Review: February 2024 saw two levee-breaking live moments by The 1975: here the indie band would return to Manchester for two massive AO Arena dates on 17 and 18 February, riding the rips of their biggest world tour yet. While technically from Wilmslow, the band cut their teeth in Greater Manchester's storied live scene and have always claimed the city as their unofficial hometown. Despite turning the leaf on a string of controversies centred on frontman Matty Healy, that didn't stop them from operating Still At Their Very Best, promising the kind of raucous, genre-blending performance fans expect a decade into their career. Support comes from labelmates The Japanese House, and Healy would later duet with Amber Bain on cult single 'Sunshine Baby.' This LP recording of the live spate distils a thirty-track stack of pristine live redeliveries, and with a monomaniacal arena's roar throughout, we hear a larger-than-life return home for the band.
Review: UK ambient artist 36, whose real name is Dennis Huddleston and peerless American ambient producer Zake return to their Stasis Sounds For Long Distance Space Travel collaboration on the latter's Past Inside the Present. This ambient masterpiece offers glacial drones and delicate textures that drift like solar winds and evoke the vast calm of deep space. As always, it is layered music crafted with care and restraint that demands deep listening and provides a heady space for stillness and inward reflection in our overstimulated world. It's a meditative, cosmic journey that transcends ambient norms and is rich in subtle harmonics and emotional nuance and makes yet another standout from the tireless Zake and 36.
Review: UK producer Trevor Huddleston aka 36 and the Indiana-based Past Inside The Present label's head Zake return to their Stasis Sounds For Long Distance Space Travel project, a universe that suspends the listener in time across glacial soundscapes and a general sense of cosmic awe. Soft, slow-moving drones and textural washes drift like solar winds through the vacuum, suggesting the boundless calm of deep space. The production is rich, gentle with tonal shifts and barely-there harmonics that evoke both distance and intimacy, wonder and melancholy. It feels like music beamed in from the edges of the known universe. If you fancy a contemplative journey from the edge of Earth's thermosphere into the unknowable beyond, tune into Stasis Sounds on your best headphones.
Review: Originally formed in 1980 in Reno, Nevada, 7 Seconds are often credited as one of the most vital and criminally overlooked pioneering hardcore punk acts. Following on from their much-adored 1985 EP-cum-LP Walk Together, Rock Together, their 1986 follow up New Wind featured slower tempos and a notable imbuing of melody, with the project going on to be credited as an integral blueprint for the hardcore scene's eventual embracing and transition into pop-punk and indie rock. This long overdue reissue from Trust Records arrives complete with the complimentary Change In My Head, which is a totally new take on the classic album featuring tracks remixed in their entirety by Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi) alongside Inner Ear Studios' Don Zientara. Restoring and reimagining unreleased cuts from the original LP such as 'Change In My Head' and 'Compro', these bonus tracks offer a fresh snapshot of 7 Seconds in transition, but still very much firmly rooted in their hardcore ethos (before literal U2 comparisons would arise with later output). This limited double LP also comes with a 24-page oral history featuring unseen photographs, flyers, and memorabilia.
Review: Abaete's self-titled 1977 LP remains one of Brazil's deepest cult treasuresian obscure gem of Bahian jazz-funk samba that now sees long-overdue reissue. Recorded during a creative high for Bahia's music scene, this sole full-length from the vocal trio blends masterfully layered harmonies with moody synths, groove-driven percussion and North Brazilian rhythmic signatures. There's almost no background info on the group, but the music speaks volumes. Highlights like 'O Rei Do Calang (Calangotango)' and 'Toca Nicanor' ripple with syncopated urgency, while 'Canto Sul' and 'Por Uma Razo De Amor' float with breezy melodic finesse. Mixed by Waldir Lombardo Pinheiroiknown for work with Tom Ze and Zeca do Tromboneithe album is full of freewheeling arrangements, grainy funk textures and subtle psychedelia. It's no surprise the trio also penned tunes for greats like Clara Nunes and Elza Soares. A rare window into an experimental chapter of Brazilian popular music, rediscovered in all its radiant groove.
Review: Abba's self-titled third album marked a creative and commercial turning point for the group; released in 1975, it was their first full-length following the breakthrough historic romance hit 'Waterloo', and the moment they cemented a sound that would dominate pop for years. Packed with high-drama hooks and refulgent production, the album of course also includes 'Mamma Mia' and 'SOS', both early experiments in the theatrical, harmony-rich style that would define the long-form productions of Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus. With newly remastered audio cut at half-speed by Miles Showell at Abbey Road, we've two new inclusions: kitsch singalong gem 'I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do' and glam-leaning opener 'So Long'.
Review: PAX-AM is the brainchild ofJacksonville singer-songwriter and author Ryan Adams, originally dreamed up during his high school years as a DIY cassette label for home-recorded genre experiments. Though those early tapes never left his inner circle, the name stuck. It's been a sandbox for Adams' prolific output ever since, blurring lines between alt-country, punk, classic rock and tape-hiss pop, all under his naive yet total creative control. Now, in homage to his favourite ever recording artists - many of whom you will likely recognise from the track titles alone here - Adams sings atop the altar, dirging covetously over the best of the Rolling Stones, Daniel Johnston, Bon Jovi, Oasis and Bob Dylan.
Review: Long Island's Aesop Rock takes listeners deep into the everyday moments that blur the line between the real and the surreal on this, his 11th LP. Self-produced, the album's intricate beats and complex structures provide a perfect canvas for his expansive lyricism. Tracks like 'Movie Night' and 'Send Help' explore this liminal space, mixing reflections on the mundane with eccentric, dreamlike imagery. The production pushes boundaries, channeling a sense of both experimentation and coherence, while tracks such as 'Black Plums' evoke a quiet, wistful nostalgia. Aesop balances cerebral exploration with emotional depth, pulling the listener through his introspective world with both precision and spontaneity. Hailing from New York, his work continues to reflect that city's blend of chaos and contemplation, navigating between complexity and raw instinct. The album's guest featuresiLupe Fiasco, Armand Hammer, Open Mike Eagle, Homeboy Sandman, and Hanni El Khatibiadd distinct layers to the project, each bringing their own energy to the sonic landscape. '1010WINS (feat. Armand Hammer)' and 'Charlie Horse (feat. Lupe Fiasco & Homeboy Sandman)' are highlights where the collaborations are seamless, blending each artist's style with Aesop's own. Throughout, the work showcases his most technically accomplished efforts to date, weaving together complex ideas with an instinctive flow that makes for an album as ambitious as it is enthralling.
Review: Laurel Aitken's High Priest of Reggae album is an early classic of the genre from 1969, and it captures the ska pioneer at a pivotal moment when he was blending his Jamaican roots with the evolving UK reggae scene. It came on Pama Records and shows Aitken's versatility with cuts like 'Jesse James' and 'Landlords and Tenants,' both a testament to his storytelling lyrical prowess over inventive rhythms down low. Songs such as 'Haile Selassie' reflect his engagement with the burgeoning roots reggae movement, while the classic crossover jam 'Skinhead Train' nods to his influence on the skinhead subculture. This album earned Aitken the status of the "Godfather of Ska" and it's easy to hear why listening back to this reissue.
Review: Ladbroke Grove favourite AJ Tracey's highly anticipated third album arrives after a three-year hiatus and reaffirms his place at the forefront of rap. The record explores themes of ambition, resilience and living life to the fullest, reflecting AJ's journey from humble London beginnings to UK rap's pinnacle. Featuring viral hit 'Joga Bonito' and chart-topping track 'Crush' with Jorja Smith, who contributes two very different, equally stunning parts to that single, this is the sound of an artist who is still growing and joining his craft. His wordplay remains sharp and with and fuelled with fun cultural references and is sure to be heard banging from car radios, Bluetooth speakers and plenty in between all summer long.
Private Dancer (feat Iron Curtis - extended) (5:42)
The Night (Moves On) (extended) (4:38)
Patterns Everywhere (extended) (4:18)
Follow The Strings (2:54)
Squeeze Me Tight (extended) (4:31)
Review: German mainstay Johannes Albert returns after a six-year hiatus with his third club album, Private Dancer, and it's worth the wait. As expected, it is a deep dive into refined house music full of maturing production, warm textures, subtle grooves and emotive undertones. The standout title track features longtime collaborator Iron Curtis, and together they craft a hypnotic blend of classic deep house with modern minimalism. Highlights include the gentle grooves and percussion of 'L'Chaim', the steamy nocturnal soul of 'The Night (Moves On' and 'Follow The Strings', which is a more punchy heater. It's the sound of a seasoned producer delivering understated dancefloor gold.
Review: Fusion five-piece Aldorande are no fustians when it comes to full-length LPs. These self-styled groove adventurers remain radically open to the sound, thanks to their stylistic touchstone, 70s funk, and its diachronic conduction of future styles. Recorded on tape in a top Parisian studio, their third record Trois brims with trifect textures, bold phrasing, and soaring choral waves. Mathieu Edouard's precise drumming is glued to the spot by Erwan Loeffel's plaited percussion, all the while Laurent Guillet's fingertips and Florian Pellissier's splayed hands make the best uses of Fender Rhodes, axe and Minimoog.
Review: Alien D is the NYC-based producer Daniel Creahan, and he's back with a debut on Theory Therapy that taps into widescreen worlds of techno immersion. Departing from the ambient abstraction of his previous work, this album as a subtle kinetic pulse with tracks like 'Soil Dub' and 'Sleepy's Gambit' propel listeners forward with dubwise rhythms crafted for deep dancefloors. The album builds on an infectious, steady groove with repeating phrases and subtle shifts that keep the music in constant motion. Conceived in the first days after the COVID lockdown, these sounds exude a hopeful quality and capture the transcendent moments of early-morning parties when the moment is full of unbridled hope for what might come.
Review: Dorothy Tennov's tenuous concept of "limerence" has fuelled many an artistic outing and project, most notably in recent times an Yves Tumor star cut from the ineluctable PAN compilation, Mono No Aware. But it's UK rising indie star Jacob Alon's new and debut album, In Limerence - wuthering on the bloodied tips of his last 10" 'To Selene' and forerunning 7" 'Liquid Gold 25'- that perhaps really does the most thoroughgoing justice to the erotomanic, smitten concept of impossible, obsessive love. Bold electric modern folk reimaginings and wambling blears are brought out lovingly by speedy hothouser producer Dan Carey, ensuring Alon's ethereal vocals effuse over evocative storytelling on 'Fairy In A Bottle' and 'Confession'.
Review: From Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana, Gyedu-Blay Ambolley returns with another simmering display of his self-styled Simigwa-funk-part highlife, part jazz, part proto-rap, all unmistakably his own. Still sharp at 77, Ambolley commands a tight ensemble through groove-led declarations like 'Wake Up Afrika' and 'U Like Or U No Like', riding swung basslines and crisp horn arrangements with the flair of a master bandleader. 'God E See You' finds him slipping into a smoky, Afro-soul register, while 'New Simi Rapp' stretches out into hypnotic territory, led by flutes, baritone sax and rhythmic mantras. 'Ochoko Bila' and 'If You Want To Know' are more playful cuts, full of bounce and quick-fire wisdom. The production, split between Ghana and the Netherlands, balances live grit with rich detail-everything breathes, nothing is wasted. As ever, Ambolley's voice is both storyteller and instrument: loose, commanding, and deeply rooted in diasporic sound. This is music that moves and means.
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.