Back catalogue: Rock (All)

Review: Sean Bowie is back with another ode to the tortured, damned, and damned good. The Florida-born enfant terrible of US alt-rock can barely put a foot wrong in our eyes, whether that's the post-chillwave of Teams, the moniker he was recording under in the early-2010s, or the Tumor releases. This is the place where Death In Vegas fans come to be reassured it's not quite over yet.

The Asymptotical World, not to be confused with The Asymptomatic World, is a case in point. This is punk, if punk decided to dive into bed with electroclash and they had a baby that wasn't really what anyone expected. It's sludgy, scummy, guitar-driven chaotic noise that occasionally dissipates into white mayhem, all the while maintaining not just its sense of self, but an underlying feeling you're two seconds from a rave while in the moshpit.

Review: Two years on from the release of her acclaimed mixtape-style full length debut, What We Draw, Kathy Yaeji Lee returns to XL Recordings with her debut studio album With a Hammer. Conceived (lyrically at least) as an examination of the singer-songwriter-producer's relationship with anger, the album sees Lee expand on her house/hyper-pop-influenced trademark sound via nods to trip-hop, rock, drum & bass and more, with the addition of - for the first time in her career - live instrumentation. Of course, amongst the musical tweaks and collaborations (Lorraine James, Nourished By Time, K Wata and Enganet all feature), there are still plenty of nods to her pop-leaning productions of old, not least bi-lingual vocals (she often sings in Korean as well as English) and a sense of sonic style that has always been one of the aural hallmarks of Lee's work.

Review: The early 1980's saw the punk scene begin its ripple effect throughout the world, with Mexico becoming an outlier melting pot of untrained, inexperienced yet utterly passionate fans, pining to offer their own contributions to a movement they felt at home within. Yaps were one such prime example, who would find themselves moving from zero instrumental understanding to support sets for the likes of Ramones, The Exploited and GBH, to name but a few. 'Punk Directo De Las Montanas' compiles the 1988 self-titled 7" and the 'Tu Sentencia' full-length from 1990 onto one LP home, provided by punk restorer extraordinaries Radiation Records.

Review: Those who still pay attention to the music press may have noticed a fair bit of chatter about post-punk outfit Yard Act's debut album, The Overload, which one esteemed organ described as being "wonderfully wacky". That arguably does the album a disservice - "wacky" has negative connotations to some - but it is certainly a fun, freewheeling affair, whose tongue-in-cheek lyrics are frequently rip-roaringly funny. Sitting somewhere between vintage post-punk, Idles, Sleaford Mods and the Arctic Monkeys (the Leeds' band's vocals are often heavily accented), it's a riotous mix of gnarled guitar riffs, bombastic bass, shout-along choruses, drum machine beats and surprise nods to disparate musical styles (EG West African rhythms on 'Payday', Juju guitars on 'Land of the Blind') .

Review: RECOMMENDED
The thing everyone needs to understand about the UK is the disparity between projected image and real life is almost as overwhelming as the rich-poor divide. On the one hand, there's posturing of pomp, pageantry, grandeur and decorum. Then you actually get here and realise there are really only two types of inhabitants of this island nation, and few of either have manners - those who only give a shit about themselves, and the often eccentric others who do want to help those they pass on the street.

Yard Act, arguably the best thing we've heard to come out of Leeds since the emergence of super-talented techno producer Happa, directly address the first category of British resident in this, their startlingly raw and delightfully off-centre debut album. From middle class trendies to Brexiteering belligerents, think Sleaford Mods providing a backing track to IDLES' observational poetry, with an added dose of Jarvis Cocker-esque theatrics, only less camp, much rawer.

Review: Where's My Utopia? is the highly anticipated follow up to Leeds post-punk darlings Yard Act's Mercury Prize-nominated debut LP The Overload, and continues their eccentric, whimsical and sobering assessment of life in modern day Britain with a cheeky smile plastered over decades of embittered rage. Following on from last year's bizarre Black Mirror-inspired eight-minute single 'The Trench Coat Museum', this sophomore effort succeeds at every turn a second album should. Linking up with Gorillaz' Remi Kabaka Jr to handle production, the move has led to a curious wading into influences that might have seemed obvious to outside ears, with a newfound embracing of new wave synth pop whilst tapping into the psychedelic sonic world and political ethos of Fela Kuti. Lyrically, taking the UK to further task for its endless shopping list of fuck ups, whilst also touching on their seemingly overnight ascension, and the irony that comes with being signed to a subsidiary of another monolithic, faceless corporation endorsing the myriad of issues completely at odds with the morals embedded into the Yard Act DNA, Where's My Utopia? sees the band beating everyone to the punch, both musically and topically.

Review: Slowcore and dream pop collide on this latest LP from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs - 'Cool It Down' is their fifth studio album and a surprise return almost 10 years on from 2013's 'Mosquito'. Uniquely teased by the whispery lead single 'Spitting Off The Edge Of The World' - a hopeless anthem for those left behind, laying somewhere between the slowcore of Deathcrash and the indie dream dreamt by Band Of Horses - this one is a focused eight-tracker of enormously mournful proportions. It also contains a guest appearance by Perfume Genius.

Review: A long awaited comeback from one of New York's greatly missed rock bands, Karen O returns after over 9 years with a full length LP after single 'Spitting off the Edge of the World' released in June, featuring the one and only Perfume Genius. In what can only be a reference to O's beer-spitting stunt circa 2002 (yes, it's been 20 years), the single preceded what's to come from 'Cool it Down' as O wavered between sorrowful rumination on the fate of the climate to valiant calls to action. Let's be honest, Karen O is just as cool now as she was back then, she makes it look so effortless. Expect a blast from the past from this release, don't think for even a second that they have lost their touch, but also expect something more mature than releases of the past. 'Cool It Down' is set to be one of the biggest releases of the year.

Review: Music On Vinyl are our new best friends. With a wide range of music being reissued as of late, Yello's 1987 One Second is just spoiling us. Never being fully acclaimed when it was originally released, this is one album which really spans the full circle in terms of artistic ideas sonic experimentations. While being tagged primarily as a pop work, it's really more of a lesson in synth manipulations and nutty beat-making. "The Rhythm Divine" has to be out top track but do check the whole thing, it's magnificent...

Review: Interestingly, having reinvented themselves in the 80s with the help of Trevor Horn and various other members of the team, accidentally spawning the pioneering legends Art of Noise in the process, when we come to 2023, a trip back to their 70s heyday is more what the doctor ordered. With their guitarist Steve Howe at the production helm they are fancy technology-free, sounding as live as ever, and have restoered everything from the long songs - two of the 13 here top nine minutes - to the old logo and sci-fi artwork. They've even got a new Jon in to replace the old one. and Davidson does a good job of impersonating Anderson, apparently with the help of a female singer double tracking his vocals. You don't need a PhD to work out this is a nostalgic trip, but as attempts to relive former glories go we have heard a lot worse.

Review: As Radiohead tour the world and then regroup to record their new album, Thom Yorke releases his own record, 'The Eraser' on XL Recordings. A collection of nine new songs, the record was written and played by Thom and was produced by Nigel Godrich. Variously hailed as "The Best Band In The World" (Q Magazine), "Rock's Best Live Band" (Rolling Stone) and the band were placed at number 1 of Spin Magazine's 40 most influential artists, Radiohead has arguably become the most acclaimed and adventurous force in modern music. Over six studio albums the group have proved that it is possible to make massive creative leaps whilst continuing to grow in worldwide stature. Their records set new benchmarks for others to aim towards, whilst their live shows reach levels of intensity and exploration that few can match.

Review: 'We had drugs, we had booze' is what perhaps receives the biggest ovation on this live album taken from a 1976 Neil Young American tour. The 22-track album includes live recitals of all-time classics "Heart Of Gold", "After The Gold Rush" and "The Needle & The Damage Done", but sadly, no "Rockin' In The Free World" this time round. Neil Young devotees will also be pleased to learn of "No One Seems To Know", a number that has not appeared on any other official release. Just like a live concert too, the most entertaining parts of this album are usually heard between the songs, with Young joking that this could last as long as George Burns' cigar.

Review: We've had more Neil Young compilations thrown our way over the years than many of us care to remember, but only one really sticks in the mind, and it's this one. Originally released in 1977 and chronicling the period in which Young went from being a simple member of Buffalo Springfield to one of the most heralded North American songwriters of the late century, and comprising work from that band alongside Crosby Stills Nash and Young, it's studded with delights aplenty. From the extended guitar sprawl of 'Down By The Ocean' and 'Cortez The Killer' to poignant balladry like 'After The Goldrush' and 'Helpless', no-one captured the dreams and hopes of the hippie generation in quite the way Young did, and this collection is a magnificent testimony to his most fertile and heartwarming era.

Review: Neil Young - one of rock music's great originals, pleasing no one but his own muse despite writing some of the most moving, widely-loved songs in the history of modern music. This collection on Parachute fills two discs of vinyl with rare nuggets from across his history of broadcast performances on radio and television. As you might expect for someone with a career as long and winding as Young's, there's plenty of songs to choose from, and you get a whole lot of classics on here. From 'Everybody's Alone' to 'Barstool Blues' and 'World On A String', there's everything you want from a Neil Young collection here - golden songwriting and performances you might never have heard before.

Review: Neil Young recorded Toast in 2001 and has never previously released it. It is one of his numerous one-off genre-experiment albums and half of the tunes on it made it onto his Are You Passionate? in only slighted revised form. Made with backing from the soul legends Booker T. and the M.G.'s and Young's normal rock band Crazy Horse, there are hard hitting and hard rocking tunes like 'Timberline' next to more R&B leaning cuts and 'Gateway of Love,' a 10-minute guitar workout that is one of the best you will not have heard before.

Review: Recorded live at the Rainbow Theatre in London on November 5, 1973 as part of Young's tour with the Santa Monica Flyers, this key show in Young's career finally gets pressed to vinyl thanks to Warner. The band - comprised of Young on vocals and guitar, Nils Lofgren (lead and rhythm guitar, piano, accordion, vocals), Ben Keith (pedal steel guitar, vocals), Billy Talbot (bass, vocals) and Ralph Molina (drums, vocals) - performed a series of standout shows following the release of their seminal album Tonight's the Night. Featuring too many classics to count, including 'Helpless', 'Don't Be Denied' and 'Cowgirl In The Sand', this show is regularly celebrated for its "completely spontaneous and high-revved performance".

Review: It's been 17 years since we were last treated to a live album from Neil Young and Crazy Horse, and that was a recording of a legendary performance at Filimore East from 1970. This set, which features the band's later line-up, was recorded on the main stage at the Phoenix Festival (remember that) back in 1996 and first broadcast on UK radio shortly afterwards. It's a typically dynamic performance, captured with full crowd reaction for added atmosphere, with the legendary Canadian-American musician and his band-mates laying down terrific versions of favourites including 'Heart of Gold', 'Rockin' In The Free World', 'Cinnamon Girl' and 'Like a Hurricane'.

Review: Paul Young had already spent plenty of time in the game fronting The Q Tips before he broke out solo in the early 80s, but it was this album which took him to the top of the charts in 1985. Finding a unique niche between soul, funk, rock and pop, it was the gravelly bite of his voice which hit home with the fans, yielding hit after hit. 'Every Time You Go Away' and 'I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down' are the big bangers, but the rest of the album is packed full of classics too. This special extended edition of the album comes with extended versions, live tracks and other obscurities to delight the fans.

Review: Is it rock? Is it metal? Is it synth pop? How about art noise? Someone, somewhere, is trying to pen a thesis on how you define the mighty and mysterious Yves Tumor. Best leave it to them, then. Wonder aside, the Knoxville, Tennessee outsider has finally delivered the follow up to Heaven To A Tortured Mind and it's every bit another masterpiece that grabs listeners by the jugular and challenges them, while delivering exactly what they didn't realise they wanted to hear.
While it's difficult to find much genuinely surprising in music today, the sheer breadth of Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume (Or Simply Hot Between Worlds) is in itself a shock. Over the course of 12 tracks, we hit grinding electroclash ('God Is A Circle'), seductive operatic pop ('Lovely Sewer'), main stage heavy rock ('Parody'), distorted and pained metal ('Meteora Blues'), and high-paced, rousing indie ('In Spite of War'), among other styles, all realised via a unique musical identity some would kill to possess.

Review: Sean Bowie's fifth full-length as Yves Tumor arrives with an epic title (the academically minded will be debating its meaning for years to come), a grandiose electro-rock/post-punk goes-electroclash sound, and a bagful of valedictory reviews. It's basically an extension of Bowie's previous work with a few twists, but that's no bad thing; after all, the artist's distinctive sound and strong songs have always been an impressive calling card. Highlights are plentiful, from the fizzing, 21st century punk-funk of 'Lovely Sewer', and the Prince-does-Nine Inch Nails-flex of 'Parody', to the alternately jangling and sleazy 'Operator', and the post-ESG dancefloor heaviness of 'Fear Evil Like Fire'.