PIAS Vinyl & CDs

Review: Sunshine Hit Me is the debut album from the British band The Bees. A testament to summery jovialty and DIY ingenuity, the album is as raw and earthen as it is soulful, with the band at the time only made up of founding members Paul Butler and Aaron Fletcher, who wrote, performed and recorded the album alone using a home studio in Butler's parents' garden on the Isle Of Wight. Don't be confused by the LP's normative categorisation as "indie rock"; deft listeners can hear everything from reggae to neo-soul in this one, flaunting the pair's impressive musical education going into its making.

Review: Second time around for the Bees' terrific debut album, Sunshine Hit Me, which wowed critics and buyers alike on its initial release way back in 2001. The epitome of a surprise hit with admirably DIY roots - the duo behind it, Paul Butler and Aaron Fletcher, famously recorded it in a limited home studio built in the back garden of a residential house on the Isle of Wight - the album has lost none of its allure all these years on. Woozy, summery and lo-fi, with hazy horns and glassy-eyed vocals rising above backing tracks that variously doff a cap to soul, rocksteady, ska, 1960s dream pop, psychedelia and a wealth of subtle global musical influences, Sunshine Hit Me is a warming, smile-inducing treat. This edition also boasts a sextet of bonus cuts, which seem to be a mixture of B-sides and tracks plucked from the pair's archives.

Review: Belgian jazz singer Melanie Di Biasio first came to light around 2007 on Igloo, but she's since fostered a steady relationship with indie giants [PIAS] which has resulted in two subsequent albums, No Deal and Lilies. After a six-year gap, she returns with a new set which finds her edging into intriguing new territory. Il Viaggio is framed as 'a quest for musical, physical, and spiritual renewal, born from an emotional memory awakened'. Make of that what you will, but the music contained within finds her voice framed by a broad spectrum of sonics as she leads us through two distinct halves across two discs - Lay Your Ear To The Rail and The Chaos Azure.

Review: Although her roots lie in jazz, Melanie De Biasio has not made jazz - or at least purist jazz - for many years. Il Viaggio, a vast double album that marks her first studio set for nearly six years, continues this trend, blending field recordings, sound collage, choral music, ambient, the neo-classical darkness of Dead Can Dance, piano works reminiscent of Harold Budd's more contemplative works, and occasional nods towards trip-hop - all arranged as a kind of sonic journey to (and through) Italy by train as a way of rediscovering her distant Italian roots. With plenty of long, immersive tracks and bags of atmosphere, Il Viaggio is a hugely atmospheric and immersive affair that more than delivers on its conceptual premise.

Review: Roisin Murphy seems to be getting more prolific with age. It's less than a year since the release of the critically acclaimed off-pop thriller Hairless Toys, and the Irish artist and former Moloko singer is ready to release the follow-up. Where its predecessor was bold, brassy and cheery, Take Her Up To Monto is an altogether more atmospheric affair, arguably closer in feel to her work with Moloko during the late '90s and early 2000s. Musically intriguing and largely downtempo in tone, it sees Murphy taking her left-of-centre take on pop in eccentric and evocative new directions. Even the album's most obviously upbeat moments - such as the cheery "Romantic Comedy" - feature musical backdrops that bristle with leftfield ideas and fuzzy, off-kilter electronics.

Review: Maverick vocalist and leftfield pop star Roisin Murphy head into bold new worlds with her Hairless Toys album. The avant-garde pop collection was released in 2015 and showcases Murphy's distinctive vocals and eclectic songwriting style. From the haunting melodies of 'Gone Fishing' to the pulsating grooves of 'Exploitation,' she shows great range but each track is unified by its air of sophistication and experimentation. Murphy's lyrical depth and emotive delivery add layers of complexity, while the production, featuring contributions from Eddie Stevens and Mark Brydon, creates a lush sonic landscape. As such this record is a testament to Murphy's artistic vision and a still standout blend of electronic and pop sounds.

Review: A number of the many great full lengths penned by alternative pop star Roisin Murphy are currently being reissued and here we have Take Her Up To Monto!, a bold and adventurous exploration of electronic pop from 2016. It is another one that showcases Murphy's fearless creativity and boundary-pushing approach to music where distinct vocals, coupled with innovative production, create a dynamic and immersive listen. There is an infectious energy to 'Mastermind' and dreamy allure to 'Ten Miles High,' amongst a wide mix of influences from other genres and experimental soundscapes that confirmed once more than Murphy' is a true visionary.

Review: Denmark's Agnes Obel is no ordinary folk singer-songwriter. Her music always carries something beautifully strange along with it, and this latest album, which has the strangely fitting name of Citizen Of Glass, might well be her most daring work to date. What is particularly special about this album is its production process; Obel has told the press that this extended piece of music consists of layers upon layers of different tracks, blended together to create something new, fresh and compelling. But, that's not all. The duets that you can hear throughout it aren't even human. She's brought to the foray a new technique that involves recording her own voice as a male cyborg, essentially creating the idea that she's singing along to a non-human version of herself. If you're thinking it's all hype, you're wrong; this album is a magnificently executed piece of melancholic pop music that pushes the boundaries of what has become a largely predictable genre as a whole. It's different, captivating and recommended...