Back catalogue: Rock (All)

Review: Tamara Lindeman was at a real transition point in life when What Am I Going to do With Everything I Know was first unveiled. A six track strong EP, here the moodiness and tangible sense of isolation, loneliness, and hopelessness that had once emanated from her voice dissipates into equally tender and gentile thoughts on an impending marriage and all that may come with it. For some, an equally troubling time in their lives, for others something to truly work towards and - when it finally arrives - celebrate, either way it's a subject ripe for emotional songwriting.

But in actual fact, Lindeman, her fiance and troupe treat the concept of matrimony with something close to apathy, or at least lackadaisical 'might as well'-ness. The culmination of this record, 'Almost Careless', sees her ask the question 'what if', but in a way that's neither excited nor nervous, but simply filled with inquisitiveness and a matter of fact consideration.

Review: Five tracks from Paul Weller's critically acclaimed 2020 LP On Sunset, with five remixers taking the stems and crafting something new from that original material. And what remixers they are, comprising James Skelly of Liverpool band The Coral (Skeleton Key), Welsh synth-y songwriter Gwenno, Senegalese drummer Seckou Keita, psychedelic folk star Jane Weaver and French indie pop troupe Le SuperHomard.

With that lineup you'd expect the results to be varied, but that's something of an understatement in reality. From the tripped out surrealism of 'Rockets' as read by Weaver, through Keita's pared back percussive take on the same track, the sparse minimalistic harmonies of 'Old Father Thyme' to the sublime and sexy downtempo jazziness of 'More', it's a taster menu right down to the number of dishes.

Review: House lover and studio wizard Qwartz has been at it again, with 'it' being editing some classic rock tunes into club-ready sounds for DJs and dancers. This time he tackles 'Baba O' Riley' firstly with an extended mix that brings all new life into The Who's original. It has a prickly low end with eerie guitars and disco motifs making it a raw, heads-down sound. The dub remix brings a little extra low-end weight.

Review: First released on streaming platforms last summer, Wilco's 'Hot Sun Cool Shroud' EP was uniformly praised by critics. Much more than a stop gap between albums (it arrived roughly 12 months after the outfit's lauded 13th studio full-length, Cousin), the six-track set bristles with inventiveness while flitting between styles and tempos. So, opener 'Hot Sun', a sticky slab of Americana-tinged jangly indie brilliance, is followed by the reverb and solo-laden alt-rock squall of 'Livid' and the gentle, string-laden swoon of 'Ice Cream'. And so it continues, with the fuzzy positivity and weary vocals of 'Annihilation' being joined by the pleasant, impossible-to-pigeonhole experimentalism of 'Inside The Bell Bones' and the twinkling, heartfelt melancholia of 'Say You Love Me'.

Review: BBE Records have unearthed an overlooked gem with the 'Baton Rouge' EP by Will & James Ragar. The Texan brothers decamped to the home of swamp blues, Baton Rouge, to record these four tracks and brought with them the most affecting vocals. Their way with harmony and strength of their timbre makes you wonder how on earth they are not a staple in most people's collections.AIt also makes sense of how an original copy of this EP is reported to have recently fetched close to $1000 second hand. They had the vocals - up there with the likes of New Orleans legend James Booker's - to become pop stars, but stuck to their guns by rejecting the modern sounds that were becoming fashionable at the onset of the 80s and embraced something more handmade and intimate sounds you hear - soulful Americana injected southern swagger. A top find by the ever-reliable BBE Records.A

Review: Taken from the album Black Gold, this 7" single comes on limited edition white vinyl and offers up the superb 'What's Happenin'' featuring Method Man and Busta Rhymes on the A-side. It's a beat-driven workout with funk in the drums. The B-side offers an exclusive and rather more stripped-back mix of 'Back in the Game' with Ron Isley, Inspectah Deck, Method Man, GZA, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah all seamlessly blended with the instrumental of 'House of Flying Daggers.' It's not often you get so many iconic collaborations all on one record which is why it is such a big hitter.

Review: Two years on from Tom Waits' landmark Swordfishtrombones and the jazz cat-turned staunch experimentalist continued to explore the roads less travelled with Rain Dogs. Originally released via the seminal Island Records in 1985, if the preceding album felt expansive, the follow up broadens horizons even further, inviting luminaries Keith Richards and Marc Ribot to get in on the action, although neither come close to even sharing the spotlight with the real star of the show. Spanning New Orleans funeral march melancholy, old down and dirty blues rock, heart wrenching balladry, wild cinematic instrumentals, noir-ish pulp fiction storytelling, and more than a little of the Swordfish-style stomping oddness, it's a masterpiece. Perhaps what really sets this apart, though, is how these myriad styles, at least some of which could easily fall into caricature, feel and sound so authentic, making it impossible not to buy into.

Review: The tenth studio album from Tom Waits, released in 1987 via Island Records, was yet another landmark in a career which, by this point, had already given us a raft of stone cold classics. The last two of those LPs, Swordfishtrombones and Rain Dogs, certainly swerved expectations, marking a new period in the life and times of an acclaimed jazz and blues man. Taking its name from a track on Swordfish, Frank's Wild Years is actually "Un Operachi Romantico in Two Acts" according to the subtitle, with several songs here taken from a play of the same name which premiered in Chicago a year prior. In many ways, the theatrical side story was an inevitability, with the previous records all pointing in the direction of a gravelly blues-jazz-rock core with a vaudeville, spoken word, and narrative disposition.

Review: To say that Tom Waits' eighth studio album marked a stylistic shift would be like saying winter is markedly different to summer. Having established himself as one of the finest piano-based songwriters of his generation - or any other for that matter - Swordfishtrombones was the first LP from the artist to lay out what was to come. Something very, very unusual, as visionary as it is bizarre, a celebration of the beauty of surrealism and the joy of having fun with music. Whether it's the opening number, 'Underground', and its strange, almost cartoonish chain gang jazz-blues stomp, the quiet keys and solitary vocals of 'Johnsburg, Illinois', or the distorted, compressed electronic jangling and organ riffs of 'Dave The Butcher', within the first few tracks alone you're presented with a vast and varied universe of ideas.

Review: Sydney-based friends MP Hopkins and Mary MacDougall bring a haunting edge to folk music here. 'Weeds' is like lo-fi horror film music with tape-recorded radio static giving a foreboding atmosphere. 'Clay Graffiti' sounds like a post-apocalyptic ghost story with the spoken word conjuring images of landscapes tormented by wind and life dissolved. The group clearly have a knack for sequencing and the finer details of what makes a great album. After the intense end-of-the-world feel of the track that closes side A, Side B opens with 'Yellow Rose', which feels like spring; lyrically, in the bright piano, guitar and through the vocal timbre. It gives a sense of renewal that wouldn't have the same impact if it wasn't for the harsh winter feel of the track before it. But don't mistake this for anything twee - experimental folk is taking over the underground cultural zeitgeist and Warm Currency are an important part of that. This is the band's third release on the Horn of Plenty label and it's a solid follow-up to Returns (2022) and Live at the Petersham Bowling Club (2023).

Review: Huge guitar solos, a not-so-subtle hint of seduction and romance, rousing choruses and an attitude that screams: "I'm gonna make that heavy metal hand signal every five or six minutes." Warrant may not be the first name on everyone's lips when it comes to the heyday big room, sexually charged glam metal, but when all is said and done they did pretty well during their seven years in the game.
Emerging from the Los Angeles scene of the mid-late-1980s, a city that has a lot to answer for in these musical ends, by the time they packed up their Fenders and called time more than 10million albums had been sold, with the double-platinum Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich the real gem of the lot. Dog Eat Dog came along a little later, in 1992, and by this point the group had really got into gear. Don't expect the same tangible hunger and impact as the inaugural effort, then, but in many ways this is far more complete example of what they were gunning for.

Review: Brit folk rock troubadours The Waterboys have put together an evocative exploration of life's complexities with this, their 16th album, all while being inspired by actor Dennis Hopper's defiant spirit. The album blends folk-rock, Americana and poetic lyrics into an introspective look at mortality, legacy and transformation. With Mike Scott's distinctive voice and emotive songwriting, the tracks balance philosophical musings with gritty realism and so embody Hopper's famously raw and rebellious energy, the sort that made him such a star of the silver screen and movies like Easy Rider. The album's atmospheric instrumentation includes sweeping strings and soaring guitars that enhance its reflective nature. Life Death & Dennis Hopper is an ambitious record but one that resonates with depth.

Review: It's been twenty five years since the last Roger Waters solo album, and given the fractious nature of global affairs of late, it's hardly surprising that the lugubrious 74-year-old rock colossus has had no trouble finding things to get angry about of late. Dishing out songs on drone warfare, terrorism and American nationalism, 'Is This The Life We Really Want?' - which is stylistically very much in the mould of his post-'Dark Side' oeuvre - may be no barrel of laughs, but it's oddly reassuring that his righteous rage remains undiminished, not to mention aided and abetted by the skills of Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich in its intensity and relit ire.

Review: Amused To Death is the third studio album from Roger Waters outside of his work in Pink Floyd. As one of the fundamental creative forces in the prog behemoth, of course it's hard to separate his solo work from that most famous of bands, but this is indeed its own beast. At times it's an experimental space in which Waters uses space and minimalism to great effect, creating a foreboding sound peppered with speech samples and field recordings. There are of course plenty of more straightforward tracks too, like lead single 'What God Wants, Part 1'. This lavish issue of the 1992 album spreads the music out across four discs and comes in a box set format, a must-have for devoted Floyd and Waters collectors.

Review: Waxahatchee is emerging, butterfly like, from a cocoon that has kept her safe for most of her career. There was nothing ugly or hidden about Katie Crutchfield's older output. But it was intimate, quiet, thoughtful, vulnerable and, at times, almost a little nervous. At least some of those adjectives became irrelevant with the last LP, Saint Cloud, and now she follows up that ten-foot-tall 2020 triumph with Tigers Blood, continuing in a similar vein. Having significantly increased the size of her audience with the preceding, infinitely rousing record, Crutchfield simultaneously looks to please those newcomers and win even more over here. The tracks are similarly open armed, proud and accessible, but the razor sharp songwriting - dealing with everything from trying to stay still without being bored, to self doubt - has lost none of its impact, and the instrumental arrangements have arguably never been stronger.

Review: Jamie Webster's 10 For The People perfectly encapsulates the Liverpool singer-songwriter's heartfelt narratives and soulful melodies. Released in 2021, the album is a poignant exploration of working-class tales and social commentary, blending folk and rock influences. Known for his association with football culture, Webster's tracks like 'This Place' and 'Living for Yesterday' resonate with authenticity meaning that 10 For The People not only showcases the artist's lyrical prowess but also solidifies his place as a voice for the people. His album is a sincere and evocative musical offering that speaks to the experiences and struggles of us all.

Review: Perhaps folk and country's most eminent power couple have a lot of clout, but that doesn't make them any less prone to disaster. After a tornado ploughing through Nashville wound up ravaging their studio in Spring 2020, the pair had to relocate their equipment to their own home, finding newfound, apt folky joy in the domestic. 'All The Good Times' is the sonic result; it's 10 cover versions for all to soak in, including John Prine ('Hello In There'), Bob Dylan ('Abandoned Love') and Norman Blake ('Ginseng Sullivan'). This reissue comes after the original limited handmade first pressings sold out in 2 days.

Review: This much sought-after treasure was originally a private press release back in 1981 but it has been remastered as a special drop for Record Store Day 2024. It is a sublime album of blue-eyed soul with overtones of country and Americana that make it all the more evocative and escapist. The songwriting is reflective, the musicianship is tight, the melodies impressive and the vocals effortlessly captivating. The NuNorthern Soul label has been serving up these sorts of nuggets and obscurities for over a decade now but this is right up there with the best of them.

Review: Paul Weller has aged as well as any of the original rockers if you ask us. And so too his music. In 1998 he was already of such status that he put out this backslapping collection, Modern Classics: The Greatest Hits, and why not? The bumper double disc collection featured most of the solo singles he had successfully released up to then as well as a new track in the form of 'Brand New Start'. It will always be hard to beat the lovely 'You Do Something To Me' but plenty makes a claim here from the more energetic 'Wild Wood' to 'Sunflower.' It's well worth having all these in one place.

Review: Jules Buckley can do absolutely no wrong in our eyes. The conductor responsible for leading the globally revered Heritage Orchestra has made a name for himself experimenting with the limits and limitless potential of classical music, taking influences from the world of dance and club tunes to open up orchestral performances to new demographics and generations.

He also has the honour of heading up the BBC Symphony Orchestra at select performances, another of the world's finest ensembles. This is just one recording from one of those shows, but clearly proves there's genius at work. The same could be said for Paul Weller, the iconic UK guitarist and singer who here invites said players to rethink tracks from his back catalogue for a staggering 75-minute set that elevates the rocker's oeuvre to greater heights than ever before.

Review: RECOMMENDED
Let's face it, White Blood Cells is the moment when The White Stripes really broke the mould. It's a continuation of Jack and Meg's garage rock aesthetic as fine-tuned over two previous albums, and wholeheartedly a straight up rock 'n' roll album. But the elements are so perfectly primed it's impossible not to rank this as one of the greatest long form outings of this century, so far. And we're not alone - Rolling Stone even reckons it's among the best LPs of all time. Pity the fool who disagrees.

From the racing 'Fell in Love With A Girl', to the beguiling mystery of 'The Union Forever', 'I Think I Smell A Rat''s meld of mariachi riffs and mosh stomp and the emotional piano closer 'This Protector', to the innocent acoustic joy of 'We're Going To Be Friends', this is a masterclass of songwriting and arrangement, tracks that evolve, perplex, surprise, and - most importantly - entertain.

Review: Originally released in 2004, A Ghost Is Born - Wilco's fifth studio album - doubled down on a stylistic rethink for the band that began a little earlier, with 2002's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. This is also the moment lead singer Jeff Tweedy assumed even more creative control as guitarist Jay Bennett said goodbye, and the first time the outfit claimed a top 10 album in their American homeland. 12 months later, they walked away with the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album, and now here we are, 20 years on, wondering how the hell things got to this point but still under no doubt just how good this collection of songs is. A new anniversary double LP edition (with more expansive 9xLP+4CD and 9CD formats also available), complete with hardcover book, it's a must for dedicated disciples and a genuinely beautiful package for pretty much anyone who appreciates the art of the reissue.

Review: Hard rockers unite. Or at least they used to. In an age when it often feels like even the last remaining vestiges of whatever subcultures survived MTV and the Millennium are themselves divided, every once in a while a record comes along that acts like a rousing call for unilateral response. The Satanic Rites Of is exactly that album. Reading reviews is smile-inducing, if for no other reason than the references to frontman Ginger as a 'godfather' of the British heavy-hard guitar scene. It's hard to deny, except if in your mind he still invokes images of a sprightly enfant terrible. In all honestly, the latest is both - an outfit that have lost none of their high energy snarl and commitment to doing interesting, ferocious things, but have years of wisdom on their side to achieve them.

Review: Compared by some to the likes of Crosby, Stills and Nash or Richie Havens, brothers Will and James Ragar present rich, calming and subtly seductive folk-soul that could almost belong in a bygone era. If it didn't sound so utterly timeless - a great example of why unplugged sounds seem to have such a long half-life. As a record, this is a great accompaniment to Will & James Ragar's startling, stop-you-dead-with-serenity debut album, One, which first landed in 1980. But The Acoustic Album takes that tried and true blueprint and then delves deeper into the soothing-yet-aching, sublimely heartbreaking and life affirming formula. 16 tracks written between the late-1970s and early-1990s, recorded in 2016 in one seamless session, each sounds as beautiful, poignant and essential as the next.

Review: Jonathan Wilson's new album Eat the Worm is, he says, a series of songs that have been made in reaction to the production work that he does. It finds him breaking free of any conservatism and taking chances on songs that have come together over the last two years in his own Fivestar Studios in Topanga Canyon, California. Plenty of experimentation can be heard throughout as he channels influences like Jack Nitzsche and Todd Rundgren into 12 beautiful folk and Americana fusions that find him reaching new heights and paying homage to the 60s folk revival of Greenwich Village.

Review: Warning - the title of this album is flagrant false advertising. Brooklyn based Cameron Winter (of indie art-punk darlings Geese) has opted to go solo with his debut full-length Heavy Metal and while it's an eclectic, sporadic affair, it is devoid of essentially any sonics that could in any way be referred to as "heavy metal". It's a move based around the fact that, according to the 22-year-old himself - "barely anybody knows who my band is, I'm young and not afraid of living with my parents and I'm free to chase whatever ideas I want." Apparently drawing on a Craigslist-sourced who's who of guerilla backing band members including a disinherited cousin of John Lennon ("he was a real good sport"), a five-year-old bassist ("these kids, you know, they get raised on their iPads but they're far more precocious than any generation"), and a Boston steel worker-cum-cellist ("Honestly, it's crazy, the talent that can be found on Craigslist. We got a couch, too"), while supposedly being recorded in piecemeal fashion from locations such as hotel room closets to multiple Guitar Centres where he has now received a lifetime ban, there's an undeniable sense of absurdity and line-blurring between fact and fiction that goes hand-in-hand with his low-drawled, too much life experience and awareness in a young body malaise that underpins this razor sharp, insightful, ludicrous jaunt through young New Yorker life.