Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Ahead of their European tour, Turkish electronic group Islandman share their EP 'Popsicle Obstacle', the new material on which tracks a heady musical pathway from archaic folk traditions and regional acoustics right through to the modern-day tonic-sonics of the electronic sequencer. Having made headway from the spiritualist dream of primitive past to the glossy utopia of a digital future, Islandman's core members are multi-instrumentalist & producer Tolga Boyuk, Eralp Guven (percussion) and Erdem Baser (guitars). The title is a misnomer, if not for the fact that the six tracks here are hardly obstacles at all; rather, they're hugely well-produced, flavoursome treats, chief among which has to be the incredible track 'Simple Man', which - take it from us - just gets cooler and cooler, timbrally and tastefully.

Review: Despite being at the centre of one of rock's tensest social media dramas in recent history - having been called out by Fat White Family for being too middle-class for their own image - Idles are back on top, thanks to their new album 'Crawler'. Taking a chance on their own criticisms, this album is more introspective than 'Ultra Mono', revealing the band's various wrestlings with addiction and desperation. In true post-punk fashion, it's an emotive sophomore development from lead brain Joe Talbot, spanning plod-rap grungers ('Car Crash') and dark disco-rock ('When The Lights Go On'), all giving off his signature brand of hopeful nihilism, with the ultimate message that 'the show must go on'.

Review: Incomparable post-punk Bristolians IDLES return with their highly anticipated fifth "love album" Tangks, following on from the internal viciousness and midlife malaise of 2021's Crawler, with a collection of rough-throated, anthemic bursts of earnest gratitude. Re-uniting with exceptional hip-hop desk-man Kenny Beats, this time sharing production credits with Nigel Godrich (who's worked with the likes of Radiohead and REM) as well as the group's own eccentric former dentist-turned-crossdressing or perpetually half-naked guitarist Mark Bowen, the work exudes a creative camaraderie and sonic confidence only achieved over time through hard graft. Take one earful of disco-punk lead single 'Dancer', which features both James Murphy and Nancy Whang of LCD Soundsystem on backing vocals, and the post-punk-positivity balance the band are striving towards on LP5 should begin to take shape. As gravel-voiced vocalist Joe Talbot summarises their latest endeavour - "Love is the fing".

Review: Now approaching a half-century of artistic life as the closest we have to a living personification of rock 'n' roll, Iggy Pop nonetheless also continues to carry himself with more class and style than most any lifer that springs to mind. Yet it has to be said that few were expecting the cadaverous king to make his greatest album for thirty of those years, and this is what 'Post Pop Depression' his collaboration with a dream team involving luminaries such as Josh Homme, Dean Fertita and The Arctic Monkeys' Matt Helders is exactly that - a wry, restrained and ice-cool meditation on carnality and mortality without cliche or rehash, this album is all primal satisfaction and righteous revelation.

Review: Inhaler have been a long time coming. Causing significant groundswell after emerging from a Dublin scene re-energised some time ago across all walks of music, they placed fifth on BBC's Sound of 2020 poll, only to contend with a pandemic that tore out the industry's heart, replacing it with record streams for Tracks We Used To Love and dashing the dreams of many young contenders. Not these, apparently.

The expectations go much further back than that, though. They began life around 2012, and frontman Elijah Hewson's dad is Bono. Say what you will about him, if anything tips someone for future fame it's that paternal figure. Now onto their second album, none of that comes close to being as important as what you hear on the record. Channeling more jangle but with extra thump, influences from Joy Division and Stone Roses to The Killers and The War On Drugs are audible, making this easy to love and guaranteed to leave a mark long after play.

Review: bWhile they're generally associated with the Madchester scene, Inspiral Carpets were far more than pill-friendly indie dance music as the tag might suggest. An extensive compilation like this one is just the ticket then, gathering together the band's stellar run of singles in one handy package and making a case for the band's deserved legacy as all-time greats of British indie. The swirling, shoe gaze-sized reverb and driving rhythm of their organ-charged production is cut through by the clear focus of the songwriting - something which was apparent even back in the late 80s on their first EPs.

Review: Interpol's seventh album sees the long-standing NYC indie rock giants teaming up with the legendary production team of Flood and Alan Moulder for a trip into sadness, darkness and introspection. For devoted fans of the band, those themes should ring true and spell out another record to be cherished for those downcast days. Daniel Kessler's serpentine guitar work cuts an imposing, but ultimately graceful figure on 'Into The Night', while Samuel Fograino's propulsive drumming continues to explore meters beyond linear motorik drive and Paul Bank once more speaks from the deepest reaches of his soul.