Back catalogue: Post Rock/Experimental

Review: Cardiff noise-rock legends Mclusky make their long-awaited return with the highly anticipated The World Is Still Here & So Are We. Serving as their fourth full-length and first since 2004's The Difference Between Me & You Is That I'm Not On Fire, the album comes following numerous sparse reunion shows and tours since their initial disbandment two decades prior. First revealed through the release of the Unpopular Parts Of A Pig EP during the latter half of 2023, which would mark their first newly recorded output in 19 years, both the title-track as well as 'The Digger You Deep' were said to be the first tastes of their fourth LP, now making good on that promise with a release set for distribution via Ipecac Recordings, the label of musical absurdist Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle). Having worked in the past with the late, great Steve Albini, even opening for Shellac one fateful evening in London's Scala, the iconic noise-merchants seemingly haven't lost an iota of their bite or shitheaded cynicism during their time away, evidenced as such as in the blistering lead single 'Way Of The Exploding Dickhead'.

Review: Welsh noise-rock royalty Mclusky make their decrepit return on their majorly anticipated fourth album The World Is Still Here & So Are We, marking their first full-length in over two decades, following on from 2004's The Difference Between Me & You Is That I'm Not On Fire. While the Cardiff legends have reformed for brief reunion runs in the past, this time they seriously mean it, revealing their first taste of new material in 19 years through their 2023 EP Unpopular Parts Of A Pig, with the title-track and 'The Digger You Deep' both announced to be featured on their (at the time) as-of-yet unannounced comeback record. Arriving courtesy of Ipecac Recordings, the outsider-rock label ran by vocal absurdist Mike Patton (Faith No More, Tomahawk, Mr. Bungle) and working in the past with the late, great Steve Albini, with the band even supporting for Shellac one fateful night in London's Scala, the chaotic noise-merchants haven't lost one tooth of their bite or snarky cynicism during their long respite, made abundantly clear on blistering lead single 'Way Of The Exploding Dickhead'.

Review: Beginning life in the late 70s as a Leeds based art collective, The Mekons have gone on to become one of the longest-running, most prolific and sonically diverse acts to be considered part of the first wave of British punk. Spanning numerous decades, projects and literal continents, the sprawling array of visionary contributors return with the succinctly titled Horror; a work written towards the end of 2022 that showcases their expansive yet solely unique approach, drawing on elements of dub, country, harsh noise, rock & roll, electronica, punk, music hall, polka and even waltz. Myriad vocalists lead differing sonic journeys such as the Jon Langford-led 'Mudcrawlers' telling the story of the Irish famine and subsequent refugees traversing to Wales, whereas Rico Bell leads the charge on the harrowing folk-horror climate change breakdown 'Fallen Leaves', with swelling violins painting an aural tapestry akin to Rolling Thunder era Dylan sitting on a dimly lit rolling green hill accompanied by The Pogues. Ranking somewhere between the collective's 23rd to 25th album (depending on which member of the fanbase or artists themselves you ask), Horror marks their first work for Fire Records.

Review: The long-awaited ninth full-length from legendary Japanese noise-rock duo Melt-Banana comes over a full decade on from 2013's exceptionally bizarre Fetch, marking their longest gap between albums yet. Known for combining the yelping, yapping, unhinged yet endearing vocals of Yasuko Onuki and the cybergrind guitar manipulations of the virtuosic Ichiro Agata, the pair expertly craft a schizoid car crash of genres, styles and sounds that would simply refuse to coalesce in lesser artists hands. Sugary bubblegum pop-punk is dropkicked by grindcore powerviolence, while industrial harsh noise engulfs hyperpop hooks before suffocating the debris in death metal malevolence. If this sounds horrible, impossible and bewildering, it only means two things: 1. You are sane. 2. You need to get some Melt-Banana into you. What better way to make sense of the chaos than by starting with the highly anticipated 3+5, then working backwards?

Review: French-British singer-songwriter and performance artist Lucy Sissy Miller opens Pre Country with noises that don't feel remotely close to country - more Imogen Heap than Patsy Cline. But as the record finds its gear, reference are changed through a moody and mysterious veil of latter-day Patti Smith and the oeuvre of Laurie Anderson. A meditation on Americana which recognises its folk roots but isn't afraid to embrace the high tech of today, either. Pieced together using journal notes, poems, voice memos, found and collected, manipulated and obscured sounds, it's a reflective and quiet, tender kind of place to find yourself - a record that asks for patience and rewards you with increasing immersion. "It'a an album about memories and how we stitch up these moments, making them movie-like to make sense of these experiences," says Miller. We'll leave it at that.

Review: ML Buch's new album pushes her experimental pop into new realms and ably builds on the expansive guitar work and catchy melodies introduced in her 2017 debut EP, 'Fleshy'. Her distinctive sound combines synthetic MIDI textures with heartfelt songwriting and ethereal vocals that evoke the fluidity of intimacy in a digital world. Through tender tracks like 'I'm A Girl You Can Hold IRL' and 'Can't Get Over You With You,' the artist takes listeners beneath the skin and explores a visceral, surreal world. Panoramic visuals captured via a pill camera mirror this exploration in a blend of technology and human emotion this is truly unique.

Review: Ask yourselves not whether Mogwai are just the tonic we all need in the middle of a particularly psychologically damaging pandemic. Instead, ask yourselves if there are any situations in which we don't need a new record from the Scottish space rock, post-rock, math-prog masters. Needless to say, then, As The Love Continues couldn't have arrived soon enough.

Marking the triumphant tenth LP, in many ways it's typical stuff from the band - commanding, epic, crashing, wooshing, flying, falling, loving, losing, dreamy guitar music that seems to open as many eyes as it does render listeners blind through sheer hypnosis. Packing some delightfully droll track titles to boot - for example 'F**k Off Money' - given most of us spent a good deal of time after the announcement last year wishing this would get here sooner it's our pleasure to confirm it's every bit worth the wait.

Review: RECOMMENDED
It has been 25 years since Mogwai first started their meteoric rise to alt rock deity status by wrapping listeners and audiences up in a deep, immersive, contemplative, euphoric post rock soundscape. During that time the outfit have only increased their following, and consistently proven themselves capable of developing genuinely unique, fresh ideas, while still staying true to that original sonic palette.

Those roots are now celebrated and re-released on this exclusive triple-vinyl package, which takes its lead from the already released E.P. +6. In fact, this new version has exactly the same contents - the first three Mogwai EPs from between 1997 and 1999 - but this time they are coming out on wax. Historically, these are among the most significant in their back catalogue, helping establish and then define a sound. In terms of rarity, you'll struggle to find 4 Satin, No Education = No Future (Fuck the Curfew) and E.P. on black plastic through any means other than this boxset.

Review: It's hard not to feel you're misusing words like 'auteurs' when talking about art. Nevertheless, for some artists and acts the term applies perfectly. And many people would likely agree that Mogwai are one for that list. After 25 years in the game, putting out ten studio albums including As the Love Continues, not to mention scores of EPs and more than a few movie scores, you can spot their signature a mile away, with just a hint of their sound.

As the Love does nothing to disprove that point, and all the better for it. It's a woozy mixture of sorrowful epics and life-affirming crescendos built from post-rock foundations, but divergent enough to send us into a hundred directions without really veering from that course. A sound bigger than most mountains, we hope they never get exhausted from the climb.

Review: Revered psyche rock man Dave Fridmann, produced this one from Scottish guitar heroes Mogwai, just as he did their previous albums Come On Die Young and Rock Action. As always it is a structured soundscape built from the bottom up with an array of contrasting sounds, drones, textures, timbres and moods. The 56 minute record manages to be grateful and impactful with its hymnal tracks, trance-rock overtones and subtle but ever rising sense of euphoria always keeping you locked in. This is an album that will keep old fans happy and likely win over plenty of new ones.

Review: Argentine singer, songwriter, actress and psychedelic neo-folk high priestess Juana Molina may not be a familiar name to many in the West. But she's been putting out consistently fantastic records since the mid-1990s, debuting with Rara (not including the original score to the movie Juana y sus hermanas back in 1991) and is the sort of artist you don't forget once you discover. Allow Exhalo to open the door on this South American titan of folktronica, casting spells with a combination of lo-fi indie electronic, curveball pop, and progressive folk, with some influences also stemming from her upbringing as the daughter of tango legend Horacio Molina and actor Chunchuna VillafaNe. A deep and captivating listen that seduces you from the word go, this is one not to be missed if you can help it.

Review: Deerhunter co-founder and drummer Moses Archuleta works solo under the Moon Diagrams alias and here he impresses once more with a second album, Cemetery Classics. This 12-track release is a collaboration between Sonic Cathedral and Angus Andrew's new label No Gold adn it has been mixed by Simian Mobile Disco man James Ford. Guests like Anastasia Coope, Patrick Flegel and Josh Diamond from Gang Gang Dance all feature on what is Archuleta's first new music since 2019's Trappy Bats mini-album. The album spans several genres, as you would expect, from Basinski-esque degradation on 'Neptune' to industrial noise on 'Listen To Me,' with postmodern pop, trip-hop, shoegaze, and more. The man himself calls it a "graveyard disc" of songs for the afterlife.

Review: Five tracks of madness and mayhem from one of Norway's most critically acclaimed and domestic-Grammy (Spellemannprisen) award-nominated bands, with several wins too. Which should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention. Motorpsycho have always defied expectations, not least by offering up sounds that are contrary their name - less metal, more progressive and psyche rock with shades of jazz, post-rock, country and pop.

Ancient Astronauts represents their latest sonic incarnation, which is destined to keep the devout satisfied. Opening with a combination of grit and opera descending into a cool cat, wavy day-tripper of a swagger tune, 'The Ladder', 'The Flower of Awareness' then offers contrast by introducing huge power riffs, solos and crescendos, with even more intense guitar-made atmospheres offered on the closing two tracks.

Review: Formed in Rome way back in 1966, Musica Elettronica Viva are something of an enigma: an avant-garde collective whose exact line-up is shrouded in mystery (it changed over the years by all accounts but confirming who founded the group has proved difficult) and whose released works tend towards the experimental and undeniably out-there. The Sound Pool was recorded in 1979 and surfaced on vinyl a year later. It's an undeniably odd but defiantly impressive four-part work that blends tape loops, avant-garde noise, distant drumming, discording free-jazz horns and pots-and-pans percussion. It sounds like it was recorded live, in a gigantic, reverb-heavy room, and is as experimental and avant-garde as they come. An under-celebrated classic of its type.

Review: First arriving in 1988, the debut album from My Bloody Valentine really is deserving of re-appraisal and reissue, albeit most musos out there won't have exactly forgotten it existed in the first place. Still, there are a whole lot of ears out there that were born too late and may not have discovered its wonders yet simply because they have far too much back catalogue greatness to unearth, and so this is a great opportunity to get stuck in, for want of better words.

The Irish dream pop and shoegaze pioneers do get pretty loud at times, but overall this is noise being used in a very different way to the vast majority of guitar styles before or since. Hence the record stunning critics of the day, with the sorely-missed Q magazine perhaps publishing the most apt description, from the mind of one Stuart Maconie: "The first full-length expression of this remarkable new sound: gossamer vocals and insinuating melodies glimpsed through sheets of blurred, opaque noise."

Review: Deep Valley is a new collaborative work by Australian artists Seaworthy aka Cameron Webb and Matt Rosner and they came together for it during a week-long residency at Bundanon Art Museum in New South Wales. The property which was gifted to the Australian public by artists Arthur and Yvonne Boyd in the 1990s offers a unique landscape along the Shoalhaven River and is surrounded by sandstone cliffs and diverse wildlife. Drawing inspiration from Boyd's belief that "you can't own a landscape," Deep Valley combines the inspiration of that setting with environmental recordings, guitars, piano, and electronic processing all of which aim to highlight the transient nature of ecosystems and encourage you to reconnect with the sounds of nature.

Review: It should come as no surprise that the latest from Icelandic musical fantasists Sigur Ros was originally composed in either the 14th or 15th Century, and is written in the Edda tradition, a term used to describe to manuscripts that together make up the main sources of Norse mythology and Skaldic poetry. After all, this is a band that have been singing in their own imagined tongue since before most people cottoned on to them.

It's certainly the group's most gothic effort to date, an orchestral epic that also features the artists and composers Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson, Steindor Andersen and Maria Huld Markan Sigfusdottir, whose collective CV includes pioneering musical composition with computers and Rimur chanting. Their combined efforts feel steeped such timeless atmosphere your peripheral vision might as well be catching torchlights flickering off solid stone walls. Another work of extraordinary beauty, then.