A satisfying plateful of new releases as summarised below.
Fulu Miziki Mokano EP
Afro-futurist band whose name roughly translates as “music from the garbage”. Their equipment ranges from guembris built out of computer casing, to jerry-can drum-kits, keyboard inventions from wood, springs and aluminium pipes, and old flip-flops used as pads by plastic tube-wielding percussion players.
Hamish Hawk A Firmer Hand
Artist known for his chamber pop songs rich of imagination and considerable wit, Hamish Hawk draws inspiration from Leonard Cohen to Randy Newman.
New Starts More Break Up Songs
Darren Hayman’s new band are a spikey, fresh sounding band recalling the poppier ends of new wave and angular guitar rock. Their influences include The Cars, Breeders, Bay City Rollers, The Velvet Underground and ZZ Top.
Rosie Lowe Lover, Other
An album that aims to sound like a collage of choral music, sample culture, the energy of live music and the intricacy of more produced elements in electronic music.
Pom Poko Champion
Norwegian post-punk band whose third album shows a new-found maturity that bleeds through the slashes of acerbic guitar blasts and elastic basslines. Champion has more space than their previous records, more room to experiment.
The Soundcarriers Through Other Reflection
A band channelling Tropicalia, Middle Eastern psychedelic Jazz/Funk, The French Library sounds of Nino Nardini, and a whole host of lavish obscurities beside.
Dark Tranquillity Endtime Signals
Melodic death metal act that combine ferocious speed, grinding brutality and haunting melodies of devastating loss to come.
Telenova Time is a Flower
Cinematic alt-pop and sleek evolved disco.
The Script Satellites
An album that sees them experimenting in a number of ways: using 808s and playing with R&B-inspired sounds, focusing on upbeats sonics, and co-writing with hitmakers Steve Robson (Rascal Flatts, Take That) and Wayne Hector (One Direction, Nicki Minaj).
Thermality The Final Hours
A band with influences deeply rooted in the golden era of melodic death metal, Thermality pays homage to iconic bands such as In Flames, Children of Bodom, Amon Amarth, and Arch Enemy.
Devon Allman Miami Moon
For this album, Allman put together a studio band featuring George Porter Jr. (The Meters) on bass, Ivan Neville (Keith Richards, Dumpstaphunk,) on keyboards, Adam Deitch (Lettuce,) on drums, Karl Denson (The Rolling Stones) on saxophone and Jackson Stokes on guitar.
Smote A Grand Stream
A double album full-scale psychic voyage into the ether and a drone-and-repetition-fuelled series of incantations that takes simple, primal ingredients and utilises them for the purposes of aural sorcery, summoning spectres and revelations aplenty in its wake.
Joe Meek 1962 – From Taboo To Telstar
3CD set which is the first in a series of chronological sets charting work at Meek’s studio year-by-year. Featuring singles and B-sides (many heard in stereo for the first time), alongside alternate versions, demos and tracks recorded but unreleased.
K.Yoshimatsu Fossil Cocoon: The Music of K. Yoshimatsu
Retrospective of the outsider musician’s 1980s recordings binding ambient, abstract punk, music concréte and purist songwriting into a single unified artform
Blind Pilot In the Shadow of the Holy Mountain
Band that has toured with The Shins and Andrew Bird offer a collection that’s equal parts celebration and revelation.
Psychic Lines Sunset on Sunset
Fifth album from psych pop trio which focuses on all the delusions we cling to.
Foster The People Paradise State of Mind
Kaleidoscopic brand of dance-fuelled pop music.
Marlins Dreaming HIRL
Indie from New Zealand, a complex and layered indie pop record that sparkles and shines with a studio pop gusto
Charly Bliss Forever
A band with a distinct pop nous whose third album sees them evolve the sounds of their grungey debut into something altogether more widescreen.
Blake Jones & The Trike Shop and still
California’s celebrated purveyors of psych-pop and quirky, heartfelt guitar rock,
Dinosaur JR Farm
15th anniversary expanded reissue includes four songs never previously pressed to vinyl: Houses’, ‘Whenever You’re Ready’ (The Zombies Cover), ‘Creepies’ (Instrumental), and ‘Show’.
Voodoo Bloo Dead-end Rodeo
It departs from the methodical lyricism and conceptual work of the past two albums in the pursuit of no holds barred bangers, and a frenzied whiplash of a record.
Usna Represent EP
Hip hop artist with an autobiographical audio postcard of USNA’s experiences since leaving County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland for London.
