Back catalogue: Indie/Alternative

Review: Le Couleur consistently sidesteps complacency with each new album presenting a fresh musical experiment without ever losing its familiar foundation. With Comme dans un penthouse, the band takes its biggest leap into musical exploration yet as they revisit elements of 'Voyage Love' while delving deeper into disco infused with new wave nuances. The result is a cooler, more distant vibe compared to their previous work. The album crafts a narrative universe around Barbara, introduced in 'POP,' as she seeks excess, pleasure, and happiness amidst frenetic rhythms. From the Krautrock-inspired 'Autobahn' to futuristic tracks reminiscent of Das Mortal, Le Couleur deftly balances innovation with familiarity here on another sublime-sounding album.

Review: The original Bridgit Mendler soundtrack to the citrine teen drama movie of the same name sees a full version on vinyl LP this spring. Notable not only for its inclusion in the contemporary musical film, but also for its chart-topping success, the ten songs that make up the many acts of this high-school drama were destined to charm the pubescent masses, coinciding with the film's overarching theme of the school's students transcending use of after-school detention to musical effect, in order to overcome their personal struggles. Imagine Glee meets The Breakfast Club; a cabal of songwriters including Ali Dee, Maria Christensen, Bryan Todd and Jeannie Lurie lay down an array of sure-to-be hits for Mendler to perform on behalf of the cast here.

Review: The Libertines is one of those bands people either seem to love or hate, a bit like Radiohead, but for very different reasons. They certainly defined a specific period in UK music culture back at the turn of the millennium whether people like it or not, and after years apart they have reconvened as more mature men for a fourth album, All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade, which managed, according to frontman Pete Doherty, to come together in "a moment of rare peace". Lead single 'Run Run Run' is a great indication of what to expect - some racuous energy with great songwriting.

Review: Emerging nearly a decade after their last musical collaboration, The Libertines' anticipated fourth studio album, All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade, showcases a poignant preservation of their signature sound. Despite the extended hiatus, the reconciliation between Pete Doherty and Carl Barat has not spurred radical artistic evolution but rather refined their established style. The album exudes a renewed focus while retaining the essence of their post-punk roots. Clash-inspired grooves, incisive lyrics steeped in darkness, and anthemic choruses evoke a sense of nostalgia among loyal fans. The band has translating their revitalized camaraderie into a sonic experience that both honors their past and hints at their future trajectory.

Review: There are few nu-metal bands from the formative late 90s/early 00s scene who achieved the monumental crossover appeal of Linkin Park. From their turntable spinning, frenetic rap-metal beginnings on 2000's global breakout Hybrid Theory, to the refined maturation of their formula on 2003's career-height Meteora, to their Jay-Z collaborative album Collision Course to the shedding of skin and rebranding as a genre-less alternative rock entity on 2007's Minutes To Midnight; as popular and accessible as they were, the band clearly constantly strived for sonic progression. Papercuts collects the highest charting singles from the group over two decades, with the most recent contribution being the previously unreleased 'Friendly Fire' recorded during the sessions for 2017's One More Light, which ultimately serves as the final new piece of recording from the band and vocalist Chester Bennington who would tragically take his own life later that same year. Ignoring the standard sequencing of a greatest hits which often lists the tracks in chronologically released order, here the cuts are compiled to sonically complement each other and reflect the band's ethos rather than a single line commercial pattern. Here is why the anthemic double platinum 'In The End' is juxtaposed with the minimalist rap-rock of MTM banger 'Bleed It Out', or why the previously unreleased fan favourite demo 'QWERTY' lands right between the U2 indebted 'What I've Done' and the original breakout single that started it all 'One Step Closer'.

Review: It's been seven years since the tragic passing of Chester Bennington and the abrupt end of nu-metal legends Linkin Park, while their legacy remains praised and intact by avid fans. Papercuts offers up a career-spanning greatest hits collection, yet rather than sequencing each bundle of tracks chronologically in terms of specific album release, the cuts are mixed with the design of flowing as naturally as possible, with the anthemic 'Faint' from 2003's Meteora rubbing shoulders with their iconic Jay-Z Collision Course collab 'Numb/Encore'. Elsewhere, 'One Step Closer'; the breakout single from 2000's genre-defining debut LP Hybrid Theory is followed directly by 'New Divide', which served as the lead single from the Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen soundtrack. From their rap-metal beginnings to their signature style of nu/alt-metal to the their calmer accessible later era, this compilation delivers a succinct yet sprawling distillation of Linkin Park's most vital contributions to the several dynamic scenes they helped to elevate.

Review: Lo Moon's I Wish You Way More Than Luck presents a landscape of lush melodies and atmospheric layers. While the album showcases the band's penchant for slow-building intros and dreamy soundscapes, that rewards patience listeners. 'Water' stands out as a refreshing departure, with its immediate presence and energetic vibe, encapsulating the album's titular message with conviction. Despite the album's tendency towards extended intros and gradual crescendos, tracks like 'Evidence' resonate deeply with their melancholic undertones. Ultimately, while Lo Moon's sophomore release offers moments of brilliance, it may shine most with people who like their music with a lot of depth. A pop album with depth that may surprise most.

Review: After a long emergence in and adjacent to the South London underground music scene, producer, singer, performer and outlandish mask donner Lynks returns to the fore with the announcement of their debut album, Abomination. Moving between the well-paired, current twinnings of post punk, art pop, and rubbery electronica, Lynks lays down a whopping debut full-length here, commenting on casual hookup culture and queer psychic contemporaneity amid a brash and ironically relentless weirdo rave faux-schlock.