Anyone who saw Annie Clark in 2005 performing with The Polyphonic Spree knew she had a bright future. Despite their uniform white choir robes, her charisma ensured she stood out,…
A Certain Ratio – The Graveyard and the Ballroom review
A Certain Ratio issued Factory Records’ first single-artist release, May 1979’s All Night Party/ The Thin Boys, and were arguably the first white post-punk group to go funky – it’s…
Morrissey – Low in High School review
As a shy wallflower parsing the meaning of every gesture around him, Morrissey’s charm was always his mixture of shrewdness and insecurity. Lately, however, his conviction he’s always right has…
Bjork – Utopia review
All is full of love, apparently, on Bjork’s ninth album; but for whom it’s never quite clear. What they’ll make of it, too, is anyone’s guess. Björk’s work has become…
U2 – Songs of Experience review
“If you like Songs of Innocence,” Bono wrote on U2’s website within hours of the announcement of their 2014 album, “stay with us for Songs Of Experience. It should be…
Beck – Colours review
To change or not to change: it’s a question musicians regularly confront, with the answer usually ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’. After nailing a style down so…
Various Artists – To The Outside of Everything: A Story of UK Post-Punk 1977-1981 compilation review
From the team that brought us the Manchester North of England and Silhouettes & Statues: A Goth Revolution boxsets comes this 111-track post-punk behemoth… Post-punk has been a venerated historical…
Prince – Purple Rain Deluxe Expanded Edition review
Three-disc funkgasmagoria from Prince’s Purple peak – including disc of single edits and B-sides, a live DVD and a CD of tracks from the legendary vaults. Rhino 5/5 Prince was…
Nasher – 432-1: Open The Vein album review
Babylon Pink Recordings 4/5 On his fourth solo album, Brian ‘Nasher’ Nash defies those who still think of him as one of ‘the lads’ who helped bulk out Frankie Goes…
Arcade Fire – Everything Now album review
Sony/Columbia 3/5 It’s tough to reconcile the Arcade Fire of now with the Montreal band that first emerged in 2004 touting the breathless, romantic Funeral. Back then, the idea they’d…