Review: London-raised, Berlin-based singer Anika got her start in the industry releasing her debut album on Geoff Barrow of Portishead fame's Invada Records. And she's gone from strength-to-strength since, collaborating with Dave Clarke, Tricky and I Like Trains, to name a few. Now onto her third studio album - and second on the esteemed Sacred Bones label - she's crafted a sound that's steeped in reverb and acts like a voyage through alternate states. Despite having plenty of retro psychedelic appeal, she's ill afraid to bring us more into the present by evoking the neo-psychedelia scene. The tracks 'Walk Away' and 'One Way Ticket' remind us of the greatness of bands like Amber Arcades, Temples and Pinkunoizu. And vocally she's up there with Aldous Harding and Cate Le Bon, but a lot darker, brooding and ominous in her delivery.
Review: Been there, done that, got remnants of a t-shirt. Anna of the North has obviously lived. Or at least that's the impression from "Dream Girl", an album that kicks, grooves, lolls and soothes in equal measure. Clearly the product of some very real experiences, and that's just the instrumentals. It's a record that wears everything on sleeve, calling on influences and styles that don't always find themselves centre stage when it comes to matters of the heart. There's more than a hint of hip hop on "Used To Be", the jazz inflections are crystal clear on "Lonely Life", R&B nuances spread across "When R U Coming Home". Themes range from challenges faced after finding real freedom - lack of direction and deep questioning of purpose - to problems that come with co-dependence and communication. Or lack thereof. Whatever relationship inspired this wasn't the simplest, but the things we learn from rarely are.
Review: A collaborative effort between composer and multi-instrumentalist Louis Fontaine, DJ and music supervisor Alix Brown and lyricist and writer Margo Fortuny. The tune draws on French and Italian Chanson (the likes of Fabrizio De Andre and Serge Gainsbourg), the cinematic soundscapes of Francois de Roubaix and late-70s disco. It's built up using vintage synthsizers and despite the patchwork blanket approach with influences, it's woven into something quite cohesive and magical. Singer Alix Brown has the voice to have made her a number one star in the 70s - she appears to have taken a Bill and Ted-esque adventure from another decade and does nostalgia superbly. It's an intoxicating listen and one to rinse on repeat.
Review: Music legend John Cale, best known as the Welsh multi-instrumentalist who co-founded The Velvet Underground, which went on to become one of the most influential groups of all time, is best known for his collaborative work in bands and his work as a producer. But he has a storied solo catalogue. With releases stretching from 1970 to 2024, there's an impressive array to delve into. His fourth album, Fear, is considered by fans to be one of his best. Fear was recorded when Cale returned to living in London after spending years in America. A slew of musicians also signed to Island at the time appear on the record, including Phil Manzanera of Roxy Music and Brian Eno. It's a truly compelling mix of avant garde freakouts and melancholic art rock that's a reminder that music can be incredibly freeing and transcendental when played with this level of imagination and spirit.
Review: This might be the eleventh album from Car Seat Headrest, or the third. It all depends on how you judge things. Either way, 'Making A Door Less Open" is a confident return for the outfit, who haven't released any new material since 2016, and something of a bold technological achievement. Without getting too bogged down in details, the record was created in a three stage process; songs laid down with guitars, drums and bass, then re-recorded in a MIDI environment before the two versions were combined to emphasise different elements on different tracks. Hence the beautifully compressed beats, heart-warming and stomach-rumbling low ends, and overall sense of depth and sonic scope. Stylistically, it's a cunning mixture of box-fresh garage pop-rock and lo-fi electronica, packed with funk, fraught emotion and polished details.
Review: This is ex-Teardrop Explodes frontman and cult hero Julian Cope's third record in as many years - he's operating at the speed that a lot of 60s/70s psychedelia artists that he was inspired by were and, in turn, making everyone else look a bit lazy. As a songwriter his satirical and absurdist sense of humour shines through; he makes you laugh as often as he makes you want to tap your foot and sing-a-long. And the uniqueness of his personality shines through with countless witty lines. A case in point is the brilliant "They ruined my Subbuteo and made their escape / Four Jehovah's in a Volvo estate", which is talk/sung over a motorik beat replete with mind-bending mellotron. Elsewhere, the bedroom-glam rock album opener 'Too Freud To Rock'n'Roll/Too Jung To Die' is a brilliant takedown of someone who's seemingly wound him up on the internet. With tunes this good, long may the rebirth of Cope continue.
Review: Berlin-based artist Curses is committed to the dark side of the dancefloor as an artist, and as this series on Eskimo proves he's also an authority on the seedier side of selecting, too. The first volume of Next Wave Acid Punx was a knockout success and so he's back for another round from the seemingly unending pools of EBM, industrial, synth-pop and minimal wave spanning the 80s through to the modern day. Given the sheer size of the compilation (covering no less than 49 tracks) it has to be split across separate chapters, with this double vinyl serving as Chapter 2 and featuring creepy masterpieces from the likes of Boytronic, Matrixxman and Dina Summer.
Review: Cuckoo was their second full length from Curve - Toni Halliday on vocals and guitar with Dean Garcia - and saw its release in 1993. This album was heavier, focused and featured stronger, more aggressive rhythms that evolved from their first album. Heavily influenced by bombastic urban and electronic beats but favouring shoegaze effects on the guitars, making for a unique combination that made Cuckoo stand out from the rest, ultimately predating similar sounds from bands like Garbage. This album holds key tracks like the amazing 'Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus' as well as the singles 'Missing Link' and 'Super Blaster'. The effects of Curve are still being felt today by those who discover them and fans of the producer Flood should definitely be aware of this album if they are not already. This reissue comes on limited numbered 180- Gram pink & purple vinyl LP complete with an insert.
Review: Scottish indie stalwarts Franz Ferdinand thrust onto the scene back in 2004 seeking to antidote the then bad-boy aesthetic of groups like The Libertines with smart, suave 'music to dance to'. Fourteen years on and following a slight lineup change, their objective doesn't appear to have changed with their fifth album 'Always Ascending'. Produced by Philippe Zdar of famed Parisian duo Cassius - it's a slick, tight record that's doused in their trademark off-kilter panache. Over forty energetic minutes, there's a lot to dig into; the ballad 'The Academy Award' and art-pop oddball 'Huck & Jim' let Alex Kapranos' dry wit come to the fore, the infectious funk-channeling chorus on 'Finally' sounds like a dip into 60's pop, while 'Feel The Love Go' is vintage Franz Ferdinand. 'Always Ascending' sees Franz Ferdinand full of charm, reinvigorated, and perfectly comfortable in no longer needing to prove anything.
Review: Shinbangumi is the third LP from multi-instrumentalist Lew, marks a significant evolution for the Southern California artist Ginger Root. Seamlessly blending 70s and 80s influences like Japanese City Pop, Philly Soul, and French Pop, Lew's sound is a sophisticated mix of synth-pop, alt-disco, boogie, and soul. Shinbangumi stands out not only for its musical strength but also for its conceptual narrative, continuing from the 2022 EP Nisemono. Tracks like 'No Problems' and 'Better Than Monday' exhibit Lew's knack for combining catchy melodies with clever production. 'There Was A Time' and 'All Night' highlight his ability to craft both introspective and dance-worthy tunes. 'Only You' delves into true City Pop, while 'Giddy Up' channels the quirky energy of The B-52s and Devo. 'Kaze,' recorded in Tokyo, adds a unique texture inspired by Yellow Magic Orchestra's Harry Hosono. Lew's dedication to his craft and his fans is more than evident here.
Review: It's hard to believe Archy Marshall, the 'real' name behind King Krule, is only 28. Not only does his back catalogue smack of wisdom and experience, a goldmine of resonant and reflective twisted punk jazz, dark wave, pop and trip hop, it often feels as though he's always been here, inviting us to share in disillusionment, anger, melancholy and honest reflections on being human. Since arriving into the musical conscious as a very young looking teenager, initially using the pseudonym Zoo Kid, there has always been this startling juxtaposition between fresh faced adolescent we see and the wizened master of observation we hear. Things have waned in terms of intensity, with Space Heavy a fine example - fragile and vulnerable in so many moments - yet the overwhelming power has actually increased.
Review: Now released for the first time on vinyl in the UK, Parisian Nu-Disco sextet L'Imperatrice's 3rd EP Odyssee, released in 2015, was a 6-track journey through the dreamy, vintage sound of French disco-pop. Rereleased and renamed a year later under L'Empereur at a different speed, this gatefold contains the original EP as well as acoustic renditions of five tracks, plus a bonus track in Interlune, a strings piece that flows into the string instrumental of La Lune (Version Acoustique). The smooth bass and layered synth will hook you, but you'll stay for the vocal talents of Flore Benguigui who joined the outlet that same year. Her smooth tones are like melted butter against the bass. Odysee was a bold step for the band - but one that proved wildly successful and was just the beginning of the symphonic formula that L'Imperatrice has continued to refine to this day.
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