PIAS レコード& CD

Review: The second album from the Toronto-based Crystal Castles dives headfirst into a more polished pop direction while keeping the razor-sharp edge that made their eponymous debut unforgettable. It sees the duo tightening their sound, swapping the erratic juxtapositions of their first record for a more cohesive and dynamic approach. Tracks like 'Celestica', 'Suffocation' and 'Empathy' blend shimmering synths with biting distortion, striking a balance between beauty and bite. There's no shortage of potential singles here. The rave-tinged 'Baptism'. the hazy allure of 'Not in Love' and the frenetic energy of 'Vietnam' shows their knack for crafting tracks that feel equally at home on dancefloors and in headphones. While the shift toward a poppier sound might seem like a concession, the duo's grit remains intact, with moments like the chaotic 'Doe Deer' and the eerie closer 'I Am Made of Chalk' adding depth and darkness. Ethan Kath's production is layered and inventive, building a world of haunting synths and lo-fi beats, while Alice Glass' vocals morph between distorted whispers and guttural screams. Her versatility shines, avoiding the bratty screamer stereotype and instead presenting a nuanced and unsettling performance. The record's ambition is clear, as Crystal Castles evolve from their 8-bit beginnings into something more expansive and mature. A landmark album from a band who at the time, created a buzz like no other.

Review: This is Eels' most immediately rewarding album Mark Oliver Everett, also known by his stage name E, was on miracle form: it's like some kind of divine intervention played a role in him being able to lay these stone cold bangers. Of the hits,'Souljacker (part 1)' is the most striking with its menacing, memorable riff that adds edge to any scene. Film buffs among us will know it from Wim Wenders' 'Twelve Miles To Trona' short film (2002) where it's a beautiful fit. Another highlight is the haunting 'Bus Stop Boxer', which is intense and emotionally charged in its depiction of the violence of loneliness. For 'Dog Faced Boy', it's been said that PJ Harvey collaborator John Parish wrote most of the music in Bristol and then E added lyrics and other embellishments when they were in LA together - few co-writes come out this well.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition***


The new album by Quantic - aka. multi instrumentalist, DJ, composer and producer Will Holland - is in many ways an evolution. Now twenty years into his career, Dancing While Falling is the British-born, New York-based artist's most live sounding, euphoric and, in his own words, grown-up release to date. Capturing the beginnings of every good person's revelatory movement from an individual to a collective spirit, Holland originally began the album in his Brooklyn studio, before realising that he didn't just want to make a record that reflected his 'singular pandemic wormhole', but rather one that tapped into the essential togetherness of the human condition. So too does this record explore themes of connection felt through, and made more intense by, the antagonistic bouts of loneliness that characterised COVID-19. Influenced by legendary artists in the scene like Bohannon and Larry Levan, Quantic wanted to make a disco -eaning album at first; "I'm really interested in Latin music and Afro Caribbean rhythms and I think there's a really amazing point in history where the emergence of those rhythms and its combination with American soul sparked what we now know as disco," he says. This PIAS extended edition comes one year on from its initial 2023 release, Quantic here expands on his work by adding a ream of extended versions.

Review: By following in the footsteps of the mighty Giles Martin, who remastered The Beatles' Abbey Road at Abbey Road Studios, Martha Wainwright has achieved a spine-tinglingly great sound in the fabled North London institution on this 20th anniversary remaster. The mixes are so strong that it leaves you free to listen to the majesty of the arrangements and undeniable beauty of her voice, without any pangs that you can get from bad sound design. There are some songwriters who will live on long after they're gone and this Montrealer is clearly one of them. 'Far Away' has gorgeous melodies plump in the song like a pineapple tree ripe for picking. 'Don't Forget' has a bit of a Laura Marling feel and it feels like it pays homage to bluegrass traditions where people would sit around a camp fire and intimately tell their most important life stories, whilst comfortably deflecting from any sadness with an uplifting musical passage. And if anyone was to hum their life story to us, few come higher up the bucket list than Martha Wainwright.