Back in stock: Modern Classical

Review: Andrew CS, a multimedia artist and creative programmer from the American Midwest, delves into recursive time loops through digital memories on this new album which blends recorded spaces with synthesised loops improvised on custom software. After discovering a field recorder as a teen, Andrew began archiving moments of tranquillity, creating a dialogue between present textures and a future self. Caught in Pointers, weaves a non-linear coming-of-age narrative from six years of altered field recordings and collages data from Andrew's rural youth and Chicago's urban oscillations and envisions their past as a navigable, four-dimensional digital space.

Review: A series of vivid, nocturnal transmissions blending altered-state refinements and rich storytelling as Canadian composer and producer Coverdale merges synthesis with live instrumentation, creating a multi-dimensional sound that feels both intensely personal and universally resonant. Drawing on a wide range of influences, including 19th-century programmatic music - that's music with spoken narrative, like Provokiev's Peter & The Wolf - and mid-70s jazz, her compositions balance improvisation with deeply emotional content. Each track explores a range of textures, from the ethereal, soaring flights of 'Daze' to the grounded, material energy of 'Freedom.' The use of strings, woodwind, brass and modular synthesis intertwines with Coverdale's voice to create a language that feels alive and constantly evolving. Whether navigating the turbulent gales of 'Coming Around' or finding catharsis in the drummed sequences of 'Offload Flip,' the music speaks to the physicality of sound and the emotional charge it carries. The narrative arcs throughout, painting an intricate portrait of grief, dislocation, and the quest for self-connection, each track embodying a different facet of this deeply personal yet expansive journey.

Review: Taylor Deupree and The Humble Bee have hooked up for their first collaborative album, Re: Case Studies, an immersive and pensive ambient beauty. It was originally conceived as a solo project and Deupree's abstract feedback loop-based compositions were shelved until discussions with the label prompted him to invite a collaborator. Craig Tattersall, aka The Humble Bee, responded with his own sonic interpretations and built on Deupree's foundations. The result is a cohesive yet distinct collaboration that honours the original while evolving into something new so what began as an unfinished idea is now a full-fledged and thoughtful, layered exploration of sound.

Review: Disasterpeace, aka Rich Vreeland, stands out in the world of soundtrack composers. Neither strictly an electronic artist nor a conventional composer, he crafts soundscapes that transcend traditional genres. His compositions, rooted in a digital sound palette, feel warm and organic, often played live instead of digitally sequenced, giving his music a human touch rarely seen in electronic scores. Known for his haunting It Follows soundtrack and the iconic Fez score, Vreeland's music has a life far beyond the screens it accompanies. The Hyper Light Drifter soundtrack, reissued by iam8bit, exemplifies Disasterpeace's distinctive style. It's a journey through ambient, textured soundscapes filled with layered synthesisers and devoid of heavy percussion. Instead of driving beats, the focus rests on lush chord progressions and ambient tones, perfectly suited for moments of quiet reflection. Standout tracks like 'Panacea' feature a tape-worn piano, which pairs beautifully with the synths to create a melancholy and immersive atmosphere. This deluxe 4xLP set, with translucent vinyl and elegant packagingicomplete with magnetic wingflaps and a metallic foil layeripays homage to Vreeland's artistry and the soundtrack's legendary status.

Review: Danny Elfman's score for Batman '89 remains one of the most iconic and influential superhero soundtracks ever created. Released as a collector's edition by Mondo, this reissue features Elfman's monumental work, expertly conducted by Shirley Walker and performed by The Sinfonia of London. Elfman's theme, with its haunting, ascendant four-note motif, perfectly encapsulates the duality of Bruce Wayne and set the benchmark for superhero film scores. This vinyl reissue, pressed on 'Butterfly Effect' vinyl, is accompanied by a graphic novel continuation of the Batman story, making it a great collectable for fans of the 1989 film and Elfman's music. Elfman's ability to blend operatic grandeur with intense action shines throughout the score, notably in tracks like 'Charge of the Batmobile' and 'First Confrontation.' The playful, waltz-inspired theme for Jack Nicholson's Joker adds a layer of dark humor to the soundtrack, contrasting beautifully with the film's darker, more brooding moments. Complementing the release are stunning new artworks by Jiro Fujita and Paolo Rivera. This reissue, produced by Neil S. Bulk and mastered by James Plotkin, honors the legacy of Elfman's career-defining score, which has stood the test of time as the definitive sound of Gotham's Dark Knight.

Review: A decade on from its original release, this compilation remains a spellbinding window into the musical mind of one of modern music's most innovative figures. As comfortable behind a grand piano as a homemade synth, Frahm brings his taste for boundary-blurring to this curated journey. Consider this a love letter to his inspirations and a reflection of his multifaceted artistry. The compilation weaves classical greats, jazz legends, ambient pioneers and experimental mavericks into a singular, late-night odyssey. Vladimir Horowitz's crackling rendition of 'The Flight of the Bumblebee' connects Frahm's own virtuosic piano play to the classical canon, while Miles Davis' smoky 'Generique' and 'Concierto de Aranjuez (Adagio)' speak to the atmospheric jazz undercurrents that color much of his work. Nina Simone's aching rendition of 'Who Knows Where the Time Goes' carries the same stripped emotional core that Frahm achieves in his more minimalist moments. Elsewhere, the warmth of Dub Tractor's 'Cirkel' and the ghostly dub of Rhythm & Sound's 'Mango Drive' nod to his love of minimalism beyond genre. Boards of Canada's slow-burning 'In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country' is also featured, showing the esteem Frahm holds these newer tracks in, nestling among legendary musical acts of the past. From Colin Stetson's avant-garde saxophone to Bibio's lush textures, the compilation spans eras and aesthetics with cohesion and care. It's not just a mixtape - it's a tribute, a seriously rich tapestry of influences that shaped a singular voice.

Review: Danish composer Anders Lauge Meldgaard and string trio Halvcirkel rack up a new milestone in their ongoing musical partnership with this collaborative album, Spirit, on the wonderfully experimental label Ar & Dag. Blending acoustic and electronic elements into an intriguing work of intricate string arrangements and Meldgaard's Ondomo and modular synth textures, the result is an evocative, genre-agnostic work. The likes of 'Song Of The Meadow In Bloom' are full of the joys of Spring with an undercurrent of mischief, while 'For Kun Du Ved Hvor Meget Jeg Nod Dig' is a more suspenseful and eerie sound of unresolved oops and sonic chaos. Their partnership began in 2016 through performances with Frisk Frugt and has since evolved into a deep creative bond and Spirit showcases that artistic synergy with real richness.

Review: The pairing we didn't know we needed - Rod Stewart and Jools Holland - share their latest full-length album Swing Fever, a worthy throwback to the swing music of yore. A 13-track sparkling salute to the timeless songs of the big band years, and reignited by two giants of their craft, this unlikely dialogue between such titans has produced a convincingly diegetic and immersive work, avoiding any overt pratfall of pure anachronism by producing a roomy, spacious and overall future-present work of art, one which confidently reignites the feeling of Charlestonning and jitterbugging in school proms and/or formal bally occasions, until such quaint aerialisms can be performed no more, whether due to nostalgic satiation or mere exhaustion. With peerless dexterity, Stewart and Holland deliver their takes on timeless jazz classics like 'Ain't Misbehavin', 'Frankie And Johnny', 'Sentimental Journey' and 'Lullaby Of Broadway'.

Review: Grave Of The Fireflies is arguably the saddest of all the films in the peerless Studio Ghibli canon - a pinnacle of emotional impact in the world of Japanese anime. The soundtrack is of course a major part of that, and so we come to the latest edition in the beautifully presented Image Album Collection series, which goes in deep on the soundtrack to a Ghibli classic. The music itself was composed by Michio Mamiya, and their work is interspersed with dialogue from the film. Alongside the music itself is an extensive set of liner notes which feature round-table discussions between the film's director Isao Takahata and the composers involved in the soundtrack.