New releases last two weeks: Modern Classical

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: You don't sell 5.27 million copies of anything without doing something right. Winner of the E3 Game Critics award for Best Platform Game in 1999, to name just one of countless nominations and awards, Donkey Kong 64 was one of the best loved titles on the iconic Nintendo 64, and represented two years of programming, coding and designing on the part of legendary software house, Rare. Amazingly, considering this was almost three decades ago and cartridge-based titles are usually regarded as the stronghold of chip music, Grant Kirkhope's score is anything but and still sounds fresh. From aptly titled opener, 'DK Rap', to the meandering jazz closer 'Candy Kong', featuring David Leo Kemp on sax, via 'Angry Aztec' and its Indiana Jones vibe, and the John Williams-esque 'Mine Cart', it's all so enjoyable.

Review: What a gem this is to follow up the much-loved 2024 stop-motion animated Netflix classic directed by series creator Nick Park. Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl earned critical acclaim, winning two BAFTA awards and receiving an Academy Award nomination in the process. The story follows Gromit as he tries to save Wallace, whose new "smart" gnome invention seems to have a mind of its own and may be linked to a vengeful figure from the past. The film's score was crafted by Emmy-nominated Lorne Balfe and BAFTA-nominated Julian Nott and adds depth to the adventure with theme tunes, dramatic operatic moments, more tender interludes and plenty of great musical narratives. The release includes a four-page booklet with an exclusive Nick Park drawing.

Review: Secret Garden is the Norwegian-Irish duo of Rolf Lovland and violinist Fionnuala Sherry and here they celebrate the 30th anniversary of their iconic debut, Songs from a Secret Garden. First released in 1995, the album won over global audiences with its blend of classical and folk, laced with Celtic and Norwegian emotion and some subtle new age undertones. It features the Eurovision-winning track 'Nocturne', which helped launch the duo into international acclaim. Elsewhere, there are whimsical melodies, ancient flutes, Lord of the Rings style Middle Age soundscapes, heartfelt emotions and plenty of clean, serene and timeless sounds that still offer great catharsis three decades on.

Review: If Inside the Rose, the fourth album from These New Puritans, was a long-winded production process - spanning six years of work - but saw the Essex outfit return with immediate force, the follow up is much more of a slow-burner at the consumption end. It's a stranger, more experimental and, arguably, visionary example of what these guys do best. And it couldn't feel more engrossing. Deep, immersive, almost ceremonial, powerfully uplifting ('Bells' is particularly life-affirming stuff), it saturates you in gorgeous emotional indie-choral-chimes, and sucks you into these gripping narratives that fall somewhere between swooning electronic, drummy alternative rock and a place which is really only These New Puritans.