Back catalogue: All genres

Review: 2022's stunning album Once Twice Melody was a fine example of Beach House doing what they do best - living bang up to that name, with intimate-but epic instrumentation falling somewhere between surf-y jangle and grand shoegaze. 'Become' is definitely on a similar tip, and as such feels much like an extension of the long form.
Dig a little deeper, though, and scratches begin to show. While the full-length record represented Beach House reaching for the stars, or at least the moon, and stepping into the role of festival headliners, here the sense of pure confidence and occasion is less pronounced. That may not be a bad thing, mind, because while Once came across like a finished article, refined and prepared, things here seem somehow rawer, as though we're sitting in on a session as oppose to getting the signed off product.

Review: It may be debatable whether B-sides still exist in the here and now, yet beneath the very slightly prosaic title of this compendium lurks the work of an outfit who - despite having essentially surfed along a very definitive wave of sun-dappled languour since their inception - are capable of delivering offcuts that are every bit the equal of most folks' hits. True, the Spinal Tap insult of 'the musical growth rate of this band cannot even be charted' could be applied to Beach House, but when their catalogue over the ten years of their existence esentially consists of a variety of themes on opiated bliss, we're only too happy to embark on the ride.

Review: Dirty Three's first full-length since 2012 is a strong trip through six cinematic movements.Love Changes Everything is a windswept trek through arid deserts and moonlit forests, a contemplation of love that blends melancholy jazz, ambient folk, and tender post-rock. The trio, comprising Warren Ellis, Mick Turner and Jim White, has a knack for producing instrumental music that defies categorization. White's drumming is as textural and unfastened as ever, Turner's riffs hum with punk ferocity and raw Americana, while Ellis's strings, piano, and synths provide a widescreen theatricality. The album opens with Turner's disfigured twangs and Ellis's soaring strings, gradually building to a militaristic thump. Tracks like 'II' and 'III' offer slow-motion piano melodies and spectral strings, creating visuals of spectral faces and oily vapors. Love Changes Everything unfolds like a film, with moments of fiery discordance and serene contemplation. Ellis's fiddle on 'V' and the tempestuous conclusion on 'VI' exemplify their dynamic range. This album is a sublime addition to their catalogue because of their matured, exploratory sound.

Review: On their eighth album, Mercury Rev has tapped into the long and illustrious history of 'landscape music' - works inspired by specific environments, whether natural or man-made. In the case of Born Horses, it's the former, with the band situating themselves in the wilds of upstate New York and delivering a set they describe as "glistening psych-jazz, folk, baroque-ambient". In practice, this means immersive, enveloping songscapes that make use of a vast range of acoustic and electronic instruments, both sung and spoken vocals, and a lengthy list of influences and inspirations that apparently included Vangelis, songs from Broadway musicals, movie soundtracks, Chet Baker and Miles Davis. That it sounds nothing like any of them, and is very much its own atmospheric sound world, is testament to the long-serving band's endearing quality. A genuine delight and arguably their best album for some time.

Review: Though prolific since emerging at the dawn of the millennium, White Denim have refused to settle into a specific sound, with main man James Patrelli flitting through styles, influences and inspirations (and band members) at a rate of knots. On the simply titled 12 - yep, the band's 12th album to date - Partelli and company subtly switch focus once more, this time with the help of his latest co-writer (and the band's synth player) Michael Hunter and a broad range of guest musicians. The results are bright, attractive and thoroughly enjoyable, with notes of tropical guitars and the work of highlife legend Ebo Taylor rubbing shoulders with nods to bossa-nova, Southern soul, jangling indie-rock and The Beatles circa The White Album.