Back catalogue: Rock (All)

Review: Recorded in 1992 in London and New York, Voyager 1 is a unique live album by UK outfit The Verve-then known simply as Verve-that was cunningly designed to resemble a bootleg but was officially released to introduce the band to US audiences via Virgin's indie label Vernon Yard. It actually predates their debut album A Storm in Heaven, but the set captures the band's raw, psychedelic energy - we're well before the Britpop years, when Ashcroft and co were in a decidedly more sonically swampy, shoegaze groove - with standout versions of 'She's A Superstar,' the hypnotic early single 'Gravity Grave' and 'Slide Away.' Also included is 'South Pacific,' which remained unreleased in studio form for decades, proving to be a swirling, oceanic closer, faithfully remastered from analogue tapes at Abbey Road Studios.

Review: There's a good reason that the Viagra Boys' latest album is self-titled. Unlike their previous album, 2022's satirical, politically-charged Cave World, the Swedish post-punkers' latest set is lyrically far more introspective, with frontman Sebastian Murphy offering (in the band's own words), a "self-deprecating exploration of his own absurdity" (or, in the case of opener 'Made of Meat', "your mom's Only Fans"). Musically sitting between energetic, horn-heavy early 80s post-punk and grunge-fired US alt-rock - with occasional nods to more tropical and melody-driven flavours - the album is heaps of fun with strong songs aplenty, not least the jaunty 'Pyramid of Health', the low-slung, synth-sporting 'Waterboy' and the surprisingly pastoral 'River King'.

Review: There's no two ways about it: Viagra Boys will go down in history as one of the great Swedish success stories, alongside The Hives, Refused and ABBA. And they've done it without a squeaky clean image, which is refreshing in modern times - this is a band your mum probably wouldn't want you listening to as a kid. In terms of strengthening their status as modern titans of punk and rock n' roll in their country and globally, this fourth studio album is going to do just that. Lead single 'Man Made Of Meat' sets them up perfectly, it's like a sequel to The Stranglers' 'Peaches' in the verses and there's a rabble rousing chorus that you can't help but want to shout-a-long to. What's interesting sonically is they've been indulging in studio effects to twist guitars to sound like synths, meaning they've broadened their sound a lot compared to when they burst onto the scene with 'Sports'. That drive to innovate makes them all the more alluring, but they've not lost any of their character or feral sensibilities.