Rock (All) charts

Review: It's hard to believe it has been 20 years since The Knife first put out their game changing debut album Deep Cuts. It first came on Sweden's Rabid Records on CD only before getting a North America and UK release once the world had cottoned on to its brilliance. It is much brighter and more melodic that the dark and witchy sound they gravitated towards on later albums but still sounds way ahead of its time. There are effervescent, Eurodisco-tinged pop tunes like 'One For You' to get you singing along, then hardcore euro rave bombs like 'Listen Now' and the odd occult head masher like 'The Cop.'

Review: 2019's Wallop was the last album we heard from !!! so fans will be delighted to check out this new full length, Let It Be Blue. The first single from it, 'Storm Around the World,' features Sink Ya Teeth's Maria Uzor and the band explained it was "originally an acid workout about parents who leave on tour," became much more. Expect the album to be a diverse affair packed with dance floor moments but also plenty of more spare sounds that allow the world play to shine through. Fittingly, this one - the band's ninth album - comes pressed on nice blue wax.

Review: Soul master Donkin harks back to the golden era of r&b, which he sees as being some 45 odd years ago, on this superb debut album Welcome Home. The singer-songwriter pays homage to the late 1970s and early 1980s with his signature delicate falsetto as well as playful and elaborate vocal harmonies which are back by lush, golden keys and plenty of nimble basslines. Artists like George Benson and James Ingram are referenced musically along the way as these delicate soul ballads come and go on the breeze. It's a great harks back to a super special time but all with a singular twist that roots it in the here and now.

Review: John Luongo is a Bostonian disco legend and although his contributions to the proliferation of the sound are more than noted within the industry, his recognition among regular old music fans seems, as his own estate puts it, "to have slipped through the cracks of dance history." Demon hopes to change all that with this new multi-format box set of his music, which aims to memorialize him as one of the most influential DJs and mixers of his day. Luongo's many credits include remixes of Jackie Moore's 'This Time Baby', 'Vertigo / Relight My Fire' by Dan Hartman and Patti Labelle's 'Music Is My Way Of Life'. Luongo also went on to establish a production career in his own right, and his legacy is more than cemented here. This box set compiles his most striking tracks in a 4xCD compilation, as well as many other trinkets and rarities including a 32-page booklet and an in-depth essay from Alexis Petridis.

Review: F.I.D.E.L (Further Individual Delusions) is the avatar project of Paris-based composer, producer and A&R, R. DIlouya; UK funk and soul and Northern soul legend John Turrell; and French hip-hop, soul and jazz force majeure Sly Johnson. Hailing from North Paris and Northern England, F.I.D.E.L release their latest project Out Of Sight to the great post-disco, boogie and new wave pop that shaped the world's collective unconscious at the twilight of the Thatcher / Cold War Era. F.I.D.E.L takes this as a jumping off point and channels its sound through the care and the musical craft of the past to a yet more modern soundscape using Prophet Synthesizers, Clavinets and Drum Machines to create a fast, nervous, funky, ironic and intoxicating satire of post-COVID Western society. While most of the musical heavy lifting is done by Dilouya himself, Turrell lays down socially anchored lyrics, rooted firmly in the gritty, no-nonsense world of a working-class man. Recorded over two week-long studio sessions in Paris, Out Of Sight showcases Dilouya's timeless songwriting and bold production style, setting ground for Turrell's classic vocal performances and Sly Johnson's revered musicianship.

Review: On his first album since signing with Ninja Tune offshoot Counter Records (his fourth in total), Roosevelt has tweaked both his working methods and the specifics of his songs and music. Embrace was recorded "on the road", with the Cologne-raised artist setting up his portable studio in a variety of cities, while the music itself combines a greater reliance on "80s disco basslines" (Gwen Guthrie's work with Sly and Robbie being an obvious touch point) and surprisingly honest lyrics that detail his feelings of alienation. In truth, it's not a huge departure - his glossy, wide-eyed take on electronic pop has always included nods to electrofunk, vintage synth-pop, nu-disco and contemporary dance-pop - but given the alluring nature of his sound, that's no bad thing.

Review: It's been a minute since we had a record from Donny Benet, the Australian singer, songwriter, bass guitar ace, disco evangelist and entertainer. Turns out it's always worth the wait, with Infinite Desire not only classic Benet - albeit on a smooth, sultry, easygoing tip - but also a record that marks the beginning of a new chapter for this beloved character. His first on a freshly minted indie label he set up. A fun odyssey with added glitter and swirl, like almost everything the man touches, Infinite Desires is inspired by a simpler time, when blazers with shoulder pads were nightclub attire, hair was big, and overbites ruled the dancefloor. But what really stands out is how right these sounds still feel today. This is no pastiche, let alone parody, but DIY innovation that serves to remind us of what groove really means.

Review: A number of the many great full lengths penned by alternative pop star Roisin Murphy are currently being reissued and here we have Take Her Up To Monto!, a bold and adventurous exploration of electronic pop from 2016. It is another one that showcases Murphy's fearless creativity and boundary-pushing approach to music where distinct vocals, coupled with innovative production, create a dynamic and immersive listen. There is an infectious energy to 'Mastermind' and dreamy allure to 'Ten Miles High,' amongst a wide mix of influences from other genres and experimental soundscapes that confirmed once more than Murphy' is a true visionary.