Partisan レコード& CD

Review: Since forming in Austin in 2004, American Psych-Rock group The Black Angels have become standard-bearers for modern psych. Over 5 years since the band's fifth album 'Death Song' was released, the group have spent two years working on 'Wilderness of Mirrors', the times providing more than ample fodder for the Black Angels' signature sonic approach. And does it show, packaged in this beautiful gatefold housing limited red and blue coloured discs There are classic blasts of fuzzed-out guitars alongside melancholy experiments in the realms of shoegaze and garage rock. Even amidst these new experimentations, The Black Angels remain true to psych-rock forebears such as Syd Barrett, Roky Erickson, Arthur Lee and the members of the Velvet Underground, all of whom are namechecked on album highlight 'The River.' Another highlight is 'El Jardin' and its sorrowful lyrics and vocal delivery, lyrics discussing a toxic relationship as guitars strum away.

Review: Bringing bruising good time Oi-punk to the new generation, Chubby & The Gang have made quick work over the course of their two exceptional full-lengths. Now, less than a year removed from the life affirming scrappy anthems of 'The Mutt's Nuts', the gang (no pun intended) return with a literal 'Labour Of Love.' The single features three new cuts, all love songs, delivered with the manic, crusty, anthemic beauty one could ever desire from new school hardcore-by-way-of-Oi! punk revivalists.

Review: Cigarettes After Sex front man Greg Gonzalez puts his lovely voice front and centre on this atmospheric dream pop record as he works his way through a series of different fantasies. The record features a number of rather out-datedly objectified women who add sensual sounds but if you can get past that there is some fine candour and shadowy textures on this noir-pop long player. The influxes of the 90s indie pop sound looms large over the record as objects such as anime porn come and go.

Review: Cymande are a British funk group that released several albums throughout the early 1970s and reunited in 2014 with a European tour and a new album released in 2015. Originally released in 1972, this self titled debut album has long been regarded as a classic of the genre. Formed 1971 in London, it featured musicians from Guyana, Jamaica and Saint Vincent. The name Cymande is based on a calypso word for 'dove' and symbolised peace and love. Their style was described as 'Nyah-Rock': a mixture of funk, soul, reggae and African rhythms. The band achieved their greatest initial success in America and were actively recording and performing until 1975. Then Cymande reformed and have been playing live since around 2010.

Review: Cymande are cult favourites amongst funk and soul lovers. The band members were all part of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora community in London who arrived in the UK from the West Indies in the 60s and blended sounds in captivating, heart-aching new ways across several standout albums. One of them is the Second Time Round from 1973. It was their sophomore effort and was produced entirely by John Schroeder. It's a well-rounded listen as a whole but also includes standout singles like 'Fug' which anyone who has played a Tony Hawk skateboarding game might well recognise.

Review: Much celebrated new school jazz crew Ezra Collective finally unveil their highly anticipated new album Where I'm Meant To Be after a big summer single 'Victory Dance' got us all excited. This record is a life-affirming romp with their famous hybrid sound tasing in all manner of different styles, eras and scenes. Some high-profile features from Sampa The Great, Kojey Radical, Emile Sande and Nao bring extra goodness to this record which is certainly a product of the current London scene but also owes a debt to the sounds of southern Africa. It all adds up to a real doozy.

Review: Ezra Collective has described their hotly anticipated second album, 'Where I'm Meant To Be', as "a thumping celebration of life". As with their previous work, it's rooted in the band's love of on-stage improvisation - call-and-response instrument solos abound throughout - and peppered with contributions from guest vocalists including Sampa The Great, Emeli Sande and Nao. Musically, it's undoubtedly joyous, blurring the boundaries between contemporary UK jazz, afrobeat, hip-hop, dub, Latin rhythms and soft-touch electronics. The plentiful highlights include steppers-powered dub-jazz workout 'Ego Killah', sparkling opener 'Life Goes On' and the Afro-Cuban brilliance of 'Victory Dance'.

Review: Much celebrated new school jazz crew Ezra Collective finally unveil their highly anticipated new album Where I'm Meant To Be after a big summer single 'Victory Dance' got us all excited. This record comes on limited edition orange vinyl and is a life-affirming romp with their famous hybrid sound tasing in all manner of different styles, eras and scenes. Some high-profile features from Sampa The Great, Kojey Radical, Emile Sande and Nao bring extra goodness to this record which is certainly a product of the current London scene but also owes a debt to the sounds of southern Africa. It all adds up to a real doozy.

Review: Irish post-punk band Fontaines D.C. last appeared don our radar when the Baron of Techno MR Dave Clarke was busy remixing them. Now comes this deluxe and 180g gatefold album Skint Fa with an alternate cover and 20 page lyric book. This is the band's third album in as many years after 2020's A Hero's Death saw them hit the number two spot in the album charts and pick up nominations at the GRAMMYs, BRITs and Ivor Novello Awards. After a sell out tour at Alexandra Palace that now serve up more darkly political ones, thrashing riffs and hard edged drums.

Review: Following a couple of years spent re-releasing many of her classic albums, alongside sets featuring demo versions of the same songs, Polly Jean Harvey is finally ready to release a new album - her first for seven long years. Reunited with long-time collaborators John Parish and Flood, Harvey delivers alluring, at times otherworldly songs - delivered beautifully and with more than a hint of world-weary emotions - backed by sparse, effects-laden instrumentation, metronomic grooves and plenty of pastoral, folk-influenced intent. We've not listened to the lyrics intently enough (yet) to adequately discuss their themes, but in advance Harvey's label promised "biblical images and references to Shakespeare" amongst the introspection and hard-worn commentary.

Review: Despite being at the centre of one of rock's tensest social media dramas in recent history - having been called out by Fat White Family for being too middle-class for their own image - Idles are back on top, thanks to their new album 'Crawler'. Taking a chance on their own criticisms, this album is more introspective than 'Ultra Mono', revealing the band's various wrestlings with addiction and desperation. In true post-punk fashion, it's an emotive sophomore development from lead brain Joe Talbot, spanning plod-rap grungers ('Car Crash') and dark disco-rock ('When The Lights Go On'), all giving off his signature brand of hopeful nihilism, with the ultimate message that 'the show must go on'.

Review: If the greatest bands evolve over the course of their career, IDLES are clearly on the right track. While the Bristol-band rose to prominence via a raw, noisy and aggressive sound that sat somewhere between post-punk and alt-rock, Tangk - their fifth album and first for three years - represents a genuine (and deliberate) tearing up of their previous trademark sound. Inspired specifically by a desire to "make people dance and make people feel", it feels like a successful attempt to move into the punk-funk/rock-rave territory previously defined by LCD Soundsystem. It's fitting then that James Murphy and company feature on standout (and recent single) 'Dancer'. The nods to the glory years of DFA Records continue throughout, with further highlights including the moody, low-slung brilliance of 'Grace' and the righteous heaviness of 'Gift Horse'.

Review: Nigerian Afrobeat composer, bandleader, and multi-instrumentalist Fela Kuti has a vast catalogue that dates back over half a century. Roforofo Fight is one of the many standouts and it was recorded in Lagos in 1972 on the Jofabro label with the legendary Tony Allen on drums as well as Christopher Uwaifor on tenor, Lekan Animashaun on baritone and many other key players alongside the main man. The lyrics convey Fela's frustration at intolerant and violent behaviour as told through the story of a street fight.

Review: Hardly The Same Snake is the second album from Skinny Pelembe and this version comes via Partisan on limited translucent red vinyl. The Johannesburg-born, Doncaster-raised artist Doya Beardmore really comes of age here, finding his own unique voice and putting it front and centre. Its gravelly baritone is unique and delivers what the artist says he would have done first time around on his debut had he been brave enough. Observations made at design exhibitions are the jumping-off point for the songs which are both visceral yet soulful as they muse on life, death, family, religion and major milestones in between.

Review: Skinny Pelembe (real name Douglas Beardmore) has always been a hard artist to pin down: a South Africa-born, Doncaster-raised singer, rapper, guitarist and producer whose music seems to exist in its own sonic space. That much was clear from his 2019 debut album on Brownswood, Dreaming is Dead Now, and is even more obvious on this hotly awaited follow-up for Partisan. Hardly The Same Snake is a riveting and highly entertaining listen, with Beardmore alternately singing and (more occasionally) rapping over gorgeous, immaculately executed backing tracks that variously mix and match elements of classic 60s pop, hip-hop, broken beat, traditional South African musical styles, future R&B, synth-pop, gospel and psychedelic dream pop.