Back in stock: Indie/Alternative

Review: A veritable time capsule of a bygone era that now seems enviably innocent - fallout of Thatcherite politics, economic crises, and wars in the Middle East aside. Perhaps not too dissimilar from today, then, irrespective of your personal feelings towards Happy Mondays the baggy Mancunian swagger-ers did contribute one of the most distinctive voices to the Madchester and indie-acid crossover era, and one that oozed an air of disassociation from mainstream politics of the day. Adding to the sense of this being a period piece, Balearic Beats comprises four remixes of Ryder et al's original work, three of which from one of the leading figures in the dominant narrative about house music arriving in the UK - Paul Oakenfold. The tracks are low-slung, hypnotic, and have an atmosphere that's as thick as the air on a Mediterranean evening.

Review: DFA Records prime mysterious new Brighton signees Proper Monday Number with a sure start, flicking the proverbial Rube Goldberg machine into gear with a banging remix of their otherwise unreleased debut track 'High Horse'. Here, of course, it's LCD Soundsystem / DFA's very own James Murphy at the remix controls, together with resident DFA DJ and "decent human" Matt Cash. Toolroom dance moods extend over a lusciously simple seven minutes, bringing home FM stabs and LinnDrum faceslaps aplenty. And the lyrics: "stop what you're doing now... you ain't got no crown! get off your high horse! turn this ship around!" In our day and age, we need more anti-stagnation, ego-teardown anthems like this, so we welcome the sentiment by the masked duo.

Review: If only we knew then what we do now. Few times does the phrase feel more appropriate than when discussing R.E.M.'s debut EP - you didn't buy it in 1982, and now original pressings are likely to fetch a sum. Still, we can't all be winners, although any astute ears should have quickly picked up on the potential of these then-unknowns.

Following first single Radio Free Europe, Chronic Town, which comprises five tracks of ever-so-slightly-weird, jangling, up-tempo alternative indie rock 'n' roll packing post punk sentiments, set the stage for the band's most glorious days that ensued. Landing in 1982 on I.R.S. Records, the troupe would stay with the label for some of their most critically acclaimed landmark albums, and for many it's this era and sound that best explain the greatness of a crew known for reinvention and listlessness.

Review: Legendary Reading shoegaze band Slowdive had s short but powerful run from 1989 until 1995 (during their first spell) and that included the 5EP. In the same year, it was remixed to perfection by Bandulu and Reload and now it gets reissued on limited hand numbered vinyl. First up, Bandulu stretch the original's heavy minor chords and fatten the track out into a dubby masterclass and then the Reload version from Tom Middleton & Mark Pritchard (better known as Global Communication) is even more impressive. It's a supremely blissed out cut with a slow motion rhythm and futuristic sense of soul cut on 45 rpm but just as suited to 33rpm playback.

Review: Dublin band Sprints quickly return to the fore after the success of their recent highlight 'How Does The Story Go?' This new EP is destined to be heard loud at beer swilling festival main stage all over the world. It has powerful riffs, plenty of fuck you energy and sizeable choruses that will connect on a large scale. Karla Chubb's spoken-sung vocals bring an alt-rock feel with a critique of modern existence served up next to an exploration of what it is to grow up queer in the modern day.