Rock / Indie Recommendations April 2014

Review: It's the tag team to end all tag teams... Friendly Fires and the Asphodells pairing of Andrew Weatherall and Timothy J Fairplay have combined with one simple mission: make music that take both parties out of their familiar pastures. The result is this stunning slice of dreamy Balearic indie. "Before Your Eyes" is awash with psychedelic textures, covering Ed Macfarlane's vocals like a cosy 50 tog duvet. "Velo", meanwhile, is a nagging instrumental that drives with a mathematical magic yet steers with a dreamy, surf rock mentality. The debut on Macfarlane's Telophase imprint, everything about this 12" is special. Let's hope there's more from this premiership tag team in the near future.

Review: What a reissue! Two of Ray Charles' most well-known, influential hits on one cheeky 45... What's not to like? From thundering piano blues of "Mess Around" to the Kanye-hyped croons of "I Got A Woman", these are unarguably formative moments in funk history. Originally released in 1953/54 respectively both tracks hold just as much weight 60 years down the line. No collection is complete without them.

Review: Kiran Sande's Blackest Ever Black is becoming ever more pleasantly unpredictable with each release, and here they take on an archival focus with The '81 Demos, a reissue of recordings demos from Welsh group Weekend. The group Alison Stratton formed after Young Marble Giants disbanded in 1980,Weekend saw her join up with Reptile Ranch member Spike Williams and, later, guitarist Simon Booth for a short-lived musical venture that resulted in an album and several EPs. Though the four demos were released on CD in 1995, Backest Ever Black claim the first vinyl issue of Weekend's earliest forays into DIY, freeform and experimental post punk which have a naivety that remains charming today.