FONTAINES DC 黑胶唱片和CD

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: Fontaines D.C. is one of the most exciting new bands to have emerged in the last year. Their debut Dogrel was a standout offering that turned plenty of heads and now under a year later they are back with more brilliance. The grizzly, punk laced 'A Hero's Death' has snarling vocal work from the front man while big walls of impenetrable guitars wash over you in arresting ways. On the flip, 'I Don't Belong' is less angsty, with a more subdued sound and forlorn sounding voice repeating the title's refrain to sombre effect.

Review: In the ongoing Palestinian humanitarian crisis, more and more artists are taking a stance against perceived injustices in the war agaist Hammas. Following Annie Lennox's "Artists for ceasefire. Peace" outcry at the Grammys in January, coming at the end of a heartwrenching rendition of 'Nothing Compares 2 U' in memoriam of Sinead O'Connor, Fontaines DC is using their platform to raise funds for Medecins Sans Frontieres. 'Ceasefire' is a collaborative EP with trip-hop collective Massive Attack and progressive hip-hop group Young Fathers. Each group is donating their music into one compilation, where 100% of the profits are being donated to the non-profit humanitarian organisation. The 12" comes in one of 4 colour combinations, where the disc and two contrasting colours on the cover (designed by Massive Attack's 3D) sport one of the bold colours of the Palestinian flag.