Review: This is a special Record Store Day 2024 release that rights a wrong for hardcore Madness vinyl heads.
With the exception of 'Baggy Trousers,' 'Embarrassment' stood as the sole Madness single from the 80s not to receive a 12" release. This year's annual waxy celebrations however present a special opportunity to own it on vinyl as the classic Motown-inspired hit gets the coveted treatment as part of this six-track EP. Also included is the original 7" mix alongside a previously unreleased instrumental version meticulously crafted by Clive Langer, which offers fans a fresh perspective on this iconic Madness track.
Review: Master Peace reaches new heights on this thrilling five-track 12". He grew up listening to bands like Bloc Party, Arctic Monkeys and The Streets, and combines that with contemporary inspirations to cook up a mix of resonant songwriting and anthemic pop hooks. 'Veronica' from this EP is already a radio hit and 'Groundhog Day' easily slips into the fine UK tradition for belting indie. Nothing here is frilly or excessive, the lyrics are tight and the grooves drive with the wide-eyed 'Kaleidoscope' being a standout amongst these powerful and bold new tunes.
Review: Canadian singer-songwriter June McDoom makes something rather unclassifiable; poppy-noisy smatterings of sound and melody with influences from jazz, blues and soul, but combined in such a way as to not be as easily categorisable as that combination might normally make out. Her latest self-titled project here collects a slew of personal intimations and ballads reflecting a wealth of young life experiences, relationships and emotions. The extent of its sensitivity can only be sought in between the grit, as there's a deep well of texture embedded in every track, but listen between the lines (and take a peek at its collaborations with artists like Sufjan Stevens, Neko Case, Iron & Wine and Andrew Bird), and you'll soon glean a solid idea for its stated, romantic intent.
Review: Metronomy, esteemed purveyors of eclectic indie-electronic pop, open a new chapter with Posse EP Volume 2, out on Ninja Tune. Band founder Joe Mount steps into the role of producer, crafting musical worlds for new singers and artists. The EP's lead single, 'With Balance (feat. Naima Bock and Joshua Idehen),' showcases pastel-plucked guitars and hazy vocal lines, culminating in Joshua Idehen's powerful wordplay. This understated ballad is accompanied by a visually striking video produced by global creative agencies Wieden+Kennedy, Immigrant Studio, and Wake The Town. Mount comments on the video, 'It highlights new artists and ideas and allows me to enjoy it as a viewer.' Posse EP Volume 2 features collaborations with Miki, Faux Real, Nourished by Time, Lynks, SPIDER, Master Peace and TaliaBle. Mount reflects on the Posse EPs as a way to connect with new music and embrace their extensive career. This collaborative approach energises both artist and listener, making Posse EP Volume 2 a revitalizing addition to Metronomy's vibrant discography.
Review: Taking its name from the band's two favourite guitar effects pedals - the Univox Super-Fuzz and the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff, both credited with producing a 'dirty sound' - it's safe to say Mudhoney came up with one of the finest double entendre titles with their 1988 debut EP. Arriving through the seminal Sub Pop, the record would fail to grab the attention of the masses, or the nascent grunge underground bubbling beneath the streets of their native Seattle at the time, but now we know just how wrong people can be. Skip forward to today, and Mudhoney's first spawn is recognised as one of the seminal outings in the early Pacific Northwestern alternative guitar scene that would go on to dominate the world, albeit for a relatively brief time. Praised for being "sexy, smart, humorous and hard", hearing the tracks today affords an opportunity to draw direct lines between the heavy rock that came before, and what was being born.
Review: It's often the albums that fall between the cracks that are the greatest. Violin virtuoso and singer Andrew Bird and Americana singer-songwriter Madison Cunningham shine a light on the underrated pre-Fleetwood Mac gem of an album, Buckingham Nicks, by fully covering it. Released five years before Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham went on to have mega success with Rumours, Buckingham Nicks was such a flop commercially that they were dropped by their label Polydor. But it is a cracking album and in covering it in their own style and having a palpably strong musical connection as a duo themselves, Bird and Cunningham have done it absolute justice and changed it. They have shed the 70s pop sheen of the original and made something more timeless to behold. 'Stephanie' is moody, majestic and cosmic and 'Without A Leg To Stand On' is one of the most stirring vocal performances you'll hear in 2024. A highly rewarding listen throughout.
Review: Dr. Robert of British 80s pop hitmakers The Blow Monkeys and British folk icon Matt Deighton (Mother Earth, Bill Fay, Paul Weller) have formed a new duo and release their album on the not-for-profit Last Night From Glasgow label. Their respective histories - writing really accomplished pop songs and performing in bands with some of the best artists in the history of rock n' roll - raise expectations, but they absolutely smash them. The title-track is a beautiful marriage of pastoral psych folk and glam rock, where there's melodies to spare and affecting, deeply soulful timbres at every turn.
Review: If you're unfamiliar with Dr Robert, we recommend checking out The Blow Monkeys. Robert Howard, as he's credited, formed the iconic new wave and 'sophisti-pop' group in 1981 and his piano keys, bass notes, guitar melodies, vocals and words define the band's sizeable back catalogue. Matt Deighton, meanwhile, might mean Mother Earth, Bill Fay, or Paul Weller to some listeners. He's been involved with them all. Here, the esteemed UK musicians run into one another on Last Night From Glasgow, a treasure of a patron-funded, not-for-profit label out of Scotland's biggest city. It couldn't be a more credible and thoughtful combination. Musically, the result packs crazy levels of musicality, taking a lead from pop, soft, folk and psyche rock to produce a sound which moves between soaring to understated grandeur to deceptively complex and overtly intimate.
Review: Headed up by Anthony Gonzalez, M83 have taken a winding trip through beautifully sculpted, electronically embellished indie-pop grandeur over the years. Their ninth studio album Fantasy finds Gonzalez taking the process back to a more instinctive, natural flow born out of extended studio jams, reconnecting with his passion after some of the more commercial peaks and creative compromises encountered along the road the band has travelled. As lead single 'Oceans Niagara' attests, the shift in approach hasn't diluted the power and presence of this most life-affirming of groups.
Review: Apparently inspired by 1980s computer game soundtracks and the synth-heavy scores to fantasy films, M83's "DSVII" is slated as a sequel to the band's 2007 set "Digital Shades". If so, it's a rather belated one, especially considering the French outfit has released three studio sets and a swathe of soundtracks since then. Regardless, the material here is deliciously evocative, emotion-rich and atmospheric, mirroring the ebb and flow (and peaks and troughs) associated with soundtracks whilst relying entirely on i80s-sounding synthesizers and drum machine hits. It's basically synth-wave, with Symmetry's "Themes From An Imaginary Film" - itself based on music initially intended for the "Drive" soundtrack - being an obvious comparison.
Review: Holly Macve's third album, Wonderland, is a stunning testament to her evolving artistry and a bold declaration of independence. Released under her own Loving Memory Records, this album is her most luxurious and cinematic work to date. Co-produced with Dan Rothman of London Grammar, it features string arrangements by David Saunders and a notable collaboration with Lana Del Rey, who has lauded Macve's voice as one of the world's most beautiful. Reflecting a period of profound personal transformation, Wonderland captures Macve's journey through moments of intense highs and lows. The album's first single, 'San Fran Honey,' explores the theme of unattainable love, blending nostalgia with self-awareness. Macve's evocative, dreamy style resonates with the cinematic quality of Lana Del Rey's work, drawing comparisons between their approaches to music. Wonderland is an exciting exploration of Macve's growth and a showcase of her unique, atmospheric sound.
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