UMR Vinyl & CDs

Review: The 1975 made plenty of fans happy when they announced a series of 10th anniversary reissues and merchandise on the back of some top main stage performances at the likes of Leeds and Reading. Now art-stars with a global fan base, it is a full decade since their breakout self titled debut, a record full of their signature choruses, magical melodies and soaring grooves that draw on electro-grooves and alt-rock energy, all with plenty of dreamy moments in between to ensure the whole thing plays out like a real story telling album. As it should be. The album debuted at number one on the charts and remains a firm favourite today.

Review: To mark the 25th anniversary of Hooray for Boobies, the Bloodhound Gang have reissued their infamous third album on splatter-coloured 180g vinyl, giving fans another chance to dive into its wild mix of genres and humour. Originally released in 1999, this album catapulted the band to worldwide success, selling over four million copies and topping charts everywhere. Musically, it's a collision of rap-rock, punk, and electronic beats, packed with cheeky, often absurd lyrics that have become the band's signature. 'The Bad Touch', the album's standout hit, is driven by a playful, catchy synth line that pairs perfectly with its notorious lyrics. Elsewhere, 'The Ballad of Chasey Lain' blends rock energy with humorous storytelling, while 'Mope' is an eclectic mix of samples, pulling from sources as diverse as Metallica and Pac-Man. This reissue also features three rare remixes, including a hyperactive Eiffel 65 version of 'The Bad Touch', a sultry take on 'The Ballad of Chasey Lain' and Pet Shop Boys' extended remix of 'Mope'.

Review: The Cardigans' The Rest of the Best is a magnificent compilation for fans, offering a deep and comprehensive look into the band's lesser-known gems with B-sides and rarities spanning 1994 to 2006. This two-volume compilation, carefully curated by the band, brings together tracks that were originally B-sides on singles, part of soundtracks, or bonus tracks on international versions of their albums. Remastered by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound, the songs are presented in a pristine format, ensuring that each track shines. Part 1 here, captures music from the early demos like 'I Figured Out (Demo '93)' and 'After All... Demo '93' to the UK version of 'Rise & Shine' and the Puck version of 'Carnival.' This package offers a nostalgic journey through the band's evolution. Standouts like 'Plain Parade,' their cover of Thin Lizzy's 'The Boys Are Back In Town,' and the haunting 'Mr. Crowley' reveal the depth of their artistry. The thoughtful inclusion of photographer Martin Bogren's artwork, who has been with the band since their inception, adds a personal touch, making this release feel like a true labour of love.

Review: The Cardigans' The Rest of the Best is an essential compilation for longtime fans, offering a comprehensive look at the band's B-sides and rarities from 1994 to 2006. Spanning two volumes, this collection brings together tracks that were previously released as B-sides, included on soundtracks, or featured as bonus tracks on international editions of their albums. Carefully compiled by the band and remastered by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound, these songs are presented in top-notch quality. Here is part 2, which continues the gathering of lesser known non-album works. Going into the new millennium at the time, to have sessions tracks like 'For What It's Worth' and 'Communication' are particular exciting to get a feel for the band performance wise without any outside distractions or fans in a live setting. The last side is also very worth of note for the material presented. Closing things on a high note in a row are the brilliant 'Slowdown Town', and 'Give Me Your Eyes' with the powerful 'Slow' as the last song. The Cardigans, who first made waves with Emmerdale (1994) and Life (1995), gained international fame with hits like 'Lovefool' from First Band on the Moon (1996) and 'Erase/Rewind' from Gran Turismo (1998). Their sound evolved with the mellow, country-tinged Long Gone Before Daylight (2003) and the energetic Super Extra Gravity (2005). Following a hiatus and a 2006 tour, they reunited in 2012, continuing to captivate audiences. With over 15 million albums sold, The Cardigans' enduring appeal is evident in their extensive discography and dedicated fanbase.

Review: Alternative rock and Goth legends The Cure were at an all-time high in popularity as they embarked on their 1993 tour across Europe. Enjoying the result of their most successful album Wish, the band was to take on their biggest world tour yet. For the previous two tours, there was no proper full recording of the band live by the group themselves. Robert Smith wanted to change that and a handful of shows were recorded to be edited together for the live albums Paris and Show. Paris shows the power of The Cure's new lineup which featured a new drummer, keyboard player and guitar player. Like most Cure concerts, the setlist is a varied mix of brand-new tracks at the time (Apart and A Letter to Elise) many classics (Figurehead, A Charlotte Sometimes and Shake Dog Shake) but then always a sprinkle of lesser-known ones like 'Dressing Up'. This edition is the 30th Anniversary release of the evergreen original.

Review: Florence and the Machine's chart-topping Mercury Prize-nominated debut album Lungs turned the London group led by Florence Welch into global superstars. Just months prior to its release in summer 2009 they were still on ones to watch tours playing first on behind the likes of White Lies and Friendly Fires. But that was all to change with their Island Records release Lungs. The album produced by a slew of cool producers, including James Ford and Paul Epworth, gave the world 'Kiss With A Fist', 'Dog Days Are Over' and - the biggest of all - 'You've Got The Love'. It will have been a huge investment for the label, but it's paid off and then some, going six-times-platinum in the U.K. Given it's shaped the life of the band, it's a record that they are keen on revisiting and the latest feature on it is this symphony version. This new release is the group's triumphant performance of the album in full at the Royal Albert Hall with the BBC Orchestra conducted by Grammy-winning Jules Buckley. This is bucket list stuff for any musician and indicative of the fact that Florence is one of the most enduring artists to have formed in the U.K. this century.

Review: Ten years after their brilliant sophomore LP Smoke + Mirrors, rock-radio-ready roilers Imagine Dragons (once celebrated as, among many, the biggest band in the world) mark the occasion with a fresh vault of 14 previously unreleased demos from the sequent album's recording sessions. While the original showed off the band's dynamic range, securing them many a number-one spot, this collection offers a raw glimpse into the creative process of the LV power-pop rovers. Much less polished than official chartists might expect, we still note of the band's seemly evolution out of an already rather anachronistic early-10s EDM-plated sound, primed for radi-a and stadia alike. Many of these songs were written for the road, so it's interesting to hear, and/or imagine, what might've been if the band had followed these songs to their glossiest conclusions at the time.

Review: INXS have gone all in and hired the best in the business to provide a brand new stereo mix of their 1985 Listen Like Thieves album, namely Giles Martin and Paul Hicks, who have been remixing and remastering the Beatles back catalogue together. Ill content to let a better sounding album be enough of a package, the Australian 80s icons add previously unreleased sessions tracks, outtakes, demos and a live recording the BBC did at the Royal Albert Hall in 1986. Of the tunes on here, 'This Time' has a U2-esque stadium-filling atmosphere that is undeniably empowering. But it's also great hearing another, more stripped back side to the new wave icons and 'Kiss The Dirt' is a great place to start with this - you can hear a work in progress and let your imagination can fill in the gaps.

Review: Studio album number three from mighty Manchester icons James could not come soon enough back in 1990. In the run up to the grand unveiling, we'd had outright anthem 'Sit Down' released as a single during summer 1989, a rousing bombshell of a track that still kicks today, and at the time suggested something very special was waiting in the wings for fans, and legions of new recruits the band were garnering.

When Gold Mother finally landed the reception was understandable - not least when we look back at the group's storied career to date. As a record, this might be the highest concentration of James' best songs you'll find anywhere, with tracks like 'Come Home' and 'How Was It For You' helping secure a place among the finest long players of the 1990s.

Review: Active from 1983 through to 1992, before The La's become synonymous with igniting the initial Britpop flame - or, at least, helping gather the kindling to fill the fire pit - they were firmly focused on the scene's precursor, jangle pop, laying the foundations for what was to come. Hardworking in terms of their touring schedule, in the end they would only release one studio album, and even that was disowned by the band after the label, frustrated with endless delays, compiled and released it themselves without their approval. Regardless of what its creators thought, it's an utter triumph. Spawning anthems such as 'There She Goes', the skiffle-like 'Feelin'' and 'Timeless Melody', they invoked the sounds of the British Invasion of the 1960s, but with a very 1990s attitude. Ranked by many in the best albums of the decade, if not British pop history, despite only reaching 30 in the UK Albums Chart The La's is a masterpiece which any self-respecting indie fan needs a copy of.

Review: The third, controversial final album from Seattle's Nirvana should require little to no introduction. Repressed, remastered and redefined again and again, the Steve Albini-produced, mainstream-eschewing swansong has become one of the ugliest left-turns the 90's grunge scene ever spat up, and the subject of much heated internal fan debate over which is the definitive version. Celebrating its 30-year anniversary with a super-deluxe box set, boasting eight LPs made up of additional live performances as well as a myriad of memorabilia from the In Utero era, for the more lackadaisical collectors, there's this single LP gatefold pressing in a premium 'tip-on' sleeve similar to 2021's reissue of Nevermind, which comes with a bonus 10" of b-sides also featured on the monstrous deluxe edition.

Review: National Album Day celebrates some of the best full-lengths ever and you'd be hard-pushed to argue that REM's Automatic For the People is not one of those. This edition of it is a special limited edition 180 g yellow vinyl that will remind you of some of the maudlin American rocker's best bits. The album itself is now well over 30 years old but is still thought to be one of the best albums of the 90s. It came after their breakout album Out of Time and did not disappoint, going on to be certified four times platinum in the US thanks to featuring some of the band's biggest hit singles 'Nightswimming,' 'Man on the Moon' and 'Everybody Hurts.'

Review: Simple Minds' 1983 album Sparkle in The Rain is regarded as one of their finest works, featuring hit singles 'Waterfront', 'Up on The Catwalk', and 'Speed Your Love to Me'. This reissue on limited edition blue vinyl celebrates the band's first of three consecutive UK Number 1 albums. Extensively re-mastered in 2014 at Abbey Road Studios, this version brings a refreshed sonic experience to one of the band's most iconic releases, cementing its place in music history.

Review: A band who never stood still from the moment they emerged in the punk explosion, Siouxsie & The Banshees were a vital force in alternative British music whose legacy is still being understood now. By the time they reached their final album, 1995's The Rapture, they had assimilated punk, goth, pop and chamber music into a compelling whole which gave producer John Cale plenty to work with. One listen to the epic scope of the album's title track proves the point on a stirring 11-minute arc of orchestration and unsettling undercurrents. If it was a lot to take in on release, it's aged beautifully and now sees reissue as a double blue vinyl edition for National Album Day 2023.

Review: You can go one of two ways as an artist when you've had pop success early in life: you keep the wheel because the wheel isn't broken. Or you change the wheel and reinvent yourself and make music that's true to yourself and not guided by commercial expectation. David Sylvain has done the latter with aplomb. At the time of making this album, which is the companion album to Blemish (2003) and now on vinyl for the first time, he was free from the shackles of a major label and diving headfirst into improvisation. You can't even faintly hear echoes of the band that made his name - new wave icons Japan. For these remixes Sylvian worked with the likes of Ryoji Ikeda, Burnt Friedman, and Readymade FC, although some songs were re-recorded rather than remixed. 'Late Night Shopping', remixed by Friedman, is a great entry point to this work, with dark beats and eerie noises, making for an atmospheric triumph. This is an album that pushes music as an artform forward. Long may Sylvain continue.

Review: U2's How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb gets a lavish 20th-anniversary treatment with this limited edition 8xLP super deluxe boxset. The collection revisits the Grammy-winning album and is newly remastered. The original album, featuring massive hits like Vertigo and City of Blinding Lights, is now paired with a fascinating companion piece titled How To Re-Assemble An Atomic Bomb. This piece was a second album that was recorded at the same time as the main album with exclusive remixes by collaborators such as Hot Chip and Trent Reznor adding fresh perspectives on familiar tracks, while live enthusiasts can rejoice with the inclusion of the full Vertigo 2005: Live From Chicago performanceinow available on vinyl for the first time. The package's extras elevate this release into collector's territory. A stunning photography book by Anton Corbijn, complete with handwritten notes, captures the visual essence of the band, while special edition prints provide a tactile, artistic flourish.

Review: It's been a missing artefact for years. It's a travesty that this compilation hasn't been on vinyl until now, but The Verve have set things straight in time for its 20th anniversary. Even though The Verve were only together for a relatively brief time (1990 - 1999 and 2007-2009) they left behind a catalogue of untouchable songs. 'Sonnet', Lucky Man' and 'The Drugs Don't Work' are all bangers, but that's just scratching the surface of what they were capable of. They're a band of incredible breadth. In their early years, they were more psychedelic and leant into sonic wig outs, led by the inimitable genius of guitar player Nick McCabe. Meanwhile, as Richard Ashcroft neared his departure from the band and set out on a solo career, their material got a lot more song-based and they would be reframed as a Britpop group. The addition of the eight-and-a-half-minute version of their second single 'She's A Superstar' (1992) on this version of the album for the first time, helps to emphasise their shoegaze-y legacy. Meanwhile, we're reminded how great the songs of their reformation period are with 'Love Is Noise' and 'Rather Be', which is the other additional feature for this anniversary release.