Review: Hip hop super group Run The Jewels aka Brooklyn-based rapper-producer El-P and Atlanta-based rapper Killer Mike continue to turn out new albums that continue to get a great reception. But at the same time, their old albums are still much sought after and so are being reissued. Run The Jewels 2 first came back in 2014 and received widespread acclaim from critics. They appreciated its darker, more layered production and Killer Mike and El-P's lyricism and chemistry and its guest contributions from the likes of Zach de la Rocha, Travis Barker and Diane Coffee.
Review: On its 25th anniversary, Dido's No Angel hears a reissue after years of quiet retouching, though it has always been a touching record. It introduced the dove-winged Dido as a subtle anomaly compared to the post-Britpop landscape she splashed onto; more introspective than the era's radio pop, but too melodic and emotionally direct for the trip-hop bracket she was often loosely filed under. The album was shaped over several years, with early versions circulating before Arista officially picked it up, much of it having been co-produced with her brother Rollo Armstrong (of Faithless). That connection lends the record the gently electronic undercurrent Dido is now remembered for: looped beats, ambient washes, soft synth beds, acoustic guitar, and a diaristic, plainspoken subject range in the lyrics. Its house vibes - domestic mundanity, bruised endurance - could hardly predict its lead song's aggravated use in Eminem's 'Stan'.
Review: One of the defining moments of the 90s Welsh indie pop band's career, their fourth album arrived at a time of profound personal loss - the death of drummer Jon Lee - marking a shift in both their sound and emotional direction. The album sees them shifting from raw energy to a more reflective mood that captures their journey through grief, translating it into a refined blend of alternative rock.The production is sharp, with standout tracks like the anthemic 'Just the Way I Am' showcasing an evolving sophistication, while the melancholic 'Tide of Change' and 'Forget About Tomorrow' - complete with orchestral backing - offers introspective moments. But despite the challenging backdrop, the album flows with a sense of optimism too, highlighted by the rousing 'Full Circle'. This expanded version is a celebration of a pivotal period in their legacy, as well as containing a stack of tunes that helped define the era.
Review: R.E.M.'s first single gets a sharp rethink here, as onetime breakbeat hopeful turned superproducer Jacknife Lee reworks 'Radio Free Europe' for 2025, brightening its edges without sanding off the rawness. The 10" EP gathers together early recordings from 1981, when Mitch Easter first put the band to tape: the prized Hib-Tone single version of 'Radio Free Europe', its original B-side 'Sitting Still', the minimal 'Wh. Tornado' demo, and Easter's dubbed-out studio mix 'Radio Free Dub'. Pressed to orange vinyl and limited in run, the release acts as a flashpoint between the group's ragged, wiry beginnings and the high-gloss politics of Lee's modern production. All proceeds go to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, a nod to the band's early spirit of defiance.
Review: After debut album WOOF, South East Londoners Fat Dog return with 'Peace Song', a curveballing single every bit as strange as it is sincere. A longtime setlist gem, the track brings a rare stillness to chaos: a pause in the frenzy for arms-in-the-air swaying (there's the unlikely inclusion of a children's choir). But don't mistake this for sentimentality: Joe Love's repeated line "And I'm in love with the world" is as much a provocation as a profession of joy. The accompanying video, directed by James Ogram, descends gleefully into lo-fi monster madness, riffing on kaiju cinema with a DIY touch that's all Fat Dog. Whether it signals a new direction or a temporary detour, 'Peace Song' proves Fat Dog unafraid to undercut their own earnestness with a snarl a smirk.
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