Review: February 2024 saw two levee-breaking live moments by The 1975: here the indie band would return to Manchester for two massive AO Arena dates on 17 and 18 February, riding the rips of their biggest world tour yet. While technically from Wilmslow, the band cut their teeth in Greater Manchester's storied live scene and have always claimed the city as their unofficial hometown. Despite turning the leaf on a string of controversies centred on frontman Matty Healy, that didn't stop them from operating Still At Their Very Best, promising the kind of raucous, genre-blending performance fans expect a decade into their career. Support comes from labelmates The Japanese House, and Healy would later duet with Amber Bain on cult single 'Sunshine Baby.' This LP recording of the live spate distils a thirty-track stack of pristine live redeliveries, and with a monomaniacal arena's roar throughout, we hear a larger-than-life return home for the band.
Review: Originally formed in 1980 in Reno, Nevada, 7 Seconds are often credited as one of the most vital and criminally overlooked pioneering hardcore punk acts. Following on from their much-adored 1985 EP-cum-LP Walk Together, Rock Together, their 1986 follow up New Wind featured slower tempos and a notable imbuing of melody, with the project going on to be credited as an integral blueprint for the hardcore scene's eventual embracing and transition into pop-punk and indie rock. This long overdue reissue from Trust Records arrives complete with the complimentary Change In My Head, which is a totally new take on the classic album featuring tracks remixed in their entirety by Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi) alongside Inner Ear Studios' Don Zientara. Restoring and reimagining unreleased cuts from the original LP such as 'Change In My Head' and 'Compro', these bonus tracks offer a fresh snapshot of 7 Seconds in transition, but still very much firmly rooted in their hardcore ethos (before literal U2 comparisons would arise with later output). This limited double LP also comes with a 24-page oral history featuring unseen photographs, flyers, and memorabilia.
Review: Abba's self-titled third album marked a creative and commercial turning point for the group; released in 1975, it was their first full-length following the breakthrough historic romance hit 'Waterloo', and the moment they cemented a sound that would dominate pop for years. Packed with high-drama hooks and refulgent production, the album of course also includes 'Mamma Mia' and 'SOS', both early experiments in the theatrical, harmony-rich style that would define the long-form productions of Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus. With newly remastered audio cut at half-speed by Miles Showell at Abbey Road, we've two new inclusions: kitsch singalong gem 'I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do' and glam-leaning opener 'So Long'.
Review: PAX-AM is the brainchild ofJacksonville singer-songwriter and author Ryan Adams, originally dreamed up during his high school years as a DIY cassette label for home-recorded genre experiments. Though those early tapes never left his inner circle, the name stuck. It's been a sandbox for Adams' prolific output ever since, blurring lines between alt-country, punk, classic rock and tape-hiss pop, all under his naive yet total creative control. Now, in homage to his favourite ever recording artists - many of whom you will likely recognise from the track titles alone here - Adams sings atop the altar, dirging covetously over the best of the Rolling Stones, Daniel Johnston, Bon Jovi, Oasis and Bob Dylan.
Review: Long Island's Aesop Rock takes listeners deep into the everyday moments that blur the line between the real and the surreal on this, his 11th LP. Self-produced, the album's intricate beats and complex structures provide a perfect canvas for his expansive lyricism. Tracks like 'Movie Night' and 'Send Help' explore this liminal space, mixing reflections on the mundane with eccentric, dreamlike imagery. The production pushes boundaries, channeling a sense of both experimentation and coherence, while tracks such as 'Black Plums' evoke a quiet, wistful nostalgia. Aesop balances cerebral exploration with emotional depth, pulling the listener through his introspective world with both precision and spontaneity. Hailing from New York, his work continues to reflect that city's blend of chaos and contemplation, navigating between complexity and raw instinct. The album's guest featuresiLupe Fiasco, Armand Hammer, Open Mike Eagle, Homeboy Sandman, and Hanni El Khatibiadd distinct layers to the project, each bringing their own energy to the sonic landscape. '1010WINS (feat. Armand Hammer)' and 'Charlie Horse (feat. Lupe Fiasco & Homeboy Sandman)' are highlights where the collaborations are seamless, blending each artist's style with Aesop's own. Throughout, the work showcases his most technically accomplished efforts to date, weaving together complex ideas with an instinctive flow that makes for an album as ambitious as it is enthralling.
Review: Fusion five-piece Aldorande are no fustians when it comes to full-length LPs. These self-styled groove adventurers remain radically open to the sound, thanks to their stylistic touchstone, 70s funk, and its diachronic conduction of future styles. Recorded on tape in a top Parisian studio, their third record Trois brims with trifect textures, bold phrasing, and soaring choral waves. Mathieu Edouard's precise drumming is glued to the spot by Erwan Loeffel's plaited percussion, all the while Laurent Guillet's fingertips and Florian Pellissier's splayed hands make the best uses of Fender Rhodes, axe and Minimoog.
Review: Dorothy Tennov's tenuous concept of "limerence" has fuelled many an artistic outing and project, most notably in recent times an Yves Tumor star cut from the ineluctable PAN compilation, Mono No Aware. But it's UK rising indie star Jacob Alon's new and debut album, In Limerence - wuthering on the bloodied tips of his last 10" 'To Selene' and forerunning 7" 'Liquid Gold 25'- that perhaps really does the most thoroughgoing justice to the erotomanic, smitten concept of impossible, obsessive love. Bold electric modern folk reimaginings and wambling blears are brought out lovingly by speedy hothouser producer Dan Carey, ensuring Alon's ethereal vocals effuse over evocative storytelling on 'Fairy In A Bottle' and 'Confession'.
Review: Swedish composer Ellen Arkbro's Nightclouds is a deeply introspective and romantic turn that collects five solo organ improvisations recorded across Europe in 2023-24. Departing from installation-based compositions, Nightclouds explores slow, chordal improvisations rich in texture and atmosphere while drawing on sacred music, ECM jazz and minimalism. Along the way, Arkbro creates immersive soundscapes that balance austerity and emotional depth while shifting between meditative stillness and modernist tension with standout recordings like 'Morningclouds' and two variations on the title track. Through meticulous mic placement and tonal clarity, Arkbro draws you in with the intimacy and vastness of her sonic world.
Basking In The White Of The Midnight Sun: a) Warning Comin' On/b) Basking In The White Of The Midnight Sun/c) Brother Ego/d) Basking In The White Of The Midnight Sun (reprise) (11:27)
Review: The multi-talented Joe Armon-Jones is back in the game with his most ambitious and self-defined solo work yet. All The Quiet (Part II) is a colourful collision of jazz, funk, dub, hip-hop and soul that was entirely written, produced and mixed by the man himself. His work as part of Mercury Prize-winning Ezra Collective is what established Armon-Jones, but his evolution as a solo artist on his own label, Aquarii Records, has been just as essential. This follow-up to 2019's Turn To Clear View features collaborators like Greentea Peng, Yazmin Lacey, Hak Baker and Nubya Garcia and is a deeply personal sound that veers from expansive and cosmic to more intimate and tender.
Review: Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington are unquestionably two jazz titans and they finally teamed up for a rare studio session that's pure magic. Though they'd known each other since the mid-1920s and often shared stages, official recordings together were few and far between. This album breaks that drought with Armstrong lending his unmistakable touch to Ellington's iconic compositions. Duke joins in on piano, while Louis is backed by his All Stars minus regular pianist Billy Kyle. The result is a meeting of swing royalty, full of charisma, chemistry and classic tunes reimagined by two of jazz's most legendary voices. It's as good as you'd hope.
Review: On their second release, Atelier Kamikazi continues to deliver raw, collaborative lyrics drawn from their experiences as street kids in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Like their debut on Seismographic Records, the group reflects on the harsh realities and surreal beauty of life in the city as they resist corrupt politics, challenge religious hypocrisy embodied by a figure they call "Priest Cat's Heart", and confront the dangers of "Bomb," a potent street drug. With vivid metaphors and unflinching honesty, they warn against its use while affirming their true tools for survival: words, wisdom and Loketo-the liberating hip-swing of Congolese dance.
Review: Writers will appreciate the double play on words no doubt, and trying to figure out who wouldn't get off on the Au Pairs is part of the brain teaser here. That said, the British post punk outfit only managed to peak at 79 in the album charts with this one, so clearly back in 1982 plenty of people either felt differently to us or weren't actually listening. Rediscovering the record now confirms their ignorance. Musically, Sense & Sensuality is a far broader collection than the group's preceding work, smashing through the limitations of a genre that was in its Informed by free form jazz, theatrical cabaret, new wave and art pop, it's a wild and unarguably fun ride instrumentally speaking, while lyrics speak to personal challenges and timely political issues.
Last Summer In Rio (feat Jean Paul 'Bluey' Maunick) (8:36)
Review: It has been a full half a century since legendary Brazilian outfit Azymuth made their debut and their new album, Marca Passo, reaffirms their place as legends of jazz-funk. It was recorded in Rio and produced by Daniel Maunick and is the group's first album since drummer Ivan "Mamao" Conti's passing, with bassist Alex Malheiros now the sole founding member. He's joined by Kiko Continentino and new drummer Renato Massa to continue Azymuth's tradition of blending samba soul, funk and cosmic jazz. Highlights include a tribute to Conti, 'Samba Pro Mamao,' and a refreshed take on 'Last Summer In Rio.' The album is a vital, heartfelt continuation of Azymuth's enduring legacy.
Last Summer In Rio (feat Jean Paul 'Bluey' Maunick) (8:36)
Review: Released 50 years after their self-titled debut, Azymuth's Marca Passo feels less like a comeback and more like a confident continuation, with the legendary Brazilian outfit carrying its past into the present with all the same vigour that marked their winding career. The formula remains intact: Brazilian jazz-funk, dreamy synths, and loose but locked-in rhythm. There's something moving in how naturally the trio i with Alex Malheiros still at the helm i navigates loss, memory and legacy without turning sentimental. 'Samba Pro Mamao' is a tender nod to Ivan Conti, but the record never lingers in nostalgia. Daniel Maunick's production keeps things warm and fluid, and there's joy in hearing Incognito's Bluey drop in on the rework of Last Summer in Rio. Not flashy or forced. Just a deep, grooving reminder that Azymuth's music still flows from somewhere timeless.
Review: Mansfield new wave band B Movie unearth their long-lost 1982 album Hidden Treasures, more than forty years after they first recorded it for Phonogram, an imprint of Universal. The band were on the same management and signed to the same label as Soft Cell, but their career turned out to be a damp squib by comparison and they split up in the mid-eighties, without ever releasing this great album of synth pop for goths. Taking influences from the likes of Ultravox and The Human League, they cloak it in a more brooding atmosphere, reminiscent of The Chameleons and Joy Divsion - hitting all the right notes along the way, we think.
Review: American songwriter and composer Patricia Barber's marked her breakthrough with Modern Cool, an album driven by her captivating take on The Doors' 'Light My Fire.' Her performance of the album at The Jazz Standard caught the attention of Blue Note's Bruce Lundvall and lead to a celebrated run of releases and international acclaim. Modern Cool became an audiophile favourite thanks to Jim Anderson's meticulous recording and Barber's sharp songwriting and artistry, and it still sounds super here as reissued by Impex on VR900-D2-pressed 180-gram vinyl. It's the perfect way to enjoy a real jazz classic.
Review: Spanish musician Bass Lee delivers a strong debut instrumental album with Roots across 10 tracks of deep roots rockers led by his signature melodica. The collection was produced alongside Roberto Sanchez at A-Lone Ark Muzik Studio and features standout tracks like the uplifting 'Enlightenment' and the meditative nyahbinghi-inspired 'East African Rift.' The album was developed during a studio session that also birthed albums by Clive Matthews and Lone Ark Riddim Force and completes a trilogy focused on timeless reggae foundations that are rich in analogue warmth and melodic finesse. All of this affirms Bass Lee's place in the new wave of roots reggae musicians pushing the genre forward.
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