Rock / Indie / Folk / Metal / Punk / 50s / 60s Recommendations Best Of 2015

Review: Inspired by the slightly unlikely collision of the Thai music of the '70s and The Shadows, Khruangbin - the name means 'aeroplane' in Thailand - are purveyors of a deliriously mellow and beguiling form of jammed-out power-trio guitar music - far removed from standard notions of psych and dreampop, partly owing to its pan-global influences, its nonetheless both psychedelic and dreamy, not to mention possessed of an unhurried, reflective and spacious lilt that renders this Texan-London outfit a rare treat in an information-saturated age, taking on delicate soul and funk with exotic atmospheres and making the journey feel both blissful and effortless.

Review: The 21st Century has been quiet thus far for New Order, with only two full albums to date, and only an out-takes compilation in the last decade. Moreover, 'Music Complete' marks their first album to date without founding bassist Peter Hook, and the return of Gillian Gilbert to the ranks. Yet from this turbulence and inertia they've somehow managed to create a collection of songs that rank as their strongest set since 'Technique' in 1989. VIbrant, upbeat and colourful, yet driven by the same mix of electronic experimentation and effortless pop suss that characterised their '80s heyday, 'Music Complete' is the sound of a timeless and unique force newly revitalised.

Review: Australian combo Tama Impala has always been hard to pin down, with their two studio albums to date displaying a keen desire to capture a trippy, psychedelic vibe, whilst refusing to settle on one easy-to-categorize sound. Currents, their fourth album, continues this trend, toning down some of the psychedelic rock elements in favour of nods to blue-eyed soul, woozy dream-pop, cheery summery pop (see the radio hit in waiting "The Less I Know The Better"), and even the head-nodding rhythms of hip hop (which, incidentally, prove the perfect backing for the morphine pop wooziness of "Past Life"). It's a blend that re-casts the band as baked, inter-dimensional travellers with a neat line in enveloping, sun-kissed downtempo pop.

Review: Blur fans might have been forgiven by approaching 'The Magic Whip', the band's first album in thirteen years and first with lynchpin guitarist Graham Coxon for sixteen, with a degree of trepidation. Yet, in heartwarming fashion, this eighth effort stands as both a testimony to the band's enduring appeal and their experimental, restless side. Written in jam sessions and via an exchange of ideas from Coxon and Damon Albarn, it nods graciously to all eras of the band, whilst it also offering fresh influences - Coxon has talked of 'sci-fi folk' - and a plaintive air of melancholy hangs over many of the well-crafted ditties herein. Yet most importantly, 'The Magic Whip' is possessed of all the charm, ennui and exquisite songwriting of this iconic band at their best.

Review: Hailed by some as an invigorating two-finger gesture directed at the blandness and homegeneity of the modern music world, yet castigated by others as a mindlessly yobbish throwback, Sleaford Mods have divided opinion like few bands of recent memory. Yet 'Key Markets' would seem to form the point at which they truly leave the stereotypes of yore behind and make their mark as a gritty and vital force; punk rock in spirit yet informed here by krautrock groove, electronic music and hip-hop, and dominated by the incandescent ire of vocalist Jason Williamson, this is a dazzling monument of modern misanthropy, a triumphant and paradoxically life-affirming statement of disenfranchised rage.

Review: Josh Tillman, the ex-Fleet Foxes member, has confused plenty with his alter ego Father John Misty, and occasionally it can be hard to tell whether the recently-married troubadour is inhabiting a distinct role or dealing out confessional ditties straight from the heart. Yet what is beyond question is how fascinating and addictive I Love You, Honeybear manages to be. By turns lushly arranged and stark, Tillman sets his reflective songwriting to a sonic backdrop infused with Laurel Canyon flavour, arriving at a reinvention of the singer-songwriter stylings of the mid-'70s for a newer, still more complicated era-think Elton John by way of John Grant. The result is a modern-day triumph that's as acerbic as it is emotionally involving.

Review: Kent two-piece Slaves are purveyors of a wry, raw brand of old-fashioned punk rock that is as equal parts economical, raucous and exhilarating. They may take their cues from the nihilistic spirit of the Sex Pistols and the hormonal rage of garage rock, yet they parlay old-fashioned influences with contemporary spirit and intensity, in the process creating an album curiously timeless and primal. Yet most important to the charge of 'Are You Satisfied' is its scabrous lyrics and drummer/vocalist Isaac Holman's acidic invective, rendering this collection a unique combination of style and ire.

Review: Ukranian lo-fi genius Vakula is back and if audaciously tackling Steve Reich wasn't enough, he's taking on possibly his most ambitious project yet with "Dedicated to Jim Morrison". The title says it all really, in this brazen tribute to the sixties rock legend. On the first side you've got "For Jim" with its bluesy, boozy, typically sixties rock, while "The Canyon Road" is definitely the track on here to really channel the sound of The Doors. Then the acoustic country twang of "Mississippi Delta" carries off a southern charm. On the flip you've got "The Human Abstract" which is one truly hazy affair and features some of William Blake's' spoken word poetry recited by friend Andrei Dubinin. "Airolg" sounds like, well, Van Morrison's "Gloria" (once famously covered by The Doors) and "Tien Beach" features sublime tremoloed slide guitar, sounding like riding off into a sunset. Sehr Interessant!

Review: Hot Chip continue to occupy a unique space in British music. Yet despite their standing as a bunch of polymaths just as at home with pure pop as experimental diversions, what continues to truly separate them from all or any contemporaries is a rich melancholy to their sound, and it's this which looms pleasantly large on 'Why Make Sense'. The songwriting of Alexis Taylor and Joe Goddard has never sounded sharper, not their beat-driven yet tastefully spare sound more addictive. Now as ever, no-one can reconcile human emotion and machine-like rhythm in quite the same fashion as this maverick outfit.

Review: Apparently not content with making an album that floored classic rock fans old and young - last year's solo psych-glam masterpiece 'Redeemer', Ty Segall here deals out his second heavy-ass power-trio masterclass with a band who effortlessly transcend any notion of being a 'side-project'. Whilst certain ingredients are audible from Segall's other work, such as his sparky and infectious knack for melody and love for the seamier sonic landscapes of the early '70s, 'II' is no less than a timeless blast of garage-birthed intensity, a double album brimming with gusto and chutzpah, yet with an expansive approach to match their hard-rocking drive, proving there's more to this band than distortion boxes and ruptured eardrums.

Review: Noah Lennox, in his Panda Bear guise, has always walked a tightrope of sorts, with his third-eye cleansing psyched-out talents - as shown on 2007's landmark opus Person Pitch - occasionally waylaid by the odd drift into self-indulgence. Yet when he's firing on all cylinders, there are no more formidable exponents of sampleadelic boundary-destroying bliss, and Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper finds him on formidable form-these laments and sweet pop nuggets may be constructed from disparate sources and swamped in dub-style echo and reverb to achieve a woozy soft-focus effect, yet their radiance and fresh invention remains manifest. In spite of its title, this is as life-affirming as Lennox has ever sounded.

Review: The New Zealand-born, Portland-based Ruban Nielson initially made a name for himself by marrying psych rock and lo-fi styles in a messy, Beefheartian manner, with jam-band wig-outs vying for attention with expressive songcraft. On 'Multi Love', however, he's both reined in the excesses of yore and sharpened up his songwriting, and the result is a veritable tour de force. Pop-tinged melody and emotional candour make for impressive bedfellows on these nine expansive and inventive ditties, which take as much inspiration from Prince or Janelle Monae as they do The Grateful Dead or Zappa. 'Multi Love' marks the place where Nielson genuinely makes his presence felt as a modern-day psychedelic visionary.