Back catalogue: Rock (All)

Review: The Tele Music catalogue follows a long tradition of library music mores; stock patterned album art and themed series included. Originally from 1973, Rhythmiques functions as one of the label's most iconic releases. Written entirely in collaboration between French composer and percussionist Pierre Dahan and synthesist Mat Camison, it features tense funk, blunted jazz and heavy breaks all the way. It is considered the rightful sequel to Continental Pop Sound, and despite the origin as library music intended for TV and film, has endured as a vital album for producers and DJs.

Review: Madness are releasing a deluxe edition of their 13th studio album, Theatre of the Absurd presents C'est La Vie, which debuted as their first UK number one last year. This special reissue features five new tracks from the original sessions and seven unreleased live recordings from their recent tour. It also has a 12", one-sided Zoetrope vinyl record, two CDs and a flexi-disc, packaged in large format bookset. Interestingly, the Zoetrope vinyl doesn't feature the album, it hosts the five new tracks that offer fans something to get even more excited about.

Review: Norio Maeda's Rock Communication Yagibushi, originally released in Japan in 1970, now comes reissued on Wewantsounds. Rock Communication Yagibushi has since become a Japanese jazz-funk cornerstone, owing to its incredible, complex mutative movement of 14 traditional Japanese folk songs into jaw-dropping jazz-funk versions. Maeda's killer arrangements fit perfectly somewhere on the stylistic intersection of David Axelrod and Lalo Schifrin; the album likewise is increasingly experimental as it progresses, with the big band bombast of the likes of 'Saran Bushi' mixing seamlessly yet also contrastingly with the vibraphonic improv shakedown 'Edo Nihonbashi', our highlight.

Review: An intense exercise in duality, 'Know Your Enemy' was actually born as a mission by Manic Street Preachers to record two albums in quick succession. 'Solidarity' and 'Door To The River' were simultaneous early-noughties left and right brains, channelling completely different ideas in some ways, and the same ideas in others. Now, the compiled album gets a full restoration, and includes two previously unreleased tracks 'Rosebud' and 'Studies In Paralysis'.

Review: Larry Manteca's Zombie Mandingo album arrived back in 2013 and in the danced plus has only ever been available digitally. Now it makes its debut on wax and remains a bold listen that was devised as a soundtrack to a non-existent exploitation film. It fuses funk, jazz, and Afrobeat influences with plenty of niche cinematic references such as the zombies in Lucio Fulci's horrors and Umberto Lenzi's cannibalistic adventures. The resulting mash up is beguiling to say the least with horror-tinged exotica next to Fela Kuti rhythms and elements of Italian Library music and colourful psychedelia. A boundary pushing work to say the least.

Review: Laura Marling is back with her eighth studio album Patterns in Repeat. Now eight albums and 15 years into her career, Patterns in Repeat was written following the birth of her daughter in 2023 and finds Laura reflecting on her motherhood experience, as well as more broadly diving deeper into her reckoning with the ideas and behaviours we pass down through family over generations. Dedicated to girlhood, Marling's sense of perspective is noticeable here; we journey with her through the recognition of the 'Patterns' of life (having a child of our own causes us to remember all sorts) as well as the utterable reassurances, such as 'No One's Gonna Love You Like I Can'. Motivic throughout is the sense in which the experience of having children isn't communicable, because Marling herself is lost for words.

Review: Johnny Marr's solo debut of 2013, The Messenger showed him channelling his love for classic guitar rock through post-punk dynamics and a sense of urgency apparently abetted by his time spent in Modest Mouse and The Cribs. Keen to establish himself as an artist in his own right rather than a sideman, Payland builds on that album's impact, delivering an impressive salvo of sparky intensity; 'Easy Money' may well be the catchiest and most immediate thing he's committed to wax for decades, whilst elsewhere he brings a chilly frissante to proceedings, seemingly inherited from the like of Wire and Gary Numan. After thirty years of wrenching new inspiration from six strings, it can be a powerful tonic to know that this curiously youthful figurehead is still as restless and driven as ever.

Review: Following on from two previous EPs here in 2019 and 2022, Peter Matson now serves up a wonderful full-length on the storied Bastard Jazz. Hotel PM is a psychedelic exploration of disco and modern electronica from the Brooklyn-based musician and co-leader of Underground System. His signature attention to detail, songwriting and world-class musicianship all shine through next to collaborations with the likes of Pahua, Kendra Morris, Toribio, Phenomenal Handclap Band, Sly5thAve and members of The Rapture, Ibibio Sound Machine and Poolside. Between them, they delve into themes of time, memory and disenchantment with modern technology with a mix of lush strings, tight brass and analogue synth basslines. It's a journey of dance floor delight and more introspective moments with plenty of catchy hooks and retro-future charms.

Review: The Mausovic Dance Band may be based in Amsterdam but their music comes from an utterly unique and distant world. Their madcap sounds are driven by elastic rhythms with potent dub sorcery as the five-pice outfit draws on global music traditions and adds in their own synth styles and forward-facing dance floor dynamics. The new album Buckaroo Bank brings an industrial, post-punk feel with proto-electronic explorations all couched in, of course, dub. It's a captivating listen, make no mistake.

Review: Lizzy McAlpine's third studio album, Older, is a poignant and emotionally charged collection of fourteen tracks that showcase her remarkable talent as a songwriter and vocalist. Delving into themes of love, loss, and the complexities of growing older, McAlpine's heartfelt lyrics and captivating vocals resonate deeply with listeners. The album opens with the enchanting 'The Elevator,' setting the tone for what's to come with its harmonious melodies and introspective lyrics. From there, McAlpine navigates through the highs and lows of relationships in tracks like 'Come Down Soon' and 'Like It Tends To Do,' where she grapples with insecurity and uncertainty. Throughout Older, McAlpine's songwriting prowess shines as she candidly explores her personal experiences, including the death of her father and her own struggles with mental health. Tracks like 'All Falls Down' and 'March' offer poignant reflections on grief and resilience, while 'Vortex' delivers a powerful climax with its haunting vocals and stirring instrumentation. With each track, McAlpine expertly crafts a sonic landscape that draws listeners in, weaving together lush instrumentals with her emotive voice. From the tender piano chords to the soaring violins, every element of Older feels purposeful and deeply evocative.

Review: Now seven albums into a career as a celebrated yet understated singer-songwriter, Cass McCombs occupies a unique promontory - his music remains possessed of a uniquely laid-back charm, influenced by West Coast rock and funk and topped off by his easy-going falsetto, yet his lyrics bite hard, essaying the iniquities and inequalities of the modern era with pithy panache and even earning him comparisons to Samuel Beckett in the process. 'Mangy Love' is the clearest articulation of this dichotomy to date, so it's no surprise that it's also his darkest, most compelling and ambitious to date - the sound of a modern maverick comfortable with his own paradoxes, if not those of the wider world.

Review: Mermaid Chunky are the logical result of the creative partnership of Freya and Moina, two visual artists and musicians from Stroud and South London each. Having shuttled between each locale for inordinate stretches of time, their latest record - the whimsically Christened slif slaf slof - nonetheless bridges these local poles. A breezy homage to the duo's shared ideal excesses - an interest in fantasy folk, costume, absurdist nature, surrealist scatting - the likes of 'Ceili', 'Tiny Gymnast' and 'Chaperone' are liable to solicit all manner of reactions in the listener, from on-the-spot bouncing to full-frontal gyrating. A sorely difficult to place record, merging motifs of indie, freak folk, and a decidedly DFA experimentalism.

Review: Electric life-givers, MGMT, return for their fifth album Loss Of Life. Shockingly, it's been six years since 2018's Little Dark Age, in which the duo proved their capacity to evolve beyond the pale of their earliest electro-pop singles. Here, they adapt even further, enlisting the help of a well-selected cast of familiar faces - Christine & The Queens, Danger Mouse, Dave Fridmann, James Richardson, Oneohtrix Point Never, and Patrick Wimberly - all while declaring the project to be the yield of a calculated fusion: "20% adult contemporary" plus an unspecified amount of hero's journey subversion. From the standout single 'Dancing In Babylon' through to more esoteric twin sonic flames like 'Nothing To Declare' and 'Nothing Changes', this feels like an album dedicated to lost causes, overobsession with singular life trajectories, and moving through hard times.

Review: The second release from Want Some Records features the first album by The Mighty Cavaliers from Kenya. Though not released in its original sequence, this album is a stunning showcase of Kenyan funk-inspired music. Each band member contributed to the songwriting process during the making of the album which means it has resulted in a diverse and unique collection of tracks where each has its own distinct character. Originally released in 1976 and 1978 as Fisherman, this masterpiece is now being reissued for the third time in a very limited edition of 500 copies with a fresh cover design. It's an enduring favourite so don't sleep on this latest chance to cop it.

Review: Laurel Hell is a superb statement of intent from Mitski which confirms the artist is in a place of real power. Her talents work alchemic charms on listeners from the off despite being couched, ostensibly, in pop music. It features her channelling plenty of personal life experiences into cathartic music with which we can all connect. I wrote what I needed to hear," Mitski has explained o the album which follows up her availed last LP, Be The Cowboy, itself building on her breakout debut Puberty 2 in 2006. This one proves she remains a vital talent.

Review: This reissue brings The Modern Lovers' eponymous debut album back to life, a record that captured the raw energy and poetic spirit of the burgeoning American punk scene at its earliest inception. Originally released in 1976, the album features a collection of iconic tracks, including the anthemic 'Roadrunner' - subsequently covered by everyone from the Sex Pistols to Sleaford Mods and Iggy Pop - the introspective 'Astral Plane', and the quirky ode to 'Pablo Picasso'. Raw and yet sophisticated, with influences ranging from the Velvet Underground to garage rock, this is a real treat.

Review: Ask yourselves not whether Mogwai are just the tonic we all need in the middle of a particularly psychologically damaging pandemic. Instead, ask yourselves if there are any situations in which we don't need a new record from the Scottish space rock, post-rock, math-prog masters. Needless to say, then, As The Love Continues couldn't have arrived soon enough.

Marking the triumphant tenth LP, in many ways it's typical stuff from the band - commanding, epic, crashing, wooshing, flying, falling, loving, losing, dreamy guitar music that seems to open as many eyes as it does render listeners blind through sheer hypnosis. Packing some delightfully droll track titles to boot - for example 'F**k Off Money' - given most of us spent a good deal of time after the announcement last year wishing this would get here sooner it's our pleasure to confirm it's every bit worth the wait.

Review: Whilst Mogwai's scores for Zidane and Les Revenants were diverting enough pieces of work, it's some testimony to the frontier-striding attitude and emotional heft of 'Atomic' - which marks a soundtrack to the movie made by Mark Cousins and shown on BBC4 last year, dealing with the atomic age - that is stands amongst their very best work, Expanding the band's palette to include Kraftwerk-esque electronica and emotive orchestration alongside their trademark six-string melancholy. these powerful and resonant pieces pack a mighty punch, summoning awe and fear in equal, elegiac and singularly appropriate measure.

Review: You Never End, the third album from Moin (Valentina Magaletti, Tom Halstead, and Joe Andrews), released via AD 93, marks a new chapter for the band. The album features vocal contributions from Olan Monk, james K, Coby Sey, and Sophia Al-Maria, each bringing their distinct, enigmatic voices into Moin's evolving sound. The collaborators add layers of allure and depth: james K's ethereal, reverb-heavy vocals, Coby Sey's rhythmic reflections of London's urban landscape, and Olan Monk's emotionally charged songwriting. Sophia Al-Maria's contributions reflect her multidisciplinary artistry, seamlessly blending into Moin's sonic universe while expanding its possibilities. Moin continues to challenge the conventional band structure, using a mix of traditional and innovative production techniques. You Never End subtly redefines the boundaries of grunge, shoegaze, and indie rock, imbuing them with a melancholic yet comforting tone. The vocal collaborations bring clarity and emotion, maintaining Moin's signature sound while enhancing it with electronic elements. The result is an album that feels both familiar and refreshingly new, resonating with textural richness and emotional depth.

Review: Belarusian post-punk and synth-pop group Molchat Doma have always reflected a brutalist aesthetic in their music which has been marked by cold, grey, and industrial tones. Following their 2020 breakthrough, the trio faced significant changes from leaving Minsk to headlining global shows. Settling in Los Angeles, they crafted their fourth album, Belaya Polosa, which symbolises transformation during tough times and celebrates the digital pulse of the 90s. The album combines sombre dance floor anthems with vibrant reinventions and tracks like 'Ty Zhe Ne Znaesh' Kto Ya,' 'Son,' and 'Belaya Polosa' showcase how they have moved their sound along to blend post-punk, synth textures, and melodic sophistication while maintaining their distinctive minimalist style.

Review: Monaco's debut album Music For Pleasure presents a mix of catchy tunes and pulsating dance tracks. Tracks like 'What Do You Want From Me?', 'Sweet Lips', 'Happy Jack', and 'Blue' shine musically amd remind you of the classy New Order tracks they are inspired by. The album's dual personality, oscillating between indie rock and dance tracks, creates a busy listening experience where you get a lot of both for the enjoyment. Notably, the hit single 'What Do You Want From Me?' stands out as a highlight. Overall, Music For Pleasure offers many moments and for those that missed this the first time back in 1997, this nicely packaged design makes it the version to get.

Review: Deerhunter co-founder and drummer Moses Archuleta works solo under the Moon Diagrams alias and here he impresses once more with a second album, Cemetery Classics. This 12-track release is a collaboration between Sonic Cathedral and Angus Andrew's new label No Gold adn it has been mixed by Simian Mobile Disco man James Ford. Guests like Anastasia Coope, Patrick Flegel and Josh Diamond from Gang Gang Dance all feature on what is Archuleta's first new music since 2019's Trappy Bats mini-album. The album spans several genres, as you would expect, from Basinski-esque degradation on 'Neptune' to industrial noise on 'Listen To Me,' with postmodern pop, trip-hop, shoegaze, and more. The man himself calls it a "graveyard disc" of songs for the afterlife.

Review: Steve Moore's Cursed Objects is a thrilling return to the library music realm, presenting a masterful blend of prog-synth-wave with chamber and symphonic elements. Released on the limited-edition Fold label, this album is a feast for fans of epic electronic explorations as Moore, known for his work with Zombi, Miracle, and Titan, delivers a captivating solo effort under his own name. The LP opens with 'The Uninvited One,' where serene arpeggiated synths intertwine with sweeping strings and plucked harp, creating a mystical atmosphere. The title track escalates into dark, brooding territory with a blend of synths, piano, and strings. 'Evolutionary Steps' showcases epic synthwave with expansive strings and driving rhythms, while 'The Icarus Feather' and 'Daily Affirmations' offer cinematic and meditative textures, respectively. Side-2 begins with 'Mesmer's Bauble,' a track imbued with introspective dread, followed by 'Quiet Springs,' which builds to a hopeful and panoramic scope. 'Festival Of Samhain' delivers a slow, desolate piano melody layered with dark synths, and 'The Icarus Feather (Revisited)' revisits epic synthwave themes. The album concludes with 'Shard Of Medusa,' combining a dark piano melody with harp and strings for a suspenseful finale. Featuring Steve's signature Prophet 6, Moog Minitaur, and Korg Polysix, and with a cover by Chris Stevenson, Cursed Objects is a standout in the library music genre, meticulously mastered and pressed for optimal enjoyment.

Review: Thurston Moore's ninth solo album, Flow Critical Lucidity, showcases his eclectic artistry with a blend of European and UK influences. Released under Daydream Library Series, the album draws lyrical inspiration from nature, lucid dreaming, and modern dance, evoking a vibrant, introspective journey. Recorded at Total Refreshment Studios in London and mixed at Hermitage Studios, the album features the single 'Sans Limites,' whose title phrase lends itself to the album's thematic depth. The cover art, 'Samurai Walkman' by Jamie Nares, complements Moore's avant-garde style, reflecting a longstanding artistic partnership rooted in New York's No Wave movement.

Review: Over the course of his long and successful career, Ennio Morricone composed many dance songs in step with the fashions of the late 60s and early 70s. These were themes not necessarily directly connected with his films' synopses, but which were nonetheless played in disco clubs, on jukeboxes, turntables and on the radio. This collection contains a selection of pieces such as the brilliant main theme from Grand Slam (1967); the shake rock (opening credits) from Dario Argento's classic Four Flies On Grey Velvet (1971) the danceable from the noir film Violent City (1970); the beat version of the opening credits of 'Pioggia Sul Tuo Viso' by the Sorrows, from How I Learned to Love Women (1966); 'Per Vittorio (Bossa)', an elegant bossa nova with flute and percussions from The Success (1963); the tribal shake from I Cantori Moderni, which winks at the dies irae from Garden of Delights (1967); 'Scuola di Ballo al sole', a wild surf piece from the Hawks and the Sparrows (1966); the supreme bossa nova from One Night at Dinner (1969) with the super iconic voice of Edda Dell'orso; the shake music of "'Ostinazione al Limone from What Have you Done to Solange? (1972); and 'Donnabossa' from Full Hearts and Empty Pockets (1964), a delicate bossa nova piece with a prominent harpsichord.

Review: Morrissey's live album, Beethoven Was Deaf, originally released in 1993, has been remastered at Abbey Road Studios and is set for reissue. Recorded during the Your Arsenal tour in Paris in 1993, the album captures Morrissey at his best, performing large chunks from that album - the likes of 'Glamorous Glue' and 'Certain People I Know' noticeably inspired by glam rock - alongside favourites like 'Suedehead' and 'Everyday is Like Sunday' and other classics from the earliest phase of what turned out to be a lengthy solo career. The remastering promises to enhance the listening experience, offering fans a chance to rediscover one of his more vibrant and expressive live performances.

Review: Morrissey's Beethoven Was Deaf gets a 30th-anniversary reissue, remastered at Abbey Road Studios and available on various formats, including orange vinyl version. Originally released in 1993, this live album captures Morrissey's performance at the Paris Zenith on December 22, 1992, during the Your Arsenal tour. eethoven Was Deaf includes a robust tracklisting of 16 songs, blending hits and fan favourites, with highlights including a searing rendition of 'November Spawned a Monster,' Your Arsenal album cuts like 'You're the One for Me, Fatty' and 'The National Front Disco', and the enduring 'Suedehead', his debut solo single. The remastered edition features updated artwork by Morrissey himself.

Review: Daffodils & Dirt, the debut album by Samantha Morton and Richard Russell, is a brooding and poetic exploration of Morton's troubled past and raw emotional experiences. With Russell's production prowess, the duo creates an unsettling yet captivating musical landscape that delves into themes of resilience and vulnerability. Morton's haunting vocals, coupled with Russell's sparse yet evocative soundscapes, transport listeners into the depths of her teenage years, where she grappled with homelessness and instability. The album's collaborations with artists like Jack Penate, Laura Groves, and Ali Campbell add unexpected layers of depth and beauty to the already compelling narrative. The album is a mesmerising blend of haunting melodies and raw emotion, inviting listeners to journey alongside Morton as she navigates the complexities of her past.

Review: Mount Kimbie's The Sunset Violent offers a deeply evocative, unsettling exploration of emotional dissonance. Opening with the single 'Dumb Guitar', the album vividly portrays a couple grappling with their fractured relationship amidst the beauty of a fictional Chinese beach resort. Andrea Balency-Bearn's serene vocals juxtapose against lyrics of personal turmoil, while buzzy synths, discordant pianos and overdriven guitars evoke an atmosphere of tension and heartbreak. Mount Kimbie, led by Dom Maker and Kai Campos, have expanded their lineup, adding Balency-Bearn and Marc Pell, crafting a post-punk sound with corroded guitars and skeletal drums. Their sonic evolution from their earlier work culminates here, drawing from influences like Sonic Youth and The Fall, while frequent collaborator King Krule contributes to the melancholic undercurrent. Recorded in California's surreal Yucca Valley and pressed on translucent petrol blue vinyl, this album mirrors the desolation and hope of the landscape. Tracks like 'Yukka Tree' and 'Fishbrain' dive into themes of isolation and disconnection, balancing dark tones with flashes of light. With The Sunset Violent, Mount Kimbie stretch their horizons, blending post-punk, dub, and indie influences into a compelling emotional journey.

Review: Movietone are a Bristolian band from the late 1990s to early 2000s whose music aimed to bridge the conceptual gap between film and sound, mainly through the sonic medium of shoegaze and the visual medium, of, well, not-so-visual lyrical references to film. That being said, this new reissue from ultimate curators World Of Echo hears their debut album receive a full restoration, bolstering memories of their rise in the late 90s as a secondary school shed band and on into a full-blown powerhouse. With nods to every influence from beat poets to Galaxie 500, Movietone is and are an intellectual's darling of post-rock and indie.

Review: Fearsome garage rock / grunge punk foursome Mudhoney, active since the late 1980s, juxtapose their latest record Plastic Eternity - which laments the plight of humanity - with a complementary reissue of their breakout debut record, which documents the relatively carefree mode that defined them from their early days onwards. The indie quad squad - made up of vocalist Mark Arm, guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison, and drummer Dan Peters - are best known for their crusted sludge-punk sound, and this reissue is a working reminder of this fact, one that landed them squarely in deathless annals of grunge history; many of the tracks on Mudhoney, especially the Blue Cheer cover 'Magnolia Caboose Babyshit', are considered pioneering of the later mainstream sound. The record is sickeningly fast, shreddy and road-hardened, but a closer listen, especially to the mixes thereon, hears it also house an early stirring of the purply/neon sonic haze that would also go on to define the indie pop music emergent shortly after that time.

Review: The second album by British alt-rockers the Mysterines, Afraid of Tomorrows, is the sophomore grunge outing by the Merseyside band, formed of Lia Metcalfe, George Favager, Callum Thompson and Paul Crilly. Inspired in part by the legendary New York music and arts scene documentary film Meet Me In The Bathroom - in which legendary performances by the likes of LCD Soundsystem, The Strokes, Interpol and Yeah Yeah Yeahs feature - Afraid of Tomorrows is edgy and cuspy to match, thematically reflecting on the changing face of music and the structures that house its promotion in the modern day. Building on lead singl 'Stray' and following their debut record, the band reflect on increasingly relevant themes of anxiety and paranoia, not to mention being led astray by moments of vulnerability, which pair well with the stern and minimally driving sonics heard throughout.

Review: A new bedroom pop outfit, Mystery Time (Ayman Rostom aka. The Maghreban) paints a neatly outlaid sound-picture of quotidian lifestyles and humdrum joys, perhaps specifically those which are used to tape over the harder but more pronely repressible realities of grief and mourning. From the off of 'Thank You Deeply', we're told of "salad days in Archway" and being "on the phone in doorways", suggesting an attitude of listlessness and naivete as key to surviving the otherwise often excruciating experience of living in London. Its self-description as "maudlin" serves it just as well; the record wafts off a kind of haunted contradiction, describable only as the impossible mixture of post-punk and floral chintz, of wallpapering over the ability to feel fully and holistically with yet another lifestyle, pattern, habit, prescription. In Rostom's own words, "The title speaks for itself. Maudlin means emotionally sentimental. Tales, these songs are stories to me, about different times. Grief - there is much sadness and darkness in it, and Love - there is some light there too, a bit of joy, to frame the shadow." Rostom's vocals are just as listless and blinkered, tunnel-sung so as to express emotions through a drab medium.