Reviews

Opinionated and informative criticism of all the music that counts

Mort Garson
Mother Earth's Plantasia

When Mort Garson originally released Mother Earth's Plantasia in 1976, its Moog melodies were intended to help your plants grow. Today, as plant extinction rates ramp up, it feels like a warning, finds Brian Coney

Reviews

Tshegue
Telema

New EP, Telema, finds Parisian group Tshegue coming back bruised but defiant, finds Derek Robertson

Reviews

Jane Weaver
Loops In The Secret Society

Jane Weaver deconstructs her own music and puts it back together again into strange surreal soundscapes, finds Danijela Bočev

Reviews

Nathan Micay
Blue Spring

Inspired by Manga and 90s rave, Nathan Micay's Blue Spring offers electronic music with a widescreen palette, finds Joseph Burnett

Reviews

Charles Hayward
Begin Anywhere

Charles Hayward's new solo album, Begin Anywhere is disarming in its simplicity, but sometimes less is simply less, finds Jamie Chambers

Reviews

Various
Pure Sounds Of Michigan

Pure Sounds Of Michigan paints a beautiful but incomplete picture says Bernie Brooks

Reviews

Madonna
Madame X

For her fourteenth album, Madame X, Madonna hooks up with French producer Mirwais to produce a swirling fusion of trap, fado, dub, and disco, but the results end up sounding shallow and contrived, finds CJ Thorpe-Tracey

Reviews

Radiohead
MINIDISCS [HACKED]

When hackers stole a cache of OK Computer demos, Radiohead responded by sticking the lot on Bandcamp. Darran Anderson dives deep into the trove

Reviews

His Name Is Alive
All The Mirrors in the House

A collection of purported juvenalia that's better than it has any right to be. So much so, in fact, that Dustin Krcatovich isn't sure that he buys the story

Reviews

Heavy Bleeding
Heavy Bleeding

A collaboration between Heavy Lifting and the now-defunct Blood Sport, Heavy Bleeding’s posthumous debut is both deeply familiar and extraordinarily alien, says Bernie Brooks

Reviews

Astral Social Club & Grumbling Fur Time Machine Orchestra
Plasma Splice Trifle

Plasma Splice Trifle brings together the talents of Astral Social Club and Grumbling Fur with sublime results, finds Tom Bolton

Reviews

Cate Le Bon
Reward

Reward, the new record by Cate Le Bon, finds the Welsh musician moving into ever stranger territory while summing up the best of all her previous records, finds Hayley Scott

Reviews

Stephen Shiell
Sonance

Vibrating with electrical and mythic energies, Stephen Shiell's Sonance is a widescreen treat for the ears, finds Robert Barry

Reviews

Sonic Youth
Battery Park, NYC: July 4, 2008

Three years before splitting up, Sonic Youth played Battery Park, New York. The recording originally came as a bonus disc with the first copies of their last album The Eternal. Now it receives a proper release. Brian Coney dives in

Reviews

Zurkas Tepla
Occasion Smell

Time spent in the company of Russian electro-prankster Zurkas Tepla is never boring, finds Richard Foster

Reviews

Bruce Springsteen
Western Stars

Western Stars offers a rewarding hour in the company of the Boss, finds CJ Thorpe-Tracey

Reviews

Skepta
Ignorance Is Bliss

Skepta returns with a new album, but this one's less of a trailblazer, more of a consolidation, finds James Ball

Reviews

Plaid
Polymer

IDM duo Plaid are back, with their best album in a decade, finds Bob Cluness

Reviews

Harrga
Héroïques Animaux De La Misère

Harrga's uncompromising debut is harrowing liberation music, says Bernie Brooks

Reviews

Franck Vigroux
Totem

Totem by Franck Vigroux is brutal, but subtly so, finds Joseph Burnett

Reviews

C Joynes & The Furlong Bray
The Borametz Tree

Bringing together members of Dead Rat Orchestra with Cam Deas and Nick Jonah Davis, C Joynes and the Furlong Bray have produced an album alive with a rich sense of place, finds Tom Bolton

Reviews

Tenderlonious
Hard Rain

Tenderlonious' techno tribute misses the mark, finds Jamie Chambers

Reviews

Martin Bartlett
Ankle On / Anecdotal Electronics

Cult electronic music pioneer Martin Bartlett’s work is getting the exposure and retrospective it deserves, finds Nick Roseblade

Reviews

Masayuki Takayanagi New Direction Unit
April Is The Cruellest Month

This unheralded monster of 1970s Japanese guitar noise has waited over four decades to see a proper vinyl release. At long last, Dustin Krcatovich takes a bath in its unrepentant squall

Reviews

Fire! Orchestra
Arrival

The new album by Fire! Orchestra brings vocals to the fore, interspersed with electrical flurries of horns and keys, finds Euan Andrews

Reviews

BCUC
The Healing

The third album by Soweto seven-piece BCUC sees them collaborating with Femi Kuti and Saul Williams to exhilarating effect, finds Nick Roseblade

Reviews

North Sea Radio Orchestra with John Greaves & Annie Barbazza
Folly Bololey (Songs from Robery Wyatt's Rock Bottom)

With the addition of Henry Cow bassist, John Greaves, ex-Cardiac William D Drake and vocalist Annie Barbazza, the quintessentially English chamber ensemble, North Sea Radio Orchestra, are perfectly suited for a haunting reimagining of one of Robert Wyatt’s best loved solo albums, Rock Bottom

Reviews

Flying Lotus
Flamagra

Flying Lotus returns after a five year break with another flawlessly executed album, but even if we are sure the album is great – is it actually any good? Nick Roseblade ponders

Reviews

Sarah Davachi
Pale Bloom

Sarah Davachi takes Bach down multiple pathways, purifying the listener with techno-druid oscillations that could shake both soul and glass, finds Kareem Ghezawi

Reviews

Richard Skelton
Border Ballads

Richard Skelton's album puts the natural world into focus, finds Luke Turner

Reviews

Mourning [A] Blkstar
Reckoning

Reckoning by Cleveland collective Mourning [A] Blkstar is an emotionally overwhelming experience for Joseph Burnett

Reviews

Membranes
What Nature Gives... Nature Takes Away

The Membranes' latest, What Natures Gives… Nature Takes Away has everything from a 21st century take on the Beats to an alternative theme tune for Match of the Day, finds Richard Foster

Previous Page / 167 Next

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Mort Garson Mother Earth's Plantasia

Tshegue Telema

Jane Weaver Loops In The Secret Society

Nathan Micay Blue Spring

Charles Hayward Begin Anywhere

Various Pure Sounds Of Michigan

Madonna Madame X

Radiohead MINIDISCS [HACKED]

His Name Is Alive All The Mirrors in the House

Heavy Bleeding Heavy Bleeding

Astral Social Club & Grumbling Fur Time Machine Orchestra Plasma Splice Trifle

Cate Le Bon Reward

Stephen Shiell Sonance

Sonic Youth Battery Park, NYC: July 4, 2008

Zurkas Tepla Occasion Smell

Bruce Springsteen Western Stars

Skepta Ignorance Is Bliss

Plaid Polymer

Harrga Héroïques Animaux De La Misère

Franck Vigroux Totem

C Joynes & The Furlong Bray The Borametz Tree

Tenderlonious Hard Rain

Martin Bartlett Ankle On / Anecdotal Electronics

Masayuki Takayanagi New Direction Unit April Is The Cruellest Month

Fire! Orchestra Arrival

BCUC The Healing

North Sea Radio Orchestra with John Greaves & Annie Barbazza Folly Bololey (Songs from Robery Wyatt's Rock Bottom)

Flying Lotus Flamagra

Sarah Davachi Pale Bloom

Richard Skelton Border Ballads

Mourning [A] Blkstar Reckoning

Membranes What Nature Gives... Nature Takes Away

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The Quietus Digest

Mort Garson
Mother Earth's Plantasia

Tshegue
Telema

Jane Weaver
Loops In The Secret Society

Nathan Micay
Blue Spring

Charles Hayward
Begin Anywhere

Various
Pure Sounds Of Michigan

Madonna
Madame X

Radiohead
MINIDISCS [HACKED]

His Name Is Alive
All The Mirrors in the House

Heavy Bleeding
Heavy Bleeding

Astral Social Club & Grumbling Fur Time Machine Orchestra
Plasma Splice Trifle

Cate Le Bon
Reward

Stephen Shiell
Sonance

Sonic Youth
Battery Park, NYC: July 4, 2008

Zurkas Tepla
Occasion Smell

Bruce Springsteen
Western Stars

Skepta
Ignorance Is Bliss

Plaid
Polymer

Harrga
Héroïques Animaux De La Misère

Franck Vigroux
Totem

C Joynes & The Furlong Bray
The Borametz Tree

Tenderlonious
Hard Rain

Martin Bartlett
Ankle On / Anecdotal Electronics

Masayuki Takayanagi New Direction Unit
April Is The Cruellest Month

Fire! Orchestra
Arrival

BCUC
The Healing

North Sea Radio Orchestra with John Greaves & Annie Barbazza
Folly Bololey (Songs from Robery Wyatt's Rock Bottom)

Flying Lotus
Flamagra

Sarah Davachi
Pale Bloom

Richard Skelton
Border Ballads

Mourning [A] Blkstar
Reckoning

Membranes
What Nature Gives... Nature Takes Away

Quade
The Foel Tower