Back catalogue: Indie/Alternative

Review: Norwegian outfit Les Imprimes have already found their feet with their earliest outings on Big Crown. As they continue to build towards their new album Reverie they drop another single from it here in the form of 'Falling Away' backed with 'Still Here'. Both cuts are beautiful and display fine musicianship, the sort of soul that melts your heart and breezy grooves that bring calm to your mind and body. Vocals enrich each cut and on this evidence, the upcoming album is going to be special indeed.

Review: The original 12" of 'I Follow Rivers' remixes was served up back in 2012 and was an instant hit. It now gets a reissue that proves it has aged perfectly well in the last decade. The original is a swelling and deep soul-drenched groove with broken beats and scattered percussion. The soaring vocals are designed for maximum impact. The Lost Sessions mix then pairs hits back to the tender piano chords and allows the aching vocal room to shine and The Magician remix brings a hands in the air festival vibe.

Review: GRAMMY-nominated and Emmy Award-winning multihyphenate Labrinth builds on the success of scoring the first season of Euphoria with another high octane score for the second series. The HBO series was a huge hit and that's in part because of the music. Labrinth himself has said this one is more than just soundtrack music and he's right. It is a visceral listening experience in its own right and one with 22 well crafted tracks including the fan favourite version of 'I'm Tired.' Whether or not you have seen this series, this album is well worth hearing.

Review: Times change, things get worse, outlooks seem bleaker, and the storm grows more severe. It's times like these you really need a ballast, something to hold on to and call upon for reassurance. Since inception, Lambchop have tried to be that force for good in a world hellbent on marching to madness. And The Bible is the group's finest hour for several years, although on the face of things it's not necessarily very different from immediate predecessors.

Lead singer Kurt Wagner has frequently quipped that his band don't really fit the country genre label, but again we're struggling to think of where else to place this. Country and Western it certainly isn't, but the totems are definitely down that route. That strong, iconic, patient and thought-provoking yet scarred voice, songs dealing with both the festival and comedown of life itself. This is slow, piercingly poignant stuff, from the heartbroken piano quiet of 'So There', to gospel-infused jazz on 'Police Dog Blues'.

Review: Given that they warmed up for the Rolling Stones in Hyde Park two years ago and won the 'Rising Stars' award at the 2023 BRITS, it would be fair to say that The Last Dinner Party are one of UK indie-music's most hyped bands. As a result, interest in Prelude to Ecstasy, their debut album, is sky-high. It was produced by James Ford - arguably one of the most in-demand studio knob-twiddlers of recent times - and has a concept of sorts: a musical exploration of the extremes of human emotions, with confessional lyrics written after band-members dug out and re-read their old diaries. They've certainly delivered on that project, creating immersive sound worlds (in part via the use of strings and trippy electronics as well as their usual instruments) that variously draw influence from mid-70s Fleetwood Mac, Kate Bush, funky post-punk rock, art-rock and vintage West Coast AOR.

Review: Anyone lucky enough to have caught James Murphy and his entourage of highly talented musical friends live will attest that it's here LCD Soundsystem truly excel. And whilst this London Sessions album recorded in the aftermath of such a performance at last year's Glastonbury Festival does not replicate such an elation filled experience, the chance to hear some of the band's best tracks recorded live makes this worth investigating. It's basically a showcase for how tight a group of musicians Gavin Russom, Pat Mahoney and Nancy Whang are, most notably on "Get Innocuous" where Russom really goes to town on the synths and "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House" which gets embellished with a liberal dose of tightness, tautness and spikiness. The band has such an all encompassing back catalogue that you could spend all day dissecting which tracks they should have included here, and it's a mark of the aforementioned tightness that even the somewhat risible "Drunk Girls" sounds markedly improved here.

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: Long Island outfit The Lemon Twigs frequently leave critics confounded and confused, in part because their shape-shifting style tends towards the over-the-top and grandiose. Rooted in a love of 70s glam, the theatrical rock pomp of Queen and a tongue-in-cheek love of overblown rock operas, they seem to delight regular listeners while rubbing reviewers up the wrong way. On Everything Harmony, their new album, they've re-set their influences once more, delivering a blend of folk-rock, Simon & Garfunkel style folk revivalism, prime Beatles and the close harmony bliss of the Beach Boys, with a dash of fuzzy garage rock and giddy psychedelia thrown in. It's well-crafted and expertly executed stuff that's hugely easy-going and enjoyable, whatever sniffy critics may say,

Review: It's been three years since we last had an original Lemonheads album, Varshons 2, a logically-titled follow up to Varshons, with ten years between the two. Quite when they'll grace us again isn't clear right now, but this quarter centenary re-issue of their acclaimed self-titled effort might go someway to reminding us why any activity from the seminal Boston, Massachusetts alt rock titans is something to get excited about.

First unveiled in September 2006, at the time the band were introducing fans to a new lineup, with founding father and one of the finest songwriters of his generation, Evan Dando, joined by Descendents/All bassist Karl Alvarez and drummer Bill Stevenson. Just as gritty, discordant, intelligent and relentlessly catchy as ever, this is a truly welcome archive outing.

Review: Evand Dando and co broke through to the mainstream with the sublime, sunny songwriting of 1992's It's A Shame About Ray, then managed to sustain their time at the top the following year with the Slade-referencing Come On Feel The Lemonheads. It's an altogether bigger and superfically impressive prospect, with guests like Rick James and Belinda Carlisle making the contributors' list and a production job from The Robb Brothers which elevates it beyond the slacker rock tag they'd had until the is point. It also spawned their biggest ever single - 'Into Your Arms' - and a host of other chart successes, including the excellent anthem 'Big Gay Heart', which saw them neatly distancing themselves from the jock rock category that other contemporaries like Nirvana quickly found themeslves slipping into.

Review: The pursuit of joy is paramount to life. Or at least that's the conclusion Jenny Lewis came to after investing a lot of time into a pandemic-era songwriting challenge set by her pal and collaborator Beck. Without going into details about the requirements, participants were asked to write one track per day during lockdown, and Lewis clearly dived in with gusto. At least some of the results have now formed Joy'All, a rousing and irony-free testament to the fact we can often get bogged down with distractions, but ultimately happiness is the meaning of existence. Far from a throwaway conclusion, loss and grief and sadness and sorrow are far away, thematically at least, giving an insight into how many hours Lewis spent reflecting on experiences good and bad. Owing much to classic country rock - the cover image even features the artist wearing an outfit once owned by Nashville legend Skeeter Davis - it's a welcome breath of positivity amid an otherwise worrying time.

Review: Liars kicked up a fuss when they launched into earshot around 2001, make no mistake. The New York noise-rockers are absolutely of their time and place, channelling no-wave sonic mischief but also displaying a keen ear for a deadly disco groove, albeit sounding more unhinged on their debut than anything you might have heard on DFA at the time. 20-plus years on, They Threw Us In A Trench And Stuck A Monument On Top is a classic - just try listening to the spiky funk of 'Mr Your On Fire Mr' and not feeling the urge to throw things around the room and shake every limb at your disposal.

Review: Wearing 1980s synth pop influences on their sleeve, and sounding exactly like they belong on the mighty DFA, Brooklyn's Light Asylum were rightly praised at the time they put out their debut - and, to this date - only studio album, circa 2012. Critics noted that, at a time when dance-punk crossover was everywhere, driven by LCD Soundsystem and many of the acts frontman James Murphy signed to DFA, the New Yorkers manage to differentiate themselves from the pack in several ways.

Taking a hint of Depeche Mode (well, maybe a bit more), a pinch of Nine Inch Nails, and parts of Throbbing Gristle, Gary Numan, and other pioneers, Light Asylum managed to introduce some much-needed light and spatiality into the often claustrophobically dark and oppressive industrial synth world. In doing so, they offer a sound that's somehow both universally accessible and niche, which is never an easy line to tread.

Review: Considering the most she's ever been guilty of is writing soft but super emotional folk-leaning indie rock, Fenne Lily has proven remarkably divisive over the past half decade or so. 2018's debut, On Hold, seemed to split critics down the middle, some lauding praise on the release while others wrote it off as sad girl songs lacking the ingredients to truly stand out.
In reality, all negative thoughts were really the result of one thing - the incredible hype that was surrounding the Bristol songwriter ahead of that first LP. Five years on, and with more records behind her, it's safe to say the haters lost and she definitely won: Big Picture is a confident and committed testament to the fact that she is incredibly talented, packing real impact behind those whispered words and, for the most part, gently plucked six strings.

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: These seven tracks of scuzzy, lo-fi indie are ingrained with the sound of London streets. The trio of musicians behind it - guitarist Barrie Cadogan, bassist Lewis Wharton and drummer Malcolm Catto - draw on all their 25-year plus experiences of working in multiple genres to serve up blues and rock collisions, psyched-out indie trips, gauzy, summer of love sonics and breakbeat and jazz fusions. The tracks were recorded with minimal overdubs making for an expansive and all consuming sound where the driving rhythm sections do the heavy lifting while the swirling sonics up top take things to a higher level. It might be deeper and darker than you'd expect of this band, but what else would you expect of a record made during this most weird of years.

Review: Gothenburg, Sweden, is a hotbed of diverse and escalating musical talent, now boasting the dynamic, organically soulful pop sounds of Little Dragon. Featuring radiant vocalist Yukimi Nagano and her close high school friends Erik Bodin (drums), Fredrick Kallgren (bass) and Hakan Wirenstrand (keyboards), Little Dragon stepped into the spotlight with releases on Peacefrog. "Little Dragon" is their debut album.

Review: Exactly pinpointing the essence of Little Dragon's sound is tough - it's always soulful and groovy, but it's not soul in the classic sense and there's plenty of other musical influences in the mix - but by now it barely matters. Each of their albums thus far has been special, and Slugs of Love is no exception. The Swedish four-piece impresses early with the head-nodding grooves, echoing house pianos and swirling atmospherics of 'Frisco', opts for a New York no-wave disco flex on 'Slugs of Love', and offers a perfect platform for mic man JID to the warped, hip-hop-goes-synth-pop shuffle of 'Stay'. There are highlights aplenty elsewhere across the album too, with our picks including Damon Albarn hook-up 'Glow', the moody house-not-house of 'Gold' and the picturesque, breakbeat-driven pop breeziness of 'Tumbling Dice'.

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: In celebration of its 25th anniversary, Looper's cult classic Up A Tree receives a deluxe reissue that breathes a little new life into the indie favourite. Marking a milestone in the band's career, this edition on limited and translucent green vinyl (including a one-sided organ flexi-disc) offers remastered tracks that showcase Looper's signature blend of electronic experimentation and infectious melodies. Packed with nostalgic charm and still-innovative production, the record which reached #21 on the UK Independent Album chart continues to captivate audiences and comes with remixes, reworks, new sleeve notes and alternative artwork.

Review: The Days of Our Nights was Luna's fifth studio album and it now gets an overdue repress courtesy of Real Gone Music. The Dean Wareham-fronted band came on strong with plenty of big and hooky indie pop songs here, despite the fact his label dropped them on the eve of the album's release in 1999. Because of that it has become hard to find over the years and is considered something of a lost gem in the band's back catalogue. There are highlights a plenty though such as 'Superfreaky Memories', 'U.S. Out of My Pants!' and a great cover of 'Sweet Child O' Mine' complete with a superb solo by guitarist Sean Eden.

Review: In honour of the 25th birthday of painter-turned-DIY musician Tor Lundvall's hard-to-find debut album, 'Passing Through Alone', Dais has joined forces with the New York-based creative polymath to produce a career-spanning, five-disc box set. Naturally, it begins with that 1997 debut - on which he laid down his now familiar "signature palette of synth, sequencers, guitar, drum machines, and hushed spectral voice" (as the label puts it) - before delivering an expanded edition of his 2010 odds-and-ends collection 'Ghost Years'. What follows is inaugural CD editions of three of Lundvall's most recent albums: 'A Strangeness In Motion' (a collection of lo-fi pop tracks recorded across the 90s), 'A Dark Place' and 'Beautiful Illusions'. A fitting celebration of a genuinely unique artist.

Review: Two years on from the release of their debut mini-album, Scar, Lush headed into the studio to record their first full-length proper, the critically acclaimed Spooky. One of the all-time great shoegaze-meets-dream-pop sets, it was notable not only for the immersive nature of the sound and the meditative effect of its hazy, layered guitars and vocals, but also the fact that it was produced by Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins. This reissue, which forms part of a series inaugurated by the band and remastering engineer Kevin Vanberger, offers a neat reminder of the album's timeless qualities, alongside a freshly cleaned and spruced-up sound that allows every single sonic element to shine.

Review: Lush's reissue series continues via a painstakingly remastered and sonically spruced-up edition of the band's second studio album, 1994's 'Split'. A very different album to its loose, immersive and shoegaze-fuelled predecessor, it saw the band join forces with producer Mike Hedges (celebrated for his work with The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees) and opt for a more - in their words - "direct" sound. Of course, it was still Lush, so the layered guitars and vocals remained, albeit amongst a lightly expanded sound palette, more hooky riffs and an early Britpop vibe that delivered a subtle evolution from the band's more wide-eyed, sonically loved-up roots.

Review: Originally released in 1992, Lush's second studio album really stuck a flag in the ground for the band. Having bestowed the 'mini LP' Scar on listeners three years earlier, at which point they became one of the first outfits to have the term shoegazing applied to their sound, it would take a full length offering to truly establish a framework for the outfit's approach to the (sub)genre. Spooky did just that, opening on the beautiful, grinding greatness of 'Stray', in many ways the record only builds intensity and grandeur from thereon in, providing a home for some of the most incredible moments of opiate indie rock you could ask for. Helped no end by the production of Cocteau Twins' Robin Guthrie, 31 years later it remains a landmark.

Review: In many ways, Lovelife represented a commercial high for British dream pop deities turned indie pogo set Lush. Reaching number eight in the UK album charts upon release, only the band's second album (technically their first full-length LP, with one compilation of singles and a mini-long player preceding it) managed to place higher, and while it was very much caught in a specific musical moment - shoegaze - it still felt rather experimental. Or maybe that's just true of the style overall. Regardless, leap four years into the future and things sound a lot different. Britpop's stranglehold on the charts was at max tought, and with their final album Lush jumped straight in with two feet. Clearly influenced by the high energy, big attitude ethic of the day, signs of which were evident on third album, Split, on Lovelife they managed to create one of the scene's defining albums, with anthems such as 'Ladykillers' and 'Ciao!' (featuring Jarvis Cocker, no less) among the highlights.