New releases last two weeks: All genres

Review: While he's released countless albums as one half of Erasure, Andy Bell solo excursions are something of a rarity - at least under his given name. Setting aside his conceptual 'Torsten' albums, Ten Crowns is his first solo album since 2010. Produced by Dave Auden (who also provides a seamless, DJ mix style version of the set on disc two), it largely delivers a more muscular, EDM-influenced take on the sparkling and energy-packed synth-pop sound he's famed for making with Erasure. There are naturally deviations from the script - see the indie-rock-framed singalong alongside Debbie Harry, 'Heart's A Liar' - but for the most part the highlights are rooted in Bell's love of dance-pop/synth-pop fusion (see 'Don't Cha Know' and 'Breaking Through The Interstellar').

Review: To mark the one-year anniversary of Reveries, Sonic Cathedral drops a new two-tracker that brings a Detroit reimagining to 'Vale' and 'Cadere'. Produced by John Hanson, aka Saltbreaker, the project features live improvisations by saxophonists Yali Rivlin and Thalamus Morris and cellist Jordan Hamilton. Each of them did their thing in a single take with Hanson composing around their performances, and the result is a graceful blend of serene melancholy and rhythmic sophistication. Oodles of warmth and organic textured is added to the originals and these interpretations act as a fine tribute to Detroit's enduring uniqueness.

Review: German pair Markus Guentner and Joachim Spieth rightly got plenty of acclaim for their 2023 ambient album Overlay and now it gets revisited with a top selection of remixes that breathe new life into the original compositions. Prominent ambient and experimental artists such as Hollie Kenniff, Rafael Anton Irisarri and Pole all show their class while newer names like Abul Mogard smears synths into a misty wonder on 'Scope', Galan/Vogt layer in angelic vocal tones to 'Valenz' and Leandro Fresco brings a lightness of touch that fills with optimism on opener 'Apastron. Guentner and Spieth themselves provide two alternate versions of their originals that bring new emotional and sonic depth.

Review: Jamaican singer Clive Matthews has enjoyed a stop-start career, with relatively brief periods of activity in the 70s, 80s and early 2000s followed by a late blossoming over the last decade - a career bump provided by the backing of Spanish roots reggae outfit A-Lone Productions. They're at the controls again on Matthews' second album, Going Home, which marks the Trenchtown-born artist's first full length for seven years. Rooted in his love of roots reggae albums of the 1970s, but with occasional updated instrumentation, it's a classic-sounding set that provides a perfect platform for Matthews' conscious lyrics and honeyed, effortlessly soulful voice. The results are undeniably impressive, with our current favourites including 'Yes I Do', 'Ancient Lion', dancefloor-ready title track 'Going Home' and the pleasingly jaunty 'Reggae Music'.

Review: Originally formed in 1977 in Belfast at the height of The Troubles, Stiff Little Fingers should require little to no introduction for any self-proclaimed punk aficionado, with the band credited as the first punk outfit to ever record and release output in Northern Ireland. The aptly titled The Singles 1978-1983 offers a double CD compilation collating all of their A and B-sides issued during their initial tenure, including the hit singles 'Straw Dogs', 'At The Edge', 'Nobody's Hero', and the haunting 'Bits Of Kids', as well as a bevvy of deeper, overlooked cuts. Complete with a booklet containing detailed liner notes on each single plus illustrations of all relevant sleeves, the collection serves as both a crash course for beginners and a triumphant nostalgia trip for lifer-listeners.

Review: Since appearing on Gorillaz fifth album, Humanz, in 2017, Kali Uchis has been on an upward trajectory. Now a major international star with a quartet of major label backed solo albums to her name, the Colombian American rapper and singer arrives at album number five, Sincerely, at the peak of her powers. Inspired in part by an unexplained "life-altering event", the set's lyrics explore "the complexities of life" and her desire to "find joy in life despite of the world". In truth, it's more joy than pain, with Uchis gravitating towards head-nodding, string-laden grooves, r&b-influenced pop, guitar-laden trip-hop torch songs, and immersive, dream-like soundscapes.

Review: There are basically two types of anniversary compilations: the humble retrospective, packed with classics and significant musical moments from the past, and collections of all-new music that showcase where an imprint is at right now. Predictably, Planet My founder Mike Paradinas AKA U-Ziq has chosen the latter option to mark the occasion of his legendary experimental label's 30th birthday. There's naturally plenty to get the blood pumping and the synapses snapping across the 25 tracks on show, from the skittish IDM of Jlin ('B12'), mutant future-boogie of Venetian Snares ('Drums') and hard-to-pigeonhole excellence of Falty DL ('Usually I'm Cautious'), to the chopped-and-screwed r&b of Bae Bae ('Living In The Memory'), Nik Colk Void's industrial gunk ('A Tough Design (demo)'), the glassy-eyed D&B/ambient techno of Xylitol ('Nevada') and the sample-rich instrumental hip-hop hedonism of Luke Vibert ('Bullet Drop').

Review: Scarred by a high-profile breakdown, Abel Tesfaye aka The Weekend has spent much of the last three years rebuilding his mental health - a process reflected in the introspective and surprisingly open lyrics at the heart of Hurry Up Tomorrow, his sixth studio album. Said to be the final part of a semi-autobiographical trilogy, the two-disc set is a dizzyingly varied and star-packed affair that confidently strides between squelchy synth-pop (Justice collaboration 'Wake Me Up'), thrillingly bass-heavy Baille funk (Anitta hook-up 'Sao Paolo'), attack-on-the-senses EDM-pop ('Until we're Skin & Bones'), heavily orchestrated slow jams (' Reflections Laughing' with Travis Scott and Florence and the Machine), head-nodding R&B ('Enjoy The Show' with Future), 80s pop revivalism ('Take Me Back To LA'), and shimmering analogue synthscapes (Giorgio Moroder collaboration 'Big Sleep').