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Adrian Sherwood: The Collapse of Everything
New album: A title with themes for our scary times, a refined dub-rich but also eclectic release by the legendary veteran producer and label founder on a collection of eclectic, cinematic, instrumental tracks with collaborators including Brian Eno and Doug Wimbish
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Gina Birch’s second solo album, Trouble
New album: The veteran Raincoats co-founder, bass player, songwriter, film-maker and feminist artist’s second solo album is a passionate, political and personal release, outspoken, but also eccentric and eclectically introspective, mixing post-punk, dub, pop and experimental rock
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Greentea Peng: Tell Dem It's Sunny
New album: South-east London’s Aria Wells returns her second album after 2021’s Man Made with a stylish, dark, smoky fusion of trip-hop, hip-hop, reggae, neo-soul, R’n’B, and indie rock, with a variety of timbres and themes, but overall one of self-renewal and change
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The second part of our favourite albums of 2024
Favourite albums of 2024: Welcome to The Song Bar’s favourite albums of 2024 Part 2. Part 1 can be found here. There’s no such thing as ‘best of’ and everything is subjective, but please dig into this rich seam of originality and quality, and even suggest more of your own
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Liam Bailey: Zero Grace
New albums: A two-for-one by the talented Nottingham singer-songwriter and guitarist with releases in February and and also this month, the former a fabulous zamrock-influenced psychedelic-reggae fusion LP, the latter with Parisian dub musician Blundetto aka Max Guiget
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Charli XCX: BRAT
New album: The Essex-raised, hugely successful star Charlotte Emma Aitchison’s sixth album is a far more nuanced than her last, 2022’s Crash, still embracing mainstream pop and dance, but also with ironic twists, sleazy fun, humour, and a dirtier, more underground sound of her more experimental past
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Black Grape: Orange Head
New album: Salford’s Shaun Ryder and Manchester’s Paul ‘Kermit’ Leveridge return with their first LP since 2017’s Pop Voodoo, and their fourth overall together, with an especially funk-filled laced with their classic banter, wit and talent for cleverly daft, surreal and addictive lyrics
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Favourite LPs of 2023, Part 2.
Welcome once again to the annual tradition of Song Bar’s favourite album releases of 2023. This is Part 2, and Part 1 was yesterday. There’s no such thing as a chart rundown or ‘best of’ here, and these come in no particular order …
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Part 1 selection of 2023 favourite albums
Welcome once again to the annual tradition of Song Bar’s favourite album releases of 2023. This is Part 1, and Part 2 is also out here. There’s no such thing as a chart rundown or ‘best of’ here, and these come in no particular order. This is all about quality and innovation …
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Big release: Janelle Monáe’s fourth LP, The Age of Pleasure
New album: The American artist returns after 2018’s dystopian Dirty Computer a series of acting roles with a celebratory LP of her full sexual liberation and confirmed non-binary status in a release that feels like a hedonistic non-stop party of the LGBTQ Black culture scene
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The Orb - Prism
New album: The veteran dance music and ambient noise duo still with co-founder Alex Paterson return with a vibrant release of cosmic electronica, dub and reggae, house, drum n’ bass, guest vocalists plus newscaster and other sampled voices
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Santigold: Spirituals
New album: Inspired by African-American folk and gospel, this powerful, feverishly intense, emotional fourth LP released in September by the singer-songwriter brings an electric mix of punk, hip-hop, funk, afrobeat, electro-pop, and reggae wrapped in rage, anxiety and reflection
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Obongjayar’s debut album
Horace Andy: Midnight Rocker
New album: A welcome return from the legendary Jamaican reggae artist, now 71, with one of its most distinctive voices, here joined by dub pioneer and producer Adrian Sherwood with 10 new recordings of new and reworked classics
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Take your pick. Are your favourites here? Also check out Part 2 coming soon.
Favourite albums of 2021, part 1: Another difficult year for everyone, but from soul and jazz, electro-pop the experimental and avant-garde, an outstanding one for music releases, perhaps in part because out of diversity comes great art. Also feel free to explore Part 2, which is now available to view here.
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The Bug’s Fire
New album: This dystopian, violent portrayal of modern Britain by the British electronic producer Kevin Martin is compelling and powerful, with guest appearances from Daddy Freddy, FFSYTHO, Flowdan, Irah, Logan_olm, Manga Saint Hilare, Moor Mother, Nazamba, and Roger Robinson
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U-Roy - the king of Jamaican toasting
New album: This final album by Ewart Beckford, the veteran pioneer of reggae toasting who died in February this year is fitting collection of classic tracks joined by a variety of guests including Ziggy Marley, Santigold, Shaggy and Mick Jones
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Greentea Peng’s debut LP Man Made
Album review: The debut album by the south Londoner is has woozy, easy, hazy, lazy summer feel, a mix of languid hip hop, reggae, jazz, and soul with a dash of dub, a dribble of drum’n’bass and even psych with a hippie sprinkle
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More of Tony Allen’s work posthumously in collaboration with guest artists
Album review: Entertainingly diverse posthumous album bringing together recordings by the great drummer and Afrobeat pioneer with Femi Kuti, here matched here with guests from soul to hip hop, including Sampa The Great, Skepta, Damon Albarn, and Lava La Rue
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Tiggs Da Author’s album covers almost every style under the sun
Album review: Sprightly, catchy and filled with hooks, the Tanzania-born London singer, producer and musicians full debut has something from many genres, from funk to African, jazz, pop, hip hop, reggae, gospel and soul
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