Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Food Stamps is a great example of a record that fell between the cracks on its original release back in 1982. The one and only release from Baltimore-based funk-rock explorer Billie Senger, it has achieved cult status amongst record collectors due to its obscurity (finding original copies is notoriously tough). This reissue - pressed on green vinyl with new cover artwork - should, then, prove popular. "Food Stamps" - a riotously loose and floor-friendly chunk of funk from the Rare Earth school of white funk-rock - is the real killer, though the MC5-influenced flipside "How Do I Know" impresses with its fuzzy, recorded-in-a-shed feel and extra-cosmic production.

Review: Kiss Klassics is keeping all you party DJs supplied with the best tackle once more here as this time they spotlight a trio of standout tracks from Montero Lamar Hill aka Lil Nas X's debut LP. Montero came back in 2021 and these cuts haven't been available on wax before now. There is the celebratory pomp and hefty distorted low end of 'Industry Baby' as well as the more deep sounds of 'Montero' with its strings, finger clicks and Afro-tinged beats, then the high-speed party pomp of 'That's What I Want' with its epic chorus and summer festival feel.

Review: The original 12" of 'I Follow Rivers' remixes was served up back in 2012 and was an instant hit. It now gets a reissue that proves it has aged perfectly well in the last decade. The original is a swelling and deep soul-drenched groove with broken beats and scattered percussion. The soaring vocals are designed for maximum impact. The Lost Sessions mix then pairs hits back to the tender piano chords and allows the aching vocal room to shine and The Magician remix brings a hands in the air festival vibe.

Review: L'Imperatrice's upcoming album Pulsar promises to be a vibrant fusion of funk, disco, pop, and house music, enriched with influences from French house and Italo-disco. The Parisian group show their versatility by incorporating elements of hip-hop, kosmische, and pop into their sonic palette, featuring guest vocalists such as Maggie Rogers, Erick the Architect, and Fabiana Martone, Pulsar promises to deliver a dynamic listening experience. With their infectious energy and innovative sound, L'Imperatrice continues to fascinate audiences, making Pulsar an eagerly anticipated addition to their discography.

Review: 
If you're a lover of Brazilian psychedelic folk, you will already be well familiar with this utter masterpiece from Brazilian actor and musician Guilherme Lamounier. He recorded three such records in the 1970s, and this, the second of them, is widely regarded as the best. It has long been a real rarity and holy grail amongst diggers after being created with composer Tiberio Gaspar and recorded at Radio Gazeta Studios in Sao Paulo. Element sou US hippie culture as well as love song stylings, angular funk and piano ballads all feature with plenty of great musicianship and rousing lyrics. Truly escapist stuff.

Review: In 1972, for the first time since 1969, Led Zeppelin didn't release an album. After the success of Led Zeppelin IV in November 1971 they spent most of 1972 touring with Houses of the Holy not arriving until March 1973. February saw the band in Australia, followed by a June North American tour. On June 9, they played Charlotte, North Carolina, at the Coliseum and served up one of their best performances of the tour. The set included tracks from their latest album and fan favourites like the epic 'Stairway to Heaven.' Previously unreleased on vinyl, this new edition finally captures the entire show on wax.

Review: The original Bridgit Mendler soundtrack to the citrine teen drama movie of the same name sees a full version on vinyl LP this spring. Notable not only for its inclusion in the contemporary musical film, but also for its chart-topping success, the ten songs that make up the many acts of this high-school drama were destined to charm the pubescent masses, coinciding with the film's overarching theme of the school's students transcending use of after-school detention to musical effect, in order to overcome their personal struggles. Imagine Glee meets The Breakfast Club; a cabal of songwriters including Ali Dee, Maria Christensen, Bryan Todd and Jeannie Lurie lay down an array of sure-to-be hits for Mendler to perform on behalf of the cast here.

Review: The all-female African supergroup Les Amazones d'Afrique, who've included some of the biggest stars in African music, here make a triumphant return, channelling a fresh sound on their third album Musow Danse. Forming in Bamako, Mali, in 2014 between three renowned Malian musicians and activists - Mamani Keita, Oumou Sangare and Mariam Doumbia - Les Amazones d'Afrique has since expanded to involve many female artists from across Africa and the diaspora. Combining a just cause - campaigning for gender equality and eradicating ancestral violence - with a slick, enticingly trap-influenced sound; we've got a potent cocktail on our hands. Richly melodic and far-ranging, Musow Danse blends pan-African styles and collaborative harmonies with gritty, contemporary pop, riffing off the idiosyncratic Congotronics producer Doctor L, and embracing a powerful pop sound led by 808s and glitchy synths.

Review: Here, celebrating its 40th anniversary, Level 42's World Machine returns with a special reissue of the 1985 album that launched them to global fame. Departing from their jam-based roots, the band embraced a more structured songwriting process and also set to work producing the album themselves with engineer Julian Mendelsohn. The result was a polished, pop-funk breakthrough led by the hit single 'Something About You' which of course became a Top 10 hit worldwide, including in the U.S. Follow-up singles like the emotive 'Leaving Me Now' and the infectious "'World Machine' cemented the album's success and helped mark a major turning point in the band's career and 80s pop history.

Review: A new compilation which looks to celebrate the unheralded period of hugely successful Isle of Wight pop/funk band Level 42, named that after their cult funk days in the early 80s and their chart-topping victories in the middle and end of the decade. Music on Vinyl helps celebrate their 90s years with this compilation that spans the albums Guaranteed (1991) and Forever Now (1994). Originally released in 2007, this limited edition 2xLP set, pressed on vibrant 180-gram yellow vinyl, highlights the band's unique blend of funk, pop and jazz influences, with a mix of infectious grooves and introspective lyrics. The first side opens with the title track, 'Past Lives', a slick funk-driven number that sets the tone for the compilation, followed by the energetic 'Guaranteed' and the introspective 'Overtime'. Tracks like 'My Father's Shoes' explore deeper emotional landscapes, while 'Forever Now' explores the band's ability to craft smooth, soulful anthems. Side three is a ideal, featuring the infectious 'Model Friend' and the jazzy 'Romance'. Meanwhile, 'One in a Million' is a perfect example of the band's ability to blend pop hooks with sophisticated arrangements. Side four closes the compilation on a high note with 'If You Were Mine', a catchy, uplifting finale. The four-page booklet provides context for this fruitful period in Level 42's career, and the limited yellow vinyl adds an extra layer of collectible charm.

Review: Lizzo is a three tie Grammy winner who after much build up finally drops this long awaited new long player. Her last album, the multi-Platinum selling, top-10 debut album, CUZ I LOVE YOU came back in 2019 and since then Lizzo has cemented her place as one of the most in demand live music performers in the game. This recorded has been proceeded by lead single 'About Damn Time', which leant on disco's colourful rhythms and some fresh cosmic melodies, while most recently Lizzo has partnered with Logitech as the face of their 2022 campaign Defy Logic.

Review: Three months after rapper turned singer Lizzo's major label debut first appeared on CD and digital download, Atlantic has decided to offer up a deluxe vinyl edition of the well-received set featuring three bonus tracks. Prior to release, Lizzo admitted she wanted to become "this generation's Aretha Franklin"; while she's not at the late soul legend's standard just yet, there's enough on "Cuz I Love You" to suggest that she's going in the right direction. Her vocals are variously confident, powerful, strutting and tender, with the accompanying backing tracks mixing hip-hop and R&B style beats with raucous guitars, bombastic basslines, Daft Punk style synth stabs (think "Robot Rock" and "Technologic") and occasional nods towards more pastoral, semi-acoustic sounds. Above all, though, the album is funky, forthright and hugely entertaining.

Review: This new long player from Ministry of Sound is their contribution to Record Store Day 2024 and it takes the form of a bunch of mixes of London Grammar's various different tunes. Global house outfit Camelphat feature a couple of times with some nicely emotive and upbeat sounds, 'Strong' gets a jump up drum & bass rework from High Contrast, Henrick Schwarz brings his emo house touch to 'Wasting My Young Years', MK adds some dance-pop sheen to 'Oh Woman Oh Man' and Dennis Ferrer remixes 'Sights' into a tense tech cut with snappy drums.

Review: Some Lorde fans were a little irritated by 'Solar Power', the lead single from her comeback album of the same name, primarily because it sounded far more influenced by cheery '90s indie-pop and summery blue-eyed soul than her moodier early work. She's carried that over into album, which arrives as a boxed high-res download with tons of additional content (poster, postcards, booklet and so on). The singer-songwriter's first set in for years is full of gently warming fare, from the opaque, dewy-eyed folk of 'Stoned in the Nail Station', to the early 2000s R&B-pop-goes-summer soul flex of recent single 'Mood Ring'. There's no glum moodiness here, just gently positive music to raise your mood in these most testing of times.

Review: This collaboration album La Comitiva on Bubbles marks a unique partnership between Erlend Oye and the Italian band La Comitiva. Blending indie pop, folk, and electronic elements, it delivers a fresh and innovative sound and new take on pop. Erlend Oye's soulful vocals and reflective lyrics are enriched by La Comitiva's rich instrumentation to create an immersive journey through diverse musical influences and inspirations. From the catchy rhythms of 'Garota' to the dreamy ambiance of 'Fence Me In,' each track offers distinct melodies and storytelling that stay with you. There are emotive vocals and dynamic instrumentation throughout as well as some genre-defying sounds all of which will captivate fans old and new.