Back catalogue: Rock (All)

Review: Michael Grigoni and Pan•American's latest collaboration is a series of contemplative reflections on the isolation, fractures and uncertainties that define today's world. The album delves into the emotional landscape shaped by political divisions, personal solitude, and the lingering aftereffects of the pandemic. Through its fusion of folk, country, bluegrass, and blues elements, paired with a modern, ambient atmosphere, the sound is both rooted in tradition and forward-looking. Tracks like 'Sun Morning Sun' and 'Silver Streams' carry a sense of quiet introspection, while 'Black River Song' and 'Mirage/Afternoon' showcase the duo's ability to merge organic instrumentation with spacious, textured soundscapes. The album's exploration of personal and collective experience creates a reflective space, asking listeners to pause and engage with the complexities of modern life. A musical journey that speaks to the heart of the American experience, offering an emotional response to an uncertain future.

Review: The chemistry between Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes, caught here live in AL in 1999, produces a dynamic performance that brings fresh life to classic rock anthems. Tracks like 'Celebration Day' and 'What Is & What Should Never Be' are delivered with incredible precision, each riff from Page cutting through the mix, while the Crowes' rhythm section provides a perfect backdrop. Chris Robinson's vocals are raw and commanding, particularly on 'Heartbreaker,' where he channels the energy of the original while adding his own emotive twist. The blues covers, like 'Sloppy Drunk' and 'Mellow Down Easy,' show off the band's versatility, giving a loose, electric vibe that contrasts beautifully with the more structured Zeppelin classics. A live performance that captures both the spirit of the originals and the fire of the setting.

Review: The Pambele band's debut album blends Afro-Colombian influences taken from their shared heritage with the vivid sounds of 60s psychedelic rock. It's a work rich in "Caribbean creolisation" with traditional Colombian percussion, joyful, rhythmic vocals and intricate guitar melodies all underpinned with wild organ tones. This powerful cross-fertilisation creates a transatlantic but also distinctly Caribbean sound that draws you into a world of exuberant musical atmosphere. The tunes often get you into a trance-like state while combining raw improvisation and dancey rhythms. It's an authentic escape to a very distant part of the world but one with a universal sense of rhythm that cannot be escaped.

Review: Perila returns with a reflective spiritual successor to her 2022 album that comes on Vaagner's sister label A Sunken Mall. The album takes in eight tracks produced between 2021 and 2023 and they all do a fine job of conveying a serene vulnerability with its drifting, ethereal soundscapes smeared with echoing voices, droning guitars and resonant textures. It's like a whispered conversation during quiet moments and once again makes for a world that doesn't need to be understood, only felt. The Air Outside Feels Crazy Right Now reminds us that finding inner peace through music can counter the chaos of the external world and help turn fragility into strength.

Review: The fifth album from Newcastle's finest heavy riff providers Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs is a must for those moved by the band's live shows over the past few years. Black Sabbath-inspired crashing riffs, growling vocals and body lurching songs that are served up with ease as the band give the listener the intended 'slap in the face' producer and guitarist Sam Grant promised. Early release 'Stitches' comes just over a year since their previous album Land of Sleeper and Death Hilarious continues the frantic momentum the band have set themselves. An Exhilarating album that sounds even angrier than ever leaving the listener gasping for breath by the end. Run the Jewels EI-P features on 'Glib Tongued', a track the band felt had a hip-hop feel to it when presented to them by bassist John-Michael Hedley. Anyone that has been fortunate to witness the band's incendiary live shows will be satisfied that this collection of huge sounding songs is a great representation of the live experience, one which will soon be available to all to witness.

Review: The Newcastle five-piece double down on doom, derision and distortion in their most scathing record yet. Death Hilarious flails between cosmic thrash, anxious noise rock and Sabbath-sized sludge, driven by Matt Baty's sneering vocals and a rhythm section that sounds like it's eating itself alive. 'Blockage' bursts out the gates like an angry sermon, while 'Toecurler' stretches into hypnotic, post-metal territory. 'Stitches' has a twisted glam feel, like a battered Motorhead tape rewound with cheap synths, and 'Glib Tongued' throws a curveball: a blistering feature from El-P over jagged guitar loops. The band's sharpest move here is restraintipiano motifs and synth lines creep in under the wreckage, giving moments like 'Carousel' and 'The Wyrm' a strange solemnity. It's unrelentingly heavy but never cartoonish, embracing dread with clarity, and proof Pigs x7 are still levelling up, even as they gnaw at their own nerves.

Review: Ahhhh. Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs don't miss a trick, do they? Kings of grinding guitar riffs, and probably the loudest thing to roar out of Newcastle since The Wildhearts were upstarts, 2025's follow up to the stunning Land of Sleeper breaks from it predecessor's focus on headphone listening and launches itself into the real world with the snarling ferocity of a wolf that was injured, got nursed back to health, and now wants some revenge. Death Hilarious certainly tastes sweet enough, although it's anything but cold. Guaranteed to make you sweat like a pig - you get the point... this is dense, thick, unrelenting psyche-metal that owes plenty to pioneers like Sabbath and Motorhead, but makes no secret of the fact these North Easterners are looking to nobody for their sound. An original powerhouse.

Review: Porcine quintet Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs laugh in the face of fate with Death Hilarious, a brutal and energetic offering of sadistically calculated aggression embroiled in knowingly self-destructive lyrics. The band have broken through the immersive approach basked in on 2023's Land Of Sleeper, now shredding any sense of hope for contentment held out for erstwhile. Allegedly inspired by an intense touring schedule, the band felt the need to reflect the superhuman biopower required of them in LP form: and in light of frontman Matt Baty's anxiety, the lyrics exorcise self-doubt, and critique neoliberalism and forced optimism in close step. Enlisting El-P of Run The Jewels on 'Glib Tongued', here's also a diverse mix of doom, noise rock, and post-metal, with surprise gothic synth solos garnishing an otherwise punishing mire of rock sludge.

Review: Celebrating its 50th anniversary, this iconic release - arguably one of if not THE msot famopus rock album of all time - gets an anniversary edition remastering, bringing its revolutionary sound into sharp focus while maintaining the spirit of its original recording. The remaster captures the depth and complexity of the band's vision, from the eerie pulses of 'Speak To Me' that lead into the tranquil yet ominous 'Breathe (In The Air),' to the iconic synth-driven chaos of 'On the Run.' The haunting 'Time' sounds even more immersive, its ticking clocks and swelling synths fully realised in this updated mix. And then there's the unparalleled vocal energy of 'The Great Gig in the Sky,' which now resonates with even greater emotional intensity. On the second side, 'Money' continues to provide that inescapable groove, its jazzy bassline never failing to captivate. 'Us and Them' brings with it a sense of melancholy and philosophical reflection, while 'Any Colour You Like' serves as an entrancing bridge before the chilling introspection of 'Brain Damage' leads into the album's climactic conclusion, 'Eclipse.' For both long-time fans and newcomers, this remaster offers an opportunity to hear the album as it was always meant to be heard, with every nuance and every note given the space it deserves.

Review: This double pack brings together the original, pre-reformation Pixies' last two albums from the early 90s with Bossanova from 1990 marking a distinct shift in the band's sound, Black Francis pursuing a more 'space age heavy metal' direction, a vision he had long desired. The album is imbued with haunting melodies like in 'Ana' and 'Velouria' and contains some of Francis' best lyrical work, dealing in unsettling concepts and a dreamlike atmosphere that's unlike anything they'd done before. Following closely in 1991, Trompe le Monde continues this exploration, both musically and thematically, with its most famous moment 'Planet of Sound' seemingly joining the dots between punk and metal. The title track, which translates to 'Fool the World', sets the tone for an album that adds more avant-garde touches to their alternative rock. While maintaining the Pixies' signature style on 'Alec Eiffel' and the impossibly funky but still lead heavy 'U Mass' - the only track containing the c-word that even sneaked onto a Desert Island Discs playlist thanks to one Jimmy Carr - it still pushes the boundaries even further with more experimental elements. A comprehensive experience of this fascinating and often underrated period in the Pixies' career.

Review: This 3LP set commemorates 25 years of South Park, recorded live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado. Featuring creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, alongside Primus and Ween, the album includes the most memorable songs from the show, a special highlight among which is the guest appearance by Rush's Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, who perform 'Closer To The Heart' with Primus and Matt Stone. The set is pressed on black vinyl, capturing a landmark celebration of the show's legacy.