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: The year 2020 saw the audacious revival of LA punk legends X, complete with their first album of new material in 27 years yet marking 35 years since the original line up of Exene Cervenka, John Doe, Billy Zoom and DJ Bonebrake had come together on record. Following on from the warm welcome offered to Alphabetland, the band have opted to rewrite their own history and finally go out on their own terms with their self-professed swan song Smoke & Fiction. While their unstable 90s era saw personnel changes, record flops and internal debates as to which creative direction to pursue, ultimately leading to an underwhelming implosion of decades of work, these final 10 cuts restore the OG quartet's signature punkabilly flippancy, delivered with seasoned veteran chops while Cervenka's presence is as looming and gnarly as ever. Set to coincide with one final farewell tour, X have managed to achieve the type of legacy punk act bookend many of their peers were sadly never fortunate enough to see materialise.

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: Serbian-born, NYC-based DJ and producer X-Coast returns with a new set of high-energy tracks designed for big arenas and main stages. As shown when remixing Shygirl's '4eva 'and DJ Gigola's 'La Batteria', he blends house, techno, electro, drum & bass and trance on labels like Steel City Dance Discs, Higher Ground and Mama Told Ya. X-Coast's signature sound fuses 90s and 00s rave nostalgia with modern production here and results in the tribal-infused 'Neapolis', soaring trance of 'Desert Storm,' and diva house energy of 'Hold Me Baby'. They all make for a dynamic collection which shows off X-Coast's genre-spanning versatility.

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.