Back catalogue: Rock (All)

Review: Bristol trio Jabu returns with A Soft And Gatherable Star, their latest album on the Always + Forever label. Known for blending dub and Bristol's sound system culture, Jabu expands their sonic landscape while bringing songwriting to the forefront. Echoes of the city's landmarks and personal memories, like lost parents and youth, inform the album's narrative. Tracks like 'Oceanside Spider House' veer away from trip-hop, instead evoking the ethereal shimmer of The Cure and Cocteau Twins. 'Gently Fade' channels shadowy jazz ballads, while 'Seamills' flows with a slow, aquatic rhythm, enhanced by fuzzy saxophone notes from Lorenzo Prati. Rakhi Singh and Sebastian Gainsborough's fragile strings on 'All Night' create a dreamlike ambiance, and 'If I Asked You, You'd Tell Me' features Josh Horsley's cello, cloaked in texture and restraint. With influences ranging from ambient soundscapes to the delicate beauty of Mica Levi's work, A Soft And Gatherable Star feels organic, allowing songs to evolve naturally. Recorded between Bristol and Childs' mother's home, the album reflects on lost teenage memories and the eerie transformation of familiar spaces. It's a meditative journey, rooted in emotion and subtle, cinematic sound design.

Review: JJ Ulius, solo exclave of the bands Monokultur and Skiftande Enheter, shares his third solo LP for Mammas Mysteriska Jukebox and DFA Records. Volume III continues his brand of quirky, Mellotronic, flauneuristic indie. With Ulius described as a "world-building artist" by DFA, and his album as a "big step forward" compared to the earlier two volumes in this LPs series, this balming collection of tunes is a paean to personal maturation, and to feelings of restlessness mellowed by slowmo days. With each song written over beats played in by Tor Sjoden of the wild-eyed Stockholm group Viagra Boys, these are beats that were themselves inspired by tracks by Patrick Cowley, CAN, Count Ossie, Black Devil Disco Club and others, in all of whom Julius would find inspiration.

Review: The trio of Jim O'Rourke, Eiko Ishibashi and Tatsuhisa Yamamoto all have their own international audience and together they create a sound that is uniquely their own. They always have a live-centric focus and now unveil their third album which was recorded during a live session at Shimokitazawa ADRIFT in 2023. The album was re-edited, mixed, and mastered by O'Rourke with recording done by longtime collaborator Joe Talia. This work transcends a traditional live album and stands proud as a fully realised studio project. Embracing improvisation throughout, Kafka Ibiki redefines roles while weaving their interplay into a singular, evolving sound that is an immersive narrative overall.