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Review: Manchester mavericks A Certain Ratio have been on a rare run of form of late, with 2023's 1982 counting as one of their most vibrant and endlessly entertaining albums for decades. Of course, all their albums are of a consistent quality, but It All Comes Down To This genuinely crackles with energy. From the word go, the veteran band's inherent funkiness is present, but this time it comes cloaked in fuzzy funk-rock guitar riffs, acid-fried effects, and vocals that are amongst the most forthright they've committed to wax (or, in this case, CD). In many ways, it is - as the band and producer/Sopeedy Wunderground boss Dan Carey intended - a 'back to basics' sound that focuses on the key aspects of ACR's sound. When those 'basics' are so strong, it's no surprise that the results are this impressive.
… Read more in stock $10.81
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Review: For their latest deep dive into Italo-disco history, ZYX Records have enlisted the help of Guiseppe "Joey" Mauro - an Italian producer, songwriter and keyboardist whose career stretches right back to 1984. His "Italo-disco legends" selection is heavy on his own work - no bad thing given his credentials - and contains a wealth of material that has never appeared on CD before. Highlights are plentiful, with our picks including Mauro and Ventura's sparkling and uplifting 'You & I', Italowarriors' throbbing and colourful crew cut, 'The Warrior (120 Italo Version)', the bubbly cheeriness of 'Crazy (Classic Mix Version)' by Malcolm & The Bad Girls, and the effortless Italo funkiness of Raf Coney's 'Horsepower'.
… Read more in stock $13.38
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Cat: AV 2018107. Rel: 27 Mar 24
Progressive Rock
Review: Legendary prog rock icons Pink Floyd performed live at the KB Hallen, Copenhagen on November 10 ,1972 and this is a digitally remastered recording of that night. It's a great bit of musical history, capturing the band across two CDs that feature many highlights, not least the epic 24-minute rendition of 'Echoes' which is about as prog as prog can get. As well as that, the album takes in the entirety of The Dark Side Of The Moon plus extra tracks 'One Of These Days' and 'Careful With That Axe Eugene,' all of which make it a superb addition to the collection of any fan.
… Read more in stock $11.32
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Review: Given their Radiohead connections Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood make up two thirds of the band), there's always been an enormous amount of interest in The Smile - a lockdown-born project that has plenty of potential. Wall of Eyes, the trio's second album, is certainly impressive. For proof, check the moody, suspenseful and slowly unfurling title track (all pulsing, low-slung semi-acoustic grooves, eyes-closed vocals, dense electronic textures and soundtrack strings), the heady, subtly jazz-flecked wall of sound that is 'Friend of a Friend' (listen out for the music concrete-style sound collage sitting in the background of the White Album era Beatles-esque 'Friend of a Friend'), and the lo-fi, string-laden headiness of the largely beat-free 'Bending Heretic', whose cut-glass horror strings and Nine Inch Nails style guitars are impressively intense at times.
… Read more in stock $10.81
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Review: On his return to China in 2019 after a period away, Brock van Wey noticed a "strange, sound emitting item" on the table. It was a handmade 'steel tongue drum', a unique percussion instrument associated with spirituality and meditation in Asian culture. A few days later, van Wey recorded an extended jam of himself playing it, and later overdubbed electronic sounds, melodies, chords and textures. The result is The Depth of Rain, the long-serving ambient and drone artist's second Bvdub album of 2024. Where some of van Wey's ambient sets can tend towards the intense and claustrophobic, The Depth of Rain is a genuinely melodious, evocative and spring-like affair that ebbs and flows wonderfully throughout, providing entertainment and sonic bliss in equal measure.
… Read more in stock $17.25
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Review: Brian Williams' Lustmord project has existed in different forms for over 40 years, though it's only in the last couple of decades - when it has become a vehicle for his solo work - that new musical missives have become a regular occurrence. On Much Unseen Is Also Here, the former industrial musician turned soundtrack composer once again showcases his mastery of pitch-black sonics, creepy soundscapes and horror-inspired dark ambient workouts. As you'd expect, the sound design is incredible - listen on good quality headphones for the ultimate listening experience - while Williams' penchant for throwing in suspenseful chords, billowing aural textures and unsettling vocalisations adds further layers of paganistic mystery.
… Read more in stock $15.43
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Review: BBE has delivered something of a future classic here, as decorated Eastern European harpist Alinha Bzhezhinska and British tenor saxophonist Tony Kofi join forces on a picturesque full-length excursion dedicated to the memory of spiritual jazz maestro Pharoah Saunders. It's a genuinely unique and hugely evocative affair, with Kofi's meandering, mesmeric melodies and inspired improvisations snaking in and out of Bzhezhinska's dreamy harp motifs and melodic percussion instruments (think bells, marimbas, vibraphone, xylophone and so on). It's not a familiar musical palette, but it's one that consistently delivers - and then some. Our picks of a very strong bunch include lucid opener 'Tabula Rasu - Blank Slate', the exotic and psychedelic 'Audite Me - Hear Me', and the picturesque, meditative closing cut, 'Altera Vita - Another Life'.
… Read morePlayed by: Pete Haigh
in stock $15.18
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Review: Given the uniqueness of his madcap and mind-altering trademark sound, the release of any new album from Tom Jenkinson AKA Squarepusher is big news. Given that his last new full-length landed four years ago, the arrival of Dostrotime has got an awful lot of experimentalists in a bit of a lather. Like many albums that have surfaced in the last couple of years, it was apparently inspired by the "novel, eerie, sublime silence of lockdown", with the title being a reference to "how time passed differently". Quite how this plays out within the music itself is open to interpretation; for the most part, what's on offer is prime Squarepusher - all distorted, full-throttle acid lines, mutilated experimental D&B beats, analogue electronics and rasping, strobe-lit nods to raves,
… Read more in stock $12.87
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Cat: WIGCD 506. Rel: 21 Mar 24
Post Rock/Experimental
Review: Julia Holter has subtly shifted focus on new album (her sixth in total) Something In The Room She Moves, moving away from exploring memory and dream-like states to instead focus on (in her words) "the complexity and transformability of our bodies". To create this rather distinctive (and rather good sound world), she added her own ethereal vocals to self-created backing tracks rich in electric fretless bass, warming wind and reed instruments, and distinctive synth sounds plucked from a Yamaha CS060. The results are predictably immersive and soul-enriching, with highlights including stunning opener 'Sun Girl', the percussively inventive 'Spinning', and the pastoral, dreamy 'Evening Mood'.
… Read more in stock $10.81
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Review: A genuine treat for goth-rock fans, here, as Laser Media presents a six-disc box set featuring live performances - all originally recorded for radio broadcasts - by arguably the genre's most famous and celebrated band, Leeds legends The Sisters of Mercy. It moves back and forth through the years, with the earliest recordings (featured on disc five) dating from 1981 - when they'd yet to fully define the "goth" sound - and the most recent 1991 (discs three and four). It's a good reflection of their live sound and career evolution, with fine renditions of singles and fan favourites being joined by deeper cuts and covers of such classics as 'Knocking On Heaven's Door', 'Gimme Shelter' and 'Jolene'.
… Read more in stock $23.17
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Review: British soul singer Dee C Lee started her career singing backup for Wham and the Style Council, before embarking on a solo career that included an early release on Mo Wax. By the late 90s, she'd pretty much stepped back from music though - making this new album for Acid Jazz a genuine surprise (it's her first new release for over a quarter of a century). It's rather good, too, with Lee's sublime and emotion-rich vocals soaring above 'heritage soul' style tracks that variously offer nods to bossa-nova ('Don't Forget About Love'), disco/jazz-funk fusion ('Be There In The Morning', with its excellent horns and fluttering flutes), and Motown-style stompers (the uplifting excellence of 'Walk Away').
… Read more in stock $10.81
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Review: 40 years after the band's formation, The Jesus & Mary Chain have delivered their eighth studio album, their first full length release of new material for seven years. Admirably, the Reid brothers have refused to rest on their laurels and offer-up something undeniably nostalgic - catnip for long term fans if you will - but instead have fused elements of their familiar sound and style with plenty of fresh ideas. There are audible nods to Suicide, Kraftwerk and the improvisational practices of jazz, but also tons of fuzz, feedback and aural chaos. It's an invigorating mixture that's best exemplified by 'Jamcod', where the pair's red-raw guitars, low-slung bass and acid-fried vocals rise above a skittish electro beat, the slipped shoegaze-goes-dreampop flex of 'Chemical Animal', and the pleasingly spiky and punchy 'Girl 71'.
… Read more in stock $12.87
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Review: Now firmly in "pop icon" territory after a 15-year career full of successes and commercial highs, Paloma Faith has earned the opportunity to do whatever the hell she likes musically. So, on her sixth album and first for four years, she delivers a set of deeply personal, often stirring pop songs whose lyrics form a narrative of coming back from messy relationship build-ups. Beginning with the Chase & Status produced 'Pressure' featuring Kojey Radical - a sub-heavy slab of punchy post hip-hop heaviness - Faith and lead producer Martin Wave confidently stride between empowering acoustic-meets-electronic dance-pop ('How You Leave a Man'), gospel-influenced anthems-in-the-making ('Bad Woman') and the kind of emphatic electronic pop that the artist has always done so well.
… Read more in stock $12.10
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NINEY THE OBSERVER / VARIOUS
Dreadlocks Coming To Dinner: The Observer Singles 1973-1975 (unmixed 2xCD)
Cat: DB 2CD137. Rel: 14 Mar 24
Reggae Classics/Ska
Review: While not as celebrated as some of his Jamaican contemporaries, Winston Holness AKA Niney The Observer was a hugely successful record producer. This excellent two-disc set does an excellent job in rounding up the best of his output between 1973 and '75, a period where he enjoyed countless hits at home and over in the UK. There's naturally plenty of goodness to be found amongst the 49 tracks on show, with cuts featuring now well-known Jamaican scene stars - think Junior Delgado, Delroy Wilson, Big Youth, Max Romeo, Junior Byles, Horace Andy, U-Roy and ska survivor Tommy McCook - being joined by more dubbed-out 'versions' (credited to his studio band The Observers') and local hits by artists whose fame rarely spread beyond the Caribbean (Winston Wright, Hubert Lee, Earth & Stone). In an indispensable introduction to one of Jamaica's finest producers of the 1970s.
… Read more in stock $15.96
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Review: Four years on from her last full-length outing, Ariana Grande returns with her seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine. In keeping with many post-pandemic albums, Grande apparently drew on her own personal experiences during the writing process, keen to deliver something that mixed "vulnerability" with entertainment. Musically, it also follows current and recent pop trends, combining r&b and hip-hop roots with nods to disco ('Bye'), 80s synth-pop ('Supernatural', 'This Boy'), trap ('True Story'), EDM (the house-tinged 'Yes and?' and colourful 'We Can't be Friends (Wait For Your Love') and classic balladeering ('I Wish I Hated You', with its expansive musical palette and intricate instrumental flourishes).
… Read more in stock $13.13
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Review: Given that he's been active musically since the turn-of-the-80s - most famously as part of Big Audio Dynamite - it's rather surprising to find that Outta Sync is Don Letts' debut solo album He's pulled out all the stops for the occasion, not only joining forces with dub artist Gaudi (who co-wrote and produced the album), but also a swathe of guests including reggae vocalist Hollie Cook, his old pal Terry Hall, Zoe Devlin Love and his daughter, Honor Letts. While there are plenty of nods to Letts' varied musical tastes, it is naturally rooted in weighty dub reggae rhythms, with the other constant being Letts' own spoken word vocals, which generally offer reflections on the Black British experience and his fears for the future. It may have taken decades, but he's finally delivered an artist album fitting of his legendary status.
… Read more in stock $12.87
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Review: Given her length of service (her first appearance as a guest vocalist was way back in 1992), it seems extraordinary that The Love Invention is officially Alison Goldfrapp's debut solo album. It's a typically sparkling, colourful and entertaining affair, taking the synth-pop sound that marked out her long collaboration with Will Gregory as Goldfrapp, and injecting it with a big dose of dance-pop energy. It's hardly a radical recalibration of her sound, though the influence of some of her collaborators - most notably co-producer Richard X (who was involved in some of the album's strongest moments) - is certainly evident. Goldfrapp naturally stars throughout, channelling her inner Roisin Murphy, with highlights including the sub-heavy, house-influenced synth-pop strut of 'So Hard So Hot', the vibrant 'The Love Injection' and catchy opener 'Never Stop'.
… Read more in stock $6.70
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Cat: 555141 8. Rel: 13 Jul 23
Jazz
Review: Last year, an eagle-eyed researcher discovered a genuine slept-on gem in the archives of New York Public Library: a forgotten, unreleased recording of the John Coltrane Quintet playing - alongside bass clarinettist Eric Dolphy, at the iconic Village Gate venue in August 1961. Here, that recording - now freshly mastered - is released to the public for the first time, and as you'd expect it's rather special. Coltrane is at his magical, blistering best throughout, with his band offering similarly impressive support throughout. Highlights include the only live recording yet discovered of the quintet performing 'Africa', an insanely good 10-minute take on Coltrane classic 'Impressions', and Dolphy's star turn on 'When Lights Are Low'. In a word: essential!
… Read more in stock $14.16
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Review: Leeds-based duo Hawthonn express their inspiration from Coil in their artist name (a tribute to the late Jhonn Balance) and it doesn't take long listening to their music to hear that indelible mark on their sound. Earth Mirror marks Layla and Phil Legard's second album for the Ba Da Bing! label out of NYC after 2018's Red Goddess (Of This Men Shall Know Nothing). Weaving a compelling mixture of low, murmuring industrial tones and pastoral folk with an occult twist, the duo move through enveloping, atmospheric spaces. At times Layla Legard's voice cuts through the mist, and elsewhere we reside in instrumental pastures, but the mood remains haunting and evocative from start to finish, not to mention masterfully rendered.
… Read more in stock $12.87
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Cat: 505419 7181146. Rel: 12 Oct 23
Progressive Rock
Review: Given that it is the fourth biggest selling artist album of all time, with some 45 million copies in circulation, you'd be forgiven for questioning the point of this 50th anniversary edition of Pink Floyd's most celebrated work. Yet, like the various Beatles albums that have been remastered and remixed in recent years, there is certainly a point to polishing the sound using modern technology. Put simply, 'Dark Side of the Moon', an album that's famously sonically detailed and was painstakingly recorded at the time, has never sounded better. With its mix of ambling progressive rock epics and memorable songs, it has always lent itself to listening on headphones; now, thanks to a sparkling and stunning 2023 mix, it's a more immersive and enveloping listening experience than ever (and that's before we get to the separately available surround sound and Dolby Atmos versions).
… Read more! low stock $12.87
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Review: If the greatest bands evolve over the course of their career, IDLES are clearly on the right track. While the Bristol-band rose to prominence via a raw, noisy and aggressive sound that sat somewhere between post-punk and alt-rock, Tangk - their fifth album and first for three years - represents a genuine (and deliberate) tearing up of their previous trademark sound. Inspired specifically by a desire to "make people dance and make people feel", it feels like a successful attempt to move into the punk-funk/rock-rave territory previously defined by LCD Soundsystem. It's fitting then that James Murphy and company feature on standout (and recent single) 'Dancer'. The nods to the glory years of DFA Records continue throughout, with further highlights including the moody, low-slung brilliance of 'Grace' and the righteous heaviness of 'Gift Horse'.
… Read more in stock $11.32
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Review: A decade after making his major label with Doris, all all-star affair featuring contributions from the RZA, Frank Ocean and Tyler The Creator, Los Angeles MC Earl Sweatshirt delivers album number six - a two-way hoedown with acclaimed beat-maker, Cypress Hill affiliate and fellow LA resident The Alchemist. It's a musical marriage with great potential, all told, as Earl Sweatshirt delivers distinctively enigmatic lyrical flows in his distinctive timbre over impeccable beats that draw on an impressively diverse range of samples. Compare and contrast, for example, the sparse, bluesy brilliance of 'Vin Skully' and the West Coast synth-funk influenced smoothness of 'Heat Check', or gospel-influenced Vince Staples hook-up 'Mancula' and the slow-motion drowsiness and aural beauty of 'Sirius Blac'.
… Read more in stock $13.13
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Review: .
… Read more in stock $36.55
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Review: There's been rather a lot of noise about Jaguar II, Victoria Monet's much-delayed full-length follow up to 2021's Jaguar mini-album. The hype is, in many ways, understandable - it did recently scoop the 'Best R&B Album' award at the GRAMMYs. More importantly, it's also very good, with the decorated songwriter-turned-pop star confidently serving up retro-futurist gems who's punchy 21st century r&b beats come cloaked in musical motifs that frequently offer nods to black American music of the 1970s, 80s and early 90s. The plentiful highlights include Lucky Daye hook-up 'Smoke', the dancehall-fired excellence of 'Party Girls' (featuring Buju Banton), the Fugees-esque beauty of 'How Does It Make You Feel', and the glossy disco-soul dreaminess of 'Hollywood', where her young daughter Hazel and Earth, Wind and Fire both play starring roles.
… Read more in stock $13.13
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Review: Camae Ayewa AKA Moor Mother has long talked about wanting to work with an orchestra, applying her verbal Afro-futurism and free-jazz experimentation to the classical domain. She recently did just that, delivering a grandiose live interpretation of her ninth album, The Great Bailout, alongside the London Contemporary Orchestra. It makes perfect sense: while the album itself is not fully orchestrated, it's a conceptual work dissecting the British slave trade, slavery and colonialism. Musically, there are two central focal points: her spoken word vocals and the beautiful singing of Lonnie Haley. These two vital voices weave in and out of sound worlds rooted in dark ambient, lo-fi hip-hop beats, free jazz instrumentation, out-there samples and clandestine aural textures. It's naturally raw, moody and weighty, but more importantly it's also a genuine masterpiece that deserves your attention.
… Read more in stock $10.29
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Review: While his immense contribution to UK dancefloors often goes unacknowledged, Colin Curtis continues to delight dancers - and jazz dancers in particular - well over 50 years after making his first appearance behind the decks. More impressively, he continues to dig for new and previously unearthed music, sharing these finds via the ongoing Jazz Dance Fusion series. Volume four - the latest - showcases 26 tracks across two CDs, mixing hot new and recent jazz dance workouts with buried treasure of all kinds. It's naturally heavy on Latin jazz, fusion and percussive jazz-funk, but also touches on samba, salsa and "Latin spoken word". In other words, it's another sublime selection from one of UK dance music culture's true underground heroes.
… Read morePlayed by: Mukatsuku Records Chart
in stock $16.99
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Review: The impeccable Lithuanian label Greyscale is a real leader when it comes to dub techno and already they are racing into 2024 in fine style with a first full-length of the year from label head Grad_U! The sublime and immersive Sustain has eight larges ambient soundscapes that are detailed with field recordings from another planet. Each one is alluringly empty and beautiful, intriguing and unsettling to make for an escapist trip to another dimension. The way the producer manages to conjure up what feel like familiar emotions in such a faraway world is second to none and will leave you wanting to do it all over again the second it ends.
… Read morePlayed by: Marcelo Tavares(Deep Space Podcast)
in stock $16.22
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VARIOUS
Waves Of Distortion: The Best Of Shoegaze 1990-2022 (unmixed 2xCD)
Cat: BN5 CD. Rel: 04 May 23
Indie/Alternative
Review: Despite the style's influence and enduring legacy, shoegaze has not been celebrated with a raft of compilations and retrospectives. Waves of Distortion attempts to set the record straight via two discs of classic (and occasionally overlooked) shoegaze gems recorded and released at different points between 1990 and 2022. It offers a neat overview of the sound and some its greatest practitioners, flitting between the glistening, reverb-laden dream pop of Slowdive, the bowl cut-sporting loved-up swagger of Ride, the densely layered country-shoegaze haziness of Telescope, the jaunty jangly-ness of AR Kane and Spirea X, the psychedelic heaviness of Ringo Deathstarr, the tactile bliss of Beach House and the slow-burn, post-rock majesty of Mogwai.
… Read more in stock $12.34
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Review: On Evolve, Nick Douwma has gone back to the future, offering up an album that giddily mines the music that inspired him to fall in love with electronic dance music in the first place. So, while it's undoubtedly a radio-friendly, 21st century big-room dance album, the collected tracks include nods to many classic dancefloor anthems (see 'Fine Day', an EDM-d&b re-make of the Opus III classic that also inspired Orbital's 'Halcyon'), crossover acts of old (the Prodigy, the Chemical Brothers), vintage hardcore and jungle, and 90s house. A string of guests and collaborators swing by to help, including ARCO (on recent single 'Vibration (One More Time)', Chicago house stalwart Gene Farris (on the throbbing, festival-friendly 'It's Time'), and hardcore and jungle pioneer Jonny L ('Turn Up The Bass').
… Read more in stock $12.10
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Review: First released on streaming services back in December, Little Simz fifth album, No Thank You, finally makes it onto CD. Chances are you've already heard it, but if not, we can confirm that it's a genuinely brilliant set that more than lives up to the dizzy heights of its Mercury Prize-winning predecessor, 2021's Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. Constructed in great sonic detail by long-term production partner InFlo - all sultry strings, head-nodding R&BV beats, sampled horns, background and chorus vocals from Cleo Sol and warming bass - the ten-track set contains some of Little Simz's most potent lyrics - all of which are delivered with the kind of seamless, London-accented flow that we've come to expect from her. Another triumph from one of the UK's greatest MCs.
… Read more in stock $9.76
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Review: .By its very nature, Tenkiller is a very different beast to Chat Pile's other releases. Recorded in the winter of 2020 to be the soundtrack to Tenkiller, an indie movie about the lives of ordinary people in small-town America, it sees the noise-rock/post-hardcore combo focus on mood and tone, rather than form and function. As a result, fuzzy and forthright cuts of the sort you'd expect come supplemented by dystopian, industrial-influenced soundscapes, lo-fi alt-country, guitar-laden mood pieces, low-slung and effects-laden creepiness, intense electronica and the kind of slow-burn ambient-not-ambient that was once the preserve of cult bands such as Labradford.
… Read more in stock $13.13
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Review: Following a couple of years spent re-releasing many of her classic albums, alongside sets featuring demo versions of the same songs, Polly Jean Harvey is finally ready to release a new album - her first for seven long years. Reunited with long-time collaborators John Parish and Flood, Harvey delivers alluring, at times otherworldly songs - delivered beautifully and with more than a hint of world-weary emotions - backed by sparse, effects-laden instrumentation, metronomic grooves and plenty of pastoral, folk-influenced intent. We've not listened to the lyrics intently enough (yet) to adequately discuss their themes, but in advance Harvey's label promised "biblical images and references to Shakespeare" amongst the introspection and hard-worn commentary.
… Read more in stock $7.98
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Review: Exactly pinpointing the essence of Little Dragon's sound is tough - it's always soulful and groovy, but it's not soul in the classic sense and there's plenty of other musical influences in the mix - but by now it barely matters. Each of their albums thus far has been special, and Slugs of Love is no exception. The Swedish four-piece impresses early with the head-nodding grooves, echoing house pianos and swirling atmospherics of 'Frisco', opts for a New York no-wave disco flex on 'Slugs of Love', and offers a perfect platform for mic man JID to the warped, hip-hop-goes-synth-pop shuffle of 'Stay'. There are highlights aplenty elsewhere across the album too, with our picks including Damon Albarn hook-up 'Glow', the moody house-not-house of 'Gold' and the picturesque, breakbeat-driven pop breeziness of 'Tumbling Dice'.
… Read more in stock $9.01
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Cat: GOSS 069. Rel: 25 May 23
Indie/Alternative
Review: A month before he passed away in December 2002, Joe Strummer delivered what turned out to be his final performance - a benefit gig for striking firefighters at Acton Town Hall, where he was backed by his then band the Mescaleros. This must-have CD presents that performance in its entirety, including the infamous ending - where Strummer's former Clash bandmate Mick Jones emerged from the audience to join him on stage for performances of 'Bank Robber', 'White Riot' and 'London's Burning' (it was the first time the two had performed together since 1983). Recorded for a radio broadcast, the gig was undoubtedly special, with Strummer and his bandmates powering through classics including 'Police & Thieves', '(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais' and 'I Fought The Law'.
… Read more in stock $10.81
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Cat: SON 0388. Rel: 25 May 23
Indie/Alternative
Review: Despite emerging as a synth-pop outfit, Talk Talk's sound evolved considerably in a short space of time. By 1986, when their third album The Colour of Spring hit record stores, they'd ditched the synth-pop of their debut and the free-jazz-influenced post-rock of its sequel in favour of a more traditional indie sound - albeit one still infused with some electronics and bags of aural invention. The performance captured on this CD (originally recorded for a radio broadcast) dates from 86 and mixes interpretations of tracks from The Colour of the Spring with new takes on earlier singles and classic cuts. Highlights include a rushing version of 'It's My Life', the concert-opening 'Talk Talk' and a decidedly Balearic, harmonica-sporting 'Living In Another World'.
… Read more in stock $10.29
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Review: For all of the "it's like 1995 all over again" analysis that greeted the surprise return of Britpop stars Blur, it would count for nothing if the music they were making was a hollow pastiche of the past. Fortunately, The Ballad of Darren, the band's first new album since 2015, is a giddy blast from the past - and reportedly one recorded in a much more cooperative and good-humoured atmosphere than expected. Fans will immediately feel at home, with tracks such as 'St Charles Square' and 'The Narcissist' offering that now familiar mix of weary vocals, squally guitars, low-slung bass and shuffling drums. Whether or not it's a "return to form" is debatable, but it's certainly a refreshing blast from the past for those came of age in the 1990s (and those inspired by Britpop's messy, lager-fuelled energy).
… Read more in stock $10.04
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VARIOUS
Studio One 007: Licenced To Ska James Bond & Other Film Soundtracks & TV Themes (unmixed CD + booklet)
Cat: 502632 8105154. Rel: 13 Jul 23
Reggae Classics/Ska
Review: A few years ago, Studio One explored the links between Jamaica and James Bond (where the famous fictional spy's creator, Ian Fleming, famously lived) on Studio One 007, a limited-edition box set of seven-inch singles. Now they've revisited and expanded the compilation, adding more ska and rocksteady interpretations of Bond themes (as well as Bond-inspired Jamaican music used on other films of the late 1960s) and the label's usual extensive liner notes. Our picks of a great bunch include the Soul Brothers' ska interpretation of the 'Thunderball' theme song, their collaborative take on the main Bond theme with Jackie Mittoo, a young Lee Perry on the mic (alongside Bob Marley's backing band, the Wailers) on 'Pussy Galore', and Roland Alphonso and the Studio One Orchestra's 'From Russia With Love'.
… Read more in stock $12.34
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Review: Having delivered a string of loosely themed collections of extended mixes and 12" versions from the 1980s, the long-running NOW compilation strand has launched a new series focusing on music released in specific years across the decade. 1980, the inaugural collection, is relatively light on pop, 'alternative' and new wave extended mixes (though OMD, Spandau Ballet, Sparks and UB40 all appear), but big on soaring disco hits, crossover club classics and chart-bothering dance numbers from the dawn of the decade of Thatcher and Reagan. That means outings for the likes of Tom Browne's 'Funkin' For Jamaica', Teena Marie's exceptional 'Behind The Groove', Grace Jones' low-slung cover of Roxy Music's 'Love is the Drug', Tom Moulton's peerless version of Loleatta Holloway's 'Love Sensation', an Odyssey's addictive 'Use It Up & Wear It Out'.
… Read more in stock $9.82
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Review: For some reason, the mighty dubs of Joe Gibbs and musical collaborator Errol Thompson have never been as widely celebrated as the pair's multitude of vocal recordings, many of which became colossal hits in their native Jamaica. This fine double-disc set from Doctor Bird aims to set the record straight, delivering a wealth of 'versions' and dub mixes recorded and released between 1975 and '78, all featuring Gibbs and Thompson's usual studio band, the Professionals. It's all top-tier dub - think skeletal arrangements, booming bass, effects-laden percussion and echoing vocal snippets - with 30 of the 48 tracks on show appearing on CD for the very first time. In other words, it should be a must-have for all dub enthusiasts.
… Read more in stock $15.96
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Review: Specter remains a steadfast pillar among the select artists on Theo Parrish's esteemed Sound Signature label. His latest album, Brutus, reaffirms the trust placed in him, delivering a distinct blend of house sounds. In this CD version, Specter masterfully fuses synthetic and organic elements, echoing the signature style of Parrish. Much like Parrish's own compositions, the house sounds on Brutus exhibit a harmonious blend of weathered, rustic tones and vibrant, futuristic visions. Specter injects profound meaning into his melodies, and the drums, whether subtle and elusive or bold and confrontational, consistently captivate, locking listeners into the rich tapestry of his grooves.
… Read more in stock $14.41
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Review: Second time around for Sneaker Pimps' Six Underground, the lesser-celebrated follow-up to the duo's renowned 'Spin Spin Sugar' single (famous, of course, because of Armand Van Helden's influential 'Dark Garage' remix). While the revisions included here - all initially released in 1996 - did not make as big an impression, all four have stood the test of time impressively. The headline attraction is a pair of Two Lone Swordsmen rubs, which are amongst the earliest reworks Weatherall and Tenniswood laid down under the alias. The vocal and instrumental takes are low slung trip-hop tracks overlaid with heady electronic elements. Elsewhere, Nellee Hooper channels the spirit (and sound) of his work with Massive Attack, and Hull boys Fila Brazillia lay down a typically deep, dubby and slowly evolving downtempo workout.
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Review: Skep Wax's first Under The Bridge compilation, released in 2022, reunited the bands, songwriters and producers who populated cult early '90s indie label Sarah Records. This hotly anticipated follow-up repeats the trick, presenting 20 recently recorded cuts from the Bristol-based imprint's original roster of artists. It too, is a hugely successful - and understandably nostalgic - exercise, with hi9ghlights including the bright-and-breezy indie jangliness of Action Painting's 'Just Who Are The Cockleshell Heroes', the shoegaze-influenced dream pop haziness of Soundwire's 'Everything Is Real', the near Balearic soft focus shuffle of 'Double Nine' by GNAC, and the saucer-eyed excellence of The Orchids' 'A Final Love Song'.
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Review: Long Island outfit The Lemon Twigs frequently leave critics confounded and confused, in part because their shape-shifting style tends towards the over-the-top and grandiose. Rooted in a love of 70s glam, the theatrical rock pomp of Queen and a tongue-in-cheek love of overblown rock operas, they seem to delight regular listeners while rubbing reviewers up the wrong way. On Everything Harmony, their new album, they've re-set their influences once more, delivering a blend of folk-rock, Simon & Garfunkel style folk revivalism, prime Beatles and the close harmony bliss of the Beach Boys, with a dash of fuzzy garage rock and giddy psychedelia thrown in. It's well-crafted and expertly executed stuff that's hugely easy-going and enjoyable, whatever sniffy critics may say,
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Review: Confusingly, two staggering out-there experimental albums arrived in 1992 bearing the same title: Thunder Perfect Mind. One came from Current 93, a group led by David Tibet featuring Nurse With Wound founder Steven Stapleton. The second was the latter's own experimental musical meditation on the same musical theme - a follow-up to the classic Soliloquy For Lilith that was, if anything, even darker, weirder and more intense than Current 93's paganistic LP. This expanded reissue presents a remastered version of the original two-track set on disc one - complete with musical contributions by Colin Potter and David Tibet - and a wealth of rare, unreleased and recently unearthed contemporaneous material on CD2. It's the ultimate version of an inspiringly out-there set.
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Review: Although he's not made much of an impact this side of the Atlantic, Chris Stapleton is massive news in the United States. Higher, his first studio album for three years, is therefore hotly anticipated back home. Whether you're already a fan or not, the album is well worth a listen - not least because Stapleton's distinctive style (which leans heavily on the richness of his Joe Cocker-esque voice) draws as much on Southern Soul, blue-eyed soul and Americana, as folk, bluegrass and traditional country. When he gets it right - which he does on 'Higher' - the resultant music is magical. For proof, see the bluesy soul simmer of 'Think I'm In Love With You', the slow-motion love jam 'It Takes a Woman', and the frazzled, lighters-up country-rock anthem that is 'White Horse'.
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Review: Khruangbin has very much become the masters of the downtempo sphere over the last decade. The Texan Thai-funk trio makes spaced-out, star-gazing and gently psychedelic sounds with deep and dubby rhythms, barely-there but alluring vocal hooks and persuasive basslines. Mordechai was their third studio album back in June of 2020 and is an ode to everything that'd done to date. Building on their Thai and Iranian rock roots, they head into new ground with a subtle lyrical freshness and more widescreen world of intercontinental influences all perfectly fused into their own sublime sounds.
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Review: Hadsel, Zach Condon AKA Beirut's first album in four years, is named in honour of the place in which much of it was recorded, a remote Norwegian island that the neo-folk artist stayed in back in 2019. The tranquillity of his surroundings, as well as access to limited instruments (a lo-fi drum machine, a church organ, a basic synthesiser and his trusty acoustic guitar, is reflected in the beauty and slow-burn nature of the music on show, which naturally pushes Condon's distinctive, emotionally charged vocals to the fore and tends towards the atmospheric and musically opaque. The results are genuinely beguiling, with our picks of a very strong bunch including 'The Tern', where Condon's voice sails above sustained organ chords, a tribal-tinged rhythm track, and life-affirming vocal harmonies, and the brass-enhanced warmth of 'So Many Plans'.
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Review: Put together in part to mark the tenth anniversary of Jack Rollo and Elaine Tierney's monthly NTS radio show, Searchlight Moonbeam is a "narrative compilation" described by fast-rising Aussie imprint Efficient Space as an "autumnal dreamscape". It's a conceptual theme open to interpretation, but in practice that means a gorgeous, atmospheric and Bonfire Night-friendly mix of acoustic songs (Bo Harwood & John Casavettes), exotic Indian neo-classical music (Bhairavi Raman & Nanthesh Sivarajah), string-laden outsider pop (The King of Luxemburg), heady global beats (OG Jigg), lo-fi indie haziness (Klang), ghostly and dreamy trip-hop (Scala), psychedelic dream pop (Soft Location), and picturesque piano pieces (Delphine Dora). A genuine triumph.
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Review: Sheffield-based experimental label Another Timbre is reissuing some of their most sought-after CDs, starting with this collaboration between Berlin-based Japanese composer and reeds player Michiko Ogawa and cellist, composer and noted classical-electronic fusionist Lucy Railton. Designed as an exercise in creating musical magic using just three musical elements - cello, organ and sho (a Japanese reed instrument) - Fragments of Reincarnation is an evocative, atmospheric and at times hypnotic piece that sits somewhere between cutting-edge modern classical, ambient and immersive sound design. The interplay between the cello and sho, gently dancing atop a bed of sustained organ chords, is particularly impressive.
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Review: Kings of new school drum & bass Chase & Status made another triumphant return with 2 Ruff Viol 1, which is jam packed with fresh new wave jungle anthems for those who like it energetic. The chart topping duo knows a thing or two about crafting big bangers and massive anthems and that's what they do here as they follow up their last album What Came Before with more massive moments. Plenty of guests help them along the way here such as IRah & Flowdan & Trigga & Takura on the massive 'Baddadan' and Avo & Horrid1 on 'On The Block', a collar with Mosey which is also devastatingly large.
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