Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Jim Rafferty's long-awaited remastered version of 'I See Red' finally sees the light of day on a new 7" single, via Drag City. Known for his sophisticated, melodic style reminiscent of his brother Gerry Rafferty's work, Jim delivers a sleek pop gem with an irresistible hook. Originally penned for Frida's 1982 solo album, Jim's rendition outshines subsequent covers by artists like Clannad and even Gerry himself. On Side-2, 'Fear Strikes Out,' also gets its due, showcasing Jim's impeccable arrangement and sharp instrumentation. After decades in obscurity, these superior versions of Jim Rafferty's originals are a surprise and delight for fans of sublime pop music worldwide.

Review: Rolling Recordings from Antigua makes its debut here with a first release under the guise of Rock Star Heroes who offer up a couple of hard-to-find and previously unreleased funky disco influenced club bound instrumentals of out and out rock classics from one of the worlds best known stadium bands. These are perfectly designed for the club and collide rock, funk, disco and more into fresh forms. Opener 'Undercover Of The Night' popular with the likes of DJ Harvey and is a slice of raw, hard-hitting groove magic with organic percussion and live drums laden with funky guitar riffs and lively chord work that brings the whole thing to life. On the flip is an instrumental version of 'Miss You' which still has all the swagger of the iconic original with sultry harmonica luring you to the floor where the masterful drums and guitars will keep you moving.

Review: Dynamite Cuts presents the timeless classic 'Sugar Man' by Sixto Rodriguez on a 7" vinyl. Originally released on Sussex Records, this track features a stellar lineup of musicians including Bob Babbitt on bass and Dennis Coffey on guitar, with Gordon Staples arranging the stunning strings and Mike Theodore producing. The reissue uses the original white sleeve design instead of the South African issue with a black sleeve. On Side-2, 'Only Good for Conversation,' is another standout track from Rodriguez's LP, offering a heavy groove with a bass drum loop reminiscent of Eugene McDaniels. This release is a chance to own a piece of music history at a more accessible price point than the now extremely pricey original 70s issue.

Review: The latest single from Finnish indie label Timmion Records is 'Souvenir' by The Rosettes, fronted by vocalist Tytti Roto. This sombre, mellow 70s-flavoured ballad is delivered with raw emotion, lacking in sophistication but rich in depth, reflecting on the world's dangerous and harmful conditions. Timmion Records introduces new talent with The Rosettes' 7" vinyl single, blending soul and jazz with smooth pop sensibility. Dubbed the 'Khruangbin of the North', The Rosettes bring a fresh cinematic perspective to contemporary soul music. On Side-1 'Souvenir' offers a deep soul experience showcasing Tytti Roto's emotive storytelling and the band's melodic depth. The Side-2, 'Green Ray,' delivers a psychedelic soul groover with a funky backbeat, evoking a 1960s vibe. Drawing inspiration from Cymande and Isaac Hayes, The Rosettes infuse their sound with experimental elements while keeping it catchy and accessible.

Review: 'Warlock' is the latest release to be pushed via Bob Stanley's Measured Mile imprint, and pulls two floor-friendly but still retrospective gems from the storied De Wolfe music library, based in the UK and widely known as the progenitor and originator of what has now become known widely as library music. To demonstrate the gestation times common to this corner of the music industry, these two tracks have never been heard before, and yet were recorded in 1983! First comes Reg Tilsley with 'Warlock', a full yet light-winged flight through linns of flute, funk bass and notes inegales. Meanwhile, 'Flashpoint' by Roger Jackson is a space-age tittup of booming, long-tailed proportions; it's tempered by the nagging nip of a clavichord and the formidable frown of the lowest piano note.

Review: A quarter century old now, yet these art-rock giants and eternal malcontents seem as restless in their muse and motion as ever - still chronicling an increasingly complicated and strenuous age yet doing it with finesse, grace and innovation. The urgent, invigorating strains of single 'Burn the Witch' were no anomaly, and 'A Moon Shaped Pool' shows them shaking off the more insular tendencies of their last opus 'King Of Limbs' to engage and electrify in a way that they haven't truly managed for years - radiant, celestial ambience shares space here with impressive ire and emotional engagement, with these peerless experimentalists delivering a record that transcends both their own work and the vast majority of the musical landscape they survey.

Review: There was naturally much excitement when A Moon Shaped Pool, Radiohead's surprise ninth studio set, popped up on streaming and download services back in May. Here it gets a CD release, offering those who prefer physical products a chance to bathe in its' woozy eccentricities. Seen by some as a return to their arty rock roots following an extended period spend exploring electronics, the album's 11 tracks draw on a variety of influences (krautrock, ambient, Pavement, James Blake, Stockhausen, intense melancholia etc.), with predictably impressive results. Occasionally elegant, string-laden and grandiose, always beautiful, and sometimes intensely moving, A Moon Shaped Pool is undeniably up there with the band's best work.

Review: Rail Band are one of the most legendary bands in Malian musical history, and like all great legends their greatest moment was fleeting. This incredibly heavy, soulful and hard-grooving record was released in 1973, when the official orchestra of the Malian State Railway decided to enter the studio and lay down their potent blend of Western funk and surf, Mande tradition and Afro-Cuban percussion. The band was led by trumpet and sax player Tidiani Kone and Djelimady Tounkara on guitar, but in the iteration captured on this album they also featured future stars Salif Keita and Mory Kante on vocals. Shortly after, Keita and Kante eloped to embark on hugely successful solo careers, but for a brief moment in 1973 one of the greatest African guitar bands of all time created a perfect storm of West African storytelling and smoking hot grooves.

Review: Laurin Rinder and W. Michael Lewis were amongst the most prolific producers of the disco era - a pair of jazz-trained eccentrics who not only embraced the disco sound, but did more than most to help develop it (they were particularly big fans of synthesisers, showcasing in their work as much as Giorgio Moroder and Patrick Cowley did). They also loved a concept - hence recording and releasing The Seven Deadly Sins, an album-length celebration of disco's sinful side, in 1977. As this Be With Records reissue proves, the album remains a rare beast: a largely instrumental disco album that sparkles from start to finish. For proof, check the seductive, electric piano-and-synth smothered grooves of 'Lust', the heavily electronic proto-techno of 'Gluttony', the solo-laden disco-funk heaviness of 'Pride' and the undeniably epic heaviness of 'Anger'.

Review: Rio 18's Radio Chevere is a vibrant, genre-defying musical experience that resists being neatly boxed in. Part mixtape, part radio show, it's a sprawling tribute to Tropical Music, bursting with energy, sincerity, and groove.
Guided by guest DJ Coco Maria, Radio Chevere embarks on a sonic journey across multiple continents. From the samba rhythms of Brazil to Venezuelan salsa and even Californian psychedelic disco, the album becomes a musical metaphor for migrationicelebrating the movement of people, sounds, and stories.Collaboration lies at the heart of this record. Brazilian legends the +2's appear on the soft samba ballad 'Oh Minha Querida', while transatlantic Yacht Rockers Young Gun Silver Fox bring laid-back charm to 'She's In LA'. Silvia Machete from Sao Paulo adds an infectious funk vibe to 'Maybe Man', and Venezuelan icon Luzmira Zerpa delivers rhythmic intensity on 'Padre Tiempo'. The album's linguistic variety is equally impressive, blending Spanish, Portuguese, Welsh, and English into one rich tapestry. Founder Carwyn Ellis, having explored Latin music since Rio 18's 2018 inception, takes a step back from singing on Radio Chevere, focusing instead on songwriting and production. With bold cover art by Colombian artist Yoda, Radio Chevere is a lively and heartfelt celebration of the diverse influences that make up its unique sound.

Review: This Rolling Stones live album, which became the first live record to reach number one in the UK, was recorded in New York City and Baltimore in November 1969. It came as they were gearing up for release of their eighth studio album Let It Bleed. The release was to be their last for Decca Records and the first tour that they had John Mayall's Bluesbreakers' former guitarist Mick Taylor on board. This allowed them to indulge more competently than ever before in their homage to their most beloved genre. The hits on here just keep coming - 'Jumpin' Jack Flash', 'Sympathy for the Devil', 'Honky Tonk Women'... It's almost like a best of and if the Stones had called it quits at this stage, we'd still be listening to them today. These are some of the best songs of all time and it's highly satisfying hearing versions that ramp up the blues more than the studio versions do.

Review: RECOMMENDED
The return of Ripley Johnson, and what a return it is. The man better known to most (confusingly) as Rose City Band, alongside Wooden Shjips and Moon Duo, started this project as an outlet for all the bits and pieces that wouldn't fit in with those two other endeavours. In truth, RSB isn't a million miles from either but wins out in terms of the freedoms it affords.

Rather than finding himself beholden to bandmates and communal touring schedules, instead the Band has always allowed Johnson complete control to do what he wants, when he wants it, and perhaps most significantly, with who he wants. Inviting select players to join in the creative process, it's a wistful and laidback steel pedal guitar groove from start to finish, touching on progressive rock, folk, Americana, blues, jazz and more.

Review: Stranded is the third album for Roxy Music, and most notably it was the first after Brian Eno had departed. It was also the first album on which Ferry shared songwriting duties with Andy Mackay and Phil Mazanera, and so it captures the band in that moment of transition away from synthesiser sparkle towards a fuller, more rockist sound. The pianos and guitars pile on, creating a more driving sound even on the softer tracks like 'Just Like You', but there's still a thread of the unusual tucked away in every track - that curious magic which made Roxy Music such a vital force in 70s music.

Review: Rather than endlessly reinterpreting what the best of Roxy Music's catalogue truly is, why not just reissue this classic best-of collection from Virgin? Made available on wax for the first time ever, 'The Best Of Roxy Music' contains every hit from 'Love Is The Drug' to 'Angel Eyes', alongside lesser known bits such as 'Over You'. And of course, the band's aristocratic version of John Lennon's 'Jealous Guy' is on there too. Just in time for an anniversary tour, too.

Review: Perhaps the most abstract, clangorous and genre-defying entry in the formidable Royal Trux catalogue, 1990s Twin Infinitives is a sprawling, tactile odyssey punctuated by Neil Hagerty's acerbic guitar stabs and Jennifer Herrema's sleazy vocal free association. Through the thick squalling gauze witch Hagerty and Herrema superimpose on each track, ghosts of A/B song form emerge and disintegrate, with blues licks and disarmingly gentle croons offset by rumbling mechanical loops and sonic shrapnel. It really feels like the ground zero, the most amoebic and uncompromising launchpad for what would become the Royal Trux sound. Highlights include the Henry Flynt-esque 'Ice Cream', the cavernous flute peals of 'Osiris' and the rollicking, fuzz-damaged 'Glitterbust'. One of the best from one of the best!