Oxford shoegazers Ride return after 21 years with their 5th album featuring the original quartet, this time produced by the one and only Erol Alkan. Lead single “All I Want” is reminiscent of Jagwar Ma, and sees the band back at their enigmatic best, and as futuristic as ever.
The UK’s hottest rock duo Royal Blood return after their stratospheric debut album with more of the same killer riffs and euphoric choruses - energy is certainly not lacking in this one! And that Glastonbury set was something else…These guys are here to stay.
Seattle folk kings Fleet Foxes return after 5 years for their 3rd album, an ambitious effort just as spine tingling as their previous works. It seems lead singer Robin Pecknold’s time in the woods has served him well! You’ll be lucky to hear anything this moving again all year.
Neo-blues and soul singer Rag ‘n’ Bone Man has come through with a blinding debut album. His deep, powerful vocals and hip-hop-styled beats are a fresh, unique sound in the world of soul – you may have seen his duet with Gregory Porter on this year’s Hootenanny...What a voice! This double LP is a oozing [...]
Carner’s bars burst with a confidence and maturity far beyond his years on this fine debut effort, and tell the story of his late stepfather’s passing with a poignant honesty – he even makes an appearance on a secret track at the album’s close, using recordings found after his death. A timeless jazzy hip-hop LP [...]
Solange’s 3rd LP vehemently presents the frustrations of being a black woman, artist and human in modern America, presented through some of the most forward thinking R’n’B we’ve heard in years. Its spoken interludes featuring the Knowles sisters’ parents – you may recognise the surname from Beyoncé – give the record a powerful message and [...]
Hot tip of the year comes in the form of Aussie singer/songwriter Julia Jacklin’s debut LP, “Don’t Let the Kids Win”, a fine collection of country/indie/folk love songs for any generation. With a wisdom far beyond her years, and a youthful inventiveness that permeates through every element of the songwriting, this Lana Del Rey inspired [...]
This stellar compilation of bread and butter soul takes Betty Harris’ finest A and B-sides from 1965 through 1968, including her famed cover of Solomon Burke’s “Cry to Me”. Most of the tracks were released on the Sansu label, which being solely distributed in New Orleans, makes many of these gems rare as can be! [...]
It’s 2007 and all the UK’s guitar bands are dressed like they’re going into town to buy an Travis album. Enter the Horrors, goth-punks with ambitions higher than anyone could have expected. “Strange House” is a phenomenal statement of intent. Although very different from the band’s later output, it remains a timeless criticism of all [...]
Widely regarded as one of the most important dance music albums to come out of the UK, “90” unashamedly took the sound of Detroit and made it our own, sparking an electronic revolution that is still going on today. A timeless acid-house classic for any generation. 4.5/5.0
