Back catalogue: All genres

Review: It only seems like yesterday when Nick Cave delivered his wonderfully captivating joint piece with fellow-Australian Bad Seed Warren Ellis. In fact it was early March, and since then we've all likely been through the kinds of highs and lows this record reflects so accurately. There's a lot of space to Carnage, but it's also an album of intensity, in a refined and sophisticated way.

Packed with incredibly cinematic, theatrical and dramatic moments, at its loudest 'White Elephant' is bordering on a genuinely euphoric religious experience, one rousing and hugely emotional crescendo of chorus and big stage notes after another. At its quietest, 'Shattered Ground' sounds like one man alone with a piano and eternal sadness. Meanwhile, the title track is classic troubadour business. In summary, a grand, mesmerising and personal voyage.

Review: The War on Drugs have pleased fans by tightening up their sound somewhat on this newest album, I Don't Live Here Any More. This firth studio long player was proceed by stadium sized singalong rock song 'I Don't Live Here Anymore' and follows it up with music that celebrates life. Bandleader Adam Granduciel is in fine form with daydreaming verses and soul-stirring choruses that are never less than epic. There are a wealth of thrills to be had here for fans old and new and the most common line about the records is that the Philadelphia band sound more like themselves than ever.

Review: Let's face it, we loved the early work by Tamara Lindeman, AKA The Weather Station, but it was 2017's self-titled album that really saw the parts slot into place, with the artist switching instrumental focus from acoustic guitar to piano. You could just call us suckers for ivories and have done with it, but our bias towards the most mournful and reflective keys imaginable is only part of the reason we fell in love with her so much deeper on later outings.

How Is It That I Should Look At The Stars is exemplary of how staggeringly effective the combination of that voice and that instrument actually is. Recorded live in March 2020, while clarinets, lap steel, and organs do factor, ultimately it's the vulnerability of this album's minimalism that really shines through - a work of such personal quality it almost feels as though you're in that room with her as the world outside begins to fall apart.

Review: A b-sides and rarities album turned-gem, 'The Amber Light' is Jane Weaver's sequel to the 'The Silver Globe', and contains more heartfelt takes on her classic synth and indie folk style. Featuring contributions from Tom Furse and Suzanne Ciani, this album proves that even in extremely active careers, there can remain fossilised pockets of emotionality; a rawer take on the artist's practise, it was miraculously recorded between tours.

Review: The Wedding Present are an archetypal indie band if ever there was one. They first formed in 1985 and quickly made their way to prominence as part of the C86 scene - named after the cassettes to which NME recorded new tunes from hot bands of the times. Founder and only constant band member David Gedge wrote intelligent lyrics and paired them with fast-paced jangle-pop rhythms. Their debut album George Best in 1992 was a big one and Watusi - while coming some time later - was still sharp and commercially successful, with big tunes being the likes of 'It's A Gas' and 'Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah'.

Review: Hailing from the Isle of Wight and steadily building in momentum via a run of stunning singles, Wet Leg are making their much anticipated breakthrough with their debut album on Domino. The duo hit a note between the brooding post punk and new wave romanticism and a spikier pop streak which should find them winning hearts and minds all over festival season. 'Chaise Longue', 'Wet Dream' and 'Too Late Now' have been doing the rounds since the girls signed to Domino in 2021, and it only takes one listen to know they're going to be huge. Razor sharp hooks, singalong choruses and a droll sense of humour are all conspiring to make Wet Leg your new favourite band.

Review: Natalie Mering's Weyes Blood project is 12 years deep now, and she follows up on 2019's Titanic Rising with this, her fourth studio album. Her sound evolves in kind over this time from the DIY roots of her appearances on Not Not Fun et al, and now she strikes the figure of an eternal songstress joining the dots from classic 70s composition and production through to the aching, head-fogged reflection of the modern condition. Lead single 'It's Not Just Me, It's Everybody' nails the mood of malaise, but the beauty of her songwriting leads and saves us from slipping into despair. Why not commit to the concept and cop this, the limited Loser Edition of And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow.

Review: RECOMMENDED
It almost (almost) pains us to recommend this one - The White Stripes aren't really a band that should be releasing Greatest Hits albums. We'd much rather them give us a surprise record of typically groundbreaking, brand new theatric and infectious blues-tinged rock 'n' roll. But we are where we are, and after more than a decade without much activity from the siblings beggars can't be choosers.

One of our objections is exactly how you choose what to include on an LP like this. What defines a 'hit' from an outfit that are renowned for packing albums with nothing but stone cold gems, even if they failed to make it onto radio playlists or single format. In this case, though, the challenge has been met - with chart topping fare like Seven Nation Army notably absent, while more wildcard tracks such as 'I Think I Smell A Rat' and 'Dead Leaves On the Dirty Ground' given their deserving dues.

Review: RECOMMENDED
Let's face it, White Blood Cells is the moment when The White Stripes really broke the mould. It's a continuation of Jack and Meg's garage rock aesthetic as fine-tuned over two previous albums, and wholeheartedly a straight up rock 'n' roll album. But the elements are so perfectly primed it's impossible not to rank this as one of the greatest long form outings of this century, so far. And we're not alone - Rolling Stone even reckons it's among the best LPs of all time. Pity the fool who disagrees.

From the racing 'Fell in Love With A Girl', to the beguiling mystery of 'The Union Forever', 'I Think I Smell A Rat''s meld of mariachi riffs and mosh stomp and the emotional piano closer 'This Protector', to the innocent acoustic joy of 'We're Going To Be Friends', this is a masterclass of songwriting and arrangement, tracks that evolve, perplex, surprise, and - most importantly - entertain.

Review: Let's face it, Jack White has never really stood still, with the stream of solo projects put out since The White Stripes days proof of just how relentless his creative spark is. However, as many have pointed out in reviews of Fear of the Dawn, there's not been that much of a stylistic shift since his joint venture with Meg. As such prepare to be blown away with this latest effort. Although we're not going to say whether that's in a good or bad way.

To call the tracks here obscure is nothing short of horribly reductive. A strange, at time obnoxious and jarring fusion of blues, theatrical rock, prog, and plain weird, it's nothing if not consistently unexpected, and wholly unique. Often huge in sound, but then occasionally minimalistic, it's the noise made by a man who has always threatened to throw the kitchen sink at fans, and has finally found the muscle to do it.

Review: Limited to just 2000 copies, Jack White's newest solo album 'Fear Of The Dawn' comes in a distinctive blue and white sleeve, making this move away from the White Stripes' native red and white colouration clear. Prefaced by the buzzing lead single 'Taking Me Back', we're stoked for the promised energy of this LP, which is the first of two albums slated to hit the shelves in 2022. This LP comes in either single black, 'astro' blue, or 'glow' white versions, as well as CD for the digi-heads.

Review: Working Men's Club have already gone on a wild ride despite only forming in mid-2018. They were already on Melodic with their debut single one year later, soon snapped up by Heavenly who released their self-titled debut in 2020. As they've grown fast, their sound has raced towards a compelling kind of synth pop clearly indebted to the likes of Cabaret Voltaire and The Human League, but certainly not constrained by those monolithic influences. On their second album, lead single 'Widow' points to a powerful, subtly noirish sound. It's a little more bombastic compared to the angular funk of earlier single 'John Cooper Clarke', but not less refined and clear in its intentions.