Island Schallplatten & CDs

Review: As part of a wider Cranberries reissues bundle, the Irish dream pop favourites' third album To The Faithful Departed is here reissued as an vinyl edition. The 1996 album features the later singles 'Salvation', 'Free to Decide' and 'When You're Gone', and while these were by no means such gargantuan successes as the likes of 'Zombie', they still dominated the rock and indie charts at the time. The 3CD deluxe edition offers the a selection of demos from the recording sessions in Paris, plus unreleased outtakes, early mixes, and and 12 live pieces recorded on the band's 1996 Free to Decide tour. This comes with an extensive booklet about the making of the album based on interviews with the remaining members of the band.

Review: It seems astonishing that 17 years have passed - and much water flowed under the proverbial bridge - since Dizzee Rascal released his groundbreaking debut album, Boy In Da Corner. The man himself seems to think so too, because E3 AF, his seventh album, sees him return to his East London roots via a set that's every bit as vibrant, inventive and exciting as his breakthrough debut. His rhymes - and those of the numerous guest MCs littered throughout the set - are naturally on-point, dexterous and lyrically inventive, while the beats they ride expand Dizzee's original raw, bass-heavy grime blueprint via nods to trap, UK garage, dubstep and dancehall. As many critics have pointed out, the result is the Bow-raised mic man's best album in years.

Review: Polly Jean Harvey is currently midway through an epic reissue series, delivering freshly re-mastered versions of numerous albums across a multitude of formats. The latest set to get a new vinyl pressing is 1993's "Rid of Me", which saw the celebrated singer-songwriter make her major label bow after years spent operating on small indie imprints. Widely considered one of Harvey's finest moments, the set was far more raw and aggressive than her previous work - despite using the same stripped-back line-up of musicians as its predecessor - with producer Steve Albini, famed for his work with the Pixies, conjuring a particularly "psychotic" sound (as its main protagonist has since called the album in interviews).

Review: Ben Howard was already an instant hit when he released The Burgh Island EP in 2012 in the wake of his debut album. The British singer-songwriter signed to Island and landed himself in the hearts and minds of fans the world over. This particular EP was limited to 1000 copies at the time of release, but it's since gone on to attain some sizable cult status thanks to the use of 'Oats In The Water', which appeared in The Walking Dead and The Innocents, and helped launch video game The Witcher 3. That's a whole lot of outreach, and the rest of the EP matches up to that track's spellbinding qualities, not least the epic eight-minute title piece featuring Monica Heldal.

Review: Noah Kahan released his third album to critical acclaim in 2022, perfecting the sound of his full-bodied take on anthemic modern folk and Americana. 'Northern Attitude' sums up his approach perfectly, juxtaposing moments of tender fragility with powerful, driving surges of chorus that could fill a stadium. This balance of intimacy and bombast is precisely why he's such a success story, crafting the kind of songs that can burrow into your heart and wind up soundtracking an emotive scene in a future summer blockbuster. There's been a wait for this limited chestnut brown edition of the album, but here it is, pressed up and looking as fine as it sounds.

Review: This is an indie exclusive version of Heroes & Villains, the long-awaited new album from Metro Boomin that comes with a special insert. It is a widescreen and cinematic long player that will not leave fans wanting as big names like Chris Brown, Travis Scott, The Wknd, 21 Savage, John Legend and Don Tolliver feature. The 15 tunes flow well despite the many different names on it and intricate yet accessible beats define much of the rhythms. There are dramatic and dark moments next to moments of real hope with plenty of humility from Metro along the way.

Review: Owing to recent appearances at festivals across the country as well as the world, Nia Archives is a rising star of the UK's underground hardcore scene. The Londoner's music fuses elements of grime, garage, and jungle with introspective and socially charged lyricism. Nia's latest LP, 'Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against The Wall,' naturally touches on themes of social justice and self-discovery, a reminder of afterparty headaches and familial estrangement, not to mention the confusion of it all. Tracks like 'Headz Gone West' and 'Goodbye' are energized analyses of mental health and toxically flippant relationships, set against the ever-present backdrop of jungle.

Review: Post Malone, known to his ardent fan base as 'Postie', actually nods to his real name Austin Post with the title of his latest record. It's an honest one from the much-loved American rapper who has had his fair share of adversities to overcome on his way to the top and whilst being there the last few years. Early singles 'Mourning' and 'Chemical' have been big with fans and newcomers alike and his fifth album overall, which is also one of 2023's most anticipated, builds on and intensifies the sound of his last outing, Twelve Carat Toothache, from 2022. He plays guitar on every single track and says it made the record the most challenging yet rewarding of his career to work on.

Review: It has been almost fifty years since Sparks released on the venerable Island Records, notching up landmark hits like 'This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us', but they've been as consistent a force since then as any act you care to mention. The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte is as bold and uncompromising as anything the band has ever done and displays great song craft, stories with intricate lyrical narratives and plenty of near perfect pop tunes distilled into just over three minutes of real musical potency. This all means Sparks remain as smart and essential as ever in their field - as if you didn't know.

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: After his last album incorporated neon and darkwave stylings into his ever-expanding musical fold, we unanimously agreed back at the beginning of 2021 that it was high time The Weeknd put out a 'greatest hits' album. In February, our wish was granted in CD form, and now, 'The Highlights' has seen an official rerelease on double gatefold ultra-heavy vinyl, doing thorough justice to The Noise's cosmic collabs with Daft Punk, Kendrick Lamar and Ariana Grande. Spanning cuts all the way through from 'Thursday' to 'After Hours', this album does a remarkable job of unifying the best tracks from this devlishly suited, R&B hitmaker's career.

Review: The Weeknd's latest album takes the form of a concept about a radio station that is listened to on a car journey towards the end of days. It features a number of guests such as Tyler & The Creator, Jim Carrey and Lil Wayne as well as production from Calvin Harris. The album's standout single is 'I Heard You're Married' which is a gloriously catchy disco-dance beat with singable choruses and epic synth lines. The whole thing is a mix of dance, electro and pop with more wax and textural beats next to the sentimental songs. It's one of his most adventurous and a real return form.

Review: Where's My Utopia? is the follow up to the Leeds band's critically-acclaimed debut record The Overload, which arrived in January 2022. A co-production between Yard Act and Gorillaz member Remi Kabaka Jr., this latest album comes across as a meditation on the contemporary post-Fordist condition of the creative worker. Speaking about 'Dream Job', the band's James Smith said: "'Dream Job' feels like an apt introduction to the themes explored on Where's My Utopia? - though not all encompassing. In part I was scrutinising and mocking myself for being a moaning ungrateful little brat, whilst also trying to address how the music industry is this rather uncontrollable beast that hurtles forward unthinkingly, and every single person involved in it plays their part." Echoing the conflicted inner turmoil of reluctant bandleaders such as Mark E Smith of the Fall - "it's a constant battle" - and the sonic affect of Talking Heads, the album addresses a question central to our times: what do you do when everything you've ever wanted suddenly lands in your lap, but the questions still keep on coming? How do you handle fame and success, when your fans secretly resent the structures that elevated you to that status? Despite these contradictions, all this doesn't stop James Smith, Ryan Needham and Sam Shipstone from delivering a rip-roaring album as expected. If they can find the motivation to make such effective music despite their doubts (meditating on present conditions of poverty while keeping up a smile), then so, perhaps, can you.