Epitaph レコード& CD

Review: According to the accompanying PR blurb, Alpha Mist's third studio album was inspired by a desire to go back to being an East London beat-maker, with Bring Backs cannily combining these hip-hop roots with the jazz, soul and jazz-funk fusions he's become known for in recent years. In truth, the album is still more heavily rooted in the jazzier side of his work than tapped-out, sample-heavy MPC grooves, but that's no criticism. There's some genuinely magical material on show, with a swathe of guest musicians - spoken word artists, singers, woodwind and horn players, double bassists and so on - joining in on tracks that neatly sidestep convention. The level of musical detail is staggering, while the vibe is warm and sun-kissed throughout.

Review: Following up their turn of the millennium self-titled debut, 2002's 'Sing Sing Death House' served as the introduction for many into The Distillers' scuzzy, empowering, sickly anthemic cavern, bolstered by punk frontwoman extraordinaire, Brody Dalle. While 'Coral Fang', released the very next year, would catapult the group to major exposure, airplay, festival sets and legions of rabid fans, one would be remiss to ignore the bloody groundwork laid by its far more aggro predecessor. Clocking in at under 30 minutes, this was The Distillers with little cash and nothing to prove, just aiming for the throat at all costs. And after a two-decade distillation period, what better time to find a new home on wax.

Review: If you've ever even heard of US alternative indie rockers The Dream Syndicate then chances are you've read the kind of reviews these guys garner. Few critics have penned anything like a criticism, lauding the troupe for originality and also inherent talent, and this latest LP will do little to threaten that prestige. It's a real epic, with most tracks well over the seven-minute mark, and some running far beyond twenty. The songwriting again reveals Steve Wynn to be one of our most precious living artists, and stylistically it feels as though the band have finally found a middle ground where varied influences aren't just allowed to co-exist, they actually create something innovative and - dare it be said - new. Melding prog, European avant-garde, blues and electronic jazz, it's not that you can't find anything that sounds like this, but you'll definitely struggle.