Back catalogue:

Review: 2022's stunning album Once Twice Melody was a fine example of Beach House doing what they do best - living bang up to that name, with intimate-but epic instrumentation falling somewhere between surf-y jangle and grand shoegaze. 'Become' is definitely on a similar tip, and as such feels much like an extension of the long form.
Dig a little deeper, though, and scratches begin to show. While the full-length record represented Beach House reaching for the stars, or at least the moon, and stepping into the role of festival headliners, here the sense of pure confidence and occasion is less pronounced. That may not be a bad thing, mind, because while Once came across like a finished article, refined and prepared, things here seem somehow rawer, as though we're sitting in on a session as oppose to getting the signed off product.

Review: Beach House return with another inevitably washed out dream pop pipe-fantasy - and perhaps a magnum opus, being 18 tracks long - 'Once Twice Melody'. We can confirm the LP scales a more minimal and wondrous sound than their career-definer, 'Depression Cherry'. As ever, noir slow jams canopy an ever-ghostlier vocal palette on lead singles like 'Over And Over' and 'Superstar'. Even a live string ensemble was used in its recording. Stonkingly, it comes in various limited-edition formats. One, the "gold" edition, includes a gold and clear 2xLP record in a gold-embossed, hinged box. The "silver" edition is housed in a silver embossed black sleeve. Oh, and there's a cassette version too, for all you indie heads out there.

Review: Here comes a special double vinyl box set edition of Beach House's latest album, Once Twice Melody, which was the first one the band themselves have ever produced in its entirety. It was recorded in three different locations - Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, United Studio in Los Angeles, and Apple Orchard Studios in Baltimore. The band used a real and full live string ensemble for the first time, too, and David Campbell took care of arrangements. It is a double album that features 18 songs presented in four chapters that take in many different sound and structures centred around acoustic guitar, some around drums, and some around electronics.

Review: Let's face facts, much as we adore the often dark, deeply personal and confessional work of John Grant he's not necessarily your go-to summer playlist. Boy From Michigan might start with a sultry Neo-jazz air that serves to disarm, but this is really the red herring before things take a dive into less comfortable and far more memorable and inescapable directions.

Following suit from previous outings in terms of themes, Grant invites us into his midwest childhood and coming of age years, exploring subjects such as repressed homosexuality, including mutual denial of intimate encounters, the battered Americana iconography that still haunts him to this day, and the death of a USA we once believed existed but probably never did. All told through waves of sometimes swirling, in other moments gentle, and occasionally upbeat synth pop joy, it's another work of art from one of our favourites.

Review: On their eighth album, Mercury Rev has tapped into the long and illustrious history of 'landscape music' - works inspired by specific environments, whether natural or man-made. In the case of Born Horses, it's the former, with the band situating themselves in the wilds of upstate New York and delivering a set they describe as "glistening psych-jazz, folk, baroque-ambient". In practice, this means immersive, enveloping songscapes that make use of a vast range of acoustic and electronic instruments, both sung and spoken vocals, and a lengthy list of influences and inspirations that apparently included Vangelis, songs from Broadway musicals, movie soundtracks, Chet Baker and Miles Davis. That it sounds nothing like any of them, and is very much its own atmospheric sound world, is testament to the long-serving band's endearing quality. A genuine delight and arguably their best album for some time.

Review: Given that all four members of Piroshka have serious musical heritage stretching back to the late '80s and early '90s (famously the line-up boasts former members of Lush, Elastica, Moose and Modern English), it's perhaps unsurprising that their trademark sound taps into these roots. Love Drops & Gathers, their sophomore set, evolves this collective style further, adding notable nods towards shoegaze and shimmering electronica amongst the rugged Britpop grooves and classic indie-rock song structures. The result is a warm, drowsy and more musically adventurous affair that still puts hummable melodies and sing-along choruses at the heart of the action.

Review: You don't have to spend long looking at the cover art for Plantoid's Terrapath to have a stab at guessing what the record is all about. The oil painting-style image is at once retro and futuristic, invoking thoughts of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds and John Wyndham's Day of the Triffids, among other classic science fiction works. We couldn't ask for a more apt visualisation of the record itself. Terms like 'prog rock jazz' may not be particularly flattering today, but here Plantoid prove there's plenty of life left in the (sub) genre yet, especially when you throw funk, soul, and subtle hints of downbeat into the mix. Terrapath is at times fragile and gentile, in other moments rowdy and brash, and it never, ever feels like it could do with seven or eight minutes shaving off a track. A wonderfully conceived collection you'll be coming back to again, and again.

Review: Pom Poko have matured significantly with their new album Champion, which is a rather profound and uplifting post-punk effort. Vocalist Ragnhild Fangel Jamtveit, bassist Jonas Krovel, guitarist Martin Miguel Almagro Tonne, and drummer Ola Djupvik are more connected than ever here both personally and musically. Unlike many bands that use the term "family" all too loosely, Pom Poko has truly become a tightly-knit unit through extensive touring and what they say is a rigorously democratic songwriting process. Their focus remains on staying true to their artistic values here while also pushing the boundaries of their dynamic and often chaotic sound.

Review: Although his solo work has not been as celebrated as those of some of his Radiohead bandmates - most notably Thom Yorke - Philip Selway has nevertheless delivered a handful of excellent albums since making his debut in 2010. A songwriter since his youth, Selway often offers up far more 'traditional' material than one might expect (his debut, for example, was heavily acoustic). Interestingly, he doesn't drum on 'Strange Dance', his first album since 2017; instead, he sings, produces (Valentina Magaletti takes the sticks instead), and conjures a distinctive, effects-laden sound that he has described in interviews as "a Carole King record if she asked Daphne Oram to produce it". In effect, that means glassy-eyed vocals, prominent drums, guitar, bass and strings aplenty. It's an alluring combination.

Review: It's hard not to feel that the first time you heard Ladies and Gentlemen, We Are Floating In Space it was a lightbulb moment - one of those life, or at least music-affirming experiences that's hard to come back from. Not the first Spiritualized album, but certainly the most critically acclaimed at the time, and arguably still to this day, it confirmed the Warwickshire band had arrived at the highest level of chart-friendly artistry. That point when a band realise they can do what they want, and it resonates with both niche and mainstream ears. Everything Was Beautiful arrived 25 years later, and emphasised that point. Yes, we're talking about a group that reached full maturity some time ago, rather than a troupe of rising enigmas pushing rock 'n' roll in new directions. Nevertheless, the way in which we are invited back into their world is captivating. Tracks that rouse, inspire, and feel utterly timeless. As a record, this is an exhilarating ride from start to finish, almost seeming to distill all that has come before into one intoxicating brew. Here in a limited Spanish pressing, grab it while you can.

Review: Though prolific since emerging at the dawn of the millennium, White Denim have refused to settle into a specific sound, with main man James Patrelli flitting through styles, influences and inspirations (and band members) at a rate of knots. On the simply titled 12 - yep, the band's 12th album to date - Partelli and company subtly switch focus once more, this time with the help of his latest co-writer (and the band's synth player) Michael Hunter and a broad range of guest musicians. The results are bright, attractive and thoroughly enjoyable, with notes of tropical guitars and the work of highlife legend Ebo Taylor rubbing shoulders with nods to bossa-nova, Southern soul, jangling indie-rock and The Beatles circa The White Album.