Back catalogue: All genres

Review: The second part of a series of essential early records by Texas's Butthole Surfers features three of their most unhinged releases: 1985's Cream Corn from the Socket of Davis, 1987's Locust Abortion Technician, and 1988's Hairway to Steven. These records capture the Butthole Surfers' evolution from Texan misfits to renowned provocateurs of the American underground scene. In 1985, they were the darlings of hallucinogen-fueled punk enthusiasts. By 1988, they had toured Europe, gained international recognition, and established a base in Driftwood, Texas. Cream Corn from the Socket of Davis offers a tantalizing glimpse into the Butthole Surfers' chaotic genius. Featuring two tracks from Rembrandt and two new recordings from their home studio in Winterville, Georgia, the EP showcases the band's unique blend of precision and madness. 'Moving to Florida' stands out as a surreal, Beefheart-esque trip, while the other tracks are equally mind-blowing. This EP serves as a perfect, bite-sized introduction to the delirious brilliance that the band would continue to unleash in their subsequent releases. These albums are remastered by Golden himself adding to the importance of these.

Review: "I'd prefer it to be called just a country album," said TORRES of her collaboration with Baker, nearly a decade in the making, "but I'm proud to have made a 'queer country' album." TORRES had the initial idea to turn to the genre, inviting Baker to collaborate not only because of her shared southern roots but also because she'd also had a similarly religious upbringing that ultimately saw sexual orientation judged and condemned. The result is some deeply autobiographic songwriting on tracks like 'Tuesday', about a traditional family's rage at discovering their daughter was gay, the lilting 'Sylvia' and 'Sugar In The Tank', with pedal steel meeting acoustic guitar strum and very intimate sounding vocals. Bound to cause controversy in certain areas of the US, but it's got the quality and distinctive flavour to stand its ground.

Review: The poker-faced, jeans-wearing trio Bar Italia are back. Thus far, and across a sparse and steady stream of largely digital singles and albums - with grainy, Photo Booth and MS Paint-style visual editing to boot - they've managed to summon a strange form of mysterious, but relationally sad Britishness in their music. In our opinion they're often mis-touted as a shoegaze act, so we hope their latest LP and first-time Beggars release Tracey Denim here dispels that myth. Whether getting at the just-out-of-reach noughties blindspot nostalgia of Tracey Beaker, or nodding to the depressive relic-making of Tracey Emin, one fact remains: this is Bar Italia's most refined work yet, taking their increasingly emo sound to its most logical conclusions, while demonstrating mastery over the same boxy, warped naivete that has always defined them.

Review: The Glasgow-based indie-pop mainstays have continually challenged themselves throughout their life as a band, and Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance is another step forward, again proving themselves to be not as easily pigeonholed in the insular worlds of twee indie as their detractors might have imagined when they emerged as a cult concern in the late '90s. "Enter Sylvia Plath" even takes their trademark stylings to the dancefloor, no less than a disco stomper redolent of a more bookish Hot Chip, whilst "The Party Line" is proof positive that their pop muscles can be formidable when flexed. A charming collection for diehards and new converts alike.

Review: Rolling Stone declared Bettie Serveert's debut album Palomine as "untamed and free as pop gets" back when it was originally released in 1993. It sure did become a classic and so now gets a 30th anniversary reissue, the first it's ever had. The Dutch band's Carol van Dyk and Peter Visser admit that they were "green as it comes" when they record it but that didn't stop them cooking up plenty of infectious hooks and jangling grooves run through with elements of prog, pop and folk. It's a nostalgic trip to tune into this one three decades on, but one that is well worth making.

Review: The second part of Matador's reissues of the essential early records by Texas's Butthole Surfers continues with three of their most insane slabs -- 1985's Cream Corn from the Socket of Davis, 1987's Locust Abortion Technician and 1988's Hairway to Steven. The second of these three, Locust Abortion Technician marked the meso-morphosis of the band's transmutation from Texan outcasts to global sensations. Compared to the still somewhat demo-qual feel of Cream Corn, Locust Abortion Technician was also their most rapacious outing yet, bringing their trademark scuzzy guitars and gassy, so-called 'Gibbytronix' vocal effects units - an invention of the band's own Gibby Haynes - to fuller prominence.

Review: The Butthole Surfers' final album on indie label Touch & Go bridges their anarchic early days with a more polished approach from their major label ventures. Following the seminal "anti" album Locust Abortion Technician, Hairway to Steven represents their peak accessibility before subsequent attempts at mainstream success. Known for their avant-garde indie roots, the band eschews traditional song titles, instead opting for individual doodles that later gained names through bootlegs and live releases. Gibby Haynes showcases his trademark "Gibbytronics," utilizing studio wizardry with multi-tap delays and pitch-shifters, moving beyond megaphone screams to intricate vocal manipulations. Guitarist Paul Leary remains a focal point, crafting distinctive riffs and experimental harmonies that blend intentional sloppiness with accomplished precision. Hairway to Steven marks a departure with cohesive compositions and soulful moments like 'I Saw an X-Ray of a Girl Passing Gas' and the double drum-driven jams of 'Rocky' and 'Backass.' It's a transitional album that balances irreverent juvenility with thoughtful songwriting, offering a gateway from their earlier raw sound to deeper exploration. For fans new to their legacy, this vinyl reissue serves as an ideal introduction to their influential, defiant musical ethos.