Review: Having played a slew of inimitable and unforgettable television comedy characters over the past decade or so, from Toast of London's Stephen Toast to Douglas Reynholm in The IT Crowd, Dixon Bainbridge in The Mighty Boosh and Todd Rivers in Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, you could be forgiven for expecting Matt Berry to use songwriting and music as another form of hilarious release. That's definitely not the case. There's plenty of release on I Gotta Limit, but this is anything other than satire. The first new music to come from Berry's 2025 album, Heard Noises, the two tracks here are pure joy, authentic and genuinely impressive on a technical level. Exchanging lines in a duet with Kitty Liv for the titular number, the vibe is part Northern Soul, part psych rock, and pretty much all completely captivating.
Review: Sometimes it's just too difficult to contain our excitement; we're quaking in our boots at news of Khruangbin's next release, with the Texan three-piece this time lending their alt-indie-funk mastery to vocal frontage by Leon Bridges. The humorously titled lead single 'B-side' is emblematic of their stated aim here - to redefine "how people perceive Texas music i that beautiful marriage of country and r'n'b i and really paying homage to that." The sonic result? Bubbling bass and wahhy riffs, over a ghostly and misty relaxers' beat. Its hook digs into our thighs deeper than a Sheriff's steel spurs, and fittingly, it's music video is themed after a 19th Century western town.
Review: Available in extremely limited quantities, this new 7" from Burning Soul arrives in both black, or as we have it here, white, and it's another gem from Kidding that keeps up this fine Swiss label's high-quality output. The A-side bursts to life with 'Seriously,' a blistering funk anthem infused with Hammond-organ melodies, underpinned by a deep bass groove and gritty guitar licks. Flipping over to the B-side, 'Komet Ride' kicks up the tempo with even more vigorous drumming and exhilarating organ solos. It's a whirlwind of funk brilliance, underscoring Kidding's knack for delivering electrifying musical adventures.
Review: It's always a good day when a new Burning Soul 7" drops in our laps and this new one is another standout that comes in very limited quantities on either black or white vinyl. It's the great work of Kidding and opens with 'Seriously' which is a Hammond-organ laced and flame hot funk workout with low-slung bass and lots of great grit riffs. The flipside picks up the pace with 'Komet Ride' which has even more energetic drums and even more mad finger action on the organ. Frenetic funk of the highest order.
To See One Eagle Fly (original version 1978) (5:09)
To See One Eagle Fly (Mudds extended mix) (7:27)
Review: Well, what a way to inaugurate your label! The newly crowned Spacetalk comes through resolutely correct with this reissue of 1978's "To See One Eagle Fly" by Morrison Kincannon, a psyched-out funk bomb with a glorious blue-eyed soul twist, and a mystical sort of vibe that can proudly sit up there with the likes of Stills, Nash and Young - i.e. proggy but still groovy. There's an extended remix from Mudds, and the man goes for a kind of dub version approach; a new and different tactic to deploy over a rock tune, but effective nonetheless.
Basil Kirchin & Jack Nathan - "Viva La Tamla Motown" (3:50)
Alan Parker & William Parish - "Main Chance" (3:05)
Review: KPM Music might just be one of the most expansive music libraries out there, boasting a whopping 30,000 exclusive music tracks for licensing. Some of their earliest pieces are being reissued by Measured Mile, the latest of which appears here in the form of a split 7" by four of the label's most treasured contributors. 'Viva La Tamla Motown' helms up the A-side with wonky, laboured drumming and an excitable rock n' rolly guitar and harmonica. 'Main Chance' brings up the B with a more loungeified flutey strutter.
Review: Spanish reissue label Rocafort present this wonderful slice of highlife from Konkolo Orchestra, this time on nice blue wax as well as a plain black version. It's not exactly clear where, or indeed when, exactly the band came from, but their sound is all you need to worry about. 'Blue G' is a lilting, shuffling message of love and support for future generations, and from the message to the effervescent musicality, it's a no-brainer. On the flip, 'That Good Thing' is an instrumental that spirals outwards on the sweetest keys, joyous brass and dreamy guitar, driven by a pattering drum section to radiate good vibes wherever it's played.
Review: Wonky meets jazz in this impressive new jazz mini-LP from Japan. Takuya Kuroda is a highly respected trumpeter and arranger born in Kobe, Japan and based in New York City. 'Midnight Crisp' is Takuya's seventh studio album, entirely self-produced and following 2020's highly acclaimed 'Fly Moon Die Soon'. Learning jazz in a higher education environment, he's reapplied his skills to a new solo outing here, blending with his one true loves, afrobeat and hip-hop. The ensuing album is one of myriad midnight moods, tempered by many a virtuosic and mournful piano, digitally-edited drum brush, and trilling trumpet from the mouth of Kuroda himself.
Review: Seun Kuti has released his highly anticipated album Heavier Yet (Lays The Crownless Head) via Record Kicks to great excitement. This album, executive produced by Lenny Kravitz and featuring Fela Kuti's original engineer Sodi Marciszewer, marks a significant milestone in Kuti's career. Following his Grammy-nominated album Black Times, this release showcases his evolution as both an artist and activist. The album features six powerful tracks, each embodying themes of resistance, resilience, and revolution. The track 'Dey,' featuring Damian Marley, emphasises self-empowerment, while 'Emi Aluta' pays homage to revolutionaries, featuring the innovative Sampa The Great. 'T.O.P.' critiques societal values, promoting empathy and a connection to nature. 'Love and Revolution' highlights Kuti's belief in love as a catalyst for change. Kuti expressed gratitude for Kravitz's brotherly support and Sodi's guidance during the production process. He continues to uphold the legacy of his father, Fela Kuti, using his music to inspire social change. This album promises to redefine contemporary Afrobeat while staying true to its roots. Fans can expect an album that entertains, inspires and ignites activism.
Seun Kuti & Sampa The Great - "Emi Aluta" (Zamrock remix) (3:31)
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 - "Emi Aluta" (feat Sampa The Great - 45 edit) (3:55)
Review: Afrobeat virtuoso Seun Kuti is soon to release his highly anticipated album, Heavier Yet (Lays The Crownless Head) later this year. It features guest appearances from Damian Marley and Sampa The Great so promises to be a global sensation. Ahead of that, we get a taste of things to come from his distinctive Afrobeat sound with this powerful new work on Milan's Record Kicks. First up here with get the bubbly rhythms of 'Emi Aluta' (Zamrock remix) then 'Emi Aluta' (feat Sampa The Great - 45 edit) comes complete with some hard bars.
Kelly Finnigan - "The Shape Of My Teardrops" (4:30)
Review: Here comes a meltingly powerful 7" split single by Monophonics and Kelly Finnigan, a psychedelic soul band and a singer from California respectively. Monophonics' contribution is a classic: 'Love You Better', a catchy, soulful belter concerning a formerly broken relationship, and the sacrifices it takes to pick up the pieces. The flipside, meanwhile, is a newer one from Finnigan; 'The Shape Of My Teardrops', which reckons with grief in the form of a surreal, rimshotting slow jam.
Review: Dynamite Cuts brings the heat once more with a second volume of their Sound Music 45s series. Siegfried Schwab takes care of the A-side with 'Getting High', a scorching funk workout with hard-worked guitar chords and precise percussion over lots of wah-wah effects. 'Feel It; flip the script with a superbly stripped-down jazz-funk lounge sound. Klaus Weiss then steps up on 'Time For Rhythm' with some loose, percussive funk beats that are raw and organic, then Peter Thomas closes down with 'Documentation', a more richly instrumental and multi-layered jazz-funk sound that conveys real grandeur.
Review: Dynamite Cuts brings the heat once more with a second volume of their Sound Music 45s series. Siegfried Schwab takes care of the A-side with 'Getting High', a scorching funk workout with hard-worked guitar chords and precise percussion over lots of wah-wah effects. 'Feel It; flip the script with a superbly stripped-down jazz-funk lounge sound. Klaus Weiss then steps up on 'Time For Rhythm' with some loose, percussive funk beats that are raw and organic, then Peter Thomas closes down with 'Documentation', a more richly instrumental and multi-layered jazz-funk sound that conveys real grandeur.
Review: A collaborative EP between 2 Australian rock giants, this limited one-sided collectors disc comprises the 19 minutes long 'Satanic Slumber Party' split into three sections. 'The Chairman's Portrait' intro is a dark, heavily distorted spoken-word piece backed by dark rumbling guitars that explodes into the head-banging electronic banger 'Midnight in Sodom'. The angry lyrics are paired with awesome melodic guitar solos and chiptune noises, before shifting into noise rock territory. 'Hoof and Horn' takes up most of the runtime at a hefty 12 minutes, in which ambient drone begets experimental sound effects that are reminiscent of the liquid bass and synths favoured by producer SOPHIE. The track evolves into a demonic lullaby that wouldn't feel out of place in an episode of American Horror Story, and fans of 2 Mello's 'Atmospheric Horror Music Vol.1' will greatly appreciate this track. The EP is all-in-all a camp experience. An Avante-Garde, quintessentially fun blend of two incredible groups.
Review: Nature documentary series The Living Planet very much captured the imagination of Raoul Bjorkenheim back in 1986. It featured erupting volcanoes and plumes of molten lava and some of that drama and energy is captured in this fine jazz album which now gets a new extended reissue. Bjorkenheim studied at the Helsinki Conservatory for a year and the Berklee College of Music in Boston for three years and worked with composer and drummer Edward 'Eetu' Vesala. For this album, he played with reed virtuosos Jorma Tapio and Tapani Rinne, bassist Sampo Lassila and drummers Michel Lambert and Heikki 'Lefty' Lehto. It is a hot and raw record that contains an album's worth of previously unheard material.
Review: Jazz collectors - specifically those of you with an obsession with the work of sax legend John Coltrane - perk up your ears. Many among you might not yet be aware of The Cats, a collaborative album recorded in synergy between Coltrane, guitarist Kenny Burrell, trumpeter Idrees Sulieman, and pianist Tommy Flanagan, but we wouldn't blame you, because this was one that flew under the radar on its New Jazz release in 1959. Not least, this might have been because it was released when Coltrane had moved onto more one-off release projects, shortly after his more widely publicized contract with Prestige Records ended. Nonetheless, it's cited as a deeply special album, resonant of the slinky sound of postwar New York jazz inasmuch as it is of the archetypal feline form.
Review: Breaking the Shell is an innovative new release from a top trio formed of drummer Andrew Cyrille, guitarist Bill Frisell, and pipe organist Kit Downes. Their much anticipated album features a rare and captivating blend of instruments including things such as electric guitar, pipe organ, and drums and therefore offers a fresh sound across 11 new cuts. The collaboration creates a meditative exploration of sound along the way and that allows these three visionary musicians to explore new dimensions of creativity and expression at every turn.
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