Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Metronomy mark their signing to Ninja Tune with a new single that comes not long after their Posse EP Volume 1, a collection of tunes all made in collaboration with up-and-coming artists like Biig Piig, Spill Tab, Sorry, Brian Nasty and Folly Group. This one is another collaboration, this time with Pam Amsterdam. 'Nice Town' deals with the lead singer's own battles such as "internal versus the external or, intangible versus the tangible." It is a delightfully snappy dance-pop ditty with great and tight synth sequences, old-school rap vocals and nice broken early electro beats. Metronomy and Alain Ogue add their own remixes to a great label debut.

Review: Mumford & Sons drop a surprise single release alongside Pharrell Williams, 'Good People', delivering on a long-awaited promise to hop in the studio together after years of knowing each other. Finally falling back on their immediate instincts, 'Good People' hears the band and the solo wunderkind sing of tiredness and revelation, making adept use of a dry, driving, sportsmanlike instrumental palette (think hand claps, stomps, gospel harmonies). Though cryptic in theme, the mood on this one-off is one of triumph and impending miracle works to come.

Review: Pearl Jam's latest is an up-tempo rocker with a catchy melody and introspective lyrics about the search for meaning in a dark and uncertain world. Full of imagery of darkness and light, the song builds to a powerful crescendo at the end. The B-side of the single features an instrumental version of the song, is just as powerful as the original, and it gives fans a chance to appreciate the song's intricate musical arrangements. A reminder that Pearl Jam are still one of the most vital and relevant bands in rock music today.

Review: Formed in 2011 and led by the whimsical penmanship of Philip Sutton (Comet Gain), Pale Light are a criminally overlooked, often slept on indie/folk-pop gem that released a pair of cracking albums in the early 2010s. Often forgotten, however, are the slew of smaller singles (including a self-released 7", CDEP and two digital EPs, as well as a split 7" with Lake Ruth and a coveted spot in Slumberland's 30th anniversary 7" series) which have now all been compiled by the lovely folks over at Jigsaw Records onto one definitive collection of underappreciated beauty. While Sutton keeps busy with his Love, Burns. solo project (also signed to Jigsaw), the label's evident excitement at helping to distribute the songsmiths' expansive catalogue has also led to the muted confirmation that a new Pale Light mini-LP is currently in the works, positioning Waverly Place as the ideal form of prep material.

Review: Fabiana Palladino's long-awaited debut album brings plenty of smooth and high gloss sound back to the fore. Following the end of a significant relationship, Palladino uses the album to delve into themes of love, loneliness, and relationship norms and in the process crafts a ten-track album that superbly blends r&b, soul, pop, and disco influences from the 80s and 90s with a contemporary twist. Self-produced and featuring collaborations with notable musicians like Jai Paul, Pino Palladino, Rocco Palladino, Steve Ferrone, and Rob Moose, the album is a classy journey through shapeshifting sonics and intimate introspection, marking a significant milestone in Palladino's musical journey.

Review: Panda Bear aka. Noah Lennox is best known for his formative membership of experimental pop surrealist troupe, Animal Collective. But the Panda Bear alias itself is nowadays of almost equal stature, similarly blending psychedelia, folk, electronic and ambient influences for further, less-restrained takes on the sound. Here on 'Reset In Dub', Lennox reunites with Peter Kember - a former member of the influential space rock band Spacemen 3 - and legendary dub producer Adrian Sherwood. In dubwise style, Sherwood comes through to remix all nine tracks on Lennox and Kember's prior collaborative LP Reset, amounting to a multi-layered, adventurous retake.

Review: God bless XL Recordings. The UK label has been at the forefront of boundary pushing music since its inception, and almost 35 years remains a seal of quality. A constant source of inspiring surprises and new sonic experiences. The kind of organisation that will take a punt on British polymath Jai Paul's demo album, which, by all accounts, is pretty hard to describe, let alone define. More so, the type of team that would, eight years earlier, support and release one of the artist's earliest songs, 'BTSTU'. Coming full circle, that tune closes this collection of stuff produced around the same time, all of which was going to form the debut album, Bait Ones. One low-quality CD-R of the work stolen and then leaked online later, and the artist stepped away from music until the end of the last decade, when this "perfectly imperfect" LP was finally allowed to see the light of day. A lo fi, glitchy, trippy, granular, sexy sound that owes as much to hip hop, pop and r&b as experimental noise, ambient dub, and electronic soul.

Review: For the first time in over 26 years, much-loved metallers Pearl Jam finally topped mainstream rock airplay charts in the US with the first single off their latest album. That came some 1000 days ahead of the album itself which has now finally arrived and has soon won over fans. That single, 'Dark Matter', became Pearl Jam's first No. 1 on the chart since 'Given To Fly' led for six weeks all the way back in January-February 1998. The rest of the album is full of just as much gold as that, with plenty more of their signature riffs and potent grooves all topped with Eddie Vedder's legendary lung-busting vocals.

Review: Pearl Jam's 12th album, Dark Matter, sees the veteran rockers returning to their roots with a renewed sense of vigor. Departing from the reflective tone of their previous release, Gigaton, the band opted for a more spontaneous approach to songwriting, gathering in a room to craft material that feels refreshingly loose and live. The album as a whole delivers some convincing arguments for a classic Pearl Jam collection. Tracks like "'Scared Of Fear,' 'Wreckage,' and 'Setting Sun' showcase the band's trademark grandeur, with muscular guitar leads, powerful drumming, and Eddie Vedder's unmistakable vocals leading the charge. Many long time fans will appreciate this album as a fiery rebirth after a series of more stilted releases. Ultimately, Dark Matter is a audio guidepost to Pearl Jam's enduring identity and their ability to deliver authentic rock music that resonates with both diehard fans and casual listeners alike.

Review: Pearl Jam's Dark Matter sees the veteran rockers returning to their roots with a revitalised energy. Recorded in a rapid yet collaborative burst of creativity, the album captures a raw essence reminiscent of their early days. The band still delivers a potent rock-forward sound with muscular guitar leads and Vedder's iconic vocals. Tracks like 'Scared Of Fear' and 'Wreckage' showcase the band's trademark grandeur, while 'Setting Sun' serves as a raggedly majestic closer. Dark Matter proves to be very strong album which should excite longtime fans.

Review: Build Something Better by Grace Petrie, produced by Frank Turner, is a powerful statement on contemporary societal inequalities and injustices. With a blend of punk-folk elements, Grace's acoustic guitar and vocals shine, supported by Ben Moss' captivating fiddle playing and Stuart Proven's excellent drumming. The album tackles themes of alienation, political disillusionment, and the struggle for truth in a post-truth world. Tracks like 'The House Always Wins' and 'Meanwhile In Texas' confront hard-hitting issues with poignant lyrics and infectious musical patterns. Grace's songwriting ability shines through in tracks like 'King And Country' and 'Earthwire,' where personal relationships intertwine with broader social commentary. The album culminates in the title track, 'Fixer Upper,' offering hope amidst the existential threat of global crises. Overall, Build Something Better is a musically rich and lyrically profound album.

Review: Almost two full decades into their curious career, slacker-psych experimentalists The Pheromoans have never been ones to shy away from the esoteric or mundane. Led by the droll, deadpan delivery and unique world view of primary songwriter Russell Walker, LP number 13 sees the collective lean ever further into topical malaise whilst honing their fuzzed out, post-college-rock jangles into their most digestible and direct form yet. With the title Wyrd Psearch, Walker takes direct aim "at the ubiquity of people claiming things are eerie or weird/wyrd in the present cultural milieu", while the word-search artwork is intended to highlight our cultures' obsessive search for meaning in an increasingly illogical world. Twinkling no wave riffs, glistening synth lines and muted requests to loved ones requesting their presence on a trip to town to reup on prescription meds.

Review: Phosphorescent is recognised as something of a key player in the current indie scene. Based right now in Nashville, Tennessee, he has been away for the best part of half a decade but now makes a sweet return much to the delight of fans and critics alike. Back in 2022 his covers album Full Moon Project showcased all of his most prominent inspirations and influences with versions of music by the likes of Bee Gees, Bob Dylan and Nina Simone. The self-taught producer and a constantly inquisitive creative now goes deep on new record Revelator which is "a meditation on all that he's learned about life and all that is still unknown".

Review: This is the first official vinyl release of the previously CD only collection of Pixies live performances on the BBC. Fans of the band know what a mythical live band the Pixies are. And what better way to experience that emotion then these recordings collected from their earlier years of the late 80s and early 90s? Included are many of the early hits like 'Monkey Gone To Heaven', 'Wave of Mutilation' and 'Allison', mainly from BBC studio sessions and the occasional live recording. 4AD have done an amazing job with this release spreading it across three pieces of vinyl too.

Review: You don't have to spend long looking at the cover art for Plantoid's Terrapath to have a stab at guessing what the record is all about. The oil painting-style image is at once retro and futuristic, invoking thoughts of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds and John Wyndham's Day of the Triffids, among other classic science fiction works. We couldn't ask for a more apt visualisation of the record itself. Terms like 'prog rock jazz' may not be particularly flattering today, but here Plantoid prove there's plenty of life left in the (sub) genre yet, especially when you throw funk, soul, and subtle hints of downbeat into the mix. Terrapath is at times fragile and gentile, in other moments rowdy and brash, and it never, ever feels like it could do with seven or eight minutes shaving off a track. A wonderfully conceived collection you'll be coming back to again, and again.

Review: The collection titled 'exQuisxx' is a creation of POiSON GiRL FRiEND's own music, and is comprised of pieces from three different works: 'Shyness,' 'Mr. Polyglot Remix,' and 'Love Me,' all released by Nippon Columbia between 1993 and 1994. The title 'exQuisxx'is a coined term that merges the French word "exquis", signifying something delightful and lovely, with 'xx' denoting a kiss. That in mind, we hear a reissued incarnation of the artist's best works here, which have resurfaced after a newfound popularity sparked by her recent acknowledgement by British singer-songwriter Arlo Parks. Ambient trip-hop; French pop; wavering glitch and electro experiments. Not one to be missed at all.

Review: Georgian pioneer George Dzodzuashvili has been away for eight years but now makes a triumphant if not overdue return as Post Industrial Boys. The record on Casa Voyager finds him tapping into his most personal work yet as he opens up a whole new musical universe that is packed with memories of yesteryear. Even though you didn't experience them, they feel so real here as they are bought to life by Dzodzuashvili with his slow motion dub grooves and wispy melodies. The spoken word snippets and whispered poems all conjure up rich feelings that warm you to your core and help you forget the grown up world around you.

Review: Pregoblin II marks another thrilling chapter in Pregoblin's sonic odyssey and again serves to highlight their genre-defying prowess. With this release, the duo continues to push on and blend elements of indie rock, psychedelia, and electronica into something wholly new that ranges from infectious hooks to experimental textures. Each track is a mini adventure that allows you to lose yourself in its hypnotic worlds. Pregoblin's distinctive blend of introspective lyricism and eclectic instrumentation shines through as always to cement their status as one of the most innovative acts in contemporary music.

Review: Matador Records top up their ongoing catalogue series Revisionist History - a series of reissues of the label's most esteemed albums, which "people tend to presume is our cheeky way of re-writing Matador's storied past to make it even more (ahem) storied" - with a new version of The New Romance by Pretty Girls Make Graves. Formed in Seattle in 2001, PGMG came together in the fallout of the breakup of a dozen other Seattle scene bands, and amounted to an intelligent and distinctively electric take on the post-punk they knew and loved. The second LP to their debut Good Health, The New Romance was anthemic in comparison to their debut's relative rawness, working in crossrhythmic guitar and synth arpeggios touching on minimalism, which formed a neat counterpart to the ostensibly screamy punk statement heard throughout.