Back catalogue: Rock (All)

Review: Having played a slew of inimitable and unforgettable television comedy characters over the past decade or so, from Toast of London's Stephen Toast to Douglas Reynholm in The IT Crowd, Dixon Bainbridge in The Mighty Boosh and Todd Rivers in Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, you could be forgiven for expecting Matt Berry to use songwriting and music as another form of hilarious release. That's definitely not the case. There's plenty of release on I Gotta Limit, but this is anything other than satire. The first new music to come from Berry's 2025 album, Heard Noises, the two tracks here are pure joy, authentic and genuinely impressive on a technical level. Exchanging lines in a duet with Kitty Liv for the titular number, the vibe is part Northern Soul, part psych rock, and pretty much all completely captivating.

Review: While reappraisal and retrospect have given The Kinks' 1968 LP, The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society, a well-deserved boost in the court of public opinion, which now rates the record among the finest of its decade, from any band, anywhere, this wasn't always the case. Originally released to a rather subdued reception, sales started poorly and went downhill from there. Some blame has been levelled at Ray Davies, who refused to allow any singles to be released in the UK or US and steered his band away from publicity events to promote the long player. They did, however, perform live on folk singer Julie Felix's Saturday night BBC TV programme, to rapturous applause. Both the songs they sang, and the audience response, are featured on this rare EP.

Review: Few stadiums involve the same level of America-ness as Fenway Park. Home to the Boston Red Sox, whether or not you believe baseball to be pointless and mundane, the fast food equivalent of cricket which is, somehow, also a slow cooked nothing, it's impossible not to appreciate just how much atmosphere there is in heritage sports arenas, and how much these places mean to the town that built them. For anyone to perform a concert at Fenway, then, is a privilege that betrays status. So does the deafening noise of tens of thousands singing along to the anthems on this Noah Kahan tour recording. Born in Vermont, but with strong family ties to the Boston area, the roaring and soaring folk-pop hitmaker - whose roots are as much in rock & roll as country and bluegrass - is quite simply commanding, even heard via the replay medium of vinyl or CD. Something to remember next time you consider tickets to see him in the flesh.

Review: Percussionist and singer-songwriter Mami Kakudo returns with her latest album, Contact. A graduate of Tokyo University of the Arts' Department of Instrumental Music, Kakudo has gained recognition in Japan and internationally for her expressive use of marimba, percussion, voice and music boxes. Four years after her debut album, Oar (featuring covers of Maki Asakawa's 'My Friday' and Fishmans' 'Ikkareta Baby'), Contact showcases her signature sound again here in all its glory. Recorded with a talented ensemble-including Mugi Furukawa on guitar, Akita Goldman on bass, Wataru Mitsunaga on drums, and Yumiko Iwao on cello-Contact highlights Kakudo's ethereal voice, poetic lyrics and whimsical arrangements.

Review: No prizes for guessing the kind of sonic avenues we're invited to explore here. Less obvious is the fact Kandodo is actually Simon Price, a name many psych lovers will recognise from British heavyweights The Heads - a group that have spent the last few decades bending minds to their will, or at least sound, and opening up third ears with far reaching cosmic tones. Here you can expect similar wormholes to open, but dark matter reigns supreme. Introverted to the point of collapsing in on itself, Theendisinpsyche feels sludgy, deep, heavy and all the things that make us look down and then inside ourselves. With the B-side taken up by 22-minute long epic, 'Swim Into The Sun', you should hopefully know just how intense and inescapable things get - which should only ever be taken as a strong recommendation from us.

Review: This marks the first re-press since the 2019 release of Lux Prima, which is the critically acclaimed album by Yeah Yeah Yeahs' lead vocalist Karen O and renowned producer Danger Mouse. Hailed as a "dreamy and poignant collaboration" back then, the album featured the single 'Woman' which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance and a Spike Jonze-directed performance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The reissue includes original artwork and a 16-page booklet highlighting their interactive exhibition, An Encounter with Lux Prima, which featured a 360-degree soundscape mixed at Skywalker Ranch.

Review: Kartell's debut album Everything Is Here melds French electronic accessibility with r&b and disco grooves while also drawing on prog rock's esoteric elements and introspective psychedelia. Nostalgic yet forward-looking, it expands on his EPs with dream pop aesthetics and the futuristic allure of the 60s and 70s. Space rock's nebulous textures and ethereal sounds permeate throughout as tracks are anchored by minor-key grooves. The dense, cinematic production weaves a vivid tapestry, integrating live bass, drums, and guitars amid hazy effects and synths to leave you lost in sound.

Review: French electronic duo KaS Product were proper enigmas. Their first decade of activity, from 1980 to 1990, was marked by carving out their own niche within a fertile and noisy corner of music close to punk, early cold and minimal wave, and indie-electro. Compared by some to Kaleidoscope-era Siouxsie and The Banshees, Soft Cell and Suicide, it's no stretch to say that without this pair -the late Spatsz (Daniel Favre) and Mona Soyoc - the likes of Prinzhorn Dance School would sound different. By Pass was up there with their finest hours and most defining creations. Arriving in 1983, it's packed with a kind of dark, back-room-of-a-dive bar venue edge that is at once anarchistic, surreal, and beautiful. 'Tina Town', for example, will raise the hair on the back of your neck, 'W Infatuation' seems to belong in some batshit Broadway musical, 'Mingled & Tingled' is all about groove and seduction. Excellent all round.

Review: It's safe to say Happenings is the least Kasabian sounding record we've ever had, although realising that makes you start to wonder what Kasabian ever really sounded like. Experts at hybridity, they've built an enviable reputation - and huge following - from mixing a kind of lager indie rock with more experimental elements, nodding to synth, post punk, electronica, even nu rave at times. But we can't think of many times they've come as close to sugar-coated MGMT territory as on 'Darkest Lullaby', the second track on this latest outing. Things don't stay there, though. 'GOAT' is a strange mash up of grit and candy floss with guitars and keys blazing, 'Passengers' threatens to take flight with its soaring (and decidedly sing-along) pop chorus, 'The Hell Of It' introduces growing bass music tones, 'How Far Will You Go' approaches a kind of jump up nu-metal.

Review: It's been almost 15 years since Kasabian were awarded the Q Awards 'Best Act in the World Today', and 27 years since the Leicester lads first got together. Rising to fame through their riotous version of boisterous indie rock, informed by electronica as much as Britpop's ferocity, we always knew they would eventually soften and become less swagger-ish, a transition that seems to be in full effect on Happenings, their second record without the presence of lead singer Tom Meighan. Their poppiest effort to date is still powerful stuff - there are choruses and chords here big enough to fill six Wembley Arenas, and other mammoth venues they've packed with lager-throwing disciples. More than enough to keep the old guard onside, Happenings also has plenty to win over new followers befitting the band's new era.

Review: Originally released in 2009 and celebrating its 15th anniversary with this half-speed remaster on lush red marbled vinyl, Night Is The New Day serves as a genre-bending meander through progressive Scandinavian metallic sonics whilst pulling on elements of gloomy doom rock and synth-laden coldwave. Often spoken in the same breath and with equal credence paid to the likes of Opeth, Ulver and Porcupine Tree, the album is a work of sublime, depressive beauty with ever-shifting pieces like the bombastic-turned-mercurial 'Forsaker' offset by the post-folk vulnerability of 'Idle Blood', leading many to consider the eighth full-length in the Katatonia catalogue to be the finest summation of their expansive vision. The work would also notably be the last to feature the Norrman brothers handling rhythm guitar and bass duties.

Review: Returning with their highly anticipated follow up to 2019's Atonement, while marking the sixth overall full-length to feature original vocalist Jesse Leach (who re-joined following the departure of his initial replacement Howard Jones for 2013's Disarm The Descent), the ninth album from melodic metalcore heavyweights Killswitch Engage serves as a triumphant victory lap of their sonic saga thus far. Self-proclaimed to be their most collaborative endeavour to date, the seasoned veterans deftly balance their complex, chugging anthemics and pioneering lead lines of the incomparable Adam Dutkiewicz with saccharine hooks and earnest bombast, while Leech's frenetic switching from gravel-throated shouts to vulnerable clarity add poignancy to cuts such as the triumphant lead single 'This Consequence' tackling "everything the past five years has thrown at us as a band, as humans, and society as a whole". Be prepared for a glorious return to form from one of the genre's most integral foundation builders..

Review: King Pari is an LA-via-Minneapolis duo who creatively blend influences from Prince and psychedelic dub into a new sound they have described as "bedroom funk." Their infectious lo-fi tracks are rich in emotion and brimming with funky grooves so make for a catchy listen. This group actually picked up props from Prince himself before the late Purple genius passed in 2016 and since then jazz innovator Kamasi Washington has also annoyed himself as a fan. This full length is only sure to win the pair ever more accolades for this new take on classic funk.

Review: This Record Store Day special for 2024 is an unreleased live recording of the legendary BB King, captured by the French Radio and Television Office on October 7, 1977. It is a full-length concert with an electric vibe that allows a superb glimpse into the great blues singer-guitarist's powerful working band of the era. If you think you know the man's sound, this might well open your ears to some new perspectives. Released by Zev Feldman's Deep Digs label it comes with a set of rare photos by Thierry Trombert, Val Wilmer, and Jan Persson, plus some excellent liner notes by French author Jean Buzeline.

Review: Originally released in 1996, Ear Candy would serve as the sixth full-length from often unfairly slept on progressive metal-oriented hard rock titans King's X. Following on from the commercial success of their 1994 predecessor Dogman, the album would be the band's last for Atlantic Records as it failed to hit the same numbers, yet that blessing in disguise would eventually give them a new lease on life with Metal Blade. Long out of print, the wonderful people over at Music On Vinyl have given the record its overdue flowers with their reliable numbered 180-gram audiophile treatment on lush purple wax, restoring the highly technical yet accessible fluidity of bangers such as 'Sometime' and 'Picture', with the latter being an updated version complete with new lyrics of an older cut titled 'The Door' originally written under their previous moniker Sneak Preview, while 'A Box' features guest vocals by Glen Phillips of California jangly alt rockers Toad The Wet Sprocket.

Review: Erland Oye and Eirik Grambek Boe have a lengthy history together. Long before they formed Kings of Convenience the pair were in the same class at school, writing comedic raps about their teacher then founding Skog ("forest"), their first joint stab at 'serious' music. Today, the duo have a string of gold and silver certified albums behind them. This is one. Originally released in 2009, 15 years on Declaration of Dependence still sounds as calmly breathtaking as it did back then. Quiet, soft, gentile, yet anything but twee, the sound straddles the line between indie pop and indie folk, and also represented the start of a new era in music distribution - getting its initial release as an exclusive for subscribers of a certain streaming platform, but that's another story.

Review: Nashville based bad haircut sporting, southern-tinged indie rock darlings Kings Of Leon were met with immediate acclaim and hyperbolic levels of high praise across their initial three-album run, yet when 2008's Only By The Night, and to a more specific extent, the 'Sex On Fire' phenomenon transpired, the same hipsters who one summer prior were burning everyone's ears off with endless recommendation were now lambasting the group for their expansive success. This shift in perception was clearly felt internally, as the next decade of output would suffer from aimlessness and a clear lack of spark, until timid signs of reignition would appear on 2021's When You See Yourself, which in retrospect, now seems to have been a sonic toe-dip back into folk-driven, neo-Americana while boasting enough wit and self-awareness to still appeal to their more mainstream followers. Going one further, Can We Please Have Fun feels like a plead to themselves and their core devout fanbase to return to a time before 'Use Somebody' was in every TV advert, when Kings Of Leon were a cheeky, bluesy batch of enigmatic rockers with questionable haircuts and charming southern drawls. They might still look like pop megastars nowadays, but on their ninth full-length, the Followills sound more self-assured, and joyous as ever.

Review: Now 21 years into a hugely successful career, you'd forgive Kings of Leon for resting on their laurels. That they've not done that with Can We Have Fun, their ninth studio album. Instead of dialling in alt-rock-tinged American rock anthems - their stock-in-trade - they've instead delivered a set that's as spiky, unpredictable and infectious as their earliest work, while also making space for moodier, slower and more atmospheric songs. So, on one hand you have recent single 'Mustang', an infectious slab of garage-rock funkiness, and the weighty Foo Fighters riffs and booming bass of 'Nothing To Do'; on the other the slow-motion beats, effects-laden ambient textures, soft-burn guitar solos and dreamy sonics of 'Split Screen' and the country-goes-indie flex of 'Actual Daydream'.

Review: Kentucky metallic hardcore heroes and now with the release of 2024's You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To, easily the heaviest and most abrasive act to ever be nominated for a Grammy, Knocked Loose have been on a remarkable upward trajectory over the past half-decade thanks primarily to 2019's sophomore declaration of venomous intent A Different Shade Of Blue. Building off the beatdown blueprint of their 2016 debut Laugh Tracks, their sophomore follow-up dialled the controlled chaos up to maximalist levels with more frenetic compositions, bowl-rupturing breakdowns and a haunting atmosphere reminiscent of modern arthouse horror cinema, with internet circles dubbing their style as "A24-core", inspired by the film production house of the same name. Led by the despairing, throat-shredding howls of vocalist Bryan Garris and his macabre, esoteric lyricism that makes cuts such as 'Trapped In The Grasp Of A Memory', 'Mistakes Like Fractures' and 'And Still I Wander South' so simultaneously poetic yet anxiety-inducing, their underdog success story seems so unlikely and bizarre. From performing at Coachella to appearing as the live act on The Jimmy Kimmel Show, the shape of punk to come is here and more uncompromising than normies could have ever expected. At six years old, revisiting their second full-length serves as a reminder that they've always been this mean and unwilling to accommodate for more delicate sensibilities.

Review: Izumi Kobayashi's fourth ambient solo album, Ik I, was produced by German visionary Holger Hiller and is now getting a long-awaited reissue. Originally released in a rare Netherlands-only pressing after Kobayashi's move to the UK in 1989, this album captures her unique blend of ambient soundscapes with Hiller's innovative production techniques. It's a real hidden gem of atmospheric music and intriguing Eastern Melody, dainty string patterns and exotic percussive sounds that celebrate Kobayashi's groundbreaking work and are sure to connect with a whole new generation of fans.

Review: Transporting us to a waking dream of Los Angeles, two enigmatic music makers from the City of (Fallen) Angels present a truly stunning journey into hazy half-memories, afternoon fantasies, borrowed recollections and thoughts of things yet to happen. In many ways, Salt & Sugar Look The Same feels incomplete; tracks, half-tracks, movements, bits and pieces feel like our minds often work. Was that what we think it was? Did this happen? According to the official release burb, these 18 brief but beautiful compositions combine finger-plucked guitar work, the lens flare of electronica, and warped samples to create a take on the American primitivism music movement. The result is something that transcends boundaries of sound, time and place, and exists in a world of its own creation.

Review: Japanese singer-songwriter Junko Kudo has released just two solo albums and one EP but has many more credits having built up a reputation for her vocals on the works of others including greats like Mimori Yusa amongst others. Her debut full-length Akaneiro No Carnival gets reissued here with an insert and obi-strip 40 years after it first arrived. It features Tetsuya Komuro and Daisuke Hyuga working on the arrangements and performance and is a delightful pop gem with hints of wave and synth-pop all drawing you in while the ephemeral whispering vocals from Kudo blend with melancholic melodies and wistful chords.