Juno Recommends Rock / Indie / Folk / Metal / Punk / 50s / 60s: February 2025

Review: Ryan Adams' Wednesday album was released in 2020 and is introspective with songwriting up there with the best Americana. It's a world away from the classic rock swagger of his previous album, Prisoner, but no less powerful. This new album takes the exact same tracklist and reinvents the sound and spirit. It's a novel approach and a refreshing way of thinking about new studio releases for a label. 'Dreaming You Backwards and 'I'm Sorry and I Love You' has more of a more baroque pop with lush string sounds embellishing the fraught emotional tension; 'Dreaming Of You Backwards' is similarly majestic with classical music references guiding it. Compare these takes with the previous record's soulful rock feel - close in some ways to the sound of Hiss Golden Messenger - and it becomes clear Adams has shed that sound completely and achieved a true reinvention.

Review: The new candidate for the nicest guy in rock, Sam Fender has built a reputation for writing about touching subjects. And his new album, produced by none other than The War On Drugs' Adam Granduciel, doubles down on that approach. The chamber rock ballad 'Remember My Name' is written from the perspective of his late grandad, nursing his grandmother, who was suffering with dementia. It's a real tear-jerker thanks to the ornamentation in the arrangement and Fender's soaring vocals. The title-track is a another stand-out here and much more upbeat - like light and day compared with the harrowing feel of 'Remember My Name'. You can hear Adam Granduciel's influence here and in some ways, it sounds like a sequel to The War On Drugs' 'Under The Pressure', which is no bad thing.

Review: In 2020, Ryan Adams released Wednesdays, an album up there with Neil Young's greatest stuff. It's cinematic with the full throttle rock of his previous album, Prisoner, dimmed down. It was an Americana album with his rock DNA still on show. Another Wednesdays takes a step further into classical and baroque pop territory, allowing the beauty of his lyrics to shine on a different canvas. Hearing tracks such as 'I'm Sorry And I Love You' underpinned by lush strings and piano with little else emphasises the power and majesty of his lyrics. Adams has long proved himself as one of America's all-time great songwriters, but to hear him push himself with the arrangements in genres that he's less familiar with, but still achieve greatness, shows that he's on another level to most.

Review: In 1993, Rush leaned into a heavier, guitar-driven sound, stripping back the synths of their earlier work. Tracks like 'Animate' open with robust riffs and tight rhythms, setting a confident tone, while 'Stick It Out' adds a grunge-inspired rawness that reflects the shifting rock landscape of the 90s. Geddy Lee's basslines are as commanding as ever, threading through Alex Lifeson's crunching guitar work and Neil Peart's signature, intricate drumming. The production captures a raw energy, showcasing a band comfortable in reinvention without losing their edge.

Review: This live album captures the raw energy and emotional depth of a legendary goth band's performance, showcasing their latest work in its full, unfiltered glory to an intimate crowd (albeit with a massive global streaming audience). Debuting the entire new album for the first time to an eager London crowd, the band delivers a powerful, immersive experience. Tracks like 'Alone' and 'End Song' stand out as some of the most hauntingly beautiful and intense pieces in the band's catalogue, with the live setting amplifying their emotional weight. The band's iconic sound, a blend of atmospheric melancholy and brooding intensity, resonates deeply, drawing the audience into every note and lyric. The live rendition of these songs adds a new layer, with the crowd's energy and the band's commanding performance elevating the material. Since its release, the accompanying live album has been met with widespread acclaim, charting in the top five across numerous countries, proving that the band's impact remains as potent as ever.

Review: Rush's Roll The Bones reissue for 2025 brings this 1991 classic back to vinyl with a fresh coat of audio enhancement. Kicking off with the energetic 'Dreamline,' the album effortlessly blends progressive rock with more accessible, radio-friendly sounds. Tracks like 'Bravado' showcase the band's refined songwriting, balancing introspection with their signature musicianship. The title track, 'Roll The Bones,' with its groovy bassline and playful lyrics, remains one of the band's most memorable moments. This LP reissue offers both die-hard fans and newcomers a chance to hear the band's versatile sound in pristine analog form.

Review: The Outcasts aren't the easiest group to track down. Hailing from Ashland, Kentucky, close to the West Virginia border, they're definitely not to be confused with the Belfast punk outfit of the very same name, who emerged in a fit of anti-institutional rage in the late-1970s. Doing their thing a decade or so earlier, these Outcasts are more earthy, slightly psyche-y proponents of a very sixties style of rock & roll. Loving Your Sometimes is a two-tracker that defines that exact sound. It's floaty but gritty, rough and warm. A distinctly human thing that sadly you'd almost struggle to track down today. Definitely one for thinking back and recognising that for all the advantages of today, we're becoming so far removed from the physical we are risking forgetting what such noises are like.

Review: This compilation serves as a sonic time capsule, collecting the raw energy and diversity a 70s scene with its roots in the UK's suburban music scene. Across three LPs, it highlights punk, post-punk, new wave and ska with an expertly curated tracklist that celebrates both iconic anthems and underground gems. Kicking off with explosive tracks like 'London Calling' and 'Blitzkrieg Bop', the first side sets the tone with pure punk energy. From the urgency of The Undertones 'Teenage Kicks' to the melancholic beauty of Joy Division's 'Love Will Tear Us Apart', it's a journey through the era's emotional spectrum. The inclusion of The Cure's 'Boys Don't Cry' and XTC's 'Making Plans For Nigel' shows the post-punk shift toward introspection and innovation. The second LP leans into eclecticism, blending punk-fueled energy to melodic classics. It captures the intersection of rebellion and refinement. Tracks like Martha And The Muffins' 'Echo Beach' and Pretenders 'Brass In Pocket' add a touch of sophistication with a broader palette of sounds. Finally, the third LP celebrates the ska revival and early synth-pop with The Specials 'Gangsters', English Beat's 'Mirror In The Bathroom' and UB40's 'Food For Thought', before transitioning into more futuristic sounds like Gary Numan's 'Are 'Friends' Electric?' and The Buggles 'Video Killed The Radio Star'. Ending with a nod to the dawn of a new musical era, this collection balances nostalgia with a depth not many others get close to.

Review: If you use the online network-cum-existential-need-to-know community Reddit, then it won't surprise you to learn there's a vast and almost unfathomably broad sub group dedicated to The Beatles. Within this, at least a handful of people have posed the question: "if the Beatles had done an MTV Unplugged concert in approx 1968 what stripped down classics might be in the resulting brilliant Unplugged Album?" Forgive the grammar - we took the speculative quandary verbatim from an internet that long-since descended into a linguistic void. Nevertheless, those stumped by this query will be delighted to know that such a record does exist for us to use as a touchstone. Albeit without the MTV bit. And what tracks made the cut? Well, 'Why My Guitar Gently Weeps', 'Revolution', 'Julia', 'Cry Baby Cry', and 'The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill', among others.

Review: In January 1980, Joy Division toured Europe as they prepared to enter the studio to record their second album Closer. This recording from Amsterdam's legendary hippy hangout Paradiso catches them right at those crucial musical crossroads, building on the success of the hulking rhythms of Unknown Pleasures and heading towards the proto-electronic influences that would shape that second album (and the even more seminal career of New Order beyond that). As well as pre-studio outings for Closer tracks like 'She's Lost Control', 'Atrocity Exhibition' and 'A Means To An End', there's also a relatively rare airing of what would become their sonic talisman, 'Love Will Tear Us Apart', alongside the - as ever - frighteningly heavy debut LP material.

Review: A limited-edition version of one of the high-water marks of The Cult's back catalogue. Originally released in 2001, it was their first album in more than six years and showcases the band's return to their signature rock sound while also dabbling with new techniques. It's the only Cult album to feature one of rock's all-time greats - Guns N' Roses' Matt Sorum - on drums. And it's immensely powerful, with 'War (The Process)' and 'Take The Power' leaving you breathless thanks to flashy guitar solos and head banging choruses. Elsewhere, 'Nico' slows things down a bit - a lighter in the air moment perhaps. Overall, it's an epic rock production singing all the right notes by bringing a dash of goth to classic rock.

Review: Masterful curator Paul Hillery returns with another essential instalment in this wonderful BBE series. Volume 3 continues his tradition of unearthing rare, high-quality tracks so it is a perfect companion to his Children of the Sun trilogy. This one spans funky folk, jazzy AOR, lo-fi dub and DIY folktronica and includes numerous gems like Sheila Chandra's ethereal vocals and Tim Green's euphoric grooves, a playful vibe from Gil De Ray on 'Something About Nothing' and plenty more besides. With extensive sleeve notes, this is a deep sonic journey that also cements the man behind it as an expert archivist.

Review: Despite forming as recently as 2019 and signing with Matador in merely 2021, Horsegirl are hitting their stride, clocking up some top tier collaborations and endorsements from esteemed elders of the indie rock community. To record this album, which is the follow-up to their 2022 debut, they headed to Wilco's studio in Chicago and had none other than Welsh musician Cate Le Bon produce it. The result has been less Breeders-esque grunge saturation and an embracing of bright, clear sonic territories which brings them closer towards The Clean-esque jangle pop sound - it massively suits them. And they've added violin and synths to their guitar-y core which gives them a new dimension and more compelling arrangements than ever before.

Review: Guided By Voices are nothing if not prolific songwriters. This is the band's 41st album and 18th in 10 years. It's refreshing to see this maverick group defy the norms set by the record industry in terms of staggering releases to benefit sales and just go for it. Band leader Robert Pollard is the sole constant member having had many line-up changes over the years, but he has steadied the ship somewhat as the current serving musicians are the longest running in the band's history. They've now made 17 albums since 2017. Where this album differs is it offers more sonic diversity whilst maintaining their unmistakable anthemic character. "I wanted to create, hopefully, an experience, kind of a wild ride, where the listener would want to hear it multiple times in order to grasp all the sections and fields of sound to discover something new with each listen," says Pollard. "I trimmed down the songs so that there wasn't a lot of repetition, so you get a lot of sections that happen only once or twice." A punk sentiment - again disregarding norms - where they're sounding all the more invigorated for it.

Review: A remastering and reissue of the Jack Frost recordings, a collaboration between two acclaimed Australian songwriters: Grand McLennan from The Go-Betweens and Steve Kilbey, the lead singer and bassist in The Church. The Church are well-known for their hit 'Under The Milky Way', which made the Donnie Darko soundtrack. Included in this set is their two studio albums: The Snow Job (1995) has never been on vinyl before and the self-titled debut (1991) has been out of print for more than 20 years. There's also bonus material tucked in. This release comes as The Go-Betweens have been enjoying a renaissance recently, thanks to a successful reissue campaign, and The Church have been touring. Despite this being a side project, there's no sense it's an afterthought as the pair clearly thrived in each other's company and wrote melodic, wistful and affecting songs of the highest order. Noel Gallagher would likely have been proud to write the reverb-y love song 'Thought I Was Over You' and 'Every Hour God Sends' is up there with Echo & The Bunnymen's best stuff. Meanwhile, 'Ramble' has a stark arpeggio-laden beauty to it, building from its sparse beginning into something more textured and darkly atmospheric. There's an embarrassment of riches to delve into here and it cements the pair's reputation for being among Australia's greatest ever songwriters.

Review: Originally released in 1994, the fifth full-length from progressive metal-tinged Christian hard rockers King's X is often considered to be their definitive work. Following the breakout success of its Atlantic Records distributed 1992 self-titled predecessor, which already marked a notable heavier turn, this new direction would be fully embraced with the help of producer Brendan O'Brien (having been impressed by his recent work with the likes of Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots and The Black Crowes). Dogman ultimately ended their, at the time, exclusive recording collaboration with rock production veteran Sam Taylor, who had overseen every prior album to date, allowing for a new lease of sonic life, whilst the most profound and resonant aspect of the material came from vocalist/bassist/primary songwriter Doug Pinnick's crisis of faith. Pondering his uncertainty with religious beliefs he had held dear his entire life, this newfound vulnerability and admittance of spiritual void hit home with not only their devout (no pun intended) fanbase but with unfamiliar newcomers lured in by the frenetic heaviness before relating to the potential agnostic viewpoints within.

Review: This reissue brings The Modern Lovers' eponymous debut album back to life, a record that captured the raw energy and poetic spirit of the burgeoning American punk scene at its earliest inception. Originally released in 1976, the album features a collection of iconic tracks, including the anthemic 'Roadrunner' - subsequently covered by everyone from the Sex Pistols to Sleaford Mods and Iggy Pop - the introspective 'Astral Plane', and the quirky ode to 'Pablo Picasso'. Raw and yet sophisticated, with influences ranging from the Velvet Underground to garage rock, this is a real treat.

Review: Esteemed rock guitarist Andy Fairweather Low first came to prominence in 1967 with a cover version of 'Gin House Blues', Bessie Smith's 1928 original. He then went on to front the psychedelic rock band Amen Corner, marking a surprising shift in genre ambit. With the latter move rendering Low's early bluings relatively obscure, The Last Music Company gladly announce the early blues treads of this master musician's all-pervading influence on music, here with this new selected hits compilation. There are many collaborating musicians indebted to Low, and who yet owe him more than one drink: BB King, Van Morrison, Pete Townsend, Jimi Hendrix, Chris Rea and Kate Bush, to name a few. A longtime sideman in Eric Clapton's band, hence the title, it not only highlights his mastery of blues guitar, but also his under-recognition as a hidden, arch-musician, pillaring the notoriety of others.

Review: The new album from The Delines hears the Portlandian funk and soul sextet sway in their most concept-driven direction to date: the record tells the Bonnie & Clyde-esque tale of a depressive house cleaner and career criminal meeting, coming together in a loving, revivifying whirlwind. Led by lead singles 'Left Hook Like Frazier' and 'Mr. Luck and Ms. Doom', our broken hearts are broken further, by chilled riffing, licking and candid delivery from singer Amy Boone. A kitchen-sink drama of fugitive proportions - apt to get the US Marshals Service involved by its closing number 'Don't Go Into That House Lorraine' - we're sure this one'll end up in your top ten most wanted list too.

Review: Few songwriters have the ability to pen a melody that welcomingly sticks in your head for years after you hear it only once but Sharon Van Etten has that. It's especially prominent on the Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter's track from her fourth album, originally released in 2014, 'Every Time The Sun Comes Up'. Fast forward ten years past two more acclaimed solo albums and Van Etten has reached a new phase where she's been writing more collaboratively with her band, hence why The Attachment Theory are named on the record. "For the first time in my life I asked the band if we could just jam. Words that have never come out of my mouthiever! But I loved all the sounds we were getting. I was curiousiwhat would happen?" she says in a press release. And the result of that different approach is staggering. The first single 'Afterlife' shoots like a dagger to the heart and the gloom pop melds swagger and sadness into an atmospheric triumph. This record is likely going to be in many best of 2025 album lists.

Review: A stunning collection that blends The LimiNanas' signature French psychedelia with dynamic guest collaborations. The opening track, 'Spirale,' sets the tone with its hypnotic groove, pulling you into the album's atmospheric world. The duo enlists Bobby Gillespie for 'Prisoner of Beauty,' adding a layer of ethereal intensity. 'Shout,' featuring Rover, brings a punchier energy, while 'Degenerate Star,' featuring Jon Spencer and Pascal Comelade, introduces a gritty, garage rock edge. This album is a testament to the duo's ability to seamlessly incorporate diverse influences, with each track offering a fresh perspective while staying true to their unique sound.