During the first wave of post-punk, the bulk of its practitioners lived in nations with undeniably agit-worthy issues. But they weren’t faced with anything like the existential chaos that’s been a day-to-day reality for generations in Lebanon. In other words, Beirut bands like Scrambled Eggs have a right to roar, and then some.
Scrambled Eggs’ first recordings appeared in the early ‘00s, but the quartet wound up drinking deeply from the late 1970s/early ‘80s post-punk well of bands like Gang of Four, The Pop Group, et al. The explosive energy and sociopolitical unrest at the core of those 20th-century sounds is surely something four young men raised in Lebanon could take to heart in a whole different way from their fellow post-punk revivalists further…
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Pioneering Arabic/Western fusion singer Natacha Atlas returns alongside creative and life partner Samy Bishai – a violinist and composer who has served as Atlas’ musical director since 2010 – with an album dedicated to the people of Palestine.
The lead single, ‘Unchanging Game’, sets a suitably sombre tone. Processed beats and hand percussion mix with subtle electronics and keyboards. Atlas’ voice remains as smooth and compelling as ever. ‘Zar’’s experimental edge trickles and bubbles with cut-and-splice vocals.
‘Wana Leih’ displays an ultra-modern R&B gleam yet sacrifices little to commercialism. ‘Dawsha’ ticks, clicks and sways across an ambient, trip-hop landscape. ‘Bahlam Biyoum’ rains stirring melodies over a romantic, digital…
Adam Bałdych is a name that’s become synonymous with the German label ACT and is the epitome of one of the label’s central musical crossroads between folk-roots and Euro classical-leaning chamber jazz sophistication. The 40-year-old Warsaw-based violinist-composer has recently collaborated with pianist and fellow countryman Leszek Możdżer and trumpeter Paulo Fresu as well as Helge Lien Trio and Marius Neset among others. Endless features Bałdych’s new pan-European quartet performing his compositions’ haunted song-like minimalism with a lush classical-music sonic and traditional Polish and tango roots music, the latter aided by a contribution from the esteemed Italian bandoneon instrumentalist Daniele di Bonaventura.
In his excellent Rough Guide to Country Music, Kurt Wolff devotes a chapter to the Nashville Sound. In his introduction, he charts its emergence back in the late 1950s as: “Goodbye fiddle leads, hayseed routines and nasal voices; hello string sections, background choruses and smooth sophisticated singing. This country-pop blend – or countrypolitan, as it came to be known – worked like a charm, as far as record sales and radio listenership were concerned”.
And he goes on to point out that, despite the scorn from some purists, this gave rise to many beautiful recordings from the likes of Don Gibson and Patsy Cline, and later, Charlie Rich, and even George Jones and Merle Haggard.
It is not an insult, therefore, to see the latest…
…The deluxe edition introduces 2 previously unreleased studio tracks rescued from the original sessions, newly mixed by Stephen Mougin.
On their second effort for Ricky Skaggs’ Ceili label, Del McCoury and his band, the reigning kings of bluegrass (even if Ralph Stanley is the Pope) turn in a another solid, haunting, and even completely astonishing set that features everything from tunes about haunted train rides, biker outlaws who remain focused on their quest unto death, a Richard Thompson tune (“1952 Vincent Black Lightning”), and a blues tune supposedly gleaned from listening to Frank Sinatra, as well as more traditional bluegrass stompers about being high and lonesome, grief, lost love, and hanging out at the barnyard. Right, that sentence was…
…Four albums from the McAuley Schenker Group from the late ’80s and early ’90s. All with bonus material.
After making his debut at a mere 17 years on Scorpions’ first LP ‘Lonesome Crow’ in 1972, guitar maestro and mad axe-man Michael Schenker spent five years as lead guitarist with the inimitable UFO, before forming The Michael Schenker Group (MSG for short) with singer Gary Barden in 1979. With four studio albums and two live records under his belt between 1980 and 1984, Michael returned in 1987 with the ‘Perfect Timing’ album, fronted by former Grand Prix and Far Corporation singer Robin McAuley, and a change of name to the McAuley Schenker Group – but still conveniently shortened to MSG. The new look MSG…
…5CD box set anthology of B-Sides, rarities and archive material from Toyah’s recording history for the Safari label (1979-1983).
…Revelations provides an alternate history of the Toyah Wilcox-fronted new wavers by way of B-sides, outtakes, instrumentals, alternate versions, home demos and live tracks.
Record label Cherry Red say that “it has been designed to perfectly complement the album catalogue reissue programme”.
Remarkably, given how comprehensive the individual album reissues were, 50 of the 102 tracks on Revelations are previously unreleased. The box has been compiled by by Toyah archivist Craig Astley alongside Joel Bogen, co-founder, composer and guitarist with the band.
…includes 9 bonus tracks of ‘Midnight Versions’ and rarities.
Marius Lauber’s debut album is in itself a feat of many surprises. The Cologne, Germany-based artist, who records and produces under the moniker Roosevelt, takes measures to make sure that this initial self-titled offering feels far from conventional, yet remains accessible to those who crave new sounds.
Upon first listen of the self-titled debut, Roosevelt’s origin should not surprise many diehards of electronic music, as the genre is very much rooted in the land of the Rhine, with forerunners of synthpop such as Kraftwerk and Neu! both hailing from the country. Roosevelt takes what made those early electro artists special and…
When an artist breaks away from the path they know best, there are two expected directions they can take: either they’ll continue to make the same kinds of music they’ve always made, or they’ll sprint in the opposite direction. When the robots known as Daft Punk decided to call it quits, the humans behind the masks became free to make that choice. For Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, at least so far, the choice has been to step away from most acts of musical creation beyond acting as a producer for the likes of Sébastien Tellier, Travis Scott, the Weeknd and Rosalia. It’s hard to blame him for not working harder; after all, when you and your creative partner become one of the most iconic electronic music duos in the history of the genre, you don’t really need…
This live recording captures the “Jazz at Berlin Philharmonic” concert celebrating Nils Landgren‘s 70th birthday at the Berlin Philharmonie, conceived as a tribute to his idol and later collaborator, the late Joe Sample, built around songs with a deep personal connection to Nils. Leading jazz musicians join forces with the outstanding brass players of the Berlin Philharmonic, with arrangements by Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist Magnus Lindgren and a guest appearance by acclaimed vocalist China Moses.
…With more than sixty albums released under his own name, along with countless collaborations spanning a remarkable range of musical worlds, he has built a career founded not on stylistic boundaries, but on curiosity and…
Lebanese vocalist Sandy Chamoun‘s second solo album is inspired by Sardinian polyphonic folk music the Arab ecstatic forms, modernized by synths from her SANAM and Ghadr collaborator Anthony Sayhoun and percussion from Ali Hout.
If you caught either of those heavy SANAM albums – but especially 2023’s Aykathani Malakon – then you’ll already be familiar with Chamoun’s voice, that carries the Beirut-baed band’s hallucinogenic blend of folk, free jazz and acid rock. On her own, however, Chamoun gives her voice even more room to breathe, following loose historical threads to re-interpret concepts that surge through her music. The album’s title means “the sound of tears” and it directly addresses the war and genocide in the Levant; Chamoun looks to tarab,…
Kindhearted singer-songwriter Chris Pierce has one of those indelible, soulful voices that seeps right into your head and won’t let go. You may be hooked from his opening notes and be easily compelled to listen to his meaningful, healing songs. He is a voice for the voiceless and the underserved, intent on spreading hope. Songs for the Heavy Hearted is his eighth solo album. In short, he is a freedom fighter who continues to live to fight the good fight. He says, “…Whatever happens, we have to find a way to count our blessings and seek liberty for ourselves and fight for the liberty of others.”
Pierce grew up in an interracial household and has endured violence against his family from his early childhood years. He has conquered…
Devyn Brinsfield is one of those characters with a backstory that you would dismiss as being unbelievable if you didn’t know better. Still employed as a school bus driver and groundsman, in his spare time he has developed quite a talent for invigorating the Bakersfield sound, while stretching the limits of that label to include honky tonk, sad country tunes, rollicking hoedowns, but also the odd blues lick and even the odd naughty word. Bring on the revolution!
His career has received a significant boost after two songs were picked up and featured in the Paramount+ series Dutton Ranch, and for this his second album, he recorded in the Basement in the historic Woolworth’s building in downtown Bakersfield.
There is something immediately intriguing about Dum Evol. Brighton’s Moon Attendant have created an album that feels rooted in the psychedelic sounds of the 1960s while refusing to settle comfortably into nostalgia. Across ten songs, guitars, keyboards and violin combine in ways that can be playful, dreamy, mournful or deliberately unsettling. The results will not be for everyone, and there are moments when the music feels as though it might collapse under its own eccentricity. Yet there is plenty to enjoy here, particularly for listeners willing to follow the album wherever it chooses to go.
The Sounders establishes the mood immediately, its retro-psychedelic sound providing a suitably strange introduction. The lyrics are equally…
…features a compelling remix package, alongside original demos of the album tracks, including new single, “Together (Demo)”.
British electronic duo Maribou State came into their own with Kingdoms in Colour, their exceptional 2018 full-length. With that album, they evolved from a melancholy post-dubstep act to a more exuberant, hopeful group with a fleshed-out, globally influenced sound. Kingdoms in Colour was a U.K. chart success, and the pair toured extensively throughout Europe and North America. However, both Chris Davids and Liam Ivory faced health issues when they returned from touring, not to mention the worldwide lockdowns and everything else that happened during 2020. The duo kept writing new material…
Remastered 3CD boxset gathering together the three albums by Adrian Belew released by Atlantic Records between 1989 and 1992.
…The run of solo albums capped off a remarkable decade for Adrian Belew. In 1977, he was playing in a Nashville covers band called Sweetheart when Frank Zappa – acting on a tip-off from his chauffeur (naturally) – asked him to join his band. Zappa’s exacting standards and crack backing band added up to a crash course in experimental music and Belew flourished. The guitarist caught Brian Eno’s eye, who recommended him to David Bowie. When Bowie approached Belew after a gig in Berlin with an offer to join his band, Zappa was apparently furious. “Quite a guitar player you have here, Frank,” Bowie said, according…
…’Congratulations I’m Sorry (Expanded Edition)’ is the 2026 definitive reissue celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Gin Blossoms’ multi-platinum third studio album. Originally released in 1996, this expanded version features the original 14 tracks alongside 5 bonus tracks.
Co-produced by John Hampton, Congratulations I’m Sorry debuted at 10 upon its release in February 1996 partially on the strength of “Follow You Down,” which became the group’s first Top 10 hit on the Hot 100.
Most observers wondered if the Gin Blossoms would be able to deliver a consistent second album after the departure (and subsequent suicide) of Doug Hopkins, their former guitarist who wrote “Hey Jealousy” and “Found Out About You,”…
Kassel Jaeger (aka François J. Bonnet) returns to Shelter Press after Swamps / Things, Shifted in Dreams, and the recent reissue of the classic Zauberberg, co-composed with Akira Rabelais and Stephan Mathieu. With this major new album, entitled Sub Re, Bonnet continues his long exploration of the musical possibilities of sound, extending the concrete approach developed at the Groupe de Recherches Musicales, the historic and essential Parisian studio that Bonnet has been directing since 2018.
Sub re, in Latin, can mean “under the thing, under the substance, under the matter.” It’s precisely this direct approach to music, drawing on the extraction of raw sound material, that forms the basis of this album.
On Velvet Vibe, guitarist Ronny Smith delivers exactly what the title promises: a warm, inviting collection of contemporary jazz that never loses sight of the genre’s rich traditions. A seasoned player with an unmistakable sense of groove, Smith demonstrates throughout the album that technical proficiency means little without feeling, and on this recording, you will always feel the groove in the pocket.
From the opening moments, Velvet Vibe establishes an easygoing atmosphere built on polished arrangements, tasteful improvisation, and a rhythm section that remains locked into every groove. Rather than relying on flashy solos or overproduced textures, Smith lets the melodies and ensemble interplay take center stage,…
Yolanda Kondonassis’s dual role as both harpist and percussionist across this album’s centerpiece concerto represents the performance’s most distinctive interpretive challenge. Navigating between two fundamentally different instrumental identities within a single extended work demands not only technical facility but genuine musical adaptability. The harpist meets this challenge with evident command, moving between the harp’s sustained resonance and percussion’s rhythmic impact without suggesting interpretive inconsistency. Andrew Grams coordinates the Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra around the soloist with consistent responsiveness, permitting the ensemble to contribute meaningful orchestral dialogue rather than mere accompaniment.