Back catalogue: Indie/Alternative

Review: Manic Street Preachers' Lifeblood may have initially been the black sheep of their discography, but time has granted it a newfound appreciation. Initially met with lukewarm reception and overshadowed by its predecessors, the album's blend of glacial electronica and elegiac themes now stands as a testament to the band's willingness to evolve. Revisiting the album reveals its intricate textures and thematic depth. The production, influenced by Tony Visconti's work with David Bowie, creates a timeless atmosphere that resonates with listeners. Lyrically, Nicky Wire delves into personal and political history, offering introspective reflections on grief, disillusionment, and the passage of time. Tracks like 'The Love of Richard Nixon' and 'Empty Souls' explore themes of loss and societal unrest with poignant lyricism. Ultimately, Lifeblood may have been misunderstood upon its initial release, but its significance as a unique chapter in the Manic Street Preachers' journey cannot be denied. As listeners revisit the album with fresh ears, they'll discover a work that defies expectations and deserves recognition as a compelling and evocative piece of art.

Review: Meril Wubslin's fourth album, Faire ca, is a daring musical odyssey that ventures into uncharted territories with fearless creativity. Recorded in Kwake Bass' South London studio, this nine-track masterpiece defies genre boundaries, seamlessly blending blues, folk, post-rock, and dub to create a unique sonic landscape. Collaborating with Kwake Bass, known for his groundbreaking work with Sampha and Kae Tempest, Meril Wubslin fearlessly explores unfamiliar soundscapes. From the intimate blues and folk-inspired 'Grands Espaces' to the experimental fusion of 'La Main' and the electro-blues percussion of 'Famille Phare,' each track showcases the band's innovative spirit and exceptional musicianship. With its bold experimentation and captivating melodies, 'Faire ca' promises enduring musical rewards for listeners and solidifies Meril Wubslin's position as pioneers in the realm of avant-garde music. This album is a must-listen for anyone seeking a fresh and exhilarating musical experience.

Review: Canadian noise-rock trio Metz deliver their fifth full-length LP for their home label Sub Pop. Expressing an exponential graph of maturity, that has grown over their decade or so of recording and releasing, Metz' sound on Up On Gravity Hill veers more towards an almost black-metallic atmosphere, to counterpoise their originally stark, rageful sound. Conceptually, the album's change in sound matches its thematic content, with the band having found more peace in contrast, and the life-promising realisation that one can only experience its most joyful moments on the sole condition that one has also suffered its worst vagaries - there is no paradise without the fall. On the likes of '99' and 'Entwined', we're met with a driving, repetitious howl set against a sludgy axe-y backdrop, as vocalist Alex Edkins performatively laments and celebrates the ways of the world at the same time.

Review: The Minneapolis Uranium Club Band's Infants Under The Bulb album is an engaging journey through unbridled punk creativity and raw guitar energy. Released amidst their hometown's vibrant underground scene, the album defies categorisation in the way it blends elements of punk, post-punk and experimental rock. With relentless rhythms, angular guitar riffs and cryptic lyrics, each track unfolds in heavy and arresting fashion and the band's unconventional approach and uncompromising attitude challenge listeners to embrace the unconventional throughout this most visceral of albums.

Review: Mount Kimbie demonstrate their expansive ability to metamorphose over time, with the Sunset Violent being their first record (the follow up to 2022's MK 3.5: Die Cuts I City Planning) to document their efforts as a quartet, as opposed to the simple duo project of Dominic Maker and Kai Campos. Now with composer Andrea Balency-Bearn and Marc Pell (Good Sad Happy Bad), the project brings an ever-so-slightly more conceptual slant to the mix, with the album centring thematically on the UFO sightings of the Yucca Valley, California, and the interplay between the literal desert in that part of the world, and the figurative desert of London (where the album was completed). As ever, the likes of 'Fishbrain' and 'Boxing' deliver indie-electronic buildups, as driving as they are infectious, mixed with the distinctly sepia-textured moods and performative tastes of London's finest (King Krule among them).

Review: Few bands have sidestepped expectations as cannily as Mount Kimbie. Initially a duo but now expanded into a quartet, the British band has previously excelled in mixing, matching and fusing a wide range of experimental and left of centre electronic music influences. On The Sunset Violet, their first full-length as a quartet, they've shifted sonically once more, leaning into their indie-rock influences on a set recorded in California. The latter aspect - and the impact of being surrounded by sunshine and desert - is reflected in the warmth and haziness of the sound, which draws on the layered vocals and guitars of vintage shoegaze while also reaching for more familiar aspects of the band's previous experimental electronic sounds (for proof, check the ghostly musical vision that is King Krule collaboration 'Boxing').