Back catalogue: Indie/Alternative

Review: Phoebe Bridgers' critically acclaimed and fan approved alternative indie long player Punisher has four tunes from it reversioned on this great new 12". Arranger Rob Moose is the man doing it having worked with Sufjan Stevens, The National, Bon Iver and may others. What he brings is a luscious new sound with majestic, sweeping new orchestral arrangements that bring new perspective to one of last year's best records. This one is sure to win as many new fans as it will please the old ones.

Review: Fleet Foxes & Resistance Revival Chorus performed 'Can I Believe You' on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert before this two-track release made its way to us. If that sounds like a pretty cheap way to record a single fear not, the pre-recorded footage juxtaposed the band's frontman, Robin Pecknold, singing alone with the clips of him and full band, joined by the Chorus, in St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church, Brooklyn, New York. And it's the latter segments that have made their way onto this release.

As you can imagine, then, there's a very full sound at play here, with the title number growing into a grand piece of rolling, anthem folk indie. By comparison, 'Wading In Waist-High Water' brings the focus onto the Chorus rather than the group and removes the traditional chart structure, leaving us with a beautiful choir piece that's the strongest of the pair here.

Review: Golden Lion Sounds is the label attached to the legendary pub in Todmorden that has hosted everyone from Andrew Weatherall and ALFOS to synth wizard Richard Norris. It is he who is behind this latest 7" alongside Rude Audio. 'This Song's For You' (feat Findlay Brown) is fusion of indie, cold wave and synth with dreamy vocals drifting over typically lush chords and silky drums from Norris. It's a perfect soundtrack to a lazy afternoon in the sun. On the flip, Rude Audio's 'The Grinning' has a more psychedelic sound with loopy synth arps spiraling up to the stars and back again in colourful fashion.

Review: The title of veteran singer-songwriter Jonathan Richman's latest EP, Yatasamaroun, is an Arabic word that, roughly translated, means 'lovers talking softly together in the moonlight'. It's perhaps fitting, then, that the title track is a gorgeously exotic, steamy and moonlit affair that fuses North African, Andalucian and Middle Eastern instrumentation with spoken word monologues and Arabic singing. It's a fine, intoxicating musical brew that makes an even greater impact in the included 'Extended Mix' form. Elsewhere across the CD single, 'En La Discoteca Reggaeton' is a jangling, bluesy chunk of global musical fusion that's bold and infectious enough to suggest that it could work on open-minded dancefloors, while 'I'm In a Dancing Mood' sees Richman add his David Byrne-esque lead vocals to a Flamenco-inspired workout.

Review: Happenstance can be a fortuitous element. A union-funded single discovered in a dusty store, a long disbanded band found, leads to unreleased post punk dubs in a box of unreleased demos.

Formed during the mid-80s in the downbeat town of Walsall, their music is a blend of disparate influences from 50's crooners, blues and reggae to Killing Joke and The Bunnymen; Ron's Neighbours were out of step with the perfect pop of the C86 indie generation.

Their only single - "To The Fight" - a split 7" was supported by the Trade Union Resource Centre, while many gigs were benefits for striking miners, leading to a loyal local following.

Engineered by Ozzy Osbourne's brother Tony, tracks were recorded at an 8 track bedroom / home studio, while a terraced house served as rehearsal space. Here Ron Next Door was born. When a tape recorder was left running it captured the long-suffering neighbour for posterity. His outburst gave the band and song, its name.

Experimenting with drum machines, the resultant jam track, here in its "Alternative Mix", languished unheard until now. Ron's 'Black Country' tones lead to driving bass / percussion against crashing Stratocasters and repeating, refrained vox - a post punk dub turned symphony.

The B side, Sitting On Top of the World, is an indie anthem, becoming their theme, a blend of grandiose and banal that characterised their songs.

Review: "In Rainbows", Radiohead's seventh album, finally gets a physical release! It's one thing downloading this landmark album, but to actually hold this is something special. Not only do you get increased sound quality, but you also get the amazing artwork from Stanley Donwood. This album includes "Nude", a live favourite for many years that was originally written during the "OK Computer" sessions. More minimal that their "Kid A" period, "In Rainbows" does something that very few albums have done - its sound is distinct from previous Radiohead albums, but is still clearly Radiohead. Hail to the kings, they are back on top form.

Review: Twenty years ago it sounded like an oddly poignant evocation of pre-millennial tension. Two decades later it stands as an eerily prescient glimpe into the technological alienation and dislocation of of a new era. Yet more importantly, OK Computer is no more or less than a sparkling, dramatic and moving collection of songs that haven't lost any of their impact in the interim. The sound of a band stubbornly refusing to follow up the stadium-strafing stylings of its predecessor The Bends - and instead bursting headlong into experimentation and wild creativity -is portrayed in still more vivid colours by the alarmingly strong collection of out-takes and B-sides collected herein, Yet there's no getting away from the chill and spark that marked out OK Computer from everything surrounding it in the post-Britpop malaise, and continues to do so in the pre-Brexit counterpart.

Review: "In Rainbows", Radiohead's seventh album, finally gets a physical release! It's one thing downloading this landmark album, but to actually hold this is something special. Not only do you get increased sound quality, but you also get the amazing artwork from Stanley Donwood. This album includes "Nude", a live favourite for many years that was originally written during the "OK Computer" sessions. More minimal that their "Kid A" period, "In Rainbows" does something that very few albums have done - its sound is distinct from previous Radiohead albums, but is still clearly Radiohead. Hail to the kings, they are back on top form.

Review: The latest of Radiohead's reissues is an utter avalanche of material. 'Kid A Mnesia' itself is an 'album mashup' between their two albums Kid A and Amnesia; both projects are remastered and released side-by-side on the same LP. It doesn't stop there: for the fanatics, there's an exclusive third disc, Kid Amnesiae, which contains formerly unheard material both recording sessions, as well as Kid Amnesiette, a cassette of B-sides. This ultra-deluxe edition is, decidedly, one for the ultra-fans. Besides the radical electronic fever dreams making up both projects, this version contains the never-before-heard song 'If You Say The Word' on the bonus CD. Remastered on vinyl and cut at half the speed of the original LP, it's an audiophile's banquet. Also watch out for the exclusive booklet of drawings that come with the special edition of this special edition.

Review: Red Hot Chili Peppers are back with their twelfth studio album, and most significantly it welcomes back John Frusciante to the fold after he amicably departed the band back in 2009 to focus on his electronic music production. Rick Rubin is in the production seat, and overall it's the sound of the Chili Peppers doing what they do best, with all the classic ingredients. From the epic anthem 'Black Summer' to moody ballad 'Not The One' and the playful funk of 'Poster Child', there's everything you could want from the band as they stride into their fourth decade of active service.

Review: Red Hot Chili Peppers have found some good form of late with a new album Unlimited Love earlier in the year now followed by a surprise second new album. Anthony Kiedis and co's Return of the Dream Canteen is a second Rick Rubin-produced album. The group said of the album "We went in search of ourselves. A beautiful bit of chemistry meddling that had befriended us hundreds of times along the way. Once we found that slipstream of sound and vision, we just kept mining." This one sounds like classic Chilis with plenty of funk and big riffs as well as great songwriting.

Review: The Town That Cursed Your Name is a welcome return from Glenn Donaldson aka The Reds, The Pink, The Purples. The LA-based artist says of the record that "I realised as I was piecing it together that it's a song cycle about trying to live while also feeling called to make music. The album addresses that duality ably with wry observation and a mix of the micro- and macroscopic realness Donaldson is so well-loved for. This record is heavier than the last with more fuzzy guitar textures and heavier lines throughout. From lo-fi to college rock, the influences here are varied and the songs are both beautiful and dazzling.

Review: The Redskins released just one studio album, their well received debut Neither Washington Nor Moscow in 1986. It came on London Records and now for the very first time since the first time, it reappears on vinyl and CD with new sleeve notes by bassist Martin Hewes. The album came just two years after the band formed but already their soulful songs were packed with passion and political undertones as a result of the band all being members of the Socialist Workers Party. Highlights include 'Bring It Down! (This Insane Thing)' which was the band's only Top 40 hit. The band split the same year this was rebased.

Review: A quarter of century has now passed since the release of Up, R.E.M's 11th studio album. It was a set that perplexed some critics on its original release in 1998, in part because it was more experimental in tone (while remaining a fine, song-based set) and saw the band employ drum machines and electronic instrumentation to expand their sound palette. As this anniversary reissue proves, Up has aged well and is arguably ripe for reappraisal by those critics who initially panned it. Even so, what makes this double-disc celebratory edition special is CD2, which boasts an 11-track recording of a surprise set the band played in Los Angeles in early 1999. As well as featuring fine versions of tracks from the album ('Daysleeper', 'Lotus'), we're also treated to storming run throughs of such favourites as 'Losing My Religion', 'Man On The Moon' and 'It's The End of the World As We Know It'.

Review: Indie-pop miserbalists REM are indeed rock legends and this live album from Santa Monica back in 1991 - a time when lead singer Michael Stipe still had hair, it is interesting to note - is the perfect example of why. It's an electric set that takes in many of the American band's most iconic tunes, from the wonderful dour 'Losing My Religion' which is perfect lo-fi and ramshackle here, the dark meditation that is 'Half A World Away' and even a cover in the form of 'Love Is All Around'. A great reminder of a great band.

Review: This special 25th Anniversary edition of REM's New Adventures in HIFi album comes on limited heavyweight vinyl in a replica of the original gatefold LP. The Grammy wining and Rock And Roll Hall of fame inductees are one of the most revered American bands of their era thanks to their singular mix of brash tunes, poetic lyrics and very singable choruses and never was that more obvious than on this album. First released in 1996 when the band were on a near-constant tour of the world, it experiments with various sonic textures, haunting effects and dissonant notes with singles like 'E-Bow' and 'Electrolite' all featuring.

Review: Where will Griff Rhys take us next? Rising to a household name during his tenure at the front of the Super Furry Animals, since the indie pop soundtrack began to fade he has established himself as one of the UK's most transportive singer songwriters, building worlds through music. Sadness Sets Me Free is just the latest evidence of his greatness. Sliding in on a country-esque tip, talking about snorting coke in cloak rooms, lamenting pain and suffering, across this record he straddles lines between desperate and miserable, everyday commentary, twisted forms of joy, and, ultimately, the human condition. A skill few musicians have cracked, cementing Rhys' membership in the inner circle of timeless greats that can turn songs about mundanity into gloriously emotive epics.

Review: There have been some incredible movies made about memory over the years. We had Arnold Schwarzenegger missioning to Mars to find his brain (well, the remembering part anyway) in Total Recall, and a piss poor reboot a few decades later. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind asked us all to really think about the value of memory and its ability to hurt and heal. Overboard positioned Goldie Hawn as amnesiac getting a lesson in humility from the carpenter she was horrible to. We can add to that The Almond & The Seahorse, a 2022 film that focused on two couples coping with their inability to make new memories. Weird, at times wonderful, by drafting Gruff Rhys in for the score the producers were guaranteed a soundtrack that would be every bit as unique as the plot. Form haunting, melodic pianos to touches of 1960s pop rendered raw and rough.

Review: Shoegaze legends Ride are on a reissuing roll, having announced a re-release campaign of almost all their early classic albums on Wichita Recordings. 'Nowhere', of course, is their magnum opus. Helicoptring in out from a tundric seascape and Hemingway hazes, Ride's sound is massive, sonically honest and remarkably different to some of their later works. In keeping with the iconic wave depicted on its front cover, this new vinyl reissue comes in the form of a blue 12" housed in a see-through inner sleeve.

Review: Shoegaze legends Ride's reissuing roll reaches their first four EPs; the first here, simply titled 'Ride', was emblematic of the band's sound and, outside of that sphere, paved the way for an entire genre. After that, and before 'Nowhere', came the subsequent EP's 'Play', 'Fall' and 'Today Forever', which make up this sprawling blue vinyl boxset. Once again, you can now bask in the shimmering waves that lap at this jolly band's feet, and ours.

Review: Released in 1994 on the ever-incredible Creation Records, Ride's Carnival of Light was the band's third full length, and didn't so much mark a shift but a progression in the journey of the critically acclaimed outfit, who still retain the shoegaze and noise pop elements we all fell head over heels for, but look to draw on more traditional British sounds, too. The result is something that might be described as a laddish, plugged-in take on folk, at times at least. Sadly, this wasn't quite what critics said about it, and after successive slamming in the press the band began to look unfavourably at the release, too, with frontman and guitarist Andy Bell even going so far as to describe it as "carnival of shite". More recently, he managed to make peace with it, and revisiting the songs now reveals myriad classics waiting to be rediscovered and appreciated out of the context and weight of expectations they were born into at the time.

Review: Although it didn't receive quite as rapturous reviews as its predecessor, 1990's Nowhere, Ride's sophomore album Going Blank Again remains one of the finest shoegaze sets ever recorded - a dense, psychedelic, glassy-eyed, heavily layered set whose immersive sound, harmony vocals and droning textures come together to create a heavy, immersive and enveloping masterpiece. This remastered reissue replicates the format of its 2001 predecessor, expanding the set to include a quartet of bonus tracks plucked from singles and EPs released in the same period. These include the glistening, dancefloor-ready dream-pop swell of 'Going Blank Again' and the wall of sound that is 'Grasshopper'.

Review: By the time they released Tarantula in 1996, Ride had run out of road. The band split shortly before the album's release and would not reform again for almost two decades. At the time, the album was panned by critics, but listening to this remastered reissue, it's hard to see why. Sure, the dense, dreamy and heady shoegaze sound they'd pioneered at the turn of the 90s was long gone, replaced instead by a nostalgic late 60s rock sound that doffed a cap to the Beatles and those Britpop era bands that emulated their sound (hello Oasis). The sound is authentic - all blazed vocals, alternately jangling and heavy guitars, dependable bass and wide-eyed audio effects - and the songs entertaining. Perhaps it will be judged more sympathetically this time round.

Review: Tarantula is one of those bittersweet moments in the history of UK rock & roll. On the one hand, it's a fantastic album that showcases the natural talent and innovative approach to song craft that Ride had first grabbed attention with. On the other, it marked the beginning of the end for the group, or more accurately, the first chapter following the end - finally getting a release after the outfit had called time and gone their separate ways. Still, in so far as swan songs go, there are plenty to celebrate here. Tarantula is a purist's rock & roll extravaganza at times, with its gritty riffs and forward momentum, tracks like 'Burnin'' perhaps best typify this, or those looking for a taste of the genre's 1960s origin story might look to 'Deep Inside My Pocket'. But then it's all much more complex than that, too, with the reflective indie balladry of 'Castle On The Hill', noise pop on 'Gonna Be Alright', and hypnotising layers on 'Ride The Wind'.

Review: At 66 years young, Guiding By Voices main man Robert Pollard has a whopping 3,000 songs registered to his name with BMI, while outside of his primary project, he's released 22 solo albums as well as a plethora of lesser known works put out under obscure aliases. His latest alter ego, Rip Van Winkle, features a backing band shrouded in mystery on their debut EP The Grand Rapids, which redirects Pollard's eccentric and unique penmanship down the realms of neon-hued post-punk and frosted cold meets new wave machinations.

Review: Los Angeles-based Canadian-American experimentalist Claire Rousay has made a name for herself due to her unique approach to post-rock-inflected ambience built off of primitive DIY field recordings captured on a Zoom H5 Handy Recorder, resulting in a curious form of emo musique concrete or "emo-ambient". Following on from a myriad of collaborations, projects, and singles, Sentiment marks her first full-length to put her usually hidden voice front and centre; utilising auto-tune to craft emotive hyper-folk musings delivered with androgynous hues. Described as a "meditation of the poignant emotional terrains of loneliness, nostalgia, sentimentality, guilt, and sex"; Rousay uses fractured narratives and one-way conversations to deliver painfully relatable, often uncomfortable musings, smothered beneath layers of droning reverb, monotonous acoustic plucking, and everyday sounds almost too familiar to pinpoint. The end result is the musical equivalent to our inner monologue at its lowest ebb, nattering incessantly while the world moves on around us, while sonically, it's the culmination of all Rousay's experimentation thus far, yet simultaneously more fearless and fragile.

Review: Experience the Grammy Award Nominated masterpiece 'Solace' by Aussie outfit Rufus Du Sol, now available on 180-gram vinyl with a stunning gatefold jacket. On this album, the Sydney-based artists effortlessly transcend various styles, revealing their own sonic realm. This is a captivating tapestry, woven with echoes of club culture from bygone eras, while maintaining an infectious sense of being in the present moment.

Review: Surprisingly, Arthur Russell's first posthumous collection of music, 1993's Another Thought, has never before been released on vinyl. With this gatefold double-album, Be With Records has finally set the record straight. It's well worth picking up, not least because the set, which was initially put together after raiding the legendary cellist-turned-producer's archive of unreleased recordings, is little less than superb. Full of hard-to-pigeonhole songs in Russell's unique style - effects-laden blends of cello, acoustic guitar, emotive vocals, twangy double bass and so on - Another Thought contains some of Russell's most refined and emotional recordings, including such classics as 'How We Walk on the Moon' and 'In The Light of a Miracle'.