The Stranglers - Dark Matters (Album Review)

Before you drop the needle on side one, ‘Dark Matters’, the Stranglers’ 18th studio LP, is already notable for a number of reasons. It’s their first album since drummer and founding member Jet Black retired in 2015, and it arrives a year after keyboard maestro Dave Greenfield succumbed to Covid-19. It also precedes the band’s final tour, which is now scheduled for early 2022 after a previous postponement.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Friday, 17 September 2021

Common - A Beautiful Revolution Pt. 2 (Album Review)

Photo: Brian Bowen Smith “‘A Beautiful Revolution Pt. 2’  was created with hope and inspiration in mind,” Common said while trailing his new record. “The spirit of the album was meant to emulate what a greater day would sound and feel like.” But the Chicago rapper has in fact exemplified this mission statement far better on many of his previous 13 albums.

Written by: Josh Adams | Date: Thursday, 16 September 2021

The Wildhearts - 21st Century Love Songs (Album Review)

Imagine being locked inside a washing machine as the spin cycle kicks in, while having 10 different albums playing in your headphones at the same time, and loving every dizzying second of it without quite understanding why. That’s exactly how this thrillingly rambunctious newbie from The Wildhearts will initially make you feel, until repeated plays reveal that it’s actually one of the most well crafted rock albums of the year.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 15 September 2021

Kacey Musgraves - Star-Crossed (Album Review)

Kacey Musgraves has always enjoyed ruffling feathers. Whether it has been through her candid portrayal of life in Bible belt America, her advocacy of recreational drugs, her support for marginalised groups, or even ditching banjos for vocoders, the country star–who operates, or more precisely used to operate, in a particularly conservative sector—has long made that streak work for her.

Written by: Alex Myles | Date: Tuesday, 14 September 2021

Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (Album Review)

Most of us can only dream of attaining levels of productivity similar to those Little Simz exhibited during the pandemic. Where many of us spent mornings struggling to get out of bed, the London rapper spent her time baring her soul during the creation of her fourth album ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’, and the result glows with fiery intensity.

Written by: Josh Adams | Date: Monday, 13 September 2021

Iron Maiden - Senjutsu (Album Review)

Having the artistic freedom to do whatever the hell you like can be a double edged sword.  At its best, ‘Senjutsu’ reflects how creative liberation has allowed Iron Maiden to evolve from fiery NWOBHM flag bearers into a bestial prog-metal outfit with an irrepressible flair for the epic. Alas, that privilege has also led to unchecked overindulgence, preventing some of their albums from being the masterpieces that, with a few obvious tweaks, they could have been.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 10 September 2021

Turnstile - Glow On (Album Review)

Turnstile have always been in an odd spot as a hardcore band despite their roots being firmly grounded in the genre. They’ve long sought to push boundaries and break out of the box they’re expected to remain in and their third album, ‘Glow On’, finds them finally roaming free of genre confinements. In the process they cement their place as one of the most exciting bands to look out for. 

Written by: Jessica Howkins | Date: Thursday, 09 September 2021

Manic Street Preachers - The Ultra Vivid Lament (Album Review)

It may sound oxymoronic to label something as ‘blissfully melancholic,’ but after you’ve heard Manic Street Preachers’ latest effort that tag should make complete sense. While Nicky Wire’s elegiac lyrics are his most personal and existential to date, the ebullient, retro-modern pop compositions they accompany could inadvertently make ‘The Ultra Vivid Lament’ this year’s surprise feelgood album.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Wednesday, 08 September 2021

Chvrches - Screen Violence (Album Review)

Chvrches’ ‘The Bones of What You Believe’ was a smash that saw the band lay down a marker. And while subsequent releases have produced mixed results—highs on par with their debut alongside ideas that weren’t fully realised—they have generally lived up to their early promise.

Written by: Matty Pywell | Date: Tuesday, 07 September 2021

Halsey - If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power (Album Review)

Photo: Lucas Garrido When the announcement was made that Halsey would be working with Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross on the production of their fourth album, ‘If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power’, levels of anticipation rose to fresh heights. Would the alt-pop artist go to the rock side? Perhaps industrial vibes would creep in through every open door they could.

Written by: Jessica Howkins | Date: Monday, 06 September 2021

Big Red Machine - How Long Do You Think It's Going to Last? (Album Review)

Photo: Graham Tolbert  Big Red Machine are neither a supergroup nor a collective—they lack the showy faces of the former, and the shared identity of the latter. Overseen by The National’s Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, it’s more like an open-ended hang with friends in high places.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 01 September 2021

Chubby and the Gang - The Mutt's Nuts (Album Review)

Photo: Sirus F Gahan On the surface, punk is a simple genre—if you know three chords, and you’ve got a few like-minded friends, you have a band. It might be equally simple, then, for listeners to think that they can quickly figure out Chubby and the Gang.

Written by: Emma Wilkes | Date: Tuesday, 31 August 2021

Angel Olsen - Aisles (Album Review)

Photo: Dana Trippe  In collaboration with friend and engineer, Adam McDaniel, Angel Olsen presents an offbeat EP of ‘80s covers, inspired by the background music that floats aimlessly between supermarket shelves.

Written by: Rebecca Llewellyn | Date: Friday, 27 August 2021

Sturgill Simpson - The Ballad of Dood & Juanita (Album Review)

Photo: Semi Song Sturgill Simpson’s not settling into a particular groove. Having broken through internationally via 2014’s ‘Metamodern Sounds in Country Music’, the Kentuckian switched gears for the big band memoir ‘A Sailor’s Guide to Earth’ (2016) before a left turn into space-rock on ‘Sound & Fury’ (2019), the latter representing a more limited success. His new release is a western concept album that follows two bluegrass LPs recorded last year.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Thursday, 26 August 2021

Lorde - Solar Power (Album Review)

Burning brightly as she rose to stardom, before fading from view, Lorde retreated into a self-imposed hiatus from music, and seemingly the world, following the release of her second album. Vanishing for the best part of four years, bar the odd email to fans, and free from the glow of fame, she sought solace, peace, and a connection with nature.

Written by: Rebecca Llewellyn | Date: Wednesday, 25 August 2021

The Killers - Pressure Machine (Album Review)

Even when all your critical faculties scream ‘imperfect’, it’s still possible to fall in love with an album. A complete surprise that doesn’t sound like anything The Killers have done before, ‘Pressure Machine’ might be frustratingly flawed, but that doesn’t stop it from being a quietly triumphant listen that, given time to work its brand of layered magic, will seduce anyone who approaches it with an open mind and realistic expectations.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 24 August 2021

Anderson East - Maybe We Never Die (Album Review)

Photo: Kat Irlin We all need to shake things up from time to time. Whether it’s a fresh look, a change of attitude or a full blown reinvention, such modifications can add fresh sparkle to our game and lift us out of a potential rut. But what happens when your new clothes don’t quite fit, your well intentioned behavioural adjustments and radical revisions fall flat, and you end up jettisoning what once marked you out as unique?

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 20 August 2021

Jungle - Loving in Stereo (Album Review)

Photo: Filmawi For Jungle’s third album, the West London duo of Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland have broadened their sound…slightly. We still have the cool summery grooves and falsetto vocals that grabbed attention on their first hit Busy Earnin’ in 2014, but ‘Loving in Stereo’ introduces new textures with care and consideration. It makes for a pleasing, if not groundbreaking, record.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Thursday, 19 August 2021

Ider - Shame (Album Review)

Photo: Georgia Strawson On their second album Ider attempt to lose themselves amid crashing percussion and tangled synths, but they can’t quite escape the melodic grounding and pop instincts that made their debut so fulfilling. The result is ‘Shame’, a collection of songs that neatly balance old habits and a taste for new, exciting twists.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 18 August 2021

Tinashe - 333 (Album Review)

At 28, Tinashe has packed a lot into a short career. Starting out in a manufactured girl group, The Stunners, she then signed with major label RCA as a solo artist and recorded three albums, scoring several hit singles—the most notable being 2 On (feat. ScHoolboy Q). Parting company with the label in 2018, Tinashe released the critically praised ‘Songs for You’. ‘333’ is the follow up, and it continues to build a catalogue of diverse, listenable R&B.

Written by: Jacob Brookman | Date: Monday, 16 August 2021