4AD Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Four years on from the release of sixth studio album As Long As You Are, American synth-pop/alt-rock fusionists Future Islands return with full-length number seven. People Who Aren't There Any More sees them reunite with regular collaborator Steve Wright and mixer Chris Coady, whose production on 2014's Singles - the band's most polished and arguably greatest album - was widely praised. Lyrically focused on being lovestruck and feeling lovelorn - wearily but forcefully delivered by frontman Samuel T Herring - the songs are strong and memorable. Musically, the sound worlds created - think stylish synths, immersive electronic textures, low-slung basslines and indie-rock guitars - match the disillusioned and emotionally fragile words, giving the set a coherent theme and sonic vision..

Review: It's hard not to be impressed by everything Grimes touches. From the moment this album's trippy downtempo titular opener emerges from submerged depths of sound you know the latest from the Canadian is going to be a special moment in pop. As if to accentuate our point, "Delete Forever", two tracks later, introduces acoustic guitar tips while still retaining deep timbre and utilising effects to hypnotic ends on those hummed vocal loops. "IDORU", which closes out the record, feels far more playful, simple keyboard and whispered choral lyricism introduced with a backing track of bird song, before broken club beats fall in. It might be most fitting to finish a write up on the aptly-titled "You'll Miss Me When I'm Not Around", its guttural bass guitars and EDM-leaning vocal stabs not the only things reminding us the world would be weaker without this one.

Review: Kristin Hersh's debut solo album, Hips and Makers, remains a timeless gem with her exceptional songwriting, strong vocals, and masterful guitar arrangements. Released in 1994, it's a raw and honest exploration of personal stories set against a backdrop of minimalistic yet intricate acoustic arrangements. The album's clever and in-your-face lyrics, coupled with breathtaking artwork by the late Vaughan Oliver and Paul McMenamin. Songs like 'Teeth' and 'Houdini Blues' deliver poignant insights, while the official single 'Your Ghost,' featuring backup vocals from Michael Stipe, stands out as a mainstream favourite. The expanded 30th-anniversary edition offers a deeper dive into Hersh's solo journey, with bonus tracks and a great demo of 'The Ghost'. Additionally, Hersh's live performances, such as the memorable show at Double Door in 1994, highlight her impressive stage presence. As Hersh continues to create music with Throwing Muses and 50 Foot Wave, her solo work remains a strong and more personal dedication to her craft.

Review: Two years on from the release of their debut mini-album, Scar, Lush headed into the studio to record their first full-length proper, the critically acclaimed Spooky. One of the all-time great shoegaze-meets-dream-pop sets, it was notable not only for the immersive nature of the sound and the meditative effect of its hazy, layered guitars and vocals, but also the fact that it was produced by Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins. This reissue, which forms part of a series inaugurated by the band and remastering engineer Kevin Vanberger, offers a neat reminder of the album's timeless qualities, alongside a freshly cleaned and spruced-up sound that allows every single sonic element to shine.

Review: Lush's reissue series continues via a painstakingly remastered and sonically spruced-up edition of the band's second studio album, 1994's 'Split'. A very different album to its loose, immersive and shoegaze-fuelled predecessor, it saw the band join forces with producer Mike Hedges (celebrated for his work with The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees) and opt for a more - in their words - "direct" sound. Of course, it was still Lush, so the layered guitars and vocals remained, albeit amongst a lightly expanded sound palette, more hooky riffs and an early Britpop vibe that delivered a subtle evolution from the band's more wide-eyed, sonically loved-up roots.

Review: Pale Saints' breakthrough album, In Ribbons, turns 30 years old this year and so the label that first put it out is looking back with this superb new anniversary edition. The album was a key driver in the shoegaze scene and became much loved for its ethereal sound. That has aged well here with bittersweet pop in tracks like 'Thread Of Light' as Meriel Barham's vocal delivery reaches through time and still hits the mark today. Musically the record blends bruising riffs and dreamy atmospherics and has been freshly remastered for this special commemorative CD edition which should appeal to fans old and new.