Review: After emerging from Mike Sheridan and The Night Riders, Birmingham's The Idle Race sought a new guitarist in late 1966 and decided to hire local teenager Jeff Lynne. By the time they signed with Liberty Records, Lynne, younger than his bandmates, had become the frontman and showcased his talents as the chief songwriter and lead vocalist. Their debut album, The Birthday Party, came in October 1968 and combined Beatles-esque melodies with surreal, ambitious British pop and duly received critical acclaim. Despite this, it didn't sell well due to Liberty's decision not to release a supporting single but it is now recognised as a classic so gets reissued on nice heavy vinyl complete with a 24-page booklet of rare photos and a new essay.
Review: Scene Of The Crime serves up a remastered compilation of previously unreleased rare studio recordings from Iggy & The Stooges. All recorded in 1973; the same year the band would distil the frustration of their initial 1971 break up, their subsequent return upon Iggy failing to pin down adequate replacements, as well as the unchecked ego, rife drug abuse and tour burnout, into the blistering classic we now know as Raw Power. Remastered to their highest quality yet, and boasting alternate takes of gems such as 'Cock In My Pocket', 'Tight Pants,' and 'I Got A Right', this is a must-have slice of rarity for any devout Stoogist.
Review: There are some records you buy simply because you love the name. Or maybe that's just us? Either way, from where we're sticking stuff into the shopping cart, Index For Working Musik's second long form is one of those examples. Which Direction Goes The Beam more than lives up to the quality of the band name, and then goes and adds artwork which can only be described as 'stunning' into the mix. Angular, jerky, harsh, and artsy rock noises that run between the savage and distorted to the rousing and rollocking, the five piece should be ranking up there with the most innovative, imaginative and inimitable guitar outfits out there at the moment. Chamber-esque arrangements, strange murky mystery, and the overall feeling that we're in uncharted territories and nobody - but nobody - wants to find their way home
Review: Oli Heffernan's ever-evolving project, Ivan The Tolerable, joins Riot Season for two captivating albums that explore the beauty of entropic drift. Recorded swiftly as a quintet, Heffernan enlisted Christian Alderson on drums, John Pope on double bass, Kevin Nickles on flute and saxophone and Ben Hopkinson on electric piano. The first album was Vertigo, a dense and disorienting work reminiscent of Sun Ra meets Exploding Star Orchestra. In contrast, Water Music evokes serene landscapes with sounds of waves, creaking hulls, and gentle winds, blending influences from Laraaji and Natural Information Society. Bob Fischer of Electronic Sound Magazine describes Water Music as a "beautifully soothing psychedelic jazz album" perfect for a summer daydream.
Review: Broc Recordz's Cosmos Giants album is a celestial creation that stems from a monumental collaboration between Janko Nilovic, JJ Whitefield from Poets of Rhythm, and Igor Zhukovsky of the Soul Surfers. Together, they've sculpted a sonic world where genres meld seamlessly and offer a transformative auditory experience where funk, psyche, and soul all inform a jazz underbelly. The ensuing musical odyssey rather defies easy categorisation that is all about immersion in meticulously crafted tracks. From the laidback vibes of 'Inner Space' to the eerie and celestial melodies of '(Wind From) Mount Everest' this is a high-class record.
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