Review: Talk about things that make you go "oooh." The moment we heard that Daniel Avery, Working Men's Club and Ghost Culture were working together on a "new musical project" we had a lot riding on the results being particularly potent. Quite what they might sound like was anyone's guess mind, and there was an underlying worry that we might be left with another supergroup disappointment - where the parts are strong but don't necessarily understand how to gel. Demise of Love prove that doesn't have to be the case every time. It sounds like all of the above and yet none of them, it's ripe with emotion, fraught with punk ferocity and outwardly romantic in an electronic sense. Rave-y, weird, melancholic, angry, sleazy and infinitely re-playable, believe the hype.
Review: February 2024 saw two levee-breaking live moments by The 1975: here the indie band would return to Manchester for two massive AO Arena dates on 17 and 18 February, riding the rips of their biggest world tour yet. While technically from Wilmslow, the band cut their teeth in Greater Manchester's storied live scene and have always claimed the city as their unofficial hometown. Despite turning the leaf on a string of controversies centred on frontman Matty Healy, that didn't stop them from operating Still At Their Very Best, promising the kind of raucous, genre-blending performance fans expect a decade into their career. Support comes from labelmates The Japanese House, and Healy would later duet with Amber Bain on cult single 'Sunshine Baby.' This LP recording of the live spate distils a thirty-track stack of pristine live redeliveries, and with a monomaniacal arena's roar throughout, we hear a larger-than-life return home for the band.
Review: Mansfield new wave band B Movie unearth their long-lost 1982 album Hidden Treasures, more than forty years after they first recorded it for Phonogram, an imprint of Universal. The band were on the same management and signed to the same label as Soft Cell, but their career turned out to be a damp squib by comparison and they split up in the mid-eighties, without ever releasing this great album of synth pop for goths. Taking influences from the likes of Ultravox and The Human League, they cloak it in a more brooding atmosphere, reminiscent of The Chameleons and Joy Divsion - hitting all the right notes along the way, we think.
Review: This is The National's Matt Berninger's second solo album and treads a sonically similar path to the Cincinnati band, with some forlorn lyrics and gloomy delivery. Berninger is clearly a fan of plumbing the depths of his heart and fortunately has the talent to be considered one of the top merchants of emotion around these days. Of the tracks here, 'Breaking Into Acting' is a beautiful slice of stately Americana and his vocals interlock beautifully with Meg Duffy, aka Hand Habits. For something more energetic try 'Bonnet Of Pins' as it's a pulsating chamber pop cut with thumping rhythms and a tear-jerking yet rabble rousing atmosphere. Live, this one will ultimately go down a treat.
Review: Matt Berninger, voice and wordsmith behind The National, returns with his sophomore solo effort Get Sunk: for his sharp enough to cut adamantium and melodies that linger like motion ghosts, Berninger digs deep into the questions of identity: who we once were, what happiness really means, and the search that never ends. The album doesn't spell out autobiography but channels a narrator exploring selfhood amid possibilities and pitfalls, balancing on the edge of joy and despair. Collaborating with Hand Habits on 'Breaking Into Acting', and from the reefing 'Inland Ocean' to the reflective 'Times of Difficulty,' Get Sunk is a true personal snorkel dive, tracing both bound ties and yet unwondered roads.
Tell Me I Never Knew That (feat Caroline Polachek) (4:39)
When I Get Home (5:55)
U R Our Only Aching (4:32)
Coldplay Cover (4:16)
Two Riders Down (6:40)
Beautiful Ending (5:16)
Review: One of many recent megabands to arise out of London over the past decade, Caroline return with Caroline 2, an assertive followup to their eponymous debut. A scribblier, pocketbook style is heard; where their first album toyed with minimalism and restraint, Caroline 2 leans into extremes, surging across hushed textures, acoustic detail and synthetic blur, perhaps best recalling the recent hyperdigital indie collages of Bon Iver. With a topical and tasteful feature from post-gloss pop singer Caroline Polachek on 'Tell Me I Never Knew That', the record is led up by a eerily ear-sieging hyperpop ballad, doing justice to the shared name, as if to revel in nominative fate: "it always happens, it always will be..."
Review: Civic frontman Jim McCullogh apparently likes the idea of his band being more of a "mind set" than a group per se. Each record adds another layer to that perspective, like the evolution of a character rather than the trajectory of a troubadour troupe. In this case "one of the main objectives for this album was to make a drastic turn in our sound. Break the mould, melt the steel." Of course, there's still that heavily post-punk influenced Civic sound coursing through the rhythms here, and it's as gritty as ever. But it's also full of curveballs and unexpected twists, at times punting for a more jangle-y atmosphere, in other moments something resolutely muscular and main stage. Either way, it's going to hit you in the face and refuse to apologise.
I Don't Want To Know (If You Don't Want Me) (CD 2: Gold Medal - 2004)
Friends Like Mine
Don't Break Me Down
Fall Behind Me
Is That All You've Got For Me
It's So Hard
The Gold Medal
Out Of My Hands
It Takes One To Know
Revolver
Have You No Pride
Lost & Found (Digital bonus track)
Hyperactive (CD 3: singles, B-sides & live - B Side)
Rock 'n' Roll Machine (B Side)
Mam's Boy (B Side)
Play My Game (B Side)
Don't Break Me Down (acoustic)
Fall Behind Me (alternate acoustic mix)
I Don't Want To Know (If You Don't Want Me) (alternate acoustic mix)
Done With You (B Side)
Too Bad About Your Girl (radio remix)
Dancing With Myself (Billy Idol Cover)
Please Don't Tease Me (New York Minute OST)
Do You Want To Hit It (live At The Paradise, Boston August 2nd, 2003)
Take Me To The Backseat
Hyperactive - Too Bad About Your Girl
All Messed Up
Take It Off
5 O'clock In The Morning
Who Invited You
On The Rocks (live XFM October 3rd, 2003)
Take It Off
Who Invited You
Review: After rising through the ranks of the local punk scene in Palto Alto, California, during the late 1990s, all-female outfit The Donnas were whisked to national (and international) superstardom via a deal with major label Atlantic Records. This retrospective looks back on that period of the now-dormant band's career, combing their two albums from the imprint (2002's Spend The Night and 2004's Gold Metal) with a disc of singles, B-sides, rarities and live takes. That means heaps of heavy riffs, vocals espousing suburban teenage angst and hooky choruses on discs one and two, with the third disc delivering an attractive mixture of raucous pop-punk, nods to metal (one of their major infuences, fact fans) and becalmed and cheery acoustic versions.
Review: Led by Edinburgh-born Los Angeles-based 90s superstar Shirley Manson, Garbage have emerged from dark, troubling times to present a new album. The follow up to 2021's No God No Masters was originally intended for release in 2023, but got put back, reportedly due to Manson's surgeries, writer's block and the death of her pet dog. Those who've kept patient, however, are in for a treat: it's a life-affirming record that stands tall in the transatlantic group's storied oeuvre. Ever the sharp critical thinker, the lyrics to lead single 'There's No Future In Optimism' remind us to grab life by the horns and feel unburned by darkness for a moment - it's a message we need from our popstars and it's a nice respite from the cranky punk music that's saturated our radio waves over the past few years.
Review: This is the first album in four years from Scot-fronted Los Angeles band Garbage and their eighth studio album total. The previous album, No Gods No Masters, delved into some heavy sociopolitical themes, which were given a lot of attention because it came out amid Covid. With this album, as the title gives away, there is a shift towards more positive thinking, even if some seriousness remains. The single 'There's No Future In Optimism' reminds us to grab life by the horns and feel unburned by darkness for a moment - Shirley Manson clearly remembering the joy of pop and the hope it can bring, despite geopolitical uncertainties. Sonically, they've crafted very powerful electronica-tinged rock, with a brilliant emphasis on rhythm, the joys of a well constructed beat and some gritty bass.
Review: 2002's Hooverphonic Presents Jackie Cane always felt like the odd jewel in the Belgian outfit's catalogue i part concept album, part theatrical detour, wrapped in lush strings and Bond-theme bravado. The 2025 reissue brings it back into focus, and it's certainly worth revisiting. There's drama i torch songs, twisted pop, and trip-hop filtered through a cinematic lens i but also a tangible sense of melancholy beneath. Tracks like 'Sometimes' and 'Human Interest' still land with weight, while the nocturnal psychedelia of 'Jackie's Delirium' and 'Shampoo' adds hallucinogenic depth to the collection. It's all very stylised, but that's part of the charm. You can hear the ambition, the restlessness. Not quite cool, not quite kitsch, but somehow it works.
Review: There's a dark and eerie underbelly to Kathryn Joseph's We Were Made Prey. Everything feels dense, the air thick with a kind of moonlight, midnight unease. Images spring to mind of rushing through twilight woodlands or sailing through blinding fog. More than a few shades of Kate Bush, with the leading lady's vocal range certainly worthy of such a comparison. Tracks like 'Deer' owe more to the eternal Wuthering Heights resident than others, perhaps, but when all is said and done drawing this kind of comparison does us all a disservice. Lazy writing, and a failure to recognise the unique individuality of both female icons. Sticking in the here and now, Joseph has this remarkable ability to distill heady, intoxicating songs that grow, blossom, sometimes growl and always captivate. An emotionally charged enigma you need in your life.
See Saw (Lab Rats Let Loose On The See Saw) (6:03)
See Saw (Solaris dub mix) (7:27)
See Saw (Lab Rats vocal mix) (6:35)
Review: Between 1995 and 2000 Joy Division's Peter Hook and his collaborator David Potts formed Monaco and released two cracking albums. The second of which is now getting an anniversary release in the best possible audiophile quality. It didn't fare as well commercially as the first album, which had the hit 'What Do You Want From Me' and was more electronic in nature. But the janglier nature of this second record is a joy to delve into. 'I've Got A Feeling' has melodies to rival The La's and 'Kashmere' is a sign that in terms of production Monaco were operating on another level compared to most in the post-Britpop space. Meanwhile, hearing Hook's signature basslines throughout, but within a sonic bedding that you haven't quite heard him play before, is a compelling joy. Under-championed excellence here from Monaco.
Review: MRCY, the r&b/soul duo of Barney Lister and Kojo Degraft-Johnson, return with Volume 2: a bold, emotionally charged collection building on their acclaimed debut. Blending timeless influences with modern textures, their music offers comfort and unpredictability. "We're trying to extinguish fear with optimism and worry with love," Barney explains. This ethos runs through the album, from the uplifting grooves of 'Angels' and 'Wanna Know (Ontario)' to the driving rhythms of 'Man', which challenges ideals of masculinity over Afrobeat percussion and jazz flourishes.
Review: Four years, a lot of gigs, and a change of lineup are all that have stood between Vyvyd and The Uncanny Extravaganza. New Candys triumphant return after the best part of a half decade is exactly that, unleashing some of the most powerful tracks in their oeuvre after no less than two years spent writing, recording and producing them. Which is ironic, given the raw, unfettered distortion that makes much of what's here so compelling and utterly devastating. It would sound off-the-cuff, it it weren't so complex. The Uncanny Extravaganza is one of those records that makes you genuinely excited about the prospect of seeing a band live again. It's loud - even if you've got the volume down - and its disharmonious, it's soaring and distant yet immediate and up front. It's psyche-infused garage rock with a dusting of raucous shoegaze (if that's possibly a thing), at times nodding to the likes of Ringo Deathstar or Death In Vegas, in other moments Spiritualised. Or maybe that's just us.
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