Recorded last year at Bestival on the Isle Of Wight, the band are as tight as ever; they’re clearly having a ball.

Conceptually distinctive album. [Nov 2025, p.103]

Enriched and incisive, expansive and introspective, The Demise Of Planet X never settles for second-hand goods. [Feb 2026, p.100]

It’s successful, on the whole, and fans of this ever-refreshing Britpop behemoth will find plenty to cheer.

Slower, heavier and maybe a little bit more messed up than before, while not stabbing at the same loud/quiet buttons, AYHL is a most welcome, if mildly unhinged continuation.

No sanitary in-concert “best of” is this, for The Notwist have the knack of performing their pieces in a pretty faithful manner before all politeness is forgotten as they swerve into yet another freshly fleshed-out reinterpretation.

While some might contend that Freedom Jazz Dance’s exposure of Miles’ working methods divests him of his all-important mystique, rather, the project actually enhances rather than diminishes our appreciation and understanding of him. And that can only be a good thing.

Birding takes wing with mellifluous delicacy and sturdy dynamism, held in fine balance. [Apr 2026, p.105]

A master craftsman at work, saluting the sounds that have stirred his muse down the years.

It could run the risk of being a bit of a patchwork in its revolving styles and cast of five vocalists, but it works perfectly in being an ensemble creation that taps into a hazy nostalgia vibe.

Commune, the collective’s second studio album, is a pulsating sex globule of groovy chants and invocations.

What it has is a mood, a continuing tone; and it’s a shimmering thing with pastoral chimes that fervently calls the faithful.

The melodies may be a little more complex, but only rarely does Guitar sound as beguiling as 2023's Five Easy Hot Dogs. [Sep 2025, p.103]

It can’t ever realistically hold a candle to The Modern Dance or its seismic follow-up Dub Housing, but it regularly flirts with inspiration.

A must for fans, but a little bit of between-song banter and audience reaction wouldn’t have gone amiss.

Sadly, Exploded View’s admirable commitment to spontaneity has resulted in a muggily-recorded LP which fails to match the usual high-quality post-punk output of the esteemed Sacred Bones label.

Though Messes is a record full of heart, it doesn’t always hit there as powerfully as it could.

As ever, Browne leavens his harder-edged songs with gentler fare. The Caribbean-flavoured, Haiti-inspired Love Is Love has a distinct hint of Paul Simon to it, while My Cleveland Heart attempts to build a whole song around the premise of being given an artificial ticker.

While the cynical may snigger behind their hands at this degree of conceptualisation, it makes for a suprisingly tight, focused release.

Ghost On Ghost completes Iron & Wine’s transformation from simple soul-searching singer-songwriter into fully-fledged bandleader. Beam firmly remains a master at both.

The whole is a little too tethered to the (partially incomprehensible) songs to drift off effectively, and is too morose to uplift, yet The Telescopes continue to own a certain core sensibility--and the capacity to surprise with how they express it.

Merzbow’s creations add a new dimension to Boris’ material, so the whole thing sounds apocalyptic and huge.

Taken at a meditative, reflective pace, it’s a dense, magisterial record, but there’s always space for Fay’s humble, declamatory “alternative gospel” ruminations.

Despite the turbulent emotions of the lyrics, Teitelbaum keeps her sound tight and focused - giving the album enormous impact. [May 2025, p.103]

Here he’s just one of the gang, trading songs and in-jokes with singer-songwriter Jeff Blackburn, Moby Grape bassist Bob Mosley and drummer Johnny Craviotto, his wiry lead guitar slicing through the good-ole-boys’ country-rock.

Woof. is almost overwhelmingly of the moment, yet destined to stick around. [Oct 2024, p.101]

Perhaps surprising in its straightforwardness, although the sound of him warbling and MCing through swatches of distortions all over these more amenable tracks was always likely to be incomparable. [Sep 2025, p.105]

Here they come full circle, embracing the very essence of their classic ambient dub masterpiece Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld. Moreover, there's a return to the dancefloor of the early nineties. [Nov 2025, p.104]