Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Originally released in 1981 on the Clocktower label, this killer compilation does a fine job of harnessing the raw magic of Lee "Scratch" Perry's legendary Black Ark era. Although the sounds are mostly drawn from mid-70s sessions, it also features two standout early cuts from the late 60s, namely Perry's gritty versions of 'Tighten Up' and 'Serious Joke'. Elsewhere, highlights include Johnny Lover's deep DJ take over Devon Irons' 'When Jah Come' and the rootsy energy of Ricky and Bunny's 'Bush Weed Corn Trash.' This reissue is a crucial document of Perry's genre-defining production, masterful take on vintage dub, toasting and spiritual reggae heat.

Review: Celebrating his 70th birthday and seven decades in music, Midge Ure concluded a year of touring with a sold-out show at London's Royal Albert Hall. The concert spanned his impressive career, featuring songs from Ultravox, Visage, his collaborations with Phil Lynott and his extensive solo work. Ure performed alongside Band Electronica, special guest cellist Caroline Dale and Ty Unwin, his collaborator on 2017's Orchestrated. The highlight of the evening was a full performance of Ultravox's classic album Vienna. This triple vinyl captures the concert in all its glory.

Review: For those in the know, Utah band The Used's second studio album is peak screamo. In Love and Death (2004) now hears a defining 20th anniversary release, with an unusual listening back on raw aughts emocore intensity with brutal, experimental studio-ready sound design touches. Created amid personal tragedy - lead singer Bert McCracken's girlfriend's death - the album helped elute and distil pain on the part of the band's frontman. Yet this didn't stop internecine tensions from bubbling over, though The Used used them: disagreements with their producer are only said to have added to the album's felt onslaught. Signature heavy, chaotic and piano-driven ballads, as on 'I Caught Fire' and 'Cut Up Angels', signal a mood of ultimate, seraphic abomination, bloody abreaction. Though not a UK hit, hundreds of thousands of copies were, cementing In Love and Death as The Used's most impactful and commercially successful work.

Review: Usher's fourth studio album Confessions, released on 23 March 2004 via Arista Records, solidified his position as a leading voice in r&b. The album blends smooth ballads with up-tempo tracks, drawing on dance pop, hip-hop, and crunk influences, with themes of infidelity and heartbreak sparking speculation about Usher's personal life, producer Jermaine Dupri later clarifying much of the material was based on his own experiences. Confessions went on to become one of Usher's defining works, balancing intimate storytelling with chart-topping hits.

Review: This sophomore album from Istanbul-born, Berlin-based electronic composer and sound artist Huma Utku explores psychological phenomena through a series of sonic essays. Drawing on her background in Psychology, Utku combines her academic and artistic practices in this ambitious release and includes recordings from her Elektronmusikstudion residency in 2020. The album also features synth intrigue, electroacoustic, experimental techno, industrial and spoken word all brought to life with piano, strings and vocals. Utku creates a dramatic, unsettling soundworld here while exploring themes of grief, consciousness, dream analysis and psychological symbolism. It's a truly intimate exploration of the human condition.

Review: It's been seven years since Freeform Jazz was released as a new frontier for Uyama Hiroto. Now hearing Japanese label Roph return to the jazz and hip-hop artist receive a second round of recognition, we get a thorough reminder of the directions in which jazz can be taken when not mired neither sophistry nor overcomplexity; the liners on this one remind us, likewise, of the reversals and flip-sides of every substance on Earth, that "If there is no movement, there is no stillness, and on the flip side, if there is no stillness, there is no movement." Hiroto's last record, Freeform Jazz, was his obverse side to Breath Of Love; one is duskier than the other, but the works are inseparable - so make sure you listen to the former too. Here though, we hear Hiroto synergise with participating artists Substantial and J Soul, both based in Virginia, as well as Marter and Reinaria; all the artists reign supreme over one wax side each, casting a healthful vocal light over Hiroto's otherwise impeccable recordings, as though they were each happily-ever-after kingdoms anointed in sound.