Review: Measured Mile, the 7"s label run by Bob Stanley, firms its focus on DJ-friendly 45s that are or were either very rare or previously unavailable in the format. Its run of sharply curated 7"s is replenished with another three-tracker, this time an unusual choice, fencing two classic British sports broadcasting themes, pivoting from midtempo funk to faster breaks. Leading the A are two standouts from Douglas Wood, 'Cranes', known as the punchy, synth-heavy theme from the BDO World Darts Championship - and 'Drag Racer', the atmospheric opener to the BBC's Snooker World Championships coverage, both drawn from the revered Studio G library catalogue. On the flip, John Cameron's 'Sprocket Shuffle' - the lively 1980s ITV Snooker theme - rounds out the package in a flurry of analogue texture and charming nostalgia.
Review: Plucking themselves and their strings out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Watchhouse has its foundations in Mandolin Orange, and the duo - songwriter Andrew Marlin (vocals, mandolin, guitar, banjo) and Emily Frantz (vocals, violin, guitar) - haven't necessarily changed since the name switch. A married couple, there's always been this beautiful intimacy in their music, which is often tender, if not strictly quiet. Eight studio albums in and most of the reasons we fell for this Americana-folk-country outfit remain front and centre. The musicianship, at times, is nothing short of spectacular. Check the chord work on 'In The Sun'. The lyrics are capable of stopping you dead, forcing contemplation and reflection. And the overall atmosphere is like the feeling you have after stepping off a train back home. Slow down, re-familiarise, and pay some attention to the subtle things.
Review: It's a pity that Marc Riley is less regular than he once was on BBC 6 Music because the ex-Fall member has phenomenal taste and raw passion that makes you too want to love music as much as he does. A staunch champion of the beloved Leeds indie rockers The Wedding Present, these eight tracks are taken from two sessions that David Gedge and co. laid down in 2019 and 2023. There's a wellspring of riches here from the 1985-formed band. From the relentless Sonic Youth-esque guitar-led number 'Don't Give Up Without A Fight, to their cover of Low's 'Canada' and Magazine's 'A Song From Under The Floorboards - it's stacked with bangers. Perhaps the John Peel of modern times, Riley's archive is endlessly inspirational - and his love of The Wedding Present entirely relatable.
Review: In January 2025, Al Wootton visited Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio, which is home to a rare archive of vintage drum machines. Once there, he recorded the unique rhythms and quirks of these machines and captured their raw character. Back in the UK, he transformed those recordings through processing and layering to create this new EP, Rhythm Archives. The result is a stripped-back but impactful exploration of rhythm that draws from industrial, dub, post-punk and proto-techno influences. The record stands as both a creative tribute to the iconic machines and their makers and a nod to MESS's mission of preserving electronic music heritage and making it accessible through public engagement and education.
Review: Adam Winchester and Laurie Osborne (probably still best known as Appleblim) are Wrecked Lightship and they have an inventive approach to dub, breaks and bass. Their work creates an immersive world full of rich, atmospheric textures and the latest example of that is Drained Strands, a new album for Peak Oil full of fragmented, genre-blurring sounds. The six-tracker is full of experimentation and new ideas from the off. 'Delinquent Spirits' for example is a jumble of jungle breaks and vast basslines with minimal percussion, 'Reeling Mist' is warm, blissed out dub and 'Somnium Sands' is an eerie and evocative world of synth designs and industrial decay.
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