99:Wave Vinyl & CDs

Review: A warm welcome back to cheeky downtempo twosome Bent, who hear offer up their first studio set for 14 years. Up in the Air is full of neat reminders that what made them so popular first time round, namely a seductive, slinky, atmospheric, sample-heavy sound that tended towards the tongue-in-cheek and was more likely to draw influence from dodgy, radio-friendly 1980s soft-rock singles and vintage easy listening than obscure Balearic beats or austere electronica. There are of course a few differences - it's far more polished than their early works, and even more musically detailed - but for the most part this is vintage Bent. Given how miserable the world is right now, it's rather nice to listen to an album that prioritises cheeriness, quirkiness and musical colour above all else.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged, but otherwise in excellent condition***

A warm welcome back to cheeky downtempo twosome Bent, who hear offer up their first studio set for 14 years. Up in the Air is full of neat reminders that what made them so popular first time round, namely a seductive, slinky, atmospheric, sample-heavy sound that tended towards the tongue-in-cheek and was more likely to draw influence from dodgy, radio-friendly 1980s soft-rock singles and vintage easy listening than obscure Balearic beats or austere electronica. There are of course a few differences - it's far more polished than their early works, and even more musically detailed - but for the most part this is vintage Bent. Given how miserable the world is right now, it's rather nice to listen to an album that prioritises cheeriness, quirkiness and musical colour above all else.

Review: Riding SCORCHING hot on the heels of their recent self-titled debut, fans could be forgiven for expecting more of the same from Champyun Clouds' second long player of
2021. A hodgepodge of cutting-room-floor-fodder and experiments that would've been b-sides or Japan-exclusive CD bonus tracks in those halcyon days of physical formats' golden ages is not what we're getting. Let's save those for a deluxe anniversary reissue
one day. Nah - sheer, unabashed creativity fuels this album; and weirdly enough, they've managed to branch out in interesting ways while also creating an album that is more immediate and banger-centric. Although Nail's eclectic psych-lounge tendencies and
Asa's irreverent poetry and broad Nottingham lilt remain the key touchstones of CC's sound, opener "Check For Silt"s rough drum'n'bass beats offer an immediate and clear sonic progression for the Nottingham duo. The LP ultimately plays a bit like a haunted
jukebox in outer space - with elements of dub, britpop, early house, trippy, blissed-out sunshine pop (reminiscent of mid-90s His Name Is Alive at their most Beach Boys-aping), William Orbit-esque 90s psych-pop electronica, distorted glam rock shuffles and
garage-y funk. There's a particularly great moment of sequencing at the end of the first half where I got lulled into a state of near-euphoria with the Air-like "The Flowered Crown" before getting slapped 'round the face by "I'm Not Right For You", which sounds
like Nile Rogers producing a demo for Sheila & B. Devotion, except he recorded it at the bottom of a well. Sophomore slump? Never heard of him, mate.

Review: Riding hot on the heels of their recent self-titled debut, fans could be forgiven for expecting more of the same from Champyun Clouds' second LP of
'21. A hodge-podge of cutting-room-floor-fodder and experiments that would've been B-Sides or Japan-exclusive CD bonus tracks in those halcyon days of physical formats' golden ages is not what we're getting. Let's save those for a deluxe anniversary reissue
one day. Nah - sheer, unabashed creativity fuels this album; and weirdly enough, they've managed to branch out in interesting ways while also creating an album that is more immediate and banger-centric. Although Nail's eclectic psych-lounge tendencies and
Asa's irreverent poetry and broad Nottingham lilt remain the key touchstones of CC's sound, opener Check For Silt's rough drum'n'bass beats offer an immediate and clear sonic progression for the Nottingham duo. The LP ultimately plays a bit like a haunted
jukebox in outer space - with elements of dub, britpop, early house, trippy, blissed-out sunshine pop (reminiscent of mid-90s His Name Is Alive at their most Beach Boys-aping), William Orbit-esque 90s psych-pop electronica, distorted glam rock shuffles and
garage-y funk. There's a particularly great moment of sequencing at the end of the first half where I got lulled into a state of near-euphoria with the Air-like 'The Flowered Crown' before getting slapped 'round the face by 'I'm Not Right For You', which sounds
like Nile Rogers producing a demo for Sheila & B. Devotion, except he recorded it at the bottom of a well. Sophomore slump? Never heard of him, mate.

Review: Nail's debut album from 1996, originally on DiY's Strictly 4 Groovers imprint, gets a full vinyl reissue for it's 20th anniversary. All proceeds will go to both Focus12 rehabilitation centre in Suffolk UK, and Maggie's Centre Nottingham. Many thanks to DiY crew and Juno for their help and support. Dedicated to Big D. Hold tight Pedro. Peace, Nail x