Back catalogue: All genres

Review: The Moon and the Melodies, a collaboration between Cocteau Twins and ambient pioneer Harold Budd, stands as a unique gem in both artists' discographies. Originally released in 1986, this ethereal album is now being reissued on vinyl, remastered from the original tapes by Robin Guthrie. Unlike anything else the Cocteau Twins ever produced, this record blends their dreamlike soundscapes with Budd's serene, improvisational piano work. The result is an atmospheric journey, at once intimate and expansive. Tracks like 'Sea, Swallow Me' shine with Elizabeth Fraser's otherworldly vocals, intertwined with Guthrie's shimmering guitar and Raymonde's grounding bass, creating a sound that feels both familiar and entirely unique. Instrumentals like 'Memory Gongs' and 'The Ghost Has No Home' highlight Budd's delicate piano, enhanced by the band's signature ambient textures. The album is a study in contrasts, vocal tracks sit alongside instrumentals, each contributing to a cohesive yet diverse listening experience. For fans, this reissue is a chance to revisit a pivotal moment in the evolution of dream pop and ambient music. The album's enduring appeal is evident in its continued influence in social media. The Moon and the Melodies remains a shining light that can happen when artists from different realms come together to create something truly timeless.

Review: Roberto Lange is back with a new album for 4AD which feels in stark contrast to his previous outing, 2021's Far In. That album was a definite lockdown record, and now Lange is in the mood to reach out and celebrate the sunshine, funnelling his dense and dusky production and playing into some wonderfully varied songs. There's a unique sentimentality to the Helado Negro sound captured in the huge reverb tails which spiral out of songs like 'LFO (Lupe Finds Oliveros)', but there's no immediate fix for the curious charm of his dusty indie rock sound.

Review: Hips & Makers takes us back to a great time for independent guitar music. The debut album from Kirstin Hersh is deceptively quiet and unarguably powerful, predominantly made up of acoustic numbers that really speak to how strong the rock-folk crossover was at this point. Adding the inimitable voice of REM's Michael Stipe to the opening track, 'Your Ghost', only accentuates this. A million miles from 'twee', while things here are often set at a volume that encourages reflection, in other moments they explode into an earthen celebration of passion and energy. Almost carnal. 'A Loon' and its campfire yelps and whoops, 'Close Your Eyes' with its rousing chorus invoking resilience and resistance. Even the sparseness of 'The Letter' makes a huge impact.

Review: This is not our first time falling for Jenny Hval. We might have been a little late to the party than some, initially encountering the angelic-voiced Norwegian singer-songwriter with her 2019 effort on Sacred Bones, The Practice of Love, but lost time has been made up for since. Landing again on 4AD, the label that hosted her preceding effort, 2022's Classic Objects, this latest is similar and yet different to what has come before. Tracks like 'Lay Down', which opens things here, present the Scandinavian voice at its sweetest, set against a backdrop of birdsong, fine-tuned for melody. Other moments take us into a dreamy otherworld, blissful harmonies and siren calls, ambient refrains invoking the great adventure that awaits us after this one. Or maybe that's just because the track in question is entitled 'I Want The End To Sound Like This'. Either way, so do we.