Review: The story of this one revolves around San Diego native Anthony "Antone" Williams. He was one day alone in a studio, messing about with the gear and before he knew he it lay down the haunting rhythm that underpins the tune now presented here by the good folks at Athens of the North. It's a sinister, restless one that got released as a hugely limited 7" on Unity Records with otherworldly soul production and a pained vocal up top. Post punk soul, some call it, and that's a fitting descriptor. A remix appears on the flip but the allure of the original is hard to beat.
Some Days I Drink My Coffee By The Grave Of William Blake (4:07)
Frozen Clouds (3:32)
Review: THE THE's eagerly awaited Ensoulment marks their first studio album since 2000's NakedSelf. This 12-track collection traverses sharp social commentary and personal introspection, something the band has always excelled at through the years. To celebrate the release, a strictly limited 7" vinyl single will feature 'Some Days I Drink My Coffee By The Grave Of William Blake,' a standout track from the album. The single also includes an exclusive B-side, a previously unreleased track, making it great for collectors wanting a unique piece of their discography. With Ensoulment, THE THE delivers a potent mix of incisive lyrics and introspective musings, reinforcing their legacy with a fresh yet timeless edge. While, like most of mainstream media missing this amazing band as usual, true tastemakers know the legendary career Matt Johnson has had. His impact is immeasurable.
Review: Talk Talk are true totems of the British synth-pop tradition, and they certainly took an interesting path into experimental realms from the midpoint of their career, but it all began right here. The Party's Over is grandiose in all the best ways, capturing an era of exquisite songwriting which was groundbreaking and traditionally rooted at the same time. Like ABC, Talk Talk knew how to deliver bombast and sentimentality without losing the depth of their work, and now, 40 years on, this spectacular album is being given a reissue on white vinyl.
Review: Stop Making Sense by Talking Heads captures the iconic band's live energy and artistic innovation impeccably. Recorded during their 1983 tour, the seminal record blends art rock with new wave and funk influences, delivering a dynamic performance that escalates with each track. Frontman David Byrne's charismatic vocals and eccentric stage presence shine on hits like 'Burning Down the House' and 'Psycho Killer', while the band's tight instrumentation and funky rhythms drive the album's infectious groove. With its seamless flow and inventive arrangements, Stop Making Sense cemented Talking Heads' legacy as pioneers of avant-garde rock.
Review: The 40th anniversary deluxe reissue of Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense is a brilliant and complete package that truly is a tribute to this monumental release. Encompassing a double CD + Blu-ray set, it celebrates the enduring impact of Jonathan Demme's iconic concert film soundtrack. David Byrne reflects on how the live energy and audience inspiration infused these performances with a dynamism that often surpasses the studio recordings. The reissue brings this excitement to the forefront with improved mixes and sound quality for a next-level experience. This edition stands out with its Dolby Atmos soundtrack, mixed by Jerry Harrison and E.T. Thorngren, enhancing the auditory experience. Tracks like 'Psycho Killer' and 'Once in a Lifetime' pulsate with renewed vigor, while the inclusion of bonus tracks 'Cities' and 'Big Business/I Zimbra' adds to the appeal. This reissue not only revitalises the original live album but also introduces it to a new generation with unparalleled sound clarity. It's a fitting tribute to Talking Heads' innovative and electrifying performances.
Review: Australian combo Tama Impala has always been hard to pin down, with their two studio albums to date displaying a keen desire to capture a trippy, psychedelic vibe, whilst refusing to settle on one easy-to-categorize sound. Currents, their fourth album, continues this trend, toning down some of the psychedelic rock elements in favour of nods to blue-eyed soul, woozy dream-pop, cheery summery pop (see the radio hit in waiting "The Less I Know The Better"), and even the head-nodding rhythms of hip hop (which, incidentally, prove the perfect backing for the morphine pop wooziness of "Past Life"). It's a blend that re-casts the band as baked, inter-dimensional travellers with a neat line in enveloping, sun-kissed downtempo pop.
Review: Kevin Parker is a real enigma of a musician. The brains behind the rightly celebrated and ever-surprising Tame Impala, he's never one for delivering quite what you expect, while still understanding that one of the most important things in music is striking a balance between the familiarity disciples need, and the expressive exploration that can prick the ears of the previously uninitiated.
Album number four, "The Slow Rush", certainly adopts a different outlook to previous undertakings. It also more than lives up to its name. It's smooth, tripped out (perhaps not so surprising on the latter front) and strikingly void of those highs that seem to offer the aural equivalent to some opiate-amphetamine blend. But we don't miss out. Instead, we're given permutations of soul, prog rock and acid house, perhaps making for the most expansive record this guy has been responsible for.
Nothing That Has Happened So Far Has Been Anything We Could Control (2:42)
Sun's Coming Up (2:41)
Retina Show (demo) (5:13)
Sidetracked Soundtrack (demo) (4:11)
Assorted Sketches, 2010-2012 (19:22)
Review: Tame Impala's breakthrough album 'Lonerism' celebrates its tenth anniversary with a special edition reissue. Through tracks like 'Elephant', 'Feels Like We Only Go Backwards' and 'Endors Toi', the album is known for introducing psychedelia to a new generation of hungry music fans in the early 2010s, and features Kevin Parker's distinctive falsetto vocals and intricate guitarwork throughout. The reissue here includes various bonuses, demos and "assorted sketches", casting renewed light on an important record for both the music-loving public, and an Aussie band/project destined for stardom.
Review: When members of mega-bands work with relatively obscurer artists, we're always intrigued. But a potential trapping factor is in thinking Jarak Qaribak, for example, is more of a Jonny Greenwood album than a Dudu Tassa one, when in fact the exact opposite is the case. Tassa, an Israeli singer-guitarist who fuses Middle Eastern stylings with contemporary rock, lends a challenging structural terrain to the Radiohead member's electric guitar licks, with the former's Arabic and Hebrew lyrics moving atmospherically against them. A star cast of fellow Israeli artists accompany the pair, as serene vocal beat-driven movements plod and swell away in an appealingly nu-proggy fashion.
Review: When Scottish alternative rock heroes Teenage Fanclub first dropped this, their third full length outing, it was something of a milestone. Arriving via the world famous and universally (well, we think so anyway) revered label Creation Records certainly never does anyone any harm, but in this case all the stars aligned in such way to offer the band what every British guitar act aims for - US success.
American tastemaker title Spin magazine even crowned it Album of the Year for 1991, a sure sign of its impact over the other side of the Atlantic. Whether you'd agree with that accolade or not, it's a classic example of jangle-noise-power pop indie that really helped define what those words actually mean for at least two generations to come. A landmark release.
I've Been Waiting For Tomorrow (All Of My Life) (6:00)
True Happiness (This Way Lies) (4:41)
Uncertain Smile (9:09)
Lonely Planet (6:47)
Review: RECOMMENDED
There's always been an air of mystery about The The. Look through the band's history, which stretches wayyyyy back to the late-1970s, and the list of collaborators alone is enough to convince you they've been making moves in the right places for many, many years, striving to innovate and carve out their own space in the unarguably busy post punk landscape.
Everything Matt Johnson touches seems to turn to gold. Albeit a particularly scuzzy gold that exists solely in the darkest rooms of the least kept venues. Even on this accolade - a group getting a spot at The Royal Albert Hall is no mean feat - there's a sense of yellow-hued street lights and rain falling on concrete. But this is combined with a poetic element that's up there with the finest literary Romantics, and a commentary that will tell you all there is to tell.
I've Been Waitin' For Tomorrow (All Of My Life) (5:42)
This Is The Day (4:45)
The Sinking Feeling (3:41)
Uncertain Smile (6:42)
The Twilight Hour (6:33)
Soul Mining (4:11)
Giant (9:29)
Review: It's hard to believe it is now a full decade since Detroit's Dez Andres blew up off the back of his classic house jam 'New For U.' He had of course been toiling away for years before that, recording with Moodyman and DJing for Slum Village amongst other things. Since then the music has kept coming - some of it hip-hop as DJ Dez, some of it house under this alias, and much of it a perfect fusion of the two. And that's what we get here on this new EP for Beretta Music - four lush deep house joints with his smooth signature drum loops and gloriously incidental melodies. The slower, funkier bounce of 'Back To Nature' is the EP highlight for us, but all four of these are a cut above, as per usual with Dez.
Review: Martina Topley-Bird's Quixotic, originally released in 2003 and now reissued, stands as a bold statement of her artistic independence. While known for her work with Tricky, Topley-Bird emerges from his shadow here, sowing off a versatile and compelling sound. The album opens with the captivating 'Intro,' which sets a unique tone with its a cappella style. 'Need One' follows, blending stoner rock with electronic elements, creating a gritty yet intriguing vibe. Tracks like 'Anything' and 'Soul Food' highlight her ability to fuse acoustic balladry with modern production, offering melodies that linger long after the songs end. Topley-Bird's vocals are a standout throughout, particularly on 'Ragga' and 'Lying,' where her delivery is both powerful and intimate. While Quixotic does explore a range of genres, it feels cohesive, each track contributing to the album's moody atmosphere. For fans of trip-hop, electronica and beyond, Quixotic is an engaging and worthy listen and purchase.
Review: Dark Entries are back with more of that sweet, sweet goth sauce in the shape of Topographies. The San Francisco band have been building up a following for their faithful tribute to sad-eyed synth-pop and new wave from the early 80s, releasing an album in 2020 on Funeral Party as well as a single for Sonic Cathedral. It's not hard to pick out the influences, and it all makes sense when you learn Gray Tolhurst is the son of The Cure's Laurence Tolhurst. They're not simply aping another band's sound though and if you can't get enough of that quintessential goth rock sound, you're going to love this record.
Review: Originally released in 1986, this album showcases The Triffids' exceptional blend of folk, rock, and post-punk. Featuring David McComb's haunting vocals and lush instrumentals, In The Pines takes you on a journey through atmospheric soundscapes. This album, recorded in the Australian outback on a modest budget, highlights the band's raw talent and creativity. Tracks like 'Love and Affection' and the cover of Bill Anderson's 'Once a Day' exhibit their range, from sharp electric guitar riffs to country influences. In the Pines seemed an eccentric career move for The Triffids, who were poised for major success. Retreating to the outback, the band created an album of modest majesty. Haunted by desolation, tracks like the gothic folk waltz of the title track and the intense 'Kathy Knows' stand out. Yet, the album is also filled with camaraderie. Often compared to Bob Dylan and The Band's The Basement Tapes, In the Pines captures The Triffids' infectious joy in making music, solidifying its place as a timeless piece of artistry. In The Pines is perfect for lovers of sweeping, melancholic sounds.
Review: Tropics - AKA singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Chris Ward - deals in a smooth and spare electronic sound, in which the love of '80s Peter Gabriel and Arthur Russell that he grew up is parlayed into yearning songs that are both stylishly understated and emotionally engaging. Never less than inventive and melancholically melodious, 'Rapture', his second album, makes for an exquisite litany of heartache and regret, as Ward delivers the kind of late night tales that will be manna to anyone whose tastes veer in the direction of Sade, James Blake and The XX alike.
Review: The first Gary Numan and the Tubeway Army album was a rather punky affair. Numan fronted the outfit with Jess Lidyard on drums and Paul Gardiner on electric bass from 1977 onwards. A second album Rituals followed in 1097 and both records sold in their millions as well as being great early inspirations for electro and techno artists. Numan went on to work for years with the same musicians but did so only under his own name. This reissue from Beggars Banquet comes on marbled blue vinyl.
Review: Released in the wake of Tony Allen's death, Lagos Paris London is the latest full-length record by Foals' Yannis Philippakis in collaboration with the late great drumming legend. The Yannis And the Yaw project finally emerges after years of fan-teasers revealing Philippakis to have been working with the acclaimed Fela Kuti bandmate and Afrobeat pioneer in the studio; after Allen's death in 2023, the likes of 'Walk Through Fire' and 'Lagos Paris London' effortlessly blend the sounds of Afrobeat and post-punk, bridging the spirits of each while unexpectedly swerving from the duo's initial impulse to produce a nostalgic record.
Review: The EP Lagos Paris London by Yannis & The Yaw, featuring the late Tony Allen, is a testament to the powerful creative synergy between two musical luminaries. Initially envisioned as a nostalgic Afrobeat project, the collaboration took on a life of its own, weaving together elements of rock, funk, jazz, and dub in a dynamic fusion. Recorded over a series of sessions in a Paris studio, the music emerged organically from jams and loops, guided by the intuitive telepathy between Yannis Philippakis and Tony Allen. Joined by Allen's regular collaborators, the result is a collection of near-complete songs imbued with high-spirited, loose-grooved exuberance. Despite facing challenges such as scheduling issues and Covid restrictions, Yannis felt a deep obligation to complete the project in honor of Allen's memory and his desire to share the music with the world. Lagos Paris London serves as both a celebration of their friendship and a timeless testament to the enduring influence of Tony Allen's rhythmic talent.
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