Review: Mumford & Sons drop a surprise single release alongside Pharrell Williams, 'Good People', delivering on a long-awaited promise to hop in the studio together after years of knowing each other. Finally falling back on their immediate instincts, 'Good People' hears the band and the solo wunderkind sing of tiredness and revelation, making adept use of a dry, driving, sportsmanlike instrumental palette (think hand claps, stomps, gospel harmonies). Though cryptic in theme, the mood on this one-off is one of triumph and impending miracle works to come.
Review: Pikotaro is a fictional singer-songwriter created and portrayed by Japanese comedian Daimaou Kosaka; his persona's breakout single 'PPAP (Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen)' was first released on YouTube in 2016, becoming an overnight viral sensation. Once billed as the next 'Gangnam Style', 'PPAP' themes itself after an excruciatingly corny but funny household banality: Kosaka was allegedly sitting in his house, trying to come up with lyrics for his next song and realised that not only was he holding a pen, but also that there was a tin of pineapple slices resting on the kitchen counter. Thus, in the consequent music video, Pikotaro is seen dressed in a yellow leopard print costume, unaffectedly dancing around his living room, singing "I have a pen, I have an apple. Uh!", all while gesticulating and holding said items firmly in hand. Clearly, inspiration is a matter of feeling and intuition, not content. Only now, almost unbelievably, has this viral hit seen a 7" vinyl record release via Avex Japan.
Review: Emotional Rescue returns to early 1980s Manchester with the previously unreleased music of Michael James Pollard and his beautiful distillation of indie pop in Too Confusing and bedsit cover version of Ashford and Simpson's Surrender.
While studying photography at Manchester Polytechnic, (MJ) Pollard lived and played in a band in a ramshackle house in Walley Range. In the cellar studio he would write and record his own songs using their guitars, fretless bass and keys, as well as his own Casio VL-Tone VL-1 and Simmons Clap Trap to augment his drums onto a 4 track TEAC.
By 1983, and now solo, he was recording out of Dislocation Dance's studio (ERC111), had secured a Peel Session and via Factory Records' Lindsay Reade, was discussing with Fundacao Atlantica about releasing an album.
Working with singer Sioux Goddard as a duo, they put down 8 songs in 2 weeks in summer '84. However, Fundacao Atlantica's financial difficulties and soon closure meant the songs were lost until now.
Recovered off the original tapes and lovingly restored, Too Confusing captures the optimism of the sessions, a summer love melody of forlorn youth. Surrender accompanies, recorded back in that cellar in '81, with friend Stephanie Danziger on vocals, its lo-fi simplicity is a perfect take on an all-time classic, making this a newly prized gem of British indie pop history.
You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) (Pete Hammond Hi-NRG remix)
Hit & Run Lover (Pete Hammond Hi-NRG remix)
U Were Meant 4 Me (Pete Hammond Hi-NRG remix)
Lover Come Back To Me 2000 (Pete Hammond Hi-NRG remix)
My Love Is On The Line (Pete Hammond Hi-NRG remix)
Gone 2 Long (Pete Hammond Hi-NRG remix)
Total Stranger (Pete Hammond Hi-NRG remix)
Unhappy Birthday (Pete Hammond Hi-NRG remix)
Something In My House 2000 (Pete Hammond Hi-NRG remix)
I Don't Care About Your Heart (Pete Hammond Hi-NRG remix)
My Heart Goes Bang 2000 (Pete Hammond Hi-NRG remix)
Review: The Pete Hammond Hi-NRG Remixes presents a nostalgic journey into the classic 80s sound with 11 tracks from Dead Or Alive, expertly remixed by Pete 'Mixmaster' Hammond. Renowned for his work with the band's later recordings, Hammond breathes new life into these tracks with throwback Hi-NRG remixes. Originally issued as a 2LP colored vinyl set for Record Store Day, this project is now available as a 2CD set, catering to both RSD enthusiasts and CD aficionados. These remixes reimagine newer songs in the style of the 1980s, offering a retro take on their original sound. Included in the album are fresh remixes of hits like 'Hit And Run Lover' alongside the 2000 remix of the iconic 'You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)'. Each track is meticulously re-played and reworked by Hammond, capturing the essence of the era and paying homage to Dead Or Alive's iconic sound.
Review: P!NK's latest comeback record 'Trustfall' comes to the obvious pink vinyl, thus turning the it-girl's unforgettable presence on the pop stage into a turntable-ready relic. The album leads the charge with 'Never Gonna Not Dance Again', a feel-good number with clean production and a confident charge against reticence in the dance (a post-COVID mood underlies the song too). Each song on this contemporary pop is more than suitable for blasting at festivals, enthusiastically putting on tube socks, or bowling down the street to on rollerskates. Anything remotely bombastic and colourful - that's P!NK's vibe.
Review: Fabiana Palladino's long-awaited debut album brings plenty of smooth and high gloss sound back to the fore. Following the end of a significant relationship, Palladino uses the album to delve into themes of love, loneliness, and relationship norms and in the process crafts a ten-track album that superbly blends r&b, soul, pop, and disco influences from the 80s and 90s with a contemporary twist. Self-produced and featuring collaborations with notable musicians like Jai Paul, Pino Palladino, Rocco Palladino, Steve Ferrone, and Rob Moose, the album is a classy journey through shapeshifting sonics and intimate introspection, marking a significant milestone in Palladino's musical journey.
Review: In most cases, a World Of Hassle is certainly not something you want, but we're sure you'll make an exception for this debut solo album by Alan Palomo, best known as the leader of the synth-pop band Neon Indian. Thoroughly on-brand for Palomo, this surprise LP flaunts just ten swanky, funky vocal disco cuts, tinged with the legacy of glam and jazz, and glimmering with the overzealous egoism of history's most volcaninc rockstars. Alan's versatile voice and neon-strobed production skills remaining present as ever, though despite the throughlines, the album marks a departure from his previous work with Neon Indian, which was more experimental and lo-fi.
Review: Originally released in 2001, the album contains ten high-quality pop songs from the jazzy popsters with a pleasant sense of style and spirit, which were described as "standard cafe music" at the time of its release. Now considered an underrated city pop gem, the album is reissued on vinyl for the first time. Highlights include 'Kiss' a smooth and easy-listening track, 'Feel Like Makin Love,' a spacey ballad; 'FM', a soulful and AM-sounding pop song with a touch of dance music; and 'CDG' a beautiful ballad with piano and cabaret stylings. With its catchy melodies, sophisticated arrangements, and unique blend of jazz and city pop elements, Paris Match's second album is a must-have for fans of the genre. The vinyl reissue offers a chance to experience this underrated gem in its full glory.
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