Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Following on from 2020's exceptional return to form Alphabetland, which saw the first full-length from Los Angeles punk pioneers X in 27 years (35 years with the OG line up), the incomparable four-piece of Exene Cervenka, Billy Zoom, John Doe and DJ Bonebrake finally get to go out on their own terms with the self-proclaimed swan song LP Smoke & Fiction. Between line up changes, differing visions, commercial flops and radio-baiting sonic shifts, the band's tumultuous 90's era would cause many a hiatus and add further blemishes to their early iconic catalogue, ultimately leading to an unsatisfactory conclusion to their life's work that they've managed to reclaim in a manner not many seasoned veterans ever get the chance. Ten bangers infused with their quintessential rockabilly-punk charm and elevated by Cervenka's still ludicrously intense cadence, with a coinciding farewell tour to come, this is the finale for X the band and we dear listeners have always deserved.

Review: Say the words 'pre-teen pop' to most people and they'll make for the hills faster than you can say "be afraid, be very afraid". In the case of X-Cetera, though, the presumption of garbage is inaccurate, albeit the underlying feeling of something being off i perhaps even unsettling i remains. Self-recorded in a very different time and a very different world, on the cusp of a new millennium and all its promises (lol), Jessica Hall, Ayden Mayeri, and sisters Janet and Mary Washburn give a wonderful example of how talented kids can be on Summer 2000. It's also a strange and weirdly i accidentally i trippy ride from beginning to end. Marrying elements of trip hop, r&b, indie, sugarcane pop and acoustic, the sickly sweet and naturally childish lyrics and delivery leave a macabre air lingering. Like the nursery rhyme in a horror movie, sort of. Once filed under chart hopeful, now avant garde.

Review: X-Ray Pop play live at Rockomotives Festival in 2020. The cult band was first formed back in 1984 by Didier Doc Pilot and Zouka Dzaza and are said to be inspirations for the likes of Beastie Boys and Stereolab. Their set at Rockomotives marked a triumphant return to the stage for the group with Charlotte Barfuss and Zouka Dzaza providing vocals, Doc Pilot on space guitar and Olivier Gicquel on drums amongst others. The setlist takes in tunes from four albums - Surrealistic Pilot, Fuzzy Soundtracks, All that Jazz and The Dream Machine - with psychedelic jazz mixed with novo beatnik overtones.

Review: One fateful night on September 6, 2008, London's Camden Roundhouse played host to the iconic punk rock/new wave legends X Ray Spex in all of their frenetic glory. Celebrating the 30-year anniversary of their singular classic album Germfree Adolescents, the sold-out show amassed an immensely fortunate 3000 souls in attendance including The Slits bassist Tessa Pollitt, Chrissy Boy of Madness and Eater drummer Dee Generate. With the untimely, tragic passing of punk pioneer frontwoman Poly Styrene in 2011, the show has gone on to become the stuff of London punk mythology, as history proports her beret-sporting swagger was on top form across the evening. Sleeve notes included by Celeste Bell, Pole Styrene's daughter, who also features on the encore of 'Oh Bondage Up Yours!', adding further weight and insight to an already iconic piece of musical history.

Review: The third full-length from one of the UK's "big four" thrash metal acts, Xentrix, was quite the controversial project upon its initial release in 1992. Leaning into a more progressive metal influence saw the band abandon some of their metallic potency in search of more texture and artistry. They've since gone on to refer to the work as the biggest mistake of their career, while it also led to the departure of vocalist/guitarist, Chris Astley, until his 2006 return after the band reformed. Like most albums steeped in artistic self-deprecation and early fan backlash, 'Kin', has gone on to find its audience, with expectation and anticipation now removed from the conversation, the group's attempt to strive for material beyond their integral make up is as refreshing as it is forward thinking for an early nineties thrash record.

Review: XTC's cult 1984 album 'The Big Express' was essentially just that - a 'big expression' of brash indie noise, tempered by the shadow of the industrial old Wiltshire town in which the band grew up, Swindon. In true post-punk fashion, the band combined the electronic Linndrum with guitar, bass and vocals. But the 'Express', in their words, wasn't just self-expression; electronic rock, to XTC, also reflected the quite literal concept of the 'railway express', reflecting Swindon's reputation as one of the core towns behind the UK's railway system. A remarkable album, and a slice of history at that.

Review: A whole series of XTC classics are being reissued right now and the latest is Mummer. It has been freshly cut at Loud Mastering and pressed up onto an eye waveringly good 200g vinyl. It was the sixth record from the British rock outfit and was released in 1983. It was the last record to feature the drumming of Terry Chambers and though it didn't have much album chart success it did spawn singles 'Great Fire', 'Wonderland' and 'Love on a Farmboy's Wages', which managed to hit No. 50 on the UK singles chart.

Review: English band XTC served up White Music, their debut album, in 1978 having already impressed three months earlier with their debut EP. The album had modest chart success, making number 38 i the charts, and spaced the infamous single 'Statue of Liberty' which the BBC promptly banned on account of the line 'In my fantasy I sail beneath your skirt. It sure seems tame by modern standards but it helped gain the band more notoriety for their hyperactive post-punk sounds. While one reviewer at the time said the album was "aimed at bored Yes fans" it was a fine and hard to define debut that set the band in good stead.

Review: Here it is: the long awaited second album from Mercury award winning, waif-like London trio The xx. The band have enjoyed a huge amount of success since their eponymous debut album dropped in 2009, and Coexist sees them subtly tweak their sound rather than wholly reinvent it, with their booming drums traded in for something less grandiose. There are some stunning moments on the LP (opener "Angels", "Reunion" and "Swept Away" all linger long in the memory) that will ensure it swats any "difficult second album" talk to one side; this is the sound of a band comfortable in their own skin. Caps doffed to Young Turks who present the LP on sumptuous heavyweight vinyl with included CD and booklet.