New releases last eight weeks: Rock (All)

Review: Following on from their widely acclaimed album Afraid To Leave, Berlin's beautiful maudlin post-punk outfit Bleib Modern presents a compilation of remixes and reworks by esteemed artists from across darkwave, post-punk, and EBM. From IV Horsemen's club-worthy rendition of 'Bitter Smile' to M!R!M's dreamy synthpop take on 'Into The Night' via Dune Messiah's crooning 'Loony Voices, 2 Afraid 2 Leave: Remixed Reimaged Reloaded Part 2 offers truly diverse interpretations. With contributions from luminaries like The KVB and Blind Delon, it provides a fresh perspective on Bleib Modern's sound and serves as an exciting interlude that showcases the band's versatility and paves the way for future creations

Review: Something in the Eastern European house and dance music proclivity has always struck us as enduringly authentic, perhaps due to its interest in folk music fusions; the label Sad Fun have surely played a key part in doling out this impression. Now they offer their latest addition to the fantasy with a label-described "true Estonian lowkey gem" in the form of duo Ajukaja & Edith Karlson, aka. Vana, whose combined efforts frankly, dustily and ironically toy with the pop music cliches native to their homeland. A-and-B-siders 'Vimme Ratsu' and 'Kuu Maa' are said to rework an '80s Estonian coastal folk-pop favourite and perform a "pseudo-reggae" pastiche respectively. Both have that effortless murmured charm on the vocals, recalling a nostalgic time of European make-do, A10-mic-from-the-junk-store, bottle episodic, rickety recorded goodness.

Review: Like Ronseal does exactly what it says on the tin, Procreation Of The Wicked: Rehearsal June '84 is a rare session recorded by Swiss extreme metal pioneers Celtic Frost, the same year they unveiled their debut EP/mini-LP Morbid Tales. Later expanded into what the band would retrospectively regard as their debut full-length, the bulk of material from this session comes directly from this project, with the notable inclusion of studio-version lacking 'Messiah', which has grown to become an underappreciated fan favourite in the decades since, largely due to its rehearsal session-only mystique. Raw, feral, and boasting the proto black metal thrash abrasion that would utterly reroute the metallic landscape for future generations, this early incarnation time capsule is a vital piece of extreme metal history, though its ragged edges require true fandom to appreciate the boundary-pushing genius being captured in real time.

Review: Husband and wife singer-guitarist duo Lux Interior and Poison Ivy were the backbone and founding parents of The Cramps, whose lengthy career managed to outlive many of the formative-era punks they broke through with, first catapulting onto the New York gothabilly scene (well, arguably they invented it) circa 1976 and then only finally opting to call time in 2009, following the sad passing of Interior. During that tine, they inspired myriad garage, alternative, and heavy rock & roll bands that wanted to keep things minimal, and their work can still be considered as setting benchmarks today. Across this incredible collection of tracks, or rather Songs of Love & Hate captured live and on stage, the outfit certainly show exactly why their popularity was so long-lasting and their legacy so inimitable. You can hear elements of The Cramps in work from latter day legends such as Ezra Furman and Jim Jones, but ultimately there's nothing that comes remotely close the band themselves.

Review: Legendary emo indie outfit The Cure have played all over the world in their decorated careers but back in 1996 when they headed to Brazil, it was the first time they had been to the country since 1988. They were there for the 1996 edition of the Hollywood Rock Festival which they headlined in superb fashion and wowed their Latin American fans. Live Lullabies & Other Bedtime Stories is a special recording of that night that comes on nice yellow vinyl and features the likes of signature anthems like 'Boys Don't Cry,' 'Friday I'm In Love,' 'Just Like Heaven' and many more.

Review: .Often considered to be one of the biggest commercial flops in music recording history, Standing In The Spotlight was the 1989 debut solo album from Ramones bassist Dee Dee Ramone. Released under his rap moniker Dee Dee King, the bizarre project served up an amalgam of old school hip-hop, late 50s garage rock and even doo-wop, all blended together in chaotic fashion, and led by Dee Dee's new gangster bravura. It's been noted that the hip-hop-centric attire seen on the cover was adorned by Dee Dee at his last few Ramones shows shortly before departing, which drew major ire from his bandmates. Tapping Marky Ramone to oversee percussion samples, and even enlisting Debbie Harry (Blondie) to provide backing vocals on 'Mashed Potato Time', and, 'German Kid', with the latter featuring vocals sung in both English and German (nodding to Dee Dee's growing up as an army brat), the album was crafted with every earnest intention of launching Dee Dee's solo career. Conceptually inspired whilst in rehab and used as a project of focus when embracing his newfound sobriety; the sheer enthusiasm and fearlessness of Standing In The Spotlight grants it a pass and a place as a truly absurd offshoot oddity from a vital member of the one of the defining punk bands.

Review: Scottish electronic oddity Murray Collier returns on his own Real Landscape imprint - the sole preserve of this production alias - for a self-titled outing. His fifth release under the moniker certainly confirms what we already knew; this project is the work of a musical auteur, and is every bit as unique to the talent behind it as the label and EP name. Attempting to describe what's here isn't easy, then. 'The Conversation' uses mechanically precise percussion to lay out its otherworldly groove. 'Thin Ayrshire' goes lo fi and psychedelic, a track that sounds almost like a rural ritual being performed by a lost humanoid species. 'I'll Get To Hiding' is delightfully lackadaisical in vibe, strutting, shuffling, and stepping its way through what could be categorised as pop-r&b fed through the weird machine, and even that wouldn't come close.

Review: A third album of wonderfully intimate, idiosyncratic songwriting from multi-instrumentalist Stephen Gilchrist - formerly the Stuffy in the much loved Stuffy & The Fuses - in his Stephen EvEns guise. The name may be singular, but from the choir of voices singing the opening tune 'A Song For Europe' to the child's voice at the end of seafaring epic 'Hello Salty Salty', this is very much a community effort and feels like it, with Stephen's core collaborators Jimi Scandal (guitar) and Crompton Whesp (drums) joined by guests like former Curve/Echobelly bassist Debbie Smith, longtime Cardiacs keyboard player William D Drake and Hurtling/My Bloody Valentine guitarist and keyboard player Jen Macro. The mood palate is on just as grand a scale as the personnel list, from the Nick Drake-style acoustic guitar/strings interplay of 'Firefly' to the beefy hip-hop backbeat of 'BBQ Head & 7 Bells', a two part track, the first half dedicated to the joys of cooking in the garden, the second about paranoia and the threat of violence. Elements of psychedelia, some gorgeous analogue synth tones, a penchant for a quirky time signature and/or arrangement all add to what's already a very tasty concoction that anyone with an ear for a tenacious earworm or two will love.

Review: Medway's garage rock king Allan Crockford has credits flittering all the way back to the 80's including the likes of The Prisoners, Billy Childish's Thee Headcoats, The Solarflares, and even the OG line-up of the James Taylor Quartet, to name but a handful. Keeping sharp and busy, however, The Galileo 7 serves as his own passion project; melding 60s mod-beat garage rock with jangling psychedelic pop, leading to a sonic bickering between anthemic hooks and fuzzed out, twinkling guitar lines. Following two exceptional full-lengths released through Damaged Goods; 2017's Tear Your Minds Wide Open! and 2019's There Is Only Now, the collective return after a half-decade of respite to deliver another batch of lysergic, hazy power pop goodness, intended for the wannabe mod/hippie in all of us.

Review: Inner Cop Avoidance is a cult supergroup that is already surrounded by plenty of discussion and conspiracy despite only having played their first gig in 2022. Made up of Krisitan Poulsen on guitar, Mathias Saedrup guitar, Sebastian von der Heide on drums and percussion, Max Stocklosa on synth, xylophone and vocals, this self-titled album from the group lands as the inaugural drop on their own label. It is a brilliantly cacophony of electronics and percussion with twisted rhythms, post-rock guitars and a fiercely experimental approach that results in brilliantly beguiling music that somehow combines the futuristic and avant garde with bird calls and ancient shamanic ritual.

Review: Lo Moon's I Wish You Way More Than Luck presents a landscape of lush melodies and atmospheric layers. While the album showcases the band's penchant for slow-building intros and dreamy soundscapes, that rewards patience listeners. 'Water' stands out as a refreshing departure, with its immediate presence and energetic vibe, encapsulating the album's titular message with conviction. Despite the album's tendency towards extended intros and gradual crescendos, tracks like 'Evidence' resonate deeply with their melancholic undertones. Ultimately, while Lo Moon's sophomore release offers moments of brilliance, it may shine most with people who like their music with a lot of depth. A pop album with depth that may surprise most.

Review: .Straight out of Lincoln Park, Michigan, circa 1963, MC5 are one of those incredible rock & roll bands that people should be talking about more, still to this day. And we really, really do mean rock & roll, a genre in which they rank among the finest bands of all time, falling somewhere between proto-punk, hard rock, garage, blues and heavy bits, helping set the sonic foundations from which outfits such as AC/DC could go on to thrive and, to some extent at least, commercialise. Live In Europe presents nine tracks originally recorded for German and Finnish TV, and it offers both cover versions - which MC5 were renowned for - and originals. For collectors, it's worth noting in particular that 'Let It Rock' and 'Black To Comm' have never been been included on any release from the group, and, like much of what's here, serve as reminders of the incredible connection between the twin axe men, Wayne Kramer and Fred 'Sonic' Smith.

Review: Molchat Doma are one of the global music phenomenons of our time. The Belarusian trio first started causing a small stir among the kind of circles that actively hunt out Belarusian synth bands. That grew into widespread rumblings throughout the underground, driven by online shares as much as play on independent radio stations. Skip forward again, and the outfit can claim true viral sensation status, having conquered tastemakers and social networks across the world. Monument is their third album, and was largely written during Covid-19 quarantine in their hometown, Minsk. Again, it's an evolutionary thing. Post-punk vies for your attention next to synth pop, cold wave, New Wave and romantic electronica. Calling to mind, at various points, The Cure, Depeche Mode and Joy Division, among others, nevertheless those comparisons don't feel fair - the work here is fresher feeling and, ultimately, removed from the North Atlantic hegemony, so it should be analysed in that context.

Review: Rhythm & Blues follows on from the success of its Mott The Hoople at the BBC 1970 release - well worth a look (or listen) - with another retrospective compilation that makes a convincing case for us all diving headfirst into the band's full back catalogue to marvel at what's there. A collection of broadcast tracks from Top Gear, Sounds of the Seventies, and The John Peel Sunday Concert are included, and all sound gritty, growly, raw and vital. Among the highlights are versions of Like A Rolling Stone and When My Mind's Gone, which the release notes argue are "rare-as-hens-teeth", and we're not in position to argue, while the take on 'What'd I Say' feels soaked in enough spilt whisky and blues you could probably get loaded on the fumes alone. Ultimately, though, there's no point picking individual parts here. Instead, think wall-to-wall reasons why the Hoople were such a rare breed.

Review: Almost two full decades into their curious career, slacker-psych experimentalists The Pheromoans have never been ones to shy away from the esoteric or mundane. Led by the droll, deadpan delivery and unique world view of primary songwriter Russell Walker, LP number 13 sees the collective lean ever further into topical malaise whilst honing their fuzzed out, post-college-rock jangles into their most digestible and direct form yet. With the title Wyrd Psearch, Walker takes direct aim "at the ubiquity of people claiming things are eerie or weird/wyrd in the present cultural milieu", while the word-search artwork is intended to highlight our cultures' obsessive search for meaning in an increasingly illogical world. Twinkling no wave riffs, glistening synth lines and muted requests to loved ones requesting their presence on a trip to town to reup on prescription meds.

Review: Originally released in 2017, In Riot We Trust is the second of two studio albums so far released by feminist protest group Pussy Riot, whose provocative punk regularly takes potshots at Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his regime. Since 2011, the Moscow band founded by then-22-year-old Nadya Tolokonnikova has had the membership of 11 women, who are arguably most well known for their guerrilla gigs and stunts, often in sites of national, cultural, or religious significance. Despite the real focus of the group being on speaking out against issues such as Russia's ingrained sexism, homophobia, and racism, totalitarian rule and oppression of rights, and the limelight falling on their IRL actions, this is more than enough evidence that their rage and talent can be distilled onto record to some degree. Potent to say the least.

Review: "No-one knew the songs or what the plan was. We kept it loose and fun. This was the spirit of the sessions. No headphones, no playback, minimal overdubs, or bleed. Fast and loose," says Sam Evian of his latest record, the first to grace his new imprint, Thirty Tigers. If that's not enough to make you balk with jealously at not being invited, then the idea of Big Thief's Adrian Lenker and Sufjan Stevens, among others, debasing to Evian's house in the Catskills to examine a revamped studio, complete with vintage tape deck and console, then going wild swimming at midnight, just as snow fell, might seal the deal. The following day, work began on Plunge, a record with no real fixed direction or plan. In the end, it will - or, at least, it should - be remembered among Evian's finest offerings. A stunning collection of folk-leaning rock 'n' roll, Americana and jangly indie, you can almost smell upstate New York.

Review: Much contemporary and so-called cosmic American music lacks true cosmic essence, appearing more as imitation than innovation. Trummors' fifth album, 5, defies this norm with refreshing originality and exquisite execution. With lyrics akin to Robert Creeley's poetry and melodies that feel timeless, songs like 'Hey Babe' captivate with fatalistic beauty. Lerner and Cunningham's harmonies, complemented by skilled musicianship, create a captivating atmosphere and subtly blend genre conventions. Despite its rapid creation amidst uncertainty, 5 exudes both weight and airiness, ancient resonance and contemporary charm. Trummors' achievement in transcending tradition with confidence and immediacy is truly remarkable.