Massively assured debut from youthful London modern jazz combo Portico Quartet. Even aside from their use of the hang (a melodic percussion instrument resembling a barbecue but sounding like a...
In recent weeks, we’ve had plenty to say about the bland, unadventurous and generic ‘indie rock’ which is beginning to suffocate our charts, airwaves and medium-sized concert...
Some comebacks are more welcome than others, as judged on the standardised Jesus>Smallpox Scale. Many bands rely on the comfort of an established audience to smooth their passage back into the...
Israel has long had a strong clubbing scene, but the native music has tended more towards the pounding and trancey than Aber’s delicate comedown workouts. The tracks on this album, more a...
More inspired sonic butchery from NY’s expansive electro-noise mavericks. This album sees the band amplifying a marginally more accessible aspect to their sound. There’s a disarmingly...
In which the jazz-piano icon turns choice Joni Mitchell songs into a beautiful, melancholic, jazz suite. The obligatory performances by Norah Jones and Corinne Bailey Rae are the weakest here, the...
Neil Young’s career has been defined by an almost wilful inconsistency. He’s legendarily resistant towards anyone imagining that they’ve got a handle on his motivations, and his...
At a time when the term ‘folk’ is bandied around so readily, a compilation like this is a timely reminder of its essential qualities. Like the Delta blues or Southern murder...
Sleevenotes are the biggest giveaway of a band’s sense of self-importance, so it’s no surprise to see that on the Stereophonics’ sixth album, Kelly Jones has seen fit to accompany...
Each of the dozen tracks on this solo, self-produced debut from one half of Mobb Deep bears the ‘explicit’ warning. No surprise, really, given such swaggering, ego-pumped titles as...
