Review: Matthieu Chedid and Seu Jorge's long-running collaboration reaches a new peak with this latest release. A-side, the track 'Parioca' brings together the duo's signature stylesiChedid's French flair and Jorge's Brazilian rhythms, resulting in a seamless fusion of groove and melody that invites listeners into a warm, joyful world where their distinct musical identities meet. The B-side's dub mix of 'Parioca' takes things in a deeper direction, layering hypnotic rhythms and atmospheric textures that open up the track, creating an expansive, dubby atmosphere. It's a perfect companion to the original, showing the depth and versatility of their musical partnership, which continues to evolve after more than a decade of collaboration.
Review: Japanese talent DJ Koco aka Shimokita is a hardcore 45rpm devotee. They are his chosen tools as a beat-juggling DJ who can do logic-defying things with his grooves. He is a regal on Bloom and already dropped serious heat in January with 'World Famous'. This time he is back with a fresh take on 'Made In New York' which is a 1985 classic by renowned Brazilian funk and jazz pianist Tania Maria. He brings his signature hip-hop flair and creativity with his trusted crew, 45trio, and enlists the dynamic saxophonist King TJ (DA-Dee-MiX) to elevate things further.
Samba De Matuto Leao Do Norte De Maragogi - "Nunca Me Faltou Sonora" (Kolago Kult Deep Samba mix) (6:47)
Samba De Matuto Leao Do Norte De Maragogi - "Nunca Me Faltou Sonora" (2:56)
Blessing Of Shango (Kolago Kult rework) (8:12)
Seria_Calimbo (Kolago Kult original club mix) (6:42)
Review: This London-based crew follows up their recent and acclaimed Akyio project with a 12" that dives deep into the vibrant rhythms of Brazil. The original is by the unique Samba De Matuto Leao Do Norte De Maragogi and was recorded by DJ Tudo. Kolago Kult offers a mix that is packed with Latin swagger, organic percussion and jumble of hand drums while the late Master Tiao adds his vocals to this samba-inspired street sound. Kolago Kult then steps up with two psychedelic remixes that are packed with heavy and dubby rhythms and many layers of percussion. A truly global journey, this one.
Markus Enochson presents Suedojazz - "Sober" (5:14)
Review: TLM celebrates its 50th vinyl-only release with an exceptional offering of jazz-lounge house intonations. Legendary Canadian Mike Perras knocks down the first domino with 'Life Goes On', a jazzy house cut driven by a captive Rhodes groove. Craig Bratley follows with a deep houser featuring Tim Hutton on trumpet, while Mark Turner honours the legacy of Blaze on the A. The AA, meanwhile, introduces DFRA Experience Jazz Band from Argentina with 'Isolation', a smoothened pure jazz cut composed by Diego Ruiz and featuring Pablo Raposso on piano, Hernan Cassibba on double bass, Gonzalo Rodriguez De Vicente on sax, Joaquin Muro on trumpet, and Bruno Varela on drums. 'Sober' by Markus Enochson closes things out on a double bass boomer 'Sober', effecting a truly loose bonhomie.
Review: 2022 saw the unlikely return of late 90s New York screamo/"skramz" pioneers Saetia, who have seen a massive surge in popularity in the decades since their initial disbandment, due to being credited as a major influence by numerous affluent modern post-hardcore acts such as La Dispute and Touche Amore. Noted for their expansion of the chaotic "emoviolence" sound by imbuing their cataclysmic compositions with heightened melodrama, spoken-word vocals and poetic lyricism pulling from Greek tragedies, both their self-titled EP and sole full-length have been held aloft as quintessential blueprints for the genre in the decades since their original tenure. Following a hectic reunion schedule which has finally brought the group to new foreign shores across the UK and Europe, the three tracks that make up the Tendrils EP serve as their first new material in 26 years, marking the follow up to 1999's Eronel EP.
Review: As the official soundtrack to Claire Sanford and Josephine Anderson's documentary Texada, New-York based composer Elori Saxl's latest record comes issued on a steadfast, standalone vinyl edition. Texada explores the evolving connection between people and the remote Texada Island, British Columbia, shaped by ancient limestone formations and industrial history. Saxl transforms these themes into sound, blending analog synthesizers, processed baritone saxophone (by Henry Solomon) and field recordings of water and rock. Her compositions evoke stone textures and the lunar-tidal motion of waves, with tracks like 'The Quarry' capturing the drive of resource extraction, and 'The Most Special Place' reflecting nostalgia and discovery, merging human and geological scales.
Review: The cultured creative minds of James Simonson and Blair French reunite for this new Realities Remix EP on MotorCity Wine which was, in original form, recorded by Simonson in hotel rooms across Europe and the Americas while touring with soul legend Bettye LaVette. As such it takes in myriad global influences as well as evocative field recordings which get reworked in style. Blair French adds his touch with three remixes, firstly the anthemic 'Realities (Projector Remix),' then the more dance-driven 'Elektronolux Overture (Sunday Remix)' and the lush and downtempo 'Hannah (Remix)' featuring violinist Sonia Lee. Two originals 'Realities' and 'Elektronolux Overture' also appear on vinyl for the first time and sound superb.
Review: Long before Ashford & Simpson cemented themselves as the first couple of Motown, Valerie Simpson i raised in the Bronx i was quietly shaping the sound of American soul from the writing room. 'Look Away', now unearthed in its original form by Kent Records, captures her early brilliance. Backed by a haunting girl group (likely some of NYC's finest session singers), this previously unheard cut i out 25 April 2025 i predates the Shirelles' better-known version and carries a raw elegance that feels entirely her own: intimate, aching, and full of melodic poise. Flip it over and you get an even bigger scoop. 'It's Just Love' is a northern soul cornerstone, made famous by a near-mythical 1966 UK-only Parlophone 7" from John Andrews. This female-led take by Simpson, who co-wrote the song, is a seismic find i not just for collectors but for dancers who've long hunted a US production that didn't seem to exist. Now, more than 50 years on, it arrives with velvet touch and timeless sway, offering a rare, crystalline view of Simpson before the spotlight.
Review: Dynamite Cuts lives up to its name once more by unearthing a deep funk treasure here, and they do the right thing and serve it up for the first time ever on its own 7". Sound Investment's 'Funky Skunk' is a raw and rhythm-heavy rarity previously confined to album-only status. It's bursting with tight grooves, gritty breaks and irresistible energy and is a dream for DJs, collectors and crate-diggers. On the B-side, 'Dirty Man' keeps the heat alive by delivering more deep-fried funk goodness. Both cuts showcase the band's raw musicianship and groove-driven spirit. Authentic funk vibes don't come much better than this.
Review: Jamaican reggae and dub don Willi Williams had hit with 'Armagideon Time,' back in 1977. He recorded it at the famous Studio One in Kingston and it was later covered by The Clash as the flipside of their seminal 'London Calling' single. He's back here with 'Length Of Days' which packs in his trademark vocal styles and rides on a loose, tumbling and dubby low end. On the flipside is Shilo Ites All Stars subtly tweaked dub version, 'Days Of Dub,' for more paid back sound system vibes. Two big tunes as the summer approaches.
Review: 70s and early 80s Jamaican producer Keith Hudson's approach to dub was never about smooth edges or easy rhythms. His productions are dense, disorienting, heavy with delay, bass and drums that sound like they're ricocheting down a well. The Soul Syndicate, his long-time studio band, provide the backbone hereideeply locked-in grooves that Hudson warps into something ghostly. 'No Commitment' staggers forward with stabbing guitar chops that seem to dissolve mid-strike, while 'Ire Ire' loops through warped vocal fragments and echo chambers that stretch into infinity. 'Bad Things' and its dub counterpart pull apart the rhythm until it feels skeletal, each hit landing in the empty space between delay trails. Hudson's use of reverb and tape manipulation isn't just about atmosphere, but about control as well. He shifts and reshapes the mix to turn steady rhythms into something unsteady, always shifting just out of reach. 'Desiree' drifts through flickering hi-hats and cavernous low-end, while 'Keeping Us Together' seems to slow down and speed up in the same breath. There's something darker, more claustrophobic in the way he structures space and silence. Even the brighter moments, like 'Mercy' with its open, rolling groove, carry an unease, as if the music itself is bracing for collapse. Hudson was an architect of mood, twisting familiar elements into something deeply immersive and strangely hypnotic.
Review: In 1976 Anthony Howarth produced a documentary film about the Badabi tribe in Southern Iran. Each spring, this indigenous group would make the difficult journey across the Zagros mountains and valleys to ensure their sheep had new pastures to graze. Led by Jafar Qoli, the movie chronicles this epic trek and various events along the way. Taking breathers only for weddings and mediation between contacts, and grappling with torrential rain and perilous terrain, among other challenges, it's an inspiring odyssey to say the least. The music fits the bill perfectly, bringing together the legendary Persian songwriter, editor and singer Shush? Guppy and revered English singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Gerald Thomas Moore, transporting us to a time, place and people long-since committed to memory.
Countless Wheels Keep Turning (feat Early Fern) (4:14)
Everyone Passing (feat Gregg Kowalsky) (7:06)
Ways To Be Remembered (feat Kallie Lampel) (5:11)
Fur & Exhaust (feat Ben Seretan) (3:19)
Active Decay (feat Patricia Wolf) (9:43)
Melting Into Asphalt/Springing From The Earth (feat Nailah Hunter) (2:34)
Worms Out (feat Laraaji) (2:31)
Review: Constellation Tatsu welcomes US artist Brendan Principato aka Saapato for what is a hugely conceptual new album based around decomposition. It was sparked when Saapato saw a dead fox lying by the side of the road on his way home from a job in a local warehouse. He used that as a jumping-off point to interrogate "transformation, interconnectedness, and renewal" and the five stages of decomposition, namely fresh, bloat, active decay, advanced decay and dry/remains. Several collaborators help him on his way as he sketches out various instrumental textures which variously have occasional shards of light, lingering melancholy and a subtle sense of hope.
Review: Legendary British outfit Saint Etienne returned with their 12th studio album late last year, and now it lands on vinyl via Heavenly Recordings. A much-awaited follow-up to 2021's I've Been Trying To Tell You, this ambient collection offers a gentle, immersive experience designed to ease the noise of daily life. It was produced with Augustin Bousfield and blends songs, spoken word and rain-soaked textures into a seamless dreamscape, all recorded between Saltaire in the north and Hove down on the south coast. It captures the fragile space between waking and sleep with highlights like 'Half Light' and 'Preflyte'. As such, The Night is best experienced on headphones and is ideal for late hours, reflection and introspection.
Review: Pharoah Sanders' Izipho Zam (My Gifts) was first recorded in 1969 but wasn't released until 1973; a monumental yet, despite the name, little-received jazz work, we can still hear the legendary jazz-musical theocrat push the boat ever further out psychically and sonically here. Produced by Stanley Cowell and Charles Tolliver's Strata-East label, the album was recorded at Town Sound Studios, two years after Sanders' mentor John Coltrane's death. Coltrane's passing marked a significant turning point for Sanders, who saw in the saxophonist the unopened buds of a spiritual path for music, expressible in jazz. The Zulu phrase used in the title is regularly heard in Mozambique, Eswatini and Zimbabwe, reflecting the cultural emphasising of gifting in East Africa.
Review: Pharoah Sanders, the legendary saxophonist known for his spiritual jazz and drummer Norman Connors, another key figure in the genre, deliver a blistering live performance at 1978's Montreux Jazz Festival set. The duo, both with decades of experience shaping the sound of free jazz, blend complex rhythms with expansive melodies, weaving through tracks like 'Babylon' and 'Casino Latino.' Sanders' saxophone improvisations glide between tension and release, while Connors' drumming provides a solid yet dynamic foundation. This recording encapsulates their mastery of blending the spiritual with the free, two jazz icons at the height of their craft, delivering a performance that is at once urgent and transcendental.
Review: On her sixth full-length album, Tokyo's Satomimagae continues to refine her idiosyncratic fusion of folk, ambient and sound collage into something singular and quietly expansive. Hailing from Japan's acid-folk scene, Satomi's music often blurs the edges between the intimate and the cosmic, the rooted and the abstract. Taba floats beautifully in that liminal space. Rather than traditional song structures, she presents Taba as a series of open-ended vignettes, each radiating with a soft-focus clarity. The arrangements are centered around fingerpicked guitar, hushed vocals and ambient textures that are deceptively gentle. Closer listening reveals a rich interplay of glitchy electronics, subtle field recordings and haunted atmospheres. Tracks like 'Many' drift on echoing voices and vaporous folk melodies, while 'Tonbo' finds a summery sweetness in its fusion of pop and pastoral folk, complete with the sound of nature rustling at its back. 'Omajinai', perhaps the emotional core of the album, embraces traditional pop structure only to dissolve it into a haze of nostalgia and spectral warmth. Taba is not background music, it asks for deep listening, but rewards you with quiet truths and melancholic beauty.
Review: Scruscru and Los Protos hook up on the former's ever-reliable label for some more funk-fuelled and sample-heavy madness. This eight-tracker draws on the best of Library, jazz, hip hop and soul and collides elements of all of those together with some raw, and what sounds like, MPC beats, all tapped out with a lovably loose vibe. Some like 'Local Sugar Diggers' look up towards a sunny, cloudless sky, others like 'Dreams Of Sonora' are swaggering broken beat workouts with sensuous sax lines setting a steamy tone. 'Por Do Sol Em Shelekhmet' is another highlight with its aloof, angelic vocal tones.
Review: Rebecca Lucy Taylor blows stormy second wind our way with A Complicated Woman, her first full-length release as Self Esteem since the critically lauded Prioritise Pleasure. The record finds Taylor, who cut her teeth with Sheffield indie hopefuls The Slow Club, expanding her signature lyrical honesty and emotional intelligence over an increasingly vivid, ambitious landscape, convoking a potent collective of mostly female voices: friends, bandmates, and collaborators Nadine Shah, Moonchild Sanelly, Sue Tompkins, drag queen Meatball and actor Julie Hesmondhalgh all feature. Recalibrating the well-worn trope of female hysteria in indie rock terms, lead single 'Focus Is Power' channels a mantra first scribbled on a sticker in her parents' shed during lockdown into a full-bodied affirmation of self-worth, echoed by a moving choir and a communal performance in its accompanying video.
Review: The latest project of the singer Rebecca Lucy Taylor, who cur her teeth on the Sheffield musioc scene before heading south, sees her continuing to evolve her sharp, emotionally honest brand of pop. This album leans further into lush, layered production while keeping the confessional, anthemic spirit that made her previous work resonate so deeply. Tracks like 'Big Man' explode with bold rhythms and crisp, shimmering synths, pairing vulnerability with fierce, almost theatrical energy. Meanwhile, 'Love Second' rides a smoother, soulful groove, highlighting Taylor's ability to balance playfulness and pain within the same breath. Her vocal performances are even more dynamic here i full of defiant strength one moment and tender intimacy the next. 'Insert Girl' and 'Hard To Love' deliver some of the album's most affecting moments, weaving percussive pop beats with lyrical reflections on identity, expectation and resilience. There's an undeniable polish across A Complicated Woman, but it never feels cold; instead, the production wraps around Taylor's words like a protective armor. Brief but potent interludes and clever lyrical turns keep the album moving with a strong narrative flow. A Complicated Woman feels like both a natural continuation and a bold new chapter for Self Esteem i pop music that's brave, bruised and utterly alive.
Review: Rebecca Taylor arrives at third album A Complicated Woman in a very different place to where she was before the release of her previous full-length, the Mercury Prize-nominated Prioritise Pleasure. Now a bona-fide pop star, the South Yorkshire chanteuse now has to deal with heightened expectations and her own experience of fame. By the sound of A Complicated Woman, she's handling both with aplomb. That's not to say that the lyrics avoid difficult subjects - her own worries remain front and centre - but the delightfully grandiose production, extensive use of choirs and orchestras, and Taylor's own penchant for penning stadium-sized sing-alongs deliver a maximal pop gem fitting her genuine star status. Rotherham's finest has never sounded so good (or, it should be added, explicit - there are some genuinely adult themes on display).
God Save The Queen (CD1: South East music Hall Atlanta January 5th 1978) (4:43)
I Wanna Be Me (2:57)
Seventeen (3:12)
New York (3:08)
Bodies (3:17)
Submission (4:10)
Holidays In The Sun (4:10)
EMI (3:36)
No Feelings (3:27)
Problems (5:03)
Pretty Vacant (7:07)
Anarchy In The UK (4:22)
Radio Ad (CD2: longhorn Ballroom Dallas January 10th 1978) (2:08)
God Save The Queen (3:45)
I Wanna Be Me (4:01)
Seventeen (3:17)
New York (4:35)
EMI (3:43)
Bodies (5:20)
Belsen Was A Gas (2:33)
Holidays In The Sun (4:36)
No Feelings (4:28)
Problems (4:31)
Pretty Vacant (3:32)
Anarchy In The UK (6:11)
No Fun (7:04)
God Save The Queen (CD3: Winterland Ballroom San Francisco January 14th 1978)
I Wanna Be Me
Seventeen
New York
EMI
Belsen Was A Gas
Bodies
Holidays In The Sun
Liar
No Feelings
Problems
Pretty Vacant
Anarchy In The UK
No Fun
Review: Nowadays regarded as the stuff of punk legend, the chaotic and ill-fated jaunt undertaken by the Sex Pistols across the US in January of 1978 was hindered by so many differing factors, it was almost as if they were set to fail. Plagued by poor management while trapped on a label with no real idea how to market such a tumultuous roster outlier, the band found themselves performing for those there out of mere curiosity more than their targeted audience or genuine fans, culminating in severe burn-out in real time, captured on these recordings. Finally, for the first time, several of these shows have been retooled to their correct sequencing with this collection reflecting the debaucherous live sets in all their feral glory that took place on January 5th at the South East Music Hall in Atlanta, Georgia, January 10th at the Longhorns Ballroom in Dallas, Texas, and January 14th at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, California. Boasting all of the essential anthems from 'God Save The Queen' to 'Pretty Vacant' and 'Anarchy In The UK', behind the energy is the sound of a band imploding, while today not all wounds have healed with the surviving members currently enjoying a celebration of their iconic Never Mind The Bollocks LP with former Gallows frontman Frank Carter stepping in for MAGA man Jon Lydon, who continues to lob barbs at his former bandmates whenever given half the chance.
Review: The ill-fated Sex Pistols US tour of January 1978 has become as infamous and discussed as the band themselves, as it came at a time of rife turmoil between members whilst it was potentially beginning to dawn on them how out of place they were on their label, how inconsiderate and mismanaged they were being treated and how much more of a travelling circus show those in attendance were paying to see rather than genuinely caring for the music or message in the same manner of their homegrown fanbase. This exhaustion, frustration and evident burnout was all captured during these live performances, which after several semi-coherent releases have finally been isolated, properly sequenced and finally deliver the closest fly-on-the-wall experience to these implosive shows yet. Taken from their set at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, this is peak pissed off Pistols on the cusp of their ultimate breaking point. While the band are currently enjoying a celebratory jaunt with former Gallows vocalist Frank Carter replacing the MAGA man John Lydon, delivering the closest experience to the Never Mind The Bollocks era yet, those who'd rather not spend more than 100 quid on a ticket can now experience the authentic real thing from the comfort of their turntable.
Review: The American gothic rock and post-punk band She Wants Revenge - formed by founding members Adam Bravin and Justin Warfield in 2004 - hears a reissue of their second album 'This Is Forever' from 2007. A fascinating continuation of the gothic post-punk sound in an era in which it wasn't exactly fashionable, Bravin and Warfield present a brilliant mashup of eerie, gamey electronica and eye-popping, authentic punk here. The record opens with the looming piano castellations of 'First, Love' - a boom-boom-pow instrumental intro that suggests every grim, bloodthirsty motif you need to know, without saying a word - then the real carnage ensues with the likes of 'Written In Blood', 'True Romance', 'She Will Always Be A Broken Girl' and 'Rachel', all of which together tell a fierce tale of high-stakes heartbreak and redded redress; electrified punk, fallen women.
Hot Fun In The Summertime (mono single Master) (2:39)
Everybody Is A Star (mono single Master) (3:01)
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) (6:18)
Thank You For Talkin’ To Me, Africa (alternate mix) (4:50)
Family Affair (Questlove Rhythm King edit) (4:33)
Runnin’ Away (alternate mix) (3:26)
Just Like A Baby (5:09)
Babies Makin’ Babies (Interlude) (0:55)
If You Want Me To Stay (Alternate Version) (2:38)
Thankful N’ Thoughtful (Alternate Version) (4:49)
Family Affair (Wedding Band Interlude) (0:39)
Can’t Strain My Brain (3:55)
Stand! (Take 1) (3:29)
Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) (5:22)
Review: This soundtrack delves deep into the life and legacy of Sly & The Family Stone, offering an immersive experience of the American funk legends' groundbreaking music and the complexities that shaped their journey. The collection takes listeners through the band's rise to fame, highlighting their timeless funk and soul hits, while also reflecting on the unseen burdens faced by Black artists in America. Notable tracks like 'Sing A Simple Song (Alternate Mix)' and 'Underdog' offer fresh takes on familiar classics, giving fans new perspectives on songs that have long been anthems. There are also remixes, such as J.PERIOD's edits of 'Dance To The Music' and 'Everyday People,' which breathe new energy into the band's beloved sound. The collection also features rare versions of tracks like 'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)' and 'Family Affair,' adding to the richness of Sly's musical legacy. By incorporating interviews and insights from figures like Andre 3000, D'Angelo, and George Clinton, the soundtrack elevates the music, providing a context that goes beyond just the sound. It's a poignant reminder of the depth of Sly & The Family Stone's influence, revealing how their music continues to resonate with generations.
Review: Julius Smack collaborated with a fictional AI assistant to create the new album which explores his origins. It is set in a near-future Earth where artists and AI share a symbiotic bond and aims to reflect a world where beauty and violence intertwine. Artists are the last human survivors in this place and they mine their memories and dreams with AI in order to generate art which sustains them but also produces toxins that must be expelled with each new creation. Starlight then is an album which challenges AI's role in creativity and labour, and blurs the lines between art and reality, all while giving rise to a thoughtful and immersive album of innovative ambient.
B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition
Cherub Rock
Quiet
Today
Hummer
Rocket
Disarm
Soma
Geek USA
Mayonaise
Spaceboy
Silverfuck
Sweet Sweet
Luna
Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***
The Pumpkins' sophomore effort, originally released in 1993, remains a masterclass in balancing raw emotion with lush, layered production. Opening with the iconic 'Cherub Rock', the album immediately asserts its originality, blending Billy Corgan's searing guitar work with Butch Vig's pristine production. The track's dynamic shifts and explosive energy still sounds like nothing since. 'Today', with its deceptively upbeat melody and darker lyrical undertones, became a radio and MTV staple, while 'Disarm' showcased the band's range, swapping distortion for orchestral strings and highlighting Corgan's vulnerable songwriting. For longtime fans, 'Mayonnaise' often emerges as the album's hidden gemia track that marries melancholic melodies with cathartic, crashing crescendos. Throughout the album, Jimmy Chamberlin's drumming is nothing short of phenomenal, adding weight and complexity to tracks like 'Geek U.S.A.' and 'Soma'. Siamese Dream still resonates with the same potency, blending anthems of adolescent angst and shimmering beauty. A reissue that reaffirms the album's enduring legacy as a cornerstone of its genre.
First Hand Experience Of Second Hand Love (edit) (3:00)
Jukebox Head (3:35)
Quiet Rebellion (3:14)
Strange Kinda Dance (2025 edit) (3:14)
The Day The World Turned Day Glo (2:48)
Vapourise (radio edit) (3:47)
You Kill Me (3:12)
Last Chance (2024 edit) (3:15)
Murder Your Darlings (edit) (3:17)
Night & The City (2023 mix) (3:29)
Gemini Lounge (edit) (3:12)
Defiant (edit) (3:05)
Kill Shot (4:11)
Back To Nature (Marc mix) (2:35)
Review: Born from the success of Soft Cell's triumphant *Happiness Not Included record, the iconic and somewhat elusive - five studio LPs in 41 years - Soft Cell have decided to go all in with a package of alternative rides, previously unreleased mixes, and single-only B-sides. Nothing here featured on the original LP, and there are a few bonus workouts of stuff not from the source album, too. Cover versions of Fad Gadget's 'Back to Nature', X-Ray Spec's 'The Day The World Turned Day Glo', and a freshly minted take on the Cell's own landmark 'Last Chance' all elevate this, not that people were likely to have needed another reason to stick it in their basket. A great example of why less is more, but generosity is the secret to true satisfaction.
Review: Originally released in 2006 and recorded following the departure of 'fifth' bandmember Jim O'Rourke, Rather Ripped is regarded by many as Sonic Youth's most accessible album - a fuzzy, easy-to-listen to collection of melancholic and thoughtful songs that variously deal with sexual frustration, infidelity and adultery. There are both riotous rockers and introspective ballads present, with the iconic American band adding bold and ear-catching melodies to their usual pots-and-pans percussion and squally guitar riffs. While hardcore fans may prefer some of the band's more experimental and forthright albums, it remains one of the many gems in their vast catalogue - and proof of their impeccable songcraft.
Review: A cross-hemispheric exchange gave rise to Nocturna, the first collaboration between New Zealand composer Andrew Thomas and German sound artist Joachim Spieth - the former's first for Affin after long-held stints Kompakt. Beginning with Thomas's piano sketches, composed during a Southern Hemisphere summer, the material was passed to Spieth just as light returned to the North. A subtle transformation ensued; Spieth preserved the piano's fragile warmth as its edges came sculpted across ambient textures and restrained sound design. A peek-a-boo of presence and absence is scripted, where each decision to withhold a note feels as resonant as those included. Clipped reverb gargantuans contrast to crystal clear piano scales on our favourites, 'Lumina' and 'Amethyst'.
Review: Florian TM Zeisig's latest project has been created with perfumer Angel Paradise so blends scent and sound into a multi-sensory experience rooted in the Bavarian Alps. While living in the rural village of Hinang, Paradise studied alpine plants to craft natural perfumes while Zeisig composed Spool, a reflective suite inspired by nostalgia, landscape and the duo's impending departure. Combining field recordings, ambient loops and blurred instrumental vignettes, the music has a wonderfully dreamlike, pastoral atmosphere that has your head lost somewhere beautiful. Paired with the fragrance that comes with it and captures the oily, floral essence of their environment, this is a poignant meditation on memory, nature and the fleeting beauty of physical presence that is unlike anything else you will experience this year.
Review: Henley-born British soul singer Dusty Springfield's time in Memphis marked a turning point in her careeriboth an artistic triumph and a personal gamble. By the late 60s, she had outgrown the UK's pop scene, craving the depth and authenticity of American soul. Recording in the same studios as her heroes, backed by Atlantic Records' finest, she delivered some of her most breathtaking performances. The smoky tenderness of 'Just A Little Lovin'' and the aching vulnerability of 'I Don't Want To Hear It Anymore' showcase her gift for storytelling, while 'No Easy Way Down' and 'I Can't Make It Alone' push her voice to extraordinary places, balancing control with raw emotion. But despite the album's brilliance, commercial success eluded it, deepening her self-doubt. Springfield was a perfectionist, often wracked with insecurity, yet here she sounds unshackledifully immersed in the music she loved, even at great professional risk. Decades later, its impact remains undeniable.
Review: Analogue Productions are the label to take on the task of producing high-end editions of Steely Dan's albums, given their obsessive approach to remastering, pressing and every single minute detail of the production process. After all, this was the band who popularised such an approach in the studio. Katy Lied was the fourth album from Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, and it's as sensational as any Dan album from the rollicking romp of 'Black Friday' to the slinky boogie of 'Daddy Don't Live In That New York City No More'. This Super Audio CD version is surely the true audiophile's choice, free of any sonic interference and with every speck of sound rendered in crystal clear quality, just how the Dan would want it.
Review: Along with Manic Street Preachers and Super Furry Animals, but far bigger selling, 'Dakota' hitmakers Stereophonics epitomise the past 30-plus years of Welsh rock. In many ways the boys from the Valleys have kept the fundamentals that people enjoy about their sound the same over the years with this new album. Kelly Jones' gravelly voice, which sits at the forefront, is as strong as it's ever been. But in terms of changes, Jones has never been shy about his love of Americana music and appears to be leaning more and more into that passion as the years go by. Single 'There's Always Gonna Be Something' has a bit of gospel flair and has an unforgettable melody that would earn appreciation from the most discerning songwriters in Nashville. Stereophonics appear to never tire of chasing that perfect song and it appears still have plenty left in the tank.
Review: Originally formed in 1977 in Belfast at the height of The Troubles, Stiff Little Fingers should require little to no introduction for any self-proclaimed punk aficionado, with the band credited as the first punk outfit to ever record and release output in Northern Ireland. The aptly titled The Singles 1978-1983 offers a double CD compilation collating all of their A and B-sides issued during their initial tenure, including the hit singles 'Straw Dogs', 'At The Edge', 'Nobody's Hero', and the haunting 'Bits Of Kids', as well as a bevvy of deeper, overlooked cuts. Complete with a booklet containing detailed liner notes on each single plus illustrations of all relevant sleeves, the collection serves as both a crash course for beginners and a triumphant nostalgia trip for lifer-listeners.
Review: Sting's journey began in the industrial heart of Newcastle, a city long defined by its shipyards and coal mines, shaping the grit and resilience that would come to define his music. Growing up amidst the working-class challenges of the north, he found his voice both in the rough edges of his environment and in his natural affinity for jazz, reggae and punk. As a young man, he developed a passion for music, which would later merge with the intellectualism and protest anthems of his lyrics. It's this fusion of roots and ambition that propelled him from local gigs in the late 70s to becoming an international icon with The Police. Fast-forward to today, and his music continues to reflect this complex blend of influences. His latest offering, recorded during his latest tour, highlights this evolution with renewed energy, offering live renditions of some of his most iconic tracks. While the classics like 'Message in a Bottle' and 'Every Breath You Take' are as timeless as ever, there's an undeniable freshness in how Sting approaches them today. The intimacy of live performance allows for new emotional layers in songs like 'Fields of Gold' while the meditative live version of 'Be Still My Beating Heart' adds a deeper sense of reflection, demonstrating his ability to continuously reframe his sound and approach.
Review: Portland's Paul Dickow, the man behind the Strategy alias, is back with a new album that has been created with a 1989 model sampling keyboard. Exploring its limitations, he plays the sampler by hand and abandons sequencers for a more organic approach which apes a guitarist's connection to their instrument. The record delves into glacial, pensive soundscapes where experimental, ambient and dance music elements all come together with deliberate intention. Though Dickow crafts a sound rooted in ambient techno futurism it is one open to serendipitous, experimental outcomes which makes it a gently unpredictable listen and otherworldly charmer.
Review: Stray Voltage is not for the faint of ear. This is triple-A rated Sun Ra at their best, namely audacious, aggressive and adventurous. Forget melodies or sing-along hooks-this collection dives deep into Sun Ra's unissued electronic explorations from the 70s and 80s when, using synths and keyboards as his tools, the one and only 'Ra didn't just play, he assaulted, provoked, and moulded raw sound into wild and unimaginable sonic landscapes. These are not songs in the traditional sense, but abstract journeys full of texture and tension that make for a thrilling glimpse into Ra's boundary-pushing experiments where structure gives way to sensation and the sheer power of cosmic expression.
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