Review: Benson's first album since rejoining Warner Music Group earlier this year, it was originally recorded in 1989 but was never released. It features the celebrated composer-arranger Robert Farnon and his orchestra and Farnon's lush arrangements beautifully complement Benson's soulful vocals and fluid guitar work on American standards like 'Autumn Leaves,' 'At Last,' and 'My Romance', as well as reimagined pop classics such as the Beatles' 'Yesterday' and Leon Russell's 'A Song For You.' The album was delayed and subsequently lost until recently rediscovered in Benson's archive and with the help of pianist, composer and arranger Randy Waldman, Benson has revived and remastered the recordings, adding new overdubs and choral arrangements. This release adds a new chapter to Benson's illustrious career, following his tenure with Warner Records from 1976 to 1993, during which he released 12 studio albums, including the triple-platinum Breezin'. Recognised as a jazz master by the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) in 2009, Benson continues to be a giant in both jazz and contemporary music.
Review: Depending on which reviews you read, Utopia is either Bjork's most impressive album for a long time, or an interesting but flawed one. Co-produced by Mute and XL artist Arca with occasional studio contributions from Rabit, the set was designed to be positive and dream-like in tone, with Bjork delivering some of her most romantic lyrics to date. Musically, it's every bit as bonkers and brilliant as you'd expect, with pastoral and classical instrumentation nestling side by side with 8-bit electronics, bowel-bothering sub-bass, folksy textures and wildlife field recordings. It should perhaps be seen as a partner piece to the notably dystopian Vulcinara (2015), offering a more blissful counterpoint to that album's bleak and intense mood.
Carry Me Higher (feat Joy Anonymous & Danielle Ponder)
Henterlude
Back 2 Love (feat Jin Jin)
Brand New (feat James Vincent McMorrow & A-Trak)
Count On My Love (feat Daniel Wilson & Kon)
Godspeed (feat DJ E-Clyps)
Secretariat (feat Shaun J Wright)
Mercy (The Welcome) (feat Jacob Lusk)
Mercy (feat Jacob Lusk)
Your Mom Heart (interlude)
Happier (feat Clementine Douglas)
Review: The Blessed Madonna, aka US DJ and producer Marea Stamper is back with the release of her debut album proper after an album of remixes with Dua Lipa in previous years. Godspeed is a great embodiment of her sound which covers a wide range of house and disco styles, always served up with big energy and lots of love So far, fans have heard the bonus single 'Happier' featuring Clementine Douglas and it is a bittersweet bubblegum dance track blending melancholy vocals with triumphant production. The rest of the album promises the same infectious energy, with catchy basslines, sharp breakbeat breakdowns and a nostalgic feel. Godspeed captures Stamper's emotional depth and big time grooves in style.
Fan Mail/I'm Always Topuched By Your Presence Dear/Detroit 442 (Old Grey Whistle Test 07/03/78)
Dreaming/Slow Motion/Shayla/Union City Blue/Atomic/Eat To The Beat/Picture This/Pretty Baby/Heart Of GlassHanging On The Telephone/Sunday Girl (Old Grey Whistle Test - The Apollo Theatre, Glasgow 31/12/79)
Review: For all of the "it's like 1995 all over again" analysis that greeted the surprise return of Britpop stars Blur, it would count for nothing if the music they were making was a hollow pastiche of the past. Fortunately, The Ballad of Darren, the band's first new album since 2015, is a giddy blast from the past - and reportedly one recorded in a much more cooperative and good-humoured atmosphere than expected. Fans will immediately feel at home, with tracks such as 'St Charles Square' and 'The Narcissist' offering that now familiar mix of weary vocals, squally guitars, low-slung bass and shuffling drums. Whether or not it's a "return to form" is debatable, but it's certainly a refreshing blast from the past for those came of age in the 1990s (and those inspired by Britpop's messy, lager-fuelled energy).
Review: Compiled by Jason Boardman (Before I Die Records), this new release on CTR delves into the rich, untapped world of early 1980s post-punk DIY innovation. Boardman, a celebrated Manchester DJ, club-night founder, and record label owner, curates a collection of obscure and rarely heard tracks from the era. These bedroom and small studio creations capture the spirit of independent music from that time, showcasing the efforts of artists who sidestepped major labels to forge their own paths. The compilation features everything from Coventry's 2-Tone-related Skeet to Surface Mutants' Cabaret Voltaire-inspired dub, highlighting a diverse range of post-punk experimentation. Even tracks sampled by DJ Shadow make an appearance, offering a glimpse into the era's lasting influence. One particularly unique inclusion is a post-punk diss track, adding a playful yet edgy touch to the collection. This album shines a light on the overlooked and forgotten sounds of the period, focusing not on the hits but on the creative energy that defined the era. It's a tribute to the artists' perseverance and a celebration of their contributions to the music landscape. A must for fans of post-punk and DIY culture.
Review: Funkadelic superstar George Clinton knew many a side project as a producer; one was the ingenious, part-cyborg duo, The Brides Of Funkenstein. It was Clinton's idea that two other backing singers, Lynn Mabry and Dawn Silva, become the Brides Of Funkenstein, a character he invented for the 1976 Parliament LP, The Clones Of Dr Funkenstein. So popular were the brides that Clinton wasted no time in signing them to Atlantic Records; their debut album here followed the rip-roaring fan feedback that ensued from their debut single 'Disco To Go' / 'When You're Gone' in the US. The decision to break the male-fronted P-funk mould was intentional: simply *that many* Clinton instrumentals could not be credited to the man alone. "He's got thousands of tracks. He's got a whole cupboard full of them. He's got enough tracks to keep him in albums for two years," once chimed Mabry. Enchanting each jam with mecha-augmented femme flair, we're urged to be taken to the limit, across a blistering seven, smackout tracks. Mark 'Warship Touchante', the star tune by far: a wonky hi-NRG nutter, splattered with surreal, performative electronic vocal effects.
Amen (feat Lil Uzi Vert & Daryl Palumbo Of Glassjaw)
[ost] Puss-e
Die4u
Dig It
Review: While there was once a time Nottingham's Bring Me The Horizon were known as the knife-edged fringe sporting MySpace era deathcore easy target, it's highly unlikely anyone ever had it on their bingo cards that within the span of a decade the band would become the torch bearers for mainstream metal, following in the footsteps of Linkin Park and 30 Seconds To Mars. Serving as the long-awaited sequel to 2020's nu-metal indebted Post Human: Survival Horror EP, their seventh full-length (and first since 2018's Amo) Post Human: Nex Gen doesn't simply follow suit, but creatively clusters essentially every sonic guise the group have adorned throughout their tenure into one singular sonic headfuck. Touching on everything from metalcore, post-hardcore, pop-punk, hyperpop, trap, nightcore and Anime music; the album is a testament to ADHD maximalism, and while it may come off as messy, obnoxious or utterly overwhelming, it's nigh impossible to not be impressed by the sleek effortlessness in which they appropriate vastly differing soundscapes like they were always theirs to begin. Marking their final effort with longtime keyboardist/programmer/producer Jordan Fish and boasting equally dichotomous features from the likes of Aurora, Lil Uzi Vert, Underoath and Daryl Palumbo (Glassjaw, Head Automatica), the second instalment of the Post Human saga simultaneously serves as the end of one era for Bring Me The Horizon, and the dawn of an equally promising new age. Report back for Post Human 3 in due course.
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