks like 'Tony Sigel AKA Barrell Brothers' and 'We Celebrate'. Despite the occasional sense of rushed execution, the album offers some standout moments. 'Yolanda's House' brings a lighthearted touch to the darker tones, while 'Walk Around' delves deep into PTSD and guilt, showcasing Ghostface's ability to address heavy topics with nuance. One of his finest releases, this album still manages to shine through with Ghost's relentless commitment to his craft.

Review: This is a bold, progressive funk album from one of the genre's masters in Isaac Hayes. Although Hayes who was rooted in r&b was often overlooked in favour of prog-rock bands like Emerson, Lake and Palmer, his music was just as expansive and expressive across his career. This album served as the soundtrack for Hayes' first major film role and perfectly matches the gritty, exaggerated tone of the movie. Over time, its tracks were reimagined and sampled and influenced works from Geto Boys to Quentin Tarantino films, which has ensured it a lasting legacy in both cinema and music history.

Review: Legendary multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef recorded this seminal record in 1960 and showcased a slightly more restrained yet equally captivating side of his artistry. Released on Riverside, it captures Lateef at the height of his creative powers, delivering soulful grooves like 'Goin' Home' and a tender rendition of Duke Ellington's 'I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So.' Playing both saxophone and oboe, Lateef is supported by a stellar ensemble: Hugh Lawson on piano, Ron Carter on cello, Herman Wright on bass and Lex Humphries on drums. A masterful blend of subtlety and depth, this is an essential piece of jazz history.

Review: The Hissing of Summer Lawns marked a turning point in Joni Mitchell's career, emerging four decades ago as a radical departure from her earlier work. While albums like Blue and Court and Spark established her as a confessional singer-songwriter, Hissing ventured into new territories, blending jazz and African influences with a more complex pop sound. The album's characters, primarily women, grapple with existential disconnection, often revealing a sense of unworthiness and emotional estrangement. Critics initially found the album jarring, noting the absence of first-person narratives and traditional melodies. Instead, Mitchell crafted a lush soundscape reminiscent of Miles Davis's freeform style, allowing her musicians the freedom to shape the music. While Hissing debuted at #4 on the charts, it quickly fell off, perceived as too esoteric for mainstream audiences. Over time, its innovative spirit has influenced a new generation of artists from Prince to Bjork, who resonate with its harmonically rich and experimental nature.

Review: Hudson Mohawke has always been a bit of a universe-builder, sonically speaking. Few dance music producers to emerge in the post-millennium period have created such a unique aural personality and carved out such an individual place for themselves. Despite giving us a number of incredible pieces of work over the years, Cry Sugar was in many ways the Scottish enigma's coming of age moment. Simultaneously smashing out hardcore, slomo UK breaks, weird-hop, freak&B, alternative-leaning EDM pop, soul, jazz, festival chart house, electronic sleaze and hyper emotional electronica overtures, the 2022 record was rightly tipped as one of the year's finest. And the perfect score to the tumultuous, chaotic and confusing times we woke up in at the time this one was being meticulously pieced together.

Review: Raising Hell originally came in 1986 and became a groundbreaking album that built on the success of King of Rock and went on to sell over three million copies worldwide. Produced by Rick Rubin, the album raised the standard for hip hop as it was packed with hard-hitting hooks, inventive samples, scratches and of course many catchy choruses. Tracks like 'Peter Piper'# with its Bob James sample, 'It's Tricky' which made use of The Knack's 'My Sharona' and 'My Adidas' became and remain classics. However, the 'Walk This Way' bridged hip hop and rock in all new ways and consigned Aerosmith's original version almost to irrelevance.

Review: Considered groundbreaking at the moment of its release, Sigur Ros' Agaetis byrjun, originally released in 1999, is a subtle and speechless blend of post-rock, ambient, and ether-electronica. The album propelled the Icelandic band to fame for its lush falsettos from Jonsi - which indulged a Cocteau Twins-esque conlang mixed with Icelandic, known among the band members as "Hopelandic." Tracks like 'Svefn-g-englar' and 'Staralfur' became instant classics, with a wide-berthed, cinematic feel, regaling the sense of standing at the edge of an ultimatum. The 2024 Vinyl Me, Please reissue now comes repackaged, offering it in a deluxe vinyl edition with remastered sound.

Review: By and large, disco albums of the 1970s and 80s are largely rubbish, mixing shorter versions of dancefloor epics (at least in their superior 12" version forms) with saccharine ballads. Sylvester's Step II, first released in 1978 and here revived in audiophile-friendly form, is an exception to the rule. Unusually, there's no excess fat and plenty of righteous, life-affirming dancefloor heat with the peerless 'You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)' and San Fran disco-classic 'Dance (Disco Heat)' being accompanied by the high-octane disco-funk stomp of 'Grateful' and the languid soul-funk bump of 'Was It Something I Said'. Even the slower numbers are excellent, particularly 'Epilogue' - a slowed-down, gospel-tinged 'reprise' of 'Mighty Real' that's worth the admission price on its own.

Review: Once again, Vinyl Me, Please respond only to music fans' demand - it's their business model - in reissuing this long beloved T. Rex record. Their self-titled debut glam rock kickoff, entitled T. Rex, was the only record to feature both Marc Bolan and percussionist Mickey Finn centre stage (hence the two-figure album cover) as a duo, before Steve Currie and Bill Legend would join in 1971, making the outfit a foursome despite Bolan's predominance. Not as renowned as Electric Warrior or The Slider in the grand scheme, T. Rex nonetheless brought the band chart and commercial success, following a two-year comeup; this almost certainly resulted from its sophisticated, avant-blues pop sound and distinctive hyena vocals from Bolan, though Finn's percussions show remarkable restraint too. Add to this a dash of incredible electric rock stereo mixing; a pin-rolling of shock-rocky, flaired style; and a lengthy marinading in sex appeal; and voila, you've an unstoppable career.

Review: Originally released in 2004 and celebrating its 20th anniversary, Where You Want To Be would serve as the sophomore full-length from Amityville, New York emo/pop-punk icons in the making Taking Back Sunday. Following the rapid success of their 2002 debut LP Tell All Your Friends, John Nolan and bassist Shaun Cooper would leave the group to form Straylight Run (though they would eventually return) and be replaced by Fred Mascherino and Matt Rubano, respectively, with the pair utilising their jazz school background to help the band tighten up compositionally and attain their sought-after elevation. Working with former Husker Du soundman and producer Lou Giordano (The Goo Goo Dolls, Sunny Day Real Estate), pushed the members to embrace additional instrumentation, emblematic on the string-guided ballad 'New American Classic' while lead single 'A Decade Under The Influence' remains one of their signature cuts to this day. Retaining the gritty post-hardcore bite of their debut yet already discovering their burgeoning mainstream appeal which would take full flight on 2006's breakout album Louder Now, the legacy of the aptly titled Where You Want To Be is one of a poignant bridging point between two equally vital eras for the band.