Review: It's hard not to be impressed by everything Grimes touches. From the moment this album's trippy downtempo titular opener emerges from submerged depths of sound you know the latest from the Canadian is going to be a special moment in pop. As if to accentuate our point, "Delete Forever", two tracks later, introduces acoustic guitar tips while still retaining deep timbre and utilising effects to hypnotic ends on those hummed vocal loops. "IDORU", which closes out the record, feels far more playful, simple keyboard and whispered choral lyricism introduced with a backing track of bird song, before broken club beats fall in. It might be most fitting to finish a write up on the aptly-titled "You'll Miss Me When I'm Not Around", its guttural bass guitars and EDM-leaning vocal stabs not the only things reminding us the world would be weaker without this one.
Review: Roberto Lange is back with a new album for 4AD which feels in stark contrast to his previous outing, 2021's Far In. That album was a definite lockdown record, and now Lange is in the mood to reach out and celebrate the sunshine, funnelling his dense and dusky production and playing into some wonderfully varied songs. There's a unique sentimentality to the Helado Negro sound captured in the huge reverb tails which spiral out of songs like 'LFO (Lupe Finds Oliveros)', but there's no immediate fix for the curious charm of his dusty indie rock sound.
Review: Hips & Makers takes us back to a great time for independent guitar music. The debut album from Kirstin Hersh is deceptively quiet and unarguably powerful, predominantly made up of acoustic numbers that really speak to how strong the rock-folk crossover was at this point. Adding the inimitable voice of REM's Michael Stipe to the opening track, 'Your Ghost', only accentuates this. A million miles from 'twee', while things here are often set at a volume that encourages reflection, in other moments they explode into an earthen celebration of passion and energy. Almost carnal. 'A Loon' and its campfire yelps and whoops, 'Close Your Eyes' with its rousing chorus invoking resilience and resistance. Even the sparseness of 'The Letter' makes a huge impact.
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: Album number three from English rock set Lush was first unveiled in 1994. By this time, the group had already established a reputation for themselves as masters of shoegaze, having helped spearhead the movement back in the late-1980s with the critically acclaimed mini-LP, Scar, alongside a host of EPs and singles, some of which would wind up on the band's beloved compilation albums. Split is certainly an apt name for this record, which sows the seeds of a departure in sound that would come into full bloom on the Britpop record Lovelife, a couple of years later. In this instance, there's still plenty of opiate and operatic walls of hyper-emotional sound, while in other moments things play out in a much more chart-friendly format, making this very much a historic document of changing trends at the time.
Your Mind Is Not Your Friend (feat Phoebe Bridgers) (4:20)
Send For Me (4:11)
Review: American indie rock band the National rach their ninth studio album with First Two Pages of Frankenstein. It makes the start of a new chapter for the hugely popular outfit as they anchor their sounds in evocative melodies and lyrical narratives that are complex and enthralling throughout. The band produced the record at Long Pond Studios in New York with some high-level guests including Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers and Sufjan Stevens. It comes after busy touring years, two back-to-back albums and a period of creative block but suggests that was very much gotten over as it brings plenty of invention and originality.
Review: Seven albums in, The National have solidified their songwriting with confident nuance, and 'Sleep Well Beast' is another milestone on this consistent band's upward curve. Standout ballad 'Carin at the Liquor Store' waltzes and wanders through melancholic nostalgia and glimmers of hope, exemplifying the sound and storytelling that The National are so renowned and respected for. Small cracks in the concrete gloom appear with the more energetic and optimistic tracks, allowing just enough light in for this masterfully executed album to encourage repeat listens, which will in turn, and as always, provide ample rewards.
Review: US indie pioneers The National formed back in 1999 and they have cleverly managed to skip the trap of becoming a legacy band. They are aging like a fine wine with old songs sounding better than ever live and new songs holding up brilliantly next to the staggering quality of their early tunes. Part of their evergreen appeal, with increasingly youthful audiences gathering at their concerts despite their sad dad rock tag, is thanks to guitarist Aaron Dessner's a-list collaborations as a producer - including with Taylor Swift. This double vinyl LP set, recorded at the National's June 3 concert at Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morrico in Rome, conveys just how well aligned they are to the zeitgeist, thanks to the mix including the crowd's overwhelmingly emotional response. As for the setlist, it is a celebration of their past, present and future and solid throughout, but standouts include: 'Fake Empire', a spine-tingling knock out that will floor you. And 'Bloodbuzz Ohio', a baroque pop take on post-punk, with the flair of Sufjan Stevens and the darkness of Joy Division. Legendary stuff.
Review: Rome is a 21-track live album that captures The National's performance in the Italian capital on June 3, 2024, with a tracklisting that spans the band's 20-plus-year career. Rome highlights fresh renditions of recent tracks such as 'Eucalyptus' and 'Tropic Morning News', revealing The National's distinct ability to reshape their music in concert, giving new life to old favorites while showcasing hidden gems like 'Runaway' and 'Murder Me Rachael'. The National are renowned for their emotional intensity and layered songwriting and frontman Matt Berninger's deep, brooding vocals, combined with the intricate musicianship of brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner and the rhythmic backbone provided by Scott and Bryan Devendorf, have earned the band critical acclaim and a devoted fan base. Not to be excluded, the live album has beloved songs like 'Bloodbuzz Ohio', 'I Need My Girl' and Fake Empire' as well. Their live performances are celebrated for their raw energy, with the band's songs taking on heightened emotional and sonic dimensions in a concert setting. Rome preserves this intensity, capturing the fiery atmosphere of the performance and offering fans a definitive live document of the band's evolution over two decades. The album immortalises The National's ability to craft both intimate and expansive moments on stage.
Your Mind Is Not Your Friend (feat Phoebe Bridgers) (4:20)
Send For Me (4:11)
Review: The First Two Pages of Frankenstein is an impressive ninth studio album from The National. It's an 11 song collection that marks something of a new chapter in the band's ever evolving discography as it is steeped in evocative melodies and dense, absorbing lyrical narratives. The American indie legends sound as creatively free as ever on this record and that is sure to both keep ling time fans onside as well as win new admirers. The album was produced in update New York and features some top level guests in Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers and Sufjan Stevens.
Review: Laugh Track is The National's most freewheeling, all-hands-on-deck album in years. If Frankenstein represented a rebuilding of trust between group members after 20+ years together, the vibrant, exploratory Laugh Track is both the product of that faith and a new statement of intent. Revelling in the license to radically upend its creative process, The National honed most of this material in live performances on tour this year and captured those invigorated versions in impromptu sessions at producer Tucker Martine's Portland studio, Flora Recording & Playback. The nearly eight-minute album closer 'Smoke Detector' was recorded in June during a Vancouver soundcheck, completing a body of work bristling with spontaneity and vintage rock energy that makes a perfect complement to the songs found on its more introspective predecessor.
Review: Britain is on the very cusp of the post-Thatcher era, mistakes not necessarily learnt from the past 11 years, but certainly evidence mounting for the failure of individualism and the importance of communities. Change is needed, and change is what the next decade would bring. Some of which began with this album, unveiled in 1989, now regarded among the best shoegaze outings of all time. The label doesn't sit that well with us, though. There's just too much else happening with Pale Saints' pacy, expansive and utterly compelling debut. Post punk accents, eruptions into (and introductions based on) pure noise, and surrealist dream pop. Presented here in a new collector's edition, featuring recordings from the band's seminal John Peel session and demos, we couldn't think of a band so deserving of being discovered by a new generation, and re-celebrated by those who were there at the time.
A Thousand Stars Burst Open (Brass Band version) (3:09)
Revelation (Brass Band version) (2:33)
Review: 4AD turn back the clock to take a look at Pale Saints' breakthrough album, In Ribbons. Striking a note between the prevalent shoegaze of the era and 4ADs earlier ethereal sound, this is a record which absolutely conjures a specific moment in time and yet has aged very well. In the bittersweet pop nous of tracks like 'Thread Of Light' you can hear contemporaries like Lush, but equally Meriel Barham's vocal delivery reaches through time and lands with as much conviction now as it did back then. With a smart balance between bruising riffs and dreamy atmospherics, In Ribbons sounds in rude health on this remastered, commemorative edition and any shoegaze or early indie fan should be all over it.
Review: This expanded edition of Pale Saints' third and final album Slow Buildings is a real doozy for fans of the English alt-rock and shoegaze outfit. The original is a long-out-of-print classic that has been sympathetically remastered here after originally arriving back in 1994. The album captures their transition into more open, melodic territory while retaining the dense guitar textures and experimental spirit of their earlier work. Meriel Barham's vocals shine as caller as always, particularly on standout single 'Fine Friend,' which was adapted from Persian Rugs' 1981 track. This two-disc reissue includes the Fine Friend EP and a curated trove of unreleased demos and tracks that make it an essential addition for completists.
Review: Brendan Perry of Dead Can Dance hears his 1999 album Eye of the Hunter expanded for a first-time repress, to now include a bonus live album Live at the ICA, recorded during 4AD's infamous 13 Year Itch residency at the storied London venue in 1993. Channelling his infamous gestalt-gargantuan folk sound that he so trailblazed with his partner Lisa Gerrard with DCD, the newly unearthed live material is just as arresting as the original solo album; whether its recording at the Quivvy Church in Ireland or the ICA in London, the overall effect - that of Perry's dark folk wonderment, mythological themes, and reverb-laden 4AD sound - is the same.
Review: It's hard to imagine the rock music of the last quarter-century without Pixies, and in particular without the Doolittle album. Lest we forget, Kurt Cobain was at one point concerned that Smells Like Teen Spirit might be too much of a Pixies ripoff, which is testimony to the innovative qualities of the band's meld of surrealism and pop hooks; quiet and loud, sweet and sour. This triple-album set offers an opportunity to bear witness to the gestation of this near-perfect opus, collecting demos and radio sessions to map out the means by which four weirdos united the underground and the mainstream, seemingly by some serendipitous car crash of happy accident and raw talent.
Levitate Me (John Peel Session 3rd May 1988) (2:17)
Hey (3:18)
In Heaven (Lady In The Radiator Song) (1:40)
Wild Honey Pie (1:51)
Caribou (3:19)
Dead (John Peel Session 9th October 1988) (1:32)
Tame (1:58)
There Goes My Gun (1:27)
Manta Ray (2:16)
Down To The Well (John Peel Session 16th April 1989) (2:32)
Into The White (4:11)
Wave Of Mutilation (2:23)
Allison (John Peel Session 11th June 1990) (1:21)
Velouria (3:24)
Hang On To Your Ego (3:19)
Is She Weird (2:54)
Monkey Gone To Heaven (Mark Goodier Session 18th August 1990) (2:59)
Ana (2:14)
Allison (1:14)
Wave Of Mutilation (2:10)
Palace Of The Brine (John Peel Session 23rd June 1991) (1:39)
Letter To Memphis (2:34)
Motorway To Roswell (3:38)
Subbacultcha (2:11)
Review: This is the first official vinyl release of the previously CD only collection of Pixies live performances on the BBC. Fans of the band know what a mythical live band the Pixies are. And what better way to experience that emotion then these recordings collected from their earlier years of the late 80s and early 90s? Included are many of the early hits like 'Monkey Gone To Heaven', 'Wave of Mutilation' and 'Allison', mainly from BBC studio sessions and the occasional live recording. 4AD have done an amazing job with this release spreading it across three pieces of vinyl too.
Review: Forty years ago a yet unknown cult band was to release a LP that never came. Interesting enough, Rema-Rema - made up of former members of The Models and Siouxsie & The Banshees - delivered 4AD one of its first releases: Wheel In Roses (1980). All tracks from that EP, in their new wave, post-punk glory, feature on this Fond Reflections LP, a compendium of sorts detailing across 17 tracks the band's raw and unplugged sound. Collected, re-mixed and engineered by band member Gary Asquith and mixing technician Takatsuna Mukai, the result is an archival, patchwork collage of a lost but not forgotten trip down the lanes of UK folklore. Get to grips with "Fond Affections", "Feedback Song" and "Why Ask Why".
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