Nonesuch Vinyl & CDs

Review: Presenting composer and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire's Nonesuch Records debut album, Owl Song. The album, comprised of music by a trio formed of Akinmusire himself with two musicians he's has long admired - guitarist Bill Frisell and drummer Herlin Riley - is the first of three records Akinmusire is set to release on Nonesuch over the next year. Each will spotlight a distinct element of his musical world and involve different instrumentation and production approaches. Described by the artist as a response to a modern world in which he has at times "felt assaulted by information", Owl Song is a space of progressive-acoustic-electronic nighttime calm, an open question of nocturnality.

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


It's been a solid five years since the epic sounds of America's best plugged-in rock duo last electrified our ears. And be it a reference to the Rolling Stones or even Scorsese, the album turns it up from the start with "Shine A Little Light". Big time rhodes and bluesy folk mentalities are then wrapped up in a low-slung ballad that is "Walk Across The Water". Some fans may still be yearning for the raw energy that catapulted the duo into the limelight with Magic Potion, however high voltage sounds can still be found on tracks like "Under The Gun" and "Lo/Hi" - with gospel elements in this case edging to the fore. Overall there's a slight dance element protruding from this LP in comparison to previous records, begging the question: Can you dig it!

Review: It's only been two years - well, actually, not even that - since we last had an album from The Black Keys. No matter which clock you're looking at, though, fresh work from the Ohio duo can never get here soon enough, and from where we're sitting it sounds like Ohio Players is up there with the greatest records the band have given us. It also proves they're capable of constant reinvention, without risking that clear blues-garage identity. With guest appearance from rapper Lil Noid, legendary guitarist Beck, and Brit-indie icon Noel Gallagher, there's no disguising myriad influencing factors are at play. Yet, across the 14 pieces here, there's something wonderfully, unmistakably Black Keys happening. A thing to savour and submit to in equal measure, then.

Review: During The Black Keys surprise revival of recent years, much of their music has been produced by Dangermouse. While he played no role on the duo's new album, Ohio Players - their 12th in total - his influence remains in the inventiveness of the production. The pair's new-found love of collaboration remains too, with Beck credited as co-writer on roughly half of the album's tracks. His influence is obvious in the funkiness and fuzz-fuelled psychedelia of 'This Is Nowhere' and 'Don't Let Me Go', as well as the quirky, horn-sporting cheeriness of 'Beautiful People (Stay High)' and the low-slung, effortlessly funky indie-rap hedonism of 'Paper Crown' (where he appears on vocals alongside Juicy J. The band's wholehearted love of hip-hop is also explored on the excellent Lil Noid collaboration 'Candy & Her Friends'.

Review: Kronos Quartet has now been active for 50 years and to mark the anniversary Nonesuch is putting out tone of their most acclaimed albums on vinyl for the first time. It comes as the Quartet is on a big 50th anniversary tour and almost 30 years after the original Kronos Quartet Performs Philip Glass album was first released in 1995. David Harrington and John Sherba play violin, Hank Dutt is on viola and Joan Jeanrenaud plays cello as they perform Glass pieces from the early 80s onwards including five which were actually written specifically for this group. They make for some of the best music the great composer has ever written, if you ask us.