As the soothing sounds of Rhye’s second album float past, plenty of comparisons come to mind. Take The xx, whose disdain for unnecessary ornamentation can be heard in Blood’s comforting,…
Craig David – The Time Is Now review
Remember when, a decade ago, Craig David was the punchline to a joke on a Channel Four TV show? You may need a reminder: the programme’s title came from David’s…
Go Kart Mozart – Mozart’s Mini-Mart review
“I do not think of myself as a musician, more like a painter working away in total isolation, unknown and without success.” Thus run the liner notes to the fourth…
Minnie Riperton – Perfect Angel review
Minnie Riperton was a progenitor of what might be termed “hippie soul”… jazzy, psych-inflected, woozy, loose in terms of structure. And Perfect Angel (1974) was her finest moment. The former…
tUnE-yArDs – I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life review
Not only are Tune-Yards now a duo, with bassist Nate Brenner granted official membership by Merrill Garbus, but they’ve also dropped their aggravating tUnE-yArDs typography. The lo-fi trappings of yore…
Revolutionary Spirit – The Sound of Liverpool 1976-1988 review
Revolutionary Spirit is a companion piece to 2017’s Manchester: North Of England 7CD compilation. This 5CD bookset covers a period during which Liverpool demonstrated it had a lot more to…
Altered Images – The Epic Years review
They’re oft-overlooked, but what a brilliant band Altered Images were. And now you can appreciate them in their entirety, because this box features all three of their studio albums –…
Propaganda – A Secret Wish review
We’ve already had the 20th (CD, DVD plus SACD) and 25th (Element Series Edition) anniversary reissues of Propaganda’s A Secret Wish, now here’s a brand new version, just in time…
Simple Minds – Walk Between Worlds review
That Simple Minds trade in instantly familiar methodology has, at times, left them sounding predictable. Though 2014’s Big Music – with its great, big, you-can’t- miss-it signpost of a title…
The Fall: Singles 1978-2016 review
The Fall are one of the few bands to have emerged during punk and still be a fully-functioning, regularly recording and touring unit. Maybe because they never fit in or…