Review: After over four decades out of print, Henry Badowski's 1981 debut Life Is A Grand finally comes reissued by Caroline True Records. Despite cult status, this is a can't unhear record whose privies are never lost on those who love it. Badowski built a quiet reverence for himself over the years, eluding mainstream rediscovery while gathering admiration from those drawn to its peculiar charm. Though he eventually slipped away from music and began a succession of other jobs - fans often wondered how such a gifted musician could just disappear - Badowski was known to have been a teenage bassist in Chelsea briefly linked to The Damned, later stepping away from punk's sharp edges to craft something far more whimsical and idiosyncratic. Drawing on his affection for Roxy Music, Ian Dury and Jethro Tull, he wrote, arranged and played nearly everything on the album himself, rom the baroque pop of 'Swimming With The Fish In The Sea' to the instrumental strut of 'Rampant'. Rich in synth flourish, sardonic lyricism and melodic invention, and now pulled up by the pinky and thus saved from the gorge of obscurity, Life Is A Grand returns with its sly wit and strange beauty completely intact.
Review: Bruno Berle's No Reino Dos Afetos is a stunning example of modern Brazilian pop, blending heartfelt emotion with a wide range of musical influences. Hailing from Maceio, Berle brings the warmth and beauty of his coastal home into every corner of this album. Released in a vibrant blue vinyl repress in 2024, the album is a journey through soft, intimate compositions that explore love, tenderness, and beauty. Berle's smooth, golden voice is the heart of the record, effortlessly gliding over songs like 'Quero Dizer', where the mix of lo-fi production, kalimba, and guitar creates an irresistible, laid-back groove. His raw emotional power shines in tracks like 'O Nome Do Meu Amor', an acoustic tearjerker brimming with sincerity. Berle's versatility is clear, moving from indie rock on 'E Preciso Ter Amor' to the sun-soaked soul of Joao Menezes's 'Ate Meu Violao', which opens the album with a nostalgic touch of 70s MPB. His take on West African highlife in 'Som Nyame' adds even more richness to the mix. Every note feels personal, capturing both simplicity and depth. This album solidifies Berle as one of Brazil's most exciting young talents.
Review: Fleet Foxes' award winning, eponymous 2008 debut album and their 'Giant Sun' EP, recorded and released the same year, are both packaged together on this double (orange vinyl), containing many a tune of the year in many critics' books at the time of release. Standard top-quality song writing and standout harmonies are of course the stand out features on this anthemic folk album by this Seattle outfit. Fans of the Beach Boys, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Simon & Garfunkel or Midlake will enjoy these subtle melodic ballads that are uplifting timeless classics that still sound as fresh today as when the songs were first presented to the public nearly two decades ago. If beautiful relaxing laid back music is what you're after, you cannot go wrong with this collection of fabulously constructed songs.
Review: Robert Forster, co-founder of the Go-Betweens and one of Australia's most acclaimed singer-songwriters, releases his new album on Hamburg's stellar Tapete Records, which is the pop arm of Krautrock label Bureau B. What's clear is Forster's ear for jangly 60s pop is as refined as you can get. He's up there with Creation Records legend Pete Astor, who influenced Ultimate Painting. It's the softer more melodic side of indie pop, but ultimately, hard to argue against as an approach to songwriting. In terms of highlights, 'Tender Years' is a must-listen as it has a darkness to it thanks to the minor chord guitar twang that underpins the rambling lyrical explorations perfectly. This is up there with Nick Cave's best stuff.
Review: Originally released in 2001, The Argument would serve as the sixth and final full-length from Washington D.C. post-hardcore visionaries Fugazi (led by Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat and Guy Picciotto of Rites Of Spring). Released in tandem with their Furniture EP, the project continued the band's further experimentation and internal dissection of a subgenre and style they were creating, curating and bastardising in real time. Making extensive use of cello and piano, while weaving in more unhinged spoken word diatribes, the project falls in line with the latter-day art punk of Red Medicine and End Hits, while providing a bookended finale of incomparable intensity, equally disgusted and concerned with the war-torn world at large and man's constant inability to find better means of facilitating change. Often cited as not only the band's best work but a monolithic cornerstone of the scene at large, this repress naturally lands courtesy of MacKaye's own Dischord Records and arrives on artwork complimenting blue marbled vinyl.
Review: Two British pop legends unite for Who Believes in Angels?, a new record spot-checking our faith in divinity. Having connected through a mutual admiration and shared love of music, Elton initially became a fan of Carlile through her effusions of folk, rock and country, which matched the former's megastar's sometimes pained, moving songwriting. Their friendship deepened over the years, with Carlile performing at Elton's annual AIDS Foundation events and joining him on stage for special collaborations. Now blending Elton-led and Brandi-led tracks, the album contains lyrics from longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin alongside Carlile's own contributions, with production by Andrew Watt. This marks Elton's 33rd studio album and Brandi's eighth.
Review: Evoking an even more visceral reaction than the likes of Amyl & The Sniffers or Idles (who they recently supported on tour), the debut album from Brighton's latest hyper pissed off post-punk pair Lambrini Girls is a declarative, venomous volley of malice aimed squarely at any and all xenophobes in attendance. Proud and self-proclaimed LGBTQ+ allies, with vocalist/guitarist Phoebe Lunny even drawing ire for a recent interview quote in which she happily admitted "I will scrap any Terf, any day, in person", the duo craft menacing, minimalist noise-punk that comes for the heads of everyone from the standard 'Filthy Rich Nepo Baby' to the pervy workplace bosses on 'Company Culture' - "Michael, I don't want to suck you off on my lunch break", snarls Lunny over grinding symmetrical riffs, while the closer gives us their 'in summation' lecture with the aptly titled 'Cuntology 101'. Whether they're the dogs who shouldn't have been let out for fear their tear through your restricted world view, or you're the dogs who now need to be rounded up and put in dark ages, Who Let The Dogs Out is the definition of verbally castrating first, asking questions later.
B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition
Some Day Come Back To Me (3:09)
Field Of Dreams (4:13)
Just How It Goes (5:01)
None Of Your Business (5:17)
Mom (5:16)
Estella (2:13)
Double Trouble (6:47)
Two Worlds Apart (6:34)
Gone Fishing (5:01)
InterStella (1:27)
House In The Woods (4:49)
Track 12 (8:16)
Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***
Icelandic experiment Low Roar heard Ryan Karazija, Leifur Bjornsson and Logi Gudmundsson indulge a transoceanic collaboration, extending many a riotous yet sensual sludgeoff between indie pop and post-rock until Karazija's death in 2022. Since this sad event, subsequent records have heard the band reuse loose elements recorded by Karazija in a posthumous fashion, and House In The Woods is a brilliant new example. Pressed to vinyl quickly after an initial digital release, the album blends typical Icelandic ambient-string work with sensuous background vocals and harmonium layers, and deals in a range of subjects from decrepitude to endless love, marked by a sense of sublimity throughout.
Review: Released in 1980 originally, The Correct Use of Soap is Magazine's third album and truly marks their evolution into a mature and cohesive unit. Produced by Martin Hannett, the album contrasts with the darker tones of its predecessors, returning to the pop sensibilities of Real Life while incorporating funk elements. Howard Devoto's lyrics boast a Costello-like flair, particularly on tracks like 'Sweetheart Contract', 'Philadelphia' and 'A Song From Under the Floorboards' and while the album embraces a more accessible sound, it doesn't shy away from the post-punk ethos of its time, reflecting societal anxieties during the Thatcher era. Songs like 'Because You're Frightened' intertwine personal and political fears, with lyrics exploring sexuality alongside existential dread. The closing track, 'A Song from Under the Floorboards', encapsulates this duality, featuring striking lines that reveal anger, illness and a deep sense of vulnerability. This remastered edition on white vinyl invites both new listeners and long-time fans to rediscover an album that captures a broader historical mood while delving into intimate human experiences.
Review: Miami-born and raised, synth-pop duo Magdalena Bay relocated to Los Angeles and have been blazing a trail with their self-produced music towards the top of the pop world. To celebrate the beguiling aura of their second album, released in August 2024, there's a limited repress of it in a stunning yet chaotic and artsy clear blue. Stacked with bangers, including the ethereal disco single 'Image' and the cosmic electropop epic 'Death & Romance' - which recalls Destiny's Child as much as it does Jean Michel Jarre - Magdalena Bay are clearly brimming with ideas. That they then know how to package these ideas with a cohesive visual aesthetic helps them hugely on their way and at the pace they're going creatively, there's seemingly a glorious road ahead.
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