Back catalogue: Indie/Alternative

Review: Here comes a special double vinyl box set edition of Beach House's latest album, Once Twice Melody, which was the first one the band themselves have ever produced in its entirety. It was recorded in three different locations - Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, United Studio in Los Angeles, and Apple Orchard Studios in Baltimore. The band used a real and full live string ensemble for the first time, too, and David Campbell took care of arrangements. It is a double album that features 18 songs presented in four chapters that take in many different sound and structures centred around acoustic guitar, some around drums, and some around electronics.

Review: Canadian rock outfit Big Wreck celebrates this year's Record Store Day with the first-ever vinyl release of their acclaimed Albatross album. This deluxe anniversary edition includes a bonus track, 'Fade Away', as well as alternate versions by Eric Ratz and Ian Thornley, plus a live recording from Suhr Guitar Factory. The original album came back in 2012 and saw Albatross earn chart-topping success and critical praise for its soaring guitar work and powerful vocals. They make just as much of a mark now, more than a decade on and with the addition of the new cuts, this reissue brings all new depth to the record.

Review: To mark the 25th anniversary of Hooray for Boobies, the Bloodhound Gang have reissued their infamous third album on splatter-coloured 180g vinyl, giving fans another chance to dive into its wild mix of genres and humour. Originally released in 1999, this album catapulted the band to worldwide success, selling over four million copies and topping charts everywhere. Musically, it's a collision of rap-rock, punk, and electronic beats, packed with cheeky, often absurd lyrics that have become the band's signature. 'The Bad Touch', the album's standout hit, is driven by a playful, catchy synth line that pairs perfectly with its notorious lyrics. Elsewhere, 'The Ballad of Chasey Lain' blends rock energy with humorous storytelling, while 'Mope' is an eclectic mix of samples, pulling from sources as diverse as Metallica and Pac-Man. This reissue also features three rare remixes, including a hyperactive Eiffel 65 version of 'The Bad Touch', a sultry take on 'The Ballad of Chasey Lain' and Pet Shop Boys' extended remix of 'Mope'.

Review: Blur's Live at Wembley Stadium captures the iconic Britpoppers at their monumental height, when the reformed foursome performed two nights in July 2023 in front of sold out crowds. On triple LP, this is the most robust of the two versions on vinyl that highlight the concert. The band effortlessly plays highlights from their entire 30 plus year career - everything from early singles 'There's No Other Way' and 'Popscene' to the much more recent 'The Narcissist' - as well as anthems like 'Girls and Boys', 'Song 2' and 'Parklife' that are synonymous with the Essex band. You also here one of their last singles in 'The Narcissist'. Not too many bands can fill a venue like Wembley Stadium on back to back nights - the electric performances captured here are the reason why they can.

Review: Calling on major chords for their riffs, emotional angst for lyrical delivery and motoring juggernauts for basslines, the driving rhythms of Boilermaker were hard to ignore once you found them back in the 1990s. Emerging from the San Diego guitar scene at a time when Gen X was obsessed with post-hardcore, the trio - Terrin Durfey, Tim Semple, and Richard Sanderson - described their counterpoint as 'Leucadia-core'. If you need a lesson in what that means, Not Enough Time To Get Anything Halfway Done is probably the best place to begin. Three albums, a stack of singles and rarities. In total, 41 tracks spread over a sprawling four LP box set with a 24 page book to read while immersing yourself. And yes, there's a test at the end to check you actually paid attention. (Juno legal disclaimer: there is no test).

Review: Kim Deal didn't waste any time in making The Breeders a vital force of their own rather than a mere Pixies side-project. By the time their second album Last Splash landed in 1993, they had struck gold with a sharply focused strain of noisy indie rock that was equal parts daring and fun. 'Cannonball' was the universally-adored hit which landed The Breeders in the wider consciousness, but there's so much more to the album than that summery blast of guitar squall. Just fast-forward to 'S.O.S.' and you'll hear a strikingly familiar lick of distorted wail which became a bedrock for a certain UK rave group's biggest hit. This 30th anniversary edition spreads the album out on double vinyl with a bonus red 12" featuring a previously unreleased version of 'Divine Hammer' sung by J Mascis.

Review: With Buzzcocks reforming in 1989 after a near-decade of inactivity, they would get to work on new material with their fourteen year gap follow up to 1979's A Different Kind Of Tension with 1993's Trade Test Transmissions, while touring in abundance to make up for lost time. The peak of this resurgent reformation era is highlighted as such in their cult status live album French; captured at L'Arapho Club in Paris on April 12th 1995. Boasting a 20-song set made up of classic fan favourites such as 'I Don't Mind' and 'Get On Your Own', as well as latter-day bangers including 'Isolation' and 'Energy', the collection notably omits the ten tracks from the band's three subsequent encores of the night, released separately in 1999 as originally the fan club-only available Encore Du Pain. While the two have been previously paired together on the French et Encore Du Pain double live CD compilation, this single LP reissue is of the initial French setlist, while the same label has repressed Encore Du Pain in tandem for completionists to hoard the entire epic two part set on wax.