Floorshow (demo For Projected Floorshow EP) (3:13)
Lights (demo For Projected Floorshow EP) (5:10)
Techers/Adrenochrome (demo For Projected Floorshow EP) (6:48)
1969 (live) (2:01)
Sister Ray (live) (3:07)
Damage (live) (2:48)
Watch (live) (2:45)
Teachers (live) (2:09)
Adrenochrome (live) (4:30)
Sister Ray (live) (3:24)
Review: Combining industrial metal and art rock with dance-pop and darkwave-influenced post-punk, Sisters of Mercy are essential listening and an inspirational force behind some of the most important names in music. Not least Steve Albini, who is said to have modelled parts of Big Black on their sound. Part of the key to their sound is the bold, mechanical precision of a drum machine nicknamed Doktor Avalanche, which is the only thing in the band, other than frontman Andrew Eldritch that's been a constant. They gatecrashed the mainstream with the albums First and Last and Always [1985], Floodland [1987], and Vision Thing [1990], but were active long before that. This vinyl pressing of their demo tapes gives invaluable insight to their history. It's the rare demo given out to press, friends and the music industry in 1981. It's split into two, with the a-side studio being the three tracks planned for the abandoned Floorshow EP and the b-side a collection of live recordings. This is pre-internet and a representation of one of the coolest ways of trying to break a band.
B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition
Cherub Rock
Quiet
Today
Hummer
Rocket
Disarm
Soma
Geek USA
Mayonaise
Spaceboy
Silverfuck
Sweet Sweet
Luna
Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***
The Pumpkins' sophomore effort, originally released in 1993, remains a masterclass in balancing raw emotion with lush, layered production. Opening with the iconic 'Cherub Rock', the album immediately asserts its originality, blending Billy Corgan's searing guitar work with Butch Vig's pristine production. The track's dynamic shifts and explosive energy still sounds like nothing since. 'Today', with its deceptively upbeat melody and darker lyrical undertones, became a radio and MTV staple, while 'Disarm' showcased the band's range, swapping distortion for orchestral strings and highlighting Corgan's vulnerable songwriting. For longtime fans, 'Mayonnaise' often emerges as the album's hidden gemia track that marries melancholic melodies with cathartic, crashing crescendos. Throughout the album, Jimmy Chamberlin's drumming is nothing short of phenomenal, adding weight and complexity to tracks like 'Geek U.S.A.' and 'Soma'. Siamese Dream still resonates with the same potency, blending anthems of adolescent angst and shimmering beauty. A reissue that reaffirms the album's enduring legacy as a cornerstone of its genre.
Review: Conversation-starters to say the least, London troupe Sorry have made a name for themselves for both the right and wrong reasons. Though far from a parody, their work is informed - and in no small part - by a number of esteemed acts and artists who have earned a place for themselves in the pantheons of music. They also have an air of unarguable affectation about them, causing friction with the press, and a reputation for approaching live shows with lackadaisical spirit. Nevertheless, while channeling everyone from Oasis to Tears For Fears on this debut album, the five piece have managed to deliver something truly original, remarkable and infinitely repeatable. Melding indie, electronic pop, jazz and the avant-garde, the result is as cool as cool could be but that doesn't ever overshadow the obvious quality. And for that we need to pay some real respect.
Review: For Sufjan Stevens, "With My Whole Heart", is said to be a self-described attempt to "write an upbeat and sincere love song without conflict, anxiety, or self-deprecation." This single arrives as a most prominent work since his album for 4AD in 2017, and the title track sees rolling toms and keys glitter alongside call-and-response choruses, and a commanding guitar solo. The 1996 demo, done entirely on acoustic guitar, carries even more melancholy and like a lot of his work from this early period, it feels fragmented, even vulnerable, but never without touch of hope and sentimentality. A voice for a new generation.
Review: When members of mega-bands work with relatively obscurer artists, we're always intrigued. But a potential trapping factor is in thinking Jarak Qaribak, for example, is more of a Jonny Greenwood album than a Dudu Tassa one, when in fact the exact opposite is the case. Tassa, an Israeli singer-guitarist who fuses Middle Eastern stylings with contemporary rock, lends a challenging structural terrain to the Radiohead member's electric guitar licks, with the former's Arabic and Hebrew lyrics moving atmospherically against them. A star cast of fellow Israeli artists accompany the pair, as serene vocal beat-driven movements plod and swell away in an appealingly nu-proggy fashion.
Review: Another psych-rock album from Toy, one of the few remaining genre acts that haven't faded into obscurity since the revival almost a decade ago? Well, not quite. What they warned us about with "Happy In The Hollow" - the track that preceded this long form - is now inescapable. A band that have discovered a sharper, less forgiving edge wield this powerful, streamlined pop sword and do some real damage. The fact "Songs Of Consumption" is a covers album only makes the stylistic direction more pronounced. If you've heard the originals of tracks like the Stooges' "Down On The Street" or the almost-unknown Nico bomb "Sixty/Forty" you appreciate what's been done here even more. Respectively dancefloor electronica and exotic, dreamy soundscapes in those two cases. Reinventions by the reinvented.
Review: The American musician and guitarist newest album is a collection of compositions that balance melancholia with quiet defiance. From the disorienting, tape-warped opening moments to the album's delicate final waltz, Tyler crafts an introspective instrumental landscape where the past and present converge. 'Cabin Six' starts with a hazy, found-sound texture, its distant hum of static giving way to Tyler's contemplative guitar. It's a track that feels suspended in time, evoking the isolation of its recording process. 'Concern', in contrast, unfurls a luminous melody atop warm strings, the steel guitar lifting the piece into a realm of understated grandeur. It's among Tyler's most affecting compositions, a quiet affirmation amid uncertainty. On 'Star of Hope', the album's spiritual centerpiece, an AM radio-sourced hymn weaves into Tyler's delicate loops, creating a ghostly, celestial resonance. The interplay between organic and electronic texturesitape hiss, processed echoesigrounds the track in a space both intimate and otherworldly. 'Electric Lake' shimmers with ecstatic drone, its weightless progression nodding to La Monte Young, while 'Howling' sways between ambient pastoralism and an undercurrent of discord, its background noise a restless specter. The album closes with 'Held', a sigh of relief wrapped in a gentle acoustic waltz. The ever-present tape warble lingers, a reminder of unease, but Tyler leans into beauty. Time Indefinite is a triumph of instrumental storytellingione of quiet reckoning, but also persistence, offering solace in its hypnotic, evocative swells.
Sloppy Jane - "Claw Machine" (feat Phoebe Bridgers) (3:39)
Snail Mail - "Tonight Tonight" (4:17)
Review: I Saw The Glow is the latest movie-meme to be peddled by film auteurs and distribution powerhouse A24; written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun, this contemporary horror-comedy explores themes of alternate realities and cancelled futures, centring on the chaos that ensues after two friends endure the axing of their favourite TV show. Slated to have become a success from its inception, the film's soundtrack is bedazzling to match, corralling the likes of Caroline Polachek, Sloppy Jane, Phoebe Bridgers, Kristina Esfandiari, Florist and Yeule into a single soundtrack nonetheless made up of original songs. Curated entirely by Schoenbrun, the artists selected reflect a contrarily modern take on the retro-nostalgic moods of the film; in going into the soundtrack's curation, the director herself recalled seeing commercials on MTV for film soundtracks, and wanted to emulate this long-lost approach whilst also reflecting the film's setting between the late 90s and early 00s. Reviving a forgotten formula - a soundtrack album for which artists record original material - this isn't one to be missed.
Review: The Stockholm punks are back with their follow-up to 2022's Cave World. This fourth album of theirs was launched with the lead single 'Man Made Of Meat', which recalls English upstarts The Cool Greenhouse, Boston icons The Modern Lovers and 1977-era UK punk. Viagra Boys have been further teasing the album with new songs now making it onto their live set and 'The Bog Body' has become a fan favourite, as it's bombastic enough to spark circle pits. The mighty Pelle Gunnerfeldt (The Hives, Refused) is a frequent collaborator and remains the co-producer meaning there's no drastic changes in direction. Released via their own newly-launched record label, Shrimptech Enterprise, this self-titled effort is set to be a potent fertilizer for their popularity, as they continue to march around the globe, earning the public's respect as one of the century's best live punk bands.
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.