Support The Quietus
Our journalism is funded by our readers. Become a subscriber today to help champion our writing, plus enjoy bonus essays, podcasts, playlists and music downloads.
Genuine treasures unearthed
Outliers in the thriving Ukrainian underground during the last days of Soviet rule, a long overdue compilation surveying the career of Cukor Bila Smert provides a complex mosaic of anxiety, surrealism, cabaret, paranoia and darkness, says Jakub Knera
Back in 1974, Richard Pinhas’ Heldon took musical inspiration from Eno and Fripp in order to become France’s Buzzcocks and Throbbing Gristle all rolled into one. The country’s first modern DIY group laid the foundations for electronic music outside of the snobbery of academia and the restrictive practices of the French music industry, says Jeremy Allen
Beautifully intimate home recordings made by an Ethiopian nun reflecting on the idea of exile in the 1970s and 1980s, probably never intended to be heard by anyone but herself, have taken on an astounding universality in 2024, says Jakub Knera
Brilliant film director Peter Strickland has long flown the flag for psychedelic, eccentric and disconcerting European music but on latest film Flux Gourmet he put his money where his mouth was by including his own very curious group, The Sonic Catering Band. Will Salmon celebrates a singular soundtrack and vision
Luke Turner appraises Cherry Red's reissue of The Fall's Real New Fall LP, arguing that Mark E Smith's decision to remix the original version showed his judgement was correct as it paved the way for one of the best periods of the group's operation
At the beginning of the millennium, Khanate created a twisted and challenging new form of sonic torment. Dan Franklin revisits the band’s reissued back catalogue and explores the harrowing context of their existence. CW: contains graphic discussion of torture and war crimes
As the state51 Conspiracy reissue Donovan's double-album box set on mono vinyl, Ben Graham looks back at the artist's most ambitious statement and finds a post-psychedelic message that's still relevant today
This reissue of the 2014 debut album by Ellen O, says Irina Shtreis, celebrates the life of the late dream wave artist, and reminds us there is much more to her story than the tragedy of her death. C/W: this article contains discussion of suicide
On the release of a 20th anniversary boxset celebrating The Darkness' extravagant debut album, Patrick Clarke explores a band who married daftness and dedication, found a brilliance in the superficial, and for whom flamboyance was inherent, not an affectation
Slapp Happy's progressive influence straddled both sides of the punk rock interregnum, says Fergal Kinney reviewing a 50th anniversary reissue of Sort Of, and their influence can be felt as much in Faust as in Black Country, New Road
A narrative is forming around Les Rallizes Denudes that perhaps some of their haunting strength has sprung from the lo-fi quality of their bootlegs. Cal Cashin spends time with the new crystal clear official release of CITTA '93 and finds their sublime avalanche of sound just as addictive as ever
As Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti continue their series of vinyl reissues, Luke Turner argues that the intimacy of their shared creativity powered a run of albums that perfectly combined pop, tough electro and ambient textures. Chris & Cosey archival pic from 1984, credit Birra.
Sandwell District were the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young of austere techno, appearing and disappearing in a haze of bad vibes, Berlin drugs, and imperious, hard-to-find releases. Kiran Sande offers a personal insight into the reissue of their impulsive 2010 masterpiece, Feed Forward
The box set captures the explosive farewell event by EP/64, in which 35 artists – spanning techno, noise, punk, jazz and more – convened for a weekend of improvised sets. It tells the story of a brilliantly strange musical project and raises intriguing questions, finds Alastair Shuttleworth
Stewart Smith is back with all the juice you need to keep your jazz inhaler vaping: reviews of new albums from Mats Gustafsson, Robert Glasper, Donny McCaslin and Forebrace, along with a round-up of UK and US releases you might have missed over the summer months
You could release countless Bowie anthologies and never quite capture how special the Thin White Duke really is. Here, Chris Roberts, Nix Lowery, Joe Stannard, Frances Morgan, Petra Davis, Wyndham Wallace and John Doran reveal their favourite Bowie tunes which weren't smash-hit singles
The Quietus are proud to be hosting the Village Mentality stage, headlined by Tortoise, at Field Day this Saturday. Writing for the Melody Maker in February 1996, Simon Reynolds heralded their album Millions Now Living Will Never Die as the future...