Cate Le Bon: Pompeii review – introspective isolation album by Phil Mongredien on 30th January 2022 at 3:00 pm (Mexican summer)An almost entirely solo affair, the Welsh musician’s sixth album encapsulates feelings of lockdown with a nod to mid-70s Bowie Continue reading… Alice Glass: Prey//IV review – songs of trauma and recovery by Emily Mackay […]
Here’s a digest of the best albums of 2021. The Guardian’s top 12 albums of 2021 12 Jazmine Sullivan – Heaux Tales The power struggle between reason and desire fuels the Philadelphia songwriter’s fourth release, which intersperses soulful swagger and forlorn blues with interludes by women describing what they mean by owning their sexuality. Sullivan’s […]
Billy Strings: Renewal review – bold and beautifully written bluegrass by Laura Snapes on 16th December 2021 at 10:00 am (Rounder)Revelations about heartbreak, America and addiction combine with banjo workouts in this testament to complex humanity• More albums we missed in 2021 Continue reading… Me Rex: Megabear review – a choose-your-own-adventure trip for the streaming […]
Malcolm Jiyane: Umdali review | Ammar Kalia’s global album of the month by Ammar Kalia on 15th October 2021 at 8:00 am (Mushroom Hour Half Hour)A figure in his country’s jazz scene since his early teens, Jiyane’s skill comes to the fore in his anticipated debut as a bandleader, a set full of hope and […]
Public Service Broadcasting: Bright Magic review – mood music, from Weimar to Bowie by Phil Mongredien on 26th September 2021 at 2:00 pm (Play It Again Sam)Berlin is the inspiration for the band’s inventive if melancholy fourth album Continue reading… The Specials: Protest Songs 1924-2012 review – genre-hopping calls to action by Damien Morris on […]
Record Store Day 2021 is no longer just one day in April. It is now a series of individual days where people can get their hands on rare and unreleased recordings. Typically, Record Store Day is the one day of the year when over 240 independent record shops all across the UK come together to […]
Shaybo: Queen of the South review – the Lewisham rapper shows a soft side by Kadish Morris on 22nd August 2021 at 2:00 pm (Black Butter)The dancehall-influenced artist comes of age on a star-studded mixtape full of confidenceTo call yourself Queen of the South before ever releasing an album could easily be a hostage to […]
Ishmael Ensemble: Visions of Light review – a sax, strings and synths epic by Kate Hutchinson on 8th August 2021 at 2:00 pm (Severn Songs)There are shades of Jon Hopkins, Bon Iver, Soulwax and more, but the Bristol collective’s second album has a scope and grace all its ownIt’s not easy to pull off an […]
Blank Gloss: Melt review | John Lewis’s contemporary album of the month by John Lewis on 2nd July 2021 at 8:00 am (Kompakt)The Sacramento duo have moved towards the ruminative on their debut album, the latest in a developing, diverting genreThe music magazine Uncut recently featured a cover-mounted CD and an accompanying article celebrating “Ambient […]
Kele: The Waves Pt 1 review – all washed up? by Damien Morris on 30th May 2021 at 2:00 pm (Kola/!K7)It has its moments, but this collection of spoken word, psych folk and instrumental pieces does the Bloc Party frontman few favoursWhy does Kele’s cover of Bronski Beat’s Smalltown Boy sound so defeated? The towering […]
