New releases last two weeks: All genres

Review: Having celebrated his 50th birthday late last year, Ryan Adams has naturally been in an introspective mood. It makes sense, then, that the long-serving rock/country fusionist should offer up an album made up entirely of covers of songs by other artists that have in some way inspired him over the years. Generally gentle, with string-laden, largely acoustic arrangements, Changes features some genuinely brilliant interpretations - as well as some surprise ones. For proof, check his piano-and-strings wander through 'Panic' by the Smiths, a wonderfully heartfelt rendition of 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' by Simple Minds, a country-folk take on the Rolling Stones 'Sympathy For The Devil' and a lilting, poignant Prince cover ('When Doves Cry', which comes complete with extended harmonica solos and some genuinely lilting strings).

Review: Cologne-based Belfast boy Dominick Martin has been delivering deliciously good albums as Calibre for the best part of a quarter of a century, frequently departing from his trademark drum & bass sound to showcase his love of other sub-heavy and mind-bending sounds such as dub techno, ambient and dubstep. On Little Foot, his first album in two years and 22nd in total, he leans into this considered eclecticism. For proof, compare and contrast the tactile and dreamy 4/4 dub of 'Blame Dub', the dub-wise junglist bruk-up of 'Special', the mutant two-step delight of 'Ukrained', the angularm, sub-heavy UK techno of 'Threadvare' and the Mark Ernestus style spaced-out dub techno of 'Choosing Beggar'. And that's just CD1. A genuine triumphant from one of bass culture's most distinctive musical voices.

Review: Since the release of her last full-length excursion, No Thank You, in 2022, much has changed in the world of Little Simz - both personally and professionally. These twin themes naturally shaped the sound of Lotus, not only her first album in three years, but also a first without her long-term studio partner InFlo - a producer she is suing for L1million in unpaid royalties. She goes in hard (lyrically, we mean) on her former partner on opener 'Thief', a cinematic and loose-limbed number that perfectly encapsulates the more stripped-back, often organic beats and surprisingly personal lyrics that mark out the album. Highlights are plentiful, with the post-punk/punk-funk fired 'Young', string-laden 'Free', heart-aching 'Hollow' and Afrobeat-inspired 'Lion' amongst the standouts.

Review: Originally released in 2004 as their sophomore full-length, Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge would change both the career trajectory of New Jersey goth-punks My Chemical Romance whilst simultaneously turning the genre on its head with its unique fusion of macabre Misfits and Alkaline Trio worship married to the stadium-sized hooks and melodies of Blink-182 and Green Day. While it would be 2006's follow up The Black Parade that would turn the band to alt rock giants, it all started here with the iconic pop-punk banger and hit single 'I'm Not Okay (I Promise)', whilst later singles 'Helena' and 'The Ghost Of You' highlighted their expansive melding of emo, post-hardcore and punk rock, elevated by vocalist/lyricist/graphic novel illustrator Gerard Way's uniquely grim vision and Billy Borgan-esque vocal cadences. Certified Platinum less than a year after initial release, and selling 3 million copies in the US alone, this new deluxe edition features an entirely new remix plus four previously unreleased live recordings.

Review: Throughout his lengthy career, Richard Norris has always leaned into his psychedelic influences, seemingly finding a multitude of ways to meld minds via unusual fusions, trippy sounds and - as a DJ - an encyclopaedic knowledge of "psych music" in its many forms. On this superb three-disc compilation, he leans into the latter aspect, gathering 42 cuts, most pleasingly obscure, made at different points between the 1960s and today. There's naturally tons to set the pulse racing throughout, from the heavyweight psych-blues of Wool's 'Love, Love, Love', the elongated guitar solos of 'Trip' by Emma De Angelis and the Middle Eastern exotica of Koy Kardesler's 'Shuruk', to the quirky French electronica of Juantrip's 'Shadows', spacey synth-scapes of Ugo Bosoni's 'Rullio' and the pots-and-pans-percussion of 'Time Signals' by Klaus Weiss.

Review: As they prepare to squabble, rock out and reprise their infamously hooky riffs at a series of sold-out reunion shows, Oasis have decided to reissue their official best-off collection, 2010's Time Flies...1994-2009. Now presented in remastered, souped-up form, the two-disc set showcases all 27 of their UK singles (including non-album cuts 'Whatever' and 'Lord Don't Slow Me Down') as well as a hidden bonus track ('Sunday Morning Call', which appears two minutes after the final cut on disc two). While plenty of high points and fan favourites are missing, it does a great job in reminding us that Oasis were, at their very best, an iconic indie-rock band - as highlights such as 'Supersonic', 'Cigarettes & Alcohol', 'Some Might Say' and the epic 'All Around The World' emphatically prove.

Review: First released three years ago and now receiving a deserved reissue, I Am A Tree I Am A Mouth is undoubtedly one of the most magic albums by Australian-American sprano and composer Jane Sheldon - an artist famed for her unique, voice-based works. While the album is not entirely made up of layered vocals and vocalisations - Sheldon employs long, languid ambient drones and textures throughout - they're naturally the focal point. Most of the lyrics (mostly sung, but some spoken) are taken from Rainer Maria Rilke's 1995 tome The Book of Hours (meaning Sheldon largely sings in German), and these are delivered in all manner of inspired ways. The results are uniformly dazzling, blurring the boundaries between chamber music, neo-classical and ambient music's experimental fringes.

Review: After an extended hiatus of 15 years, Britain's foremost purveyors of Motorik-influenced avant-pop are back with a surprise new album. With leading members (and songwriters) Tim Gane and Laetitia Saddler at the helm and a vast array of former bandmembers and guest performers swinging by the studio to make their presence felt, Instant Holograms on Metal Films - here presented in Japanese edition form complete with obi-strip and an instrumental bonus cut - sounds and feels like classic Stereolab. For proof, wrap your ears around the nostalgic, jaunty and analogue-rich opener 'Mystical Pleasures', the warming shuffle of 'Melodie is a Wound', the slipped Gainsbourg flex of 'Le Coeur Et la Force', the jazzy joy of 'Transmuted Matter' and the heady nostalgia of 'Colour Television'.

Review: Back in 2008, Jethro Tull performed a now legendary set at the Basel Festival in Switzerland. Their "powerful and passionate" performance - as the accompanying press release puts it - was previously available on DVD, but this double-CD marks the first time the soundtrack has been made available as an audio release. It naturally stands up to scrutiny, with the effervescent Ian Anderson (switching as ever between vocals and flute) leading the way on a memorable trawl through their epic back catalogue and its notable blends of folk, progressive rock, jazz, hard rock and neo-classical movements. Expect to hear fine versions of 'Aqualung', 'Living In The Past', 'A New Day Yesterday', 'Locomotive Breath' and much more besides.