Back catalogue: Post Rock/Experimental

Review: Deep Valley is a new collaborative work by Australian artists Seaworthy aka Cameron Webb and Matt Rosner and they came together for it during a week-long residency at Bundanon Art Museum in New South Wales. The property which was gifted to the Australian public by artists Arthur and Yvonne Boyd in the 1990s offers a unique landscape along the Shoalhaven River and is surrounded by sandstone cliffs and diverse wildlife. Drawing inspiration from Boyd's belief that "you can't own a landscape," Deep Valley combines the inspiration of that setting with environmental recordings, guitars, piano, and electronic processing all of which aim to highlight the transient nature of ecosystems and encourage you to reconnect with the sounds of nature.

Review: Seefeel's new album Everything Squared marks their first release since 2011, on which the "first ever shoegaze-electronica band" flex a positively retroactive take on the sound they sired. From the opening 'Sky Hooks' - a track which weaves an oxbow shape through small bankside groves of nymphlike-vocals in the peaks, and determined plods through ambient dub subterrains in the troughs - to the penultimate 'Hooked Paw', a similarly dubby but comparatively gnosis - a sophistic dream-blear for vocals and detuned atmoss at 140bpm, recalling the surreal ambient fort-das of HTRK or Clouds - this is not a record to be listened to lightly, despite its comeback status.

Review: SML is the quintet of bassist Anna Butterss, synthesist Jeremiah Chiu, saxophonist Josh Johnson, percussionist Booker Stardrum, and guitarist Gregory Uhlmann. Together they present their debut album Small Medium Large, a collection of long-form improvisations recorded during two separate two-night stands at the beloved Los Angeles venue ETA. Forming the perfect locale in which to boost their initial rise, ETA is perhaps no longer a fitting name - with SML, we're no longer pondering this band's estimated time of arrival. Small Medium Large is a sublime assemblage of circulatory grooves and textural anomalies, at different moments recalling the synth-laced improvisations of Herbie Hancock's Sextant, the jagged dance punk of Essential Logic, the rhythmic revelry of Fela Kuti, the low-end elasticity of Parliament/Funkadelic, or the glitchy dub techno of Pole.

Review: There are many ways to deal with upheaval and crises but sometimes the best approach is to answer harsh realities with an antidote. Speaking on their new album, tree-loving masked electro-punks Snapped Ankles say: "We can still hold the line of beauty, form, and beat. No small accomplishment in a world as challenging as this one... hard times require furious dancing. Each of us is proof." And to their credit the album lives up to the manifesto: 'Raoul' is exactly what you'd want to hear at 3am in Glastonbury festival; whilst 'Pay The Rent' sounds like a homage to big beat, spiced with krautrock. Snapped Ankles clearly have the tools and the talent to send people's minds to space. A noble entry deserving of glory.

Review: Southend's These New Puritans have a rare ability to create goosebump-inducing music. A big part of is is Jack Barnett's voice, which is truly up there with the likes of Thom Yorke and Hayden Thorpe's in terms of being able to tug at the heartstrings and create grandiose spellbinding atmospheres. Plus, the arrangements that accompany it are of elite level and taste. This new album is their fifth studio album since forming in 2006 and offers plenty in the way of diversity. 'A Season In Hell' is a wild mix of industrial, organ music, trip-hop and choir sounds. Elsewhere, 'Bells' is less intense and let's the atmosphere form gradually and luxuriously. If you want a record to properly blow your socks off, let it be this.

Review: Now I See The Light is the comeback album from often-overlooked Japanese math rock pioneers Toe. As the title suggests, the blissful, meditative soundscapes offer listeners a refreshing perspective, providing the emotional grounding needed to view life through a renewed lens. Toe exemplifies modesty in their artistic expression. Their music, characterised by intricate instrumental subtleties, reflects a reserved demeanour, paralleling their minimalist online presence. Their focus remains solely on creating music, naturally attracting those who truly appreciate their craft. Discovering toe is thus a serendipitous experience. Blending elements of post-rock, pop, jazz, electronic and ambient genres, toe has crafted a sound that feels both seamless and cohesive. The album opens with '????', enveloping the listener in the warm embrace of intricate guitar harmonies, akin to a comforting reunion. The band's chemistry radiates through each hypnotic rhythm, reflecting their strong bond. Though primarily instrumental, tracks like 'Loneliness Will Shine' feature tender vocals from guitarist Yamazaki Hirokazu. His airy voice enhances the beautiful instrumentals, creating a captivating atmosphere reminiscent of Dredg's El Cielo. The placement of these vocal tracks within the album ensures a well-balanced pacing, making it feel neither purely instrumental nor vocal. The pristine audio quality of the album allows every detail to shine. '??????' exemplifies this, with carefully panned elements creating an amazing depth. Despite its clarity, the production maintains a human touch, avoiding sterility and instead feeling authentic. What stands out most about toe is the unwavering authenticity woven into their music. There are no gimmicks or over-the-top embellishments, just pure auditory bliss from beginning to end. After a nine-year hiatus, it's as if they seamlessly continued their musical journey, allowing us to experience the light they bring to the world. The CD includes a poster, adding an extra touch for fans.

Review: London-based Australian vocalist, producer and multi-instrumentalist Penelope Trappe has always made immersive, enveloping and deeply atmospheric that sidesteps convention. It was that uniquely haunting and emotive approach to ambient and electronica that earned her deals with Optimo Music and Houndstooth, amongst others. Now signed to One Little Independent, Trappes has pushed the boat out further on Requiem, a mournful and bittersweet musical meditation in which her distinctively sweet-but-drowsy vocals rise above manipulated cello textures, hushed field recordings, ambient textures and intriguing electronic sounds aplenty. It's bold, beautiful and at times breathtakingly brilliant, once again marking Trappes out as an artist with a genuinely unique musical vision.

Review: By Scott Hansen's previously prolific standards, we've had to wait a fair old while for a new album. Infinite Health, the third Tycho album for Ninja Tune after years signed to Ghostly International, is by design something of a reset: a self-proclaimed meditation on "hope for the future" mixed with a "requiem for the past". Stylistically, that also means a return to his electronic roots, with colourful, melody-rich and sun-splashed synth sounds combined with unfussy beats and breaks, toasty basslines and glistening, AM radio-friendly guitar licks. It is then, regardless of the inspirations behind it, a classic-sounding Tycho album - as highlights 'Phantom', the instrumental deep synth-pop dreaminess of 'Devices' and the lo-fi, trip-hop influenced shuffle of 'Green' emphatically prove.