Virgin Vinyl & CDs

Review: "Hyperspace" sees Beck venture further down the pop road, drafting in a wealth of high profile, stadium-filling collaborators to realise what's arguably his most synthesised work to date. Full marks to anyone who, upon blind taste test, immediately jumped to the conclusion this was indeed Beck. Fear not, that's less a result of his iconic and infinitely listenable voice not shining through, and more down to what else is in these arrangements. Working with legendary studio genius Pharrell Williams (who co-produced and co-wrote), you'll also find Coldplay's Chris Martin and Georgia, US rapper and drummer Terrell Hines involved here, amongst others. Together with these names we're taken into a soaring, immersive and glittering world of sophisticated but chart-friendly anthems, from clap-a-long number "Die Waiting", to the epic space-rock closer "Everlasting Nothing".

Review: Some Lorde fans were a little irritated by 'Solar Power', the lead single from her comeback album of the same name, primarily because it sounded far more influenced by cheery '90s indie-pop and summery blue-eyed soul than her moodier early work. She's carried that over into album, which arrives as a boxed high-res download with tons of additional content (poster, postcards, booklet and so on). The singer-songwriter's first set in for years is full of gently warming fare, from the opaque, dewy-eyed folk of 'Stoned in the Nail Station', to the early 2000s R&B-pop-goes-summer soul flex of recent single 'Mood Ring'. There's no glum moodiness here, just gently positive music to raise your mood in these most testing of times.

Review: By the time they headed into the studio to record Protection, Massive Attack were still riding high on the success of their peerless debut album, Blue Lines. While the resultant set, released in 1994, does quite hit the same dizzying heights, it remains a thoroughly great album. Of course, we all know the highlights by heart - the stoned bounce of "Karmacoma", evocative downtempo bliss of Tracey Thorn hook-up "Protection", string-drenched lusciousness of "Sly", and the gentle dub-house soul of the Horace Andy-voiced "Spying Glass", for example - but even the forgotten album cuts (see "Weather Storm" and "Better Things") have aged remarkably well. If you don't own a copy on vinyl already, you definitely should.

Review: There's a reason that Massive Attack's Blue Lines frequently appears in "greatest albums" lists. To put it simply, it's brilliant, and arguably remains the Bristol-based outfit's finest work to date (though some would argue that the dark and paranoid Mezzanine is possibly better). As this weighty vinyl reissue proves, it's lost none of its hazy, dub-propelled trip-hop charm. All-time classics such as "Unfinished Sympathy", "Safe From Harm" and "Hymn of the Big Wheel" have lost none of their soulful, mood-enhancing brilliance, while lesser celebrated cuts such as "Five Man Army" and "Lately" still sound great despite their vintage.

Review: Two of life's great escape artists, Polo & Pan, or Paul Armand-Delille and Alexandre Grynszpan, first bonded in the chronological hinterland of nightlife's operating hours, at the iconic Parisian nightclub, Le Baron. We weren't there, but in our minds they talked about quantum theories, and maybe came up with the phrase "everything everywhere all at once". But nobody can be sure. Apart from the artists. Since then, they've committed themselves to creating beautiful, weird, tropical house-synth-pop-electronica stuff which they say transcends moments and places, people and cultures. 22:22 is their triumphant return after four years without a full length, and it's every bit as good as fans were hoping for. Dive in, the water is lovely - wherever in the time-space continuum it is.

Review: French tropical house duo Polo & Pan return with another playful, transportive record, their third album, fusing their love of storytelling with a finely tuned sense of groove. Having cut their teeth as residents at Paris' Le Baron, the duoiPaul Armand-Delille and Alexandre Grynszpanihave built a world where fantasy meets the dancefloor, balancing carefree melodies with precise, spellbinding cadences. Their latest offering moves between daydream and dance, from the delicate charm of 'The Piano and The Violin' to the low-slung pulse of 'Disco Nap' featuring Metronomy. 'Petite Etoile' with Beth Ditto introduces a bold, cinematic energy, while 'A Different Side of Us' featuring PawPaw Rod leans into hazy, after-hours territory. 'Bluetopia' with Kids Return and 'La Nuit' featuring Arthur Teboul close things out with a reflective, late-night glow. It's another confident stride forward from a duo whose music feels both effortless and meticulously crafted.