So Recordings 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: The following quote from Placebo frontman Brian Molko will surely endure: "if the song serves to irritate the squares and the uptight, so gleefully be it." Such a statement pairs neatly with its originator's new album; 'Never Let Me Go' is a folky and alternative indie tirade against political tyranny, climate catastrophe and overhyped new tech. With Molko making the album after discovering that his "neighbours were spying on me on behalf of parties with a nefarious agenda", we can be sure this one'll feel a little more transgressive than the band's former dreamier output, 'Sleeping With Ghosts' springing to mind

Review: It's not easy to articulate how much anticipation surrounded Never Let Me Go when it arrived in March 2022. Three years in the making (well, probably more, but recorded between 2019 and 2021), it broke around a decade of silence from the iconic epic rock band, marking their eighth studio album, and when we say 'broke', we really do mean breaking things. Big, emotionally-charged, stadium-filling things, that somehow resonate with a cross-generational audience united in the simple fact they're all humans.

Placebo have always been something of an oxymoron. Granted, not in the truest sense, nevertheless, it's hard to think go many guitar outfits that have simultaneously managed to sound so niche, while mastering the art of mass crossover appeal. Never Let Me Go only adds to their arsenal of weaponry, anthems-in-the-making, destined to soundtrack everything from births to breakups.

Review: Enter Shikari belong to a particularly impressive hardcore subset that seem to get better with each passing year and record. A Kiss For the Whole World is their seventh studio outing, but it sounds almost like a band exploding into action for the first time. A high energy declaration of intent and bold approach to stamping their personality down on the planet they so eagerly want to embrace.

Uplifting would be another - far simpler - way to describe what's here. These are anthems in the truest sense, with tracks like 'Dead Wood' reaching for the kind of euphoric sonic heights few outfits can hope to come close to. A rousing, unifying number. Of course, in typical Shikari fashion, it's not actually all so lead- single-worthy, with some of the finest moments far less in your face. Such as the classical-inspired 'Bloodshot (Coda)', or the half-time drum & bass tech of 'Feed Your Soul'.