Back catalogue: Pop

Review: Britain's most successful synth-pop duo might now be in their early sixties, but the Pet Shop Boys are still capable of crafting near perfect songs - as their forthcoming album "Hotspot" proves. There's plenty to enjoy on this taster single, which like the rest of the album was co-produced by Stuart Price. "Burning The Heather" is a warming and autumnal affair, with their usual bright synths being toned down in favour of jangly acoustic guitars and the kind of bittersweet electronic sounds that dominated their superb 1990 album "Behaviour". Flipside "Decide" is a more upbeat and throbbing affair that includes a rare vocal from the sometime "third sexist man in pop" Chris Lowe (albeit one drenched in auto-tune).

Review: Emotional Rescue returns to early 1980s Manchester with the previously unreleased music of Michael James Pollard and his beautiful distillation of indie pop in Too Confusing and bedsit cover version of Ashford and Simpson's Surrender.

While studying photography at Manchester Polytechnic, (MJ) Pollard lived and played in a band in a ramshackle house in Walley Range. In the cellar studio he would write and record his own songs using their guitars, fretless bass and keys, as well as his own Casio VL-Tone VL-1 and Simmons Clap Trap to augment his drums onto a 4 track TEAC.

By 1983, and now solo, he was recording out of Dislocation Dance's studio (ERC111), had secured a Peel Session and via Factory Records' Lindsay Reade, was discussing with Fundacao Atlantica about releasing an album.

Working with singer Sioux Goddard as a duo, they put down 8 songs in 2 weeks in summer '84. However, Fundacao Atlantica's financial difficulties and soon closure meant the songs were lost until now.

Recovered off the original tapes and lovingly restored, Too Confusing captures the optimism of the sessions, a summer love melody of forlorn youth. Surrender accompanies, recorded back in that cellar in '81, with friend Stephanie Danziger on vocals, its lo-fi simplicity is a perfect take on an all-time classic, making this a newly prized gem of British indie pop history.

Review: Here's something we didn't expect: an all-star collaboration between two of the 1980s most potent synth-pop duos, Soft Cell and Pet Shop Boys. Long-term fans of both artists will love the original version of 'Purple Zone', a throbbing, arpeggio-driven synth-pop number boasting lead vocals from Mark Almond and chorus back-up from Neil Tennant. The latter and PSB partner Chris Lowe provide the various remixes scattered across the 12": a classic, Fairlight stab-sporting 'Extended Mix' that recalls Shep Pettibone's mid-80s mixes for PSB, a piano-sporting 'Club Mix' that gives the track a heavier Italo-disco-goes-house spin, and a pleasingly muscular 'Club Dub' that subtly pays tribute to David Morales' early '90s Red Zone dubs.

Review: Record Store Day Black Friday edition gifts us this unlikely pairing of artists as Different offers up some Pet Shop Boys remixes of Claptone's 'Queen of Ice.' The extended mix goes first with a nice pop-tinged and subtly Balearic rework with warming electronic drums and the original emotive vocals. Their Moody mix then breaks up the beast a little into tumbling affairs that are perfect for summer festival deployment. On the flip is the heart-wrenching dance pop nugget that is the original of 'Queen Of Ice' (feat Dizzy) before the best of the lot - a nice and breezy 7" mix that is clean and catchy.

Review: Mumford & Sons drop a surprise single release alongside Pharrell Williams, 'Good People', delivering on a long-awaited promise to hop in the studio together after years of knowing each other. Finally falling back on their immediate instincts, 'Good People' hears the band and the solo wunderkind sing of tiredness and revelation, making adept use of a dry, driving, sportsmanlike instrumental palette (think hand claps, stomps, gospel harmonies). Though cryptic in theme, the mood on this one-off is one of triumph and impending miracle works to come.

Review: New mum Katy Perry's legacy is already pretty much assured. Whatever she turns out now will likely get her back in the charts, and the headlines, whatever it sounds like. He latest album 'Smile' is not as jam-packed with pop hits as past works have been, but it is still a competent collection of big tunes that will strike a chord with fans. It's packed with jaunty arrangements, self-reflective commentary and plenty of allusions to her private life and musically it touches on classic candy pop, trap influences and forlorn anthems, as well as some of the cartoon-ish styles she has been associated with since day one.

Review: During their 1994 Discovery tour, Pet Shop Boys made their first visit to Brazil, performing in front of a huge audience in Rio de Janeiro. A video of the performance was released on VHS the following year, but never an audio version. This three-disc set corrects this error, offering the whole show stretched across two CDs, plus a remastered version of the concert film on DVD. The whole thing is a treat for PSB fans, with sparkling, pumped-up and often dancefloor-friendly versions of tracks from their then quite fresh Very album being joined by familiar favourites of old, a surprise rendition of their Comic Relief single 'Absolutely Fabulous' (we'd forgotten they did that, too) and some cheeky covers of dance hits of the period ('Mr Vain', 'Rhythm of the Night').

Review: The brand new record from Pale Waves is a high speed pop record laced with punk influences and rock energy that heads into bold new territory. It has proven a big hit with the rock press and fans alike and finds the band expanding their sonic palette as they explore new ways to connect with their die-hard followers. The Manchester group do so with big nods to 2000's punk-pop and lots of power chords, radio-friendly grooves and big choruses for festival sing-alongs. It might not be new to a certain age of music lover but for the younger generation this is sure to be a liberating listen.

Review: The legacy and catalogue of Prince is one which continues to reveal surprises and swerves even this many years after his death. There are a lot of different phases to dig into, but if you want the exhaustive run through his breakout years, look no further than the Hits 1 and 2 collections. Put together by Warner in 1993, as their relationship with the famously strong-willed artist was going south, this pair of compilations feature every hit that matters from 1979 through to 1992. There are stone-cold classics and some deeper fan favourites and rarities included - so many in fact it has to be stretched over two separate volumes.

Review: The legacy and catalogue of Prince is one which continues to reveal surprises and swerves even this many years after his death. There are a lot of different phases to dig into, but if you want the exhaustive run through his breakout years, look no further than the Hits 1 and 2 collections. Put together by Warner in 1993, as their relationship with the famously strong-willed artist was going south, this pair of compilations feature every hit that matters from 1979 through to 1992. There are stone-cold classics and some deeper fan favourites and rarities included - so many in fact it has to be stretched over two separate volumes.

Review: Twelve Carat Toothache is the fourth studio album from multifaceted rap icon Post Malone. Aiming for a sound that both broadens his horizons and gives his fans a little uplift, Malone's contribution to the global tidal wave of pandemic-rooted LPs features Roddy Ricch, Doja Cat, Fleet Foxes, the Kid Laroi and the Weeknd. Digging into his confessional approach and teasing the possibilities of a pop-minded rap record on lead singles 'One Right Now', 'Cooped Up' and 'I Like You (A Happier Song)', Post Malone continues to evolve as an artist, leaving unique and compelling albums such as this one in his wake.

Review: Post Malone's Twelve Carat Toothache is said to be his 'sobering comedown.' It is the fourth album from the US rapper who is as well known for his face tattoos and various different aces as he is his work in the field of rap and hip hop. Here he gets more honest than ever with an intimate look at his life and plenty of shared struggles. Love and booze are big and reoccurring features - as are, however unlikely it may seem, the folk outfit Fleet Foxes who Post has cited as one of his musical heroes. In riding a middle ground between hip-hop and alt-pop, Malone strikes gold here.

Review: P!NK's latest comeback record 'Trustfall' comes to the obvious pink vinyl, thus turning the it-girl's unforgettable presence on the pop stage into a turntable-ready relic. The album leads the charge with 'Never Gonna Not Dance Again', a feel-good number with clean production and a confident charge against reticence in the dance (a post-COVID mood underlies the song too). Each song on this contemporary pop is more than suitable for blasting at festivals, enthusiastically putting on tube socks, or bowling down the street to on rollerskates. Anything remotely bombastic and colourful - that's P!NK's vibe.

Review: Apparently inspired by a request for a reissue of their first 'greatest hits' comp Discography on vinyl, Smash is a career-spanning retrospective that rounds up all of the Pet Shop Boys singles to date - and there have been rather a lot over the years - in freshly remastered form. Naturally, it's a beautifully presented box set, featuring six slabs of wax (each in bespoke inner sleeves) and a booklet containing track-by-track liner notes by the iconic duo and journalist pal Chris Heath. It contains some of the greatest pop music made over the last four decades, with familiar hits being joined by fan favourites and occasionally overlooked later cuts. Basically, if you love the Pet Shop Boys you need this in your life.

Review: Singer, pianist and composer Leila Pinheiro was one of the most eminent fixtures of the Brazilian MPB movement, and this reissue of her self-titled debut album from 1983 cements that legacy. Just 23 years old at the time of its release, Pinheiro's springboard to fame comes an expansive array of idyllic compositions, just as idyllic as the muted woodland hippie scene portrayed on its front cover. Soaring flute accompaniments and cinematic progressions push the album far beyond the usual gamut for MPB, and it's all brought together by Pinheiro's voice, which is as lackadaisical as it is wide-sounding; it veritably drips with emotion. The rarity of the original pressing might go some way prove its popular inclusion in lists of the most important albums in the genre, but we hope this Mad About reissue eschews that explanation for its blissful sound alone.

Review: In most cases, a World Of Hassle is certainly not something you want, but we're sure you'll make an exception for this debut solo album by Alan Palomo, best known as the leader of the synth-pop band Neon Indian. Thoroughly on-brand for Palomo, this surprise LP flaunts just ten swanky, funky vocal disco cuts, tinged with the legacy of glam and jazz, and glimmering with the overzealous egoism of history's most volcaninc rockstars. Alan's versatile voice and neon-strobed production skills remaining present as ever, though despite the throughlines, the album marks a departure from his previous work with Neon Indian, which was more experimental and lo-fi.

Review: Neon Indian main brain Alan Palomo returns under his own name for World Of Hassle, the latest full-length project and exploration of a completely different sound altogether. His first album under his own name, it's something of a departure from his previous synthpop/chillwave oeuvre, homing in on a brighter, kookier disco, funk, and house verve. Thematically, the album is adventurous and playful, having been inspired by Palomo's travels around the world, ups-and-downs in the music industry, and personal relationships.

Review: Desire I Want To Turn Into You is the latest career-redefining album from pin-up poptimist Caroline Polachek, swiftly moving on from the style of her prior opus Pang by treading into several completely new musical territories for the artist (albeit working with her same, favourite producers). This version of the album, along with the standard edition, comes as a unique metallic copper metal vinyl record.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Post Malone's Twelve Carat Toothache is said to be his 'sobering comedown.' It is the fourth album from the US rapper who is as well known for his face tattoos and various different aces as he is his work in the field of rap and hip hop. Here he gets more honest than ever with an intimate look at his life and plenty of shared struggles. Love and booze are big and reoccurring features - as are, however unlikely it may seem, the folk outfit Fleet Foxes who Post has cited as one of his musical heroes. In riding a middle ground between hip-hop and alt-pop, Malone strikes gold here.

Review: Following their illustrious return to form via the fantastic sixth full-length This Is Why at the start of 2023, pop-punk/rock phenomenon Paramore are to celebrate the tenth anniversary of their self-titled fourth LP with a tangerine double vinyl reissue (likely inspired by frontwoman Hayley Williams' iconic dye-job of choice). Originally released in 2013, rendering this decade celebration a tad late, the album was the first from the group following the departure of Josh and Zac Farro (with the latter eventually re-joining in 2016) and sonically marked their first turn away from their classification as emo-tinged pop-punks and towards the full scale powerpop powerhouse they would morphed into, with both the Grammy award-winning 'Ain't It Fun' and 'Still Into You' being certified double platinum since release.

Review: Fabiana Palladino's long-awaited debut album brings plenty of smooth and high gloss sound back to the fore. Following the end of a significant relationship, Palladino uses the album to delve into themes of love, loneliness, and relationship norms and in the process crafts a ten-track album that superbly blends r&b, soul, pop, and disco influences from the 80s and 90s with a contemporary twist. Self-produced and featuring collaborations with notable musicians like Jai Paul, Pino Palladino, Rocco Palladino, Steve Ferrone, and Rob Moose, the album is a classy journey through shapeshifting sonics and intimate introspection, marking a significant milestone in Palladino's musical journey.