Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Esteemed rock guitarist Andy Fairweather Low first came to prominence in 1967 with a cover version of 'Gin House Blues', Bessie Smith's 1928 original. He then went on to front the psychedelic rock band Amen Corner, marking a surprising shift in genre ambit. With the latter move rendering Low's early bluings relatively obscure, The Last Music Company gladly announce the early blues treads of this master musician's all-pervading influence on music, here with this new selected hits compilation. There are many collaborating musicians indebted to Low, and who yet owe him more than one drink: BB King, Van Morrison, Pete Townsend, Jimi Hendrix, Chris Rea and Kate Bush, to name a few. A longtime sideman in Eric Clapton's band, hence the title, it not only highlights his mastery of blues guitar, but also his under-recognition as a hidden, arch-musician, pillaring the notoriety of others.

Review: Good things from those who wait, someone should have definitely said at some point. For Bill Fay, who had both the privilege and the nightmare of being able to choose from some 40 years of material to put this together. Amazingly only his third LP, arriving 50 years after his debut, at 76-years-young he has clearly mastered the art of keeping things simple in order to be truly, staggeringly powerful. It's unforgettable stuff to say the least. Tender vocals, gentile guitar, delicate pianos and little more, aside from some incredibly evocative lyrics. Works such as "I Will Remain Here" and the title track summarise Fay in many ways. Songs about ancient, mysterious places and histories imagined and real, our poet-cum-troubadour acting as both guide and accomplice to the act of marvelling at it all. Records like this literally don't come along everyday, and we should treasure every moment of them.

Review: On his fourth album as Fleet Foxes, Shore, Robin Pecknold has decided to celebrate life and death - a theme that no doubt was inspired in part by the ongoing global pandemic. The New York based artist sets his stall out immediately via lusciously orchestrated, choir-sporting opener 'Wading in Waist-High Water' and the similarly gorgeous 'Sunblind' - where he namechecks many of his dead musical heroes - before continuing on a similarly warm, jangling and opaque musical theme. That means soaring chord progressions, emotion-rich vocals, fluid piano lines and plenty of melancholic musical flourishes. It's soft-touch Americana for hard times; confirmed fans and newcomers alike should find plenty to savour.

Review: For Fleet Foxes, there'll be no clock-burning or heartelt 'omming' round Stonehenge this winter, as Robin Pecknold and co. present their latest album 'A Very Lonely Solstice', for all the hurt hearts out there freezing away alone in this festive quarter. Pecknold resonates; all tracks on this LP were recorded at the pinnacle of the artists' own solitude, during a live-streamed event performed on the winter solstice of 2020 just days after COVID restrictions in New York tightened. Coming to CD, black and limited white vinyl, songs from every classic Fleet Foxes album, From Helplessness Blues to Crack-Up, are reimagined acoustically here, as Pecknold's voice resonates through a lonesome yet gripping chamber space.

Review: Since first joining forces in 2017, Warren Hampshire and Greg Foat have released some of the most magical albums of recent times - sets that cannily combine their mutual love of pastoral music, jazz-funk, library jazz, soundtracks and heady downtempo grooves. The Upturned Glass, the pair's sixth collaborative full-length, is another genuine gem. Highlights come thick and fast, from the skewed, lo-fi jazz-funk warmth of 'Pool In The Rose' and the string-drenched beauty of opener '6,000 Drunks Clinging to a Landslip' (an amusing title for a genuinely moving track), to the chiming, low-slung brilliance of the two-part title track and the emotive, slow-motion ambient-folk beauty of 'Evening Song'.