Columbia レコード& CD

Review: KC

Review: Leftfield really managed to make lightning strike twice back in their heyday. After the pair's seminal self-titled debut album set a new benchmark for what was possible with a dance music full length, they managed to do it again with Rhythm & Stealth. It will be forever best known for the tune that was picked and used in the Guinness advert ('Phat Planet') but that is just one of the many highlights. The album originally came in 1999 and was nominated for the 2000 Mercury Music Prize as well as making number one on the UK Albums Chart. It is a full-fat mix of epic basslines, driving percussion and dark moods that adds up to a head-melting soundtrack to a damn good night.

Review: Freddie Hubbard's 1979 version of 'Little Sunflower' is a soul-jazz classic. Since the full version of Hubbard's vocal re-make (the trumpeter first recorded an instrumental take in 1968) only ever appeared on a hard-to-find promo 12", this Record Store Day reissue should be an essential purchase. It remains a gentle, breezy and sunset-ready jazz-dance gem, with Hubbard's emotion-rich vocals and mazy trumpet solos riding Latin-tinged percussion, elastic double bass and some suitably jammed-out jazz pianos.

Review: Brace yourself for another blockbuster bout from the mighty Calvin Harris. His album series Funk Wav Bounces is an artful foil which might well prepare you for studio offcuts and casual noodles, but no, this is as premier league as electronic music can get. For volume two, Harris has called on a head-spinning cast of talent with lead single 'Potion' carrying Dua Lipa and Young Thug, while the rest of the record features people you may have heard of like Stefflon Don, Justin Timberlake, Pharrell Williams, Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg and a whole lot more besides. Matching his production prowess with his undeniable ear for a hook, Harris is on track to become your favourite producer extraordinaire all over again.

Review: The past two years have been tumultuous for every band on the planet - the old you-know-what rendering all except the biggest streaming stars and those still holding up on the sales front commercially unviable. Kasabian likely faired better in those stakes than many, but nevertheless the past 24 months or so have been northing short of challenging, with leading figure Tom Meighan's 2020 departure swiftly followed by a conviction for assaulting his partner.

Enter the new and improved incarnation of an outfit that has always straddled a line many falter on - one foot in lad rock for the Stella crew, another dipping its toes into higher concept, more daring and experimental waters. Main man Serge Pizzorno, largely responsible for the more out there moments in the back catalogue, no longer has to compromise with Meighan and it shows. The Alchemist's Euphoria is packed with plenty of ideas, from Latin-ish opener to the grand overdue of 'Scriptvure'.

Review: You might have heard about this LP..... After a pre-release campaign that took on Hollywood-esque proportions, French pair Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter return as Daft Punk with their fourth studio album Random Access Memories sporting a A-list cast of guests and contributors. Given the input of disco icons Giorgio Moroder and Nile Rogers it's entirely understandable that the overbearing sound on Random Access Memories is one of classic disco with lead single "Get Lucky" a good indicator for what to expect. There's also a smattering of yacht rock within the thirteen track set, whilst the ubiquitous Panda Bear turns up on the midnight stutter funk album highlight "Doin' It Right". Those expecting a return to Daft Punk's Homework heyday will be disappointed but Bangalter and de Homem-Christo are touching forty so the polished, expertly constructed disco direction makes perfect sense.

Review: A new Quentin Tarantino film almost always equals a new and essential soundtrack. The celebrated director's ability to add humour to the darkest scenes with an odd tune, or to make light of a heavy situation with his juxtaposed sounds, is unrivalled. His latest is another classy mix of swing, Americana, psyche, rock and roll and folk that is a brilliant listen whether or not you have seen the accompanying film. The bumper collection clocks in at 33 tracks featuring Los Bravos, Neil Diamond, Jose Feliciano, Vanilla Fudge and more.

Review: Herbie Hancock has been responsible for many era-defining records over the years - "Rockit" being a particularly good example - but few of his compositions have been quite as game changing as "Chameleon". First featured on 1973 album "Head Hunters", the 15-minute epic was revolutionary in a number of ways, not least in its use of a killer 12-note bassline, "percussive" style guitar parts and loose-limbed funk beat. It remains one of the greatest jazz-funk moments of all time, as this timely reissue proves. This time round, it comes accompanied by another "Head Hunters" classic - Hancock's groovy, synth-laden re-recording of his own 1962 composition "Watermelon Man". Two stone cold classics for the price of one: what's not to like?

Review: By the time "Touch Me In The Morning" was mailed out to American DJs in 1979, Marlena Shaw has long since established herself as one of soul music's greatest voices. "Touch Me In The Morning" was merely a promo-only affair, remixed from the shorter "Take A Bite" album version - but it did become something of a dancefloor anthem in certain underground clubs. Here, the sought-after 12" is given a replica reissue, with the stomping, string-drenched title track being accompanied by exactly the same B-side cuts as the '79 pressing.

Review: Two out-and-out rarities from Hancock's Columbia-era output. Strictly the sole preserve of DJ promo back in 79/80, the clue is in the title 'special' disco remixes. Smooth, soulful and arranged with such style, every element of Herbie's essential ingredients is brought to the fore in its own time with its own space. "Stars In Your Eyes" swoons with a soulful ballad feel while "Saturday Night" pumps and jumps with party-pulling allure. Simply essential.