Back catalogue:

Review: A 12" split meeting of the minds between two equally iconic alt rock punk-lifers, this EP brings together Gainesville, Florida's Hot Water Music and New York City's Quicksand (brainchild of Gorilla Biscuits hardcore hero and Rival Schools emo-grunge auteur Walter Schreifels), covering each other's classic tracks with renditions of 'Fazer' from the Quicksand 1993 debut LP Slip and 'Free Radio Gainesville' off of Hot Water Music's 1999 third full-length No Division. Filling out the tracklist are the unreleased 'Supercollider' which marks the first new cut of Quicksand material since 2021's Distant Populations, and the b-side 'Undertow', originally recorded during sessions from Hot Water Music's latest 2024 LP Vows. With simple cover art featuring Hot Water Music's Chuck Ragan on one side, and Quicksand's Alan Cage on the other, it perfectly summarises this playful, mutual celebration of one another's work, some new, some old, all great.

Review: Carrying the legacy of their late uncle, who was the cult and crate digger's favourite qawwali legend Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali return with a profoundly moving collection of songs on At the Feet of the Beloved. The album pulses with the intense emotions of love's anxious passion and the dreamlike devotion it inspires. The vocals and arrangements are masterfully refined throughout so sit in harmony with the work of the ensemble to create a transcendent musical experience that takes you way beyond your own world and into new realms.

Review: This first outing on the new Jazzybelle label marks the first reissue in 25 years of Quarteto Novo's legendary Brazilian jazz album licensed from Universal Music Brazil. A fusion of northeast Brazilian music, bebop, jazz and folk creates a wonderfully alive and arresting organic sound from the influential group which features Hermeto Pascoal, Airto Moreira, Theo De Barros and Heraldo Do Monte. Quarteto Novo released only one album yet left a significant impact on Brazilian music after originally forming as "Trio Novo" for a live event. They gained popularity through a tour led by Geraldo Vandre in 1966 and this historic album was a real highlight of their early years.

Review: Given how much they became part of the rock establishment furniture in their later years, it's easy to forget what a radical and even threatening - using gay slang was a very different and altogether more dangerous prospect for a start - band Queen were in the early 70s. They cut a unique musical corner for themselves, not quite glam, not quite metal, but definitely leaning towards both, with Freddie Mercury's gusting voice and Brian May's raw guitar sound both thrusting away with plenty of feisty vigour. Anyone who's heard and loved thair legendary Live At The Rainbow 74 album - one that even avowed Queen haters have been known to admit has a certain charm - will appreciate the thrills on display just six or so miles up the North London road a mere year earlier. As ever, the heavier work works even better in the bearpit live atmosphere. Their rendition of 'Liar' approaches top marks on the 'one to Motorhead' rock scale, but the early rock 'n' roll medley and 'Carry On'-style larks of 'Hey Big Spender' are equally fascinating glimpses of these rock legends enjoying their formative years. A lot.

Review: Portland, Oregon's Graham Jonson urges our hurries once more with Heard That Noise, an anemological study in ascendant post-rock and psych. Jonson crafts intimate, zigzagging and west windy songs, ploughing the grey, sludgy boundaries of folk, pop, and noise. Following a subtle tangent from SoundCloud renown to 2021's The Long and Short Of It, he now follows that record up through a desultory reflection on breakups, memory, and creative rediscovery; Phil Elverum, Dijon and Nick Drake glance through the sonic cloud cover as ancestral muses, while the record blends warmth and discordance, where sweet ballads unravel into distortion; serene moments jolted by sonic "jump scares."

Review: Quill were a Boston-based rock band that gained national attention after performing a standout show at the legendary Woodstock festival in August 1969 despite only having formed just two years before in 1967. The quintet played throughout New England and New York and soon earned praise for their high-energy rock infused with psychedelia, jazz, and elements of performance art. Brothers John and Dan Cole handled most of the songwriting and created complex compositions that fuelled their always dynamic live shows, which often featured heavy audience participation. Quill's innovative approach and unique blend of styles made them a standout act in the late 1960s rock scene and mean this album remains a favourite years on, which his why it now gets a welcome reissue.

Review: Recorded at Fish Factory Studios in London in April 2021, Abbreviations by Qwalia reflects meticulous editing and post-production that condenses raw recordings into seven intricate tracks. Featuring collaborators Ernesto Marichales (percussion), Miryam Solomon (vocals), and Valeria Pozzo (violin, viola), the album expands on the success of "Sound & Reason," which was championed by Gilles Peterson and Mary Anne Hobbs. Tracks like 'Elevator Company' transform jam sessions around Tal Janes' guitar into lounge grooves with Solomon's ethereal vocals blurring ambient and improvised music. Meanwhile, 'The Spin' dives into trance-like intensity, capturing the band's energy after exhaustive recording sessions.