Band Aid - "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (1984 version)
Band Aid 20 - "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (2004 version)
Band Aid 30 - "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (2014 version)
Band Aid - "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (2024 Ultimate mix)
Band Aid - "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (live)
Review: This CD compilation brings together four decades of this iconic charity anthem, showcasing its evolution across generations while maintaining its heartfelt purpose. Featuring the original 1984 version by Band Aid, this release captures the raw urgency of the collective's mission to combat famine in Ethiopia. The 2004 rendition by Band Aid 20 introduces a modernised arrangement with a fresh lineup of artists, while Band Aid 30's 2014 version incorporates contemporary production and voices, reflecting the ongoing relevance of the cause. The 2024 version offers a reimagined take, balancing the classic's spirit with current musical sensibilities, ensuring it resonates with a new audience. Closing the collection is a powerful live performance from Wembley Stadium in 1985, a moment steeped in history and emotion that amplifies the song's legacy. Spanning generations of talent and commitment, this release is a celebration of unity and a reminder of the enduring power of music to inspire change.
Review: Cocteau Twins' musical mastermind Robin Guthrie has produced some terrific solo records over the course of his career, frequently delivering material that joins the dots between ambient, ethereal soundscapes, shoegaze and the more immersive end of the soundtrack spectrum. 'Astoria' is the latest volume in the Scottish multi-instrumentalist and producer's ongoing EP series (its predecessor, 'Mountain', dropped in September). It's another typically gorgeous and enveloping affair in which effects-laden guitar motifs, gaseous ambient chords, gentle rhythms, ghostly aural textures and slowly shifting melodies combine to create instrumental sound worlds of rare beauty (if not sonic clarity - Guthrie's use of reverb and delay is liberal, which adds to its atmospheric nature but adds extra layers of attractively wide-eyed haziness).
Review: Robin Guthrie's Atlas is a four-track EP showcasing new instrumentals that gently reintroduce listeners to his distinctive world. Known for shaping genres with his production and signature guitar sounds, Guthrie famously co-founded and produced for Cocteau Twins. With over four decades of musical influence, he's produced, remixed, and collaborated across various projects, from instrumental albums to movie soundtracks and Atlas serves as a tantalising preview of what's to follow later this year, namely more of Guthrie's evocative sounds that will no doubt continue his legacy of pushing boundaries.
Amortage(CD single + photobook + flipbook + postcards + photo cards + key ring in lenticular case (comes which different artwork, we cannot guarantee which one you will receive))
Careless Whisper (live At Madison Square Garden, July 2008)
Careless Whisper (instrumental)
Review: George Michael's Careless Whisper 40th Anniversary Edition on CD is a nostalgic treasure for fans of one of pop's quintessential anthems. Released in 1984, the track's lush saxophone riff and Michael's emotive vocals made it an instant classic, topping charts worldwide and becoming a (slow) dancefloor staple. This commemorative CD presents four versions of the iconic song: the newly remastered original, an extended mix that amplifies its steamy appeal, a previously unreleased live performance from Madison Square Garden capturing its live charm and an instrumental version that highlights its exquisite musicality. While Michael himself was critical of the track's lyrical simplicity, viewing it as a minor achievement compared to his other work, the song's enduring appeal remains undeniable. This edition celebrates its lasting impact with a collection that offers fans both a trip down memory lane and a deeper appreciation of its musical legacy.
Review: Richard Norris loves a series. The former Grid man and noted psychedelic music afficionado has umpteen on the go at present, including ones dedicated to meditative ambient sounds ('Music For Healing') and modular experiments ('Abstractions'). Then there's his dub-wise and 'outernational' music series, Oracle Sound, which here reaches its fourth - and possibly strongest - instalment. Highlights are plentiful, from the languid and woozy head-nod of opener 'Connected Dub' and the intoxicating, flute-sporting musical mystery of 'Earthsea Dub', to the up-beat dancefloor dub of 'Maximum Dub', and the sub-heavy, near dub techno pulse of John Carter hook-up 'Ceefax'. That one also comes accompanied by alternative takes by both Norris and Carter.
Review: Fresh from delivering killer dancefloor jazz covers of classics cuts by Galaxy 2 Galaxy and Avicii (really), Japanese trio Polyplus deliver a fine sequel to last year's Good Luck Sound Tracks EP. They go for the dancefloor jugular from the off, wrapping snaking sax solos, fuzzy guitar licks and elongated solos around a breathlessly rapid punk-funk groove on 'Massive', before fusing Brit-Funk and sweat-soaked jazz-rock on 'Speedy Gold'. This hybrid jazz-funk/rock sound continues on 'Ranki 2025' (whose heavy beats and memorable piano riffs nods to classic house). Elsewhere, 'Ocean Breeze' re-frames wide-eyed city-pop as jaunty jazz-funk and 'Natural Born' is a drum solo-sporting slab of jazz-rock/jazz-fusion insanity straight from the top drawer.
Review: For their latest exploration of the darker and rougher end of the electro spectrum, Dutch imprint Freedom Club has turned to pitch-black urban electronics explorer RTRA, a Russian artist whose tracks tend towards the paranoid, industrial-tinged and claustrophobic. He's certainly delivered on Liberation, a five-track EP appearing on CD in highly limited numbers. He sets the tone with 'Transition', which sounds like Nitzer Ebb and early 80s Cabaret Voltaire making angular electro, before doffing a cap to DAF on the dark, noisy and apocalyptic 'Liberation'. Elsewhere, modular and analogue sounds power the mutant electro of 'Rage' and 'When Soft Voices Die', while 'Illusion' is creepy, intoxicating and unsettling in equal measure.
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