New album: A wonderful double LP by the Anglo-American female-led trio of Piya Malik, Sabrina Mileo Cunningham and Nya Gazelle Brown in a joyous early 80s-style mix of disco, pop and soul
Read moreSay She She: Silver
Say She She: Silver
Wilco: Cousin
Wilco: Cousin
New album: A 13th LP by Jeff Tweedy and co of the veteran Chicago band, this time with the innovative Welsh artist Cate Le Bon as producer, bringing a more experimental sound than last year’s alt-country double LP Cruel Country, and something more reminiscent of 2001’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Read moreSirens of Lesbos: Peace
Sirens of Lesbos: Peace
New album: Fascinatingly cool, crisp, delicate, experimental futuristic pop-funk by the band based in Bern, Switzerland, sprinkled with oddball instrumentation and electronica and including a guest appearance by bass legend Bootsy Collins
Read moreJenny Owen Youngs: Avalanche
Jenny Owen Youngs: Avalanche
New album: After various adventures in music for film and TV and a series of EPs, the American singer-songwriter returns with her first solo LP in a decade, a beautifully delicate collection of indie-folk-pop about of self-reflection, love, loss, redemption and bittersweet honesty
Read moreWaqWaq Kingdom: Hot Pot Totto
WaqWaq Kingdom: Hot Pot Totto
New album: Quirky, itchily inventive and eccentric, a wondrous fusion of electronica, African tribal rhythms, Jamaican dancehall, other genres and traditional instruments by the Japanese “minyo footwork” duo of Shigeru Ishihara (DJ Scotch Egg / Seefeel) and Kiki Hitomi in an LP of frenetic fun and ecological anxiety
Read moreThe National: Laugh Track
A second album of 2023 by The National
New album: A surprise release, the 10th overall and second LP of 2023 after First Two Pages of Frankenstein by Matt Berninger, the Dessner brothers and co, minimalist, darkly existential, vivid, poetic and engagingly nihilistic
Read moreJalen Ngonda: Come Around And Love Me
Stunning debut: Jalen Ngonda: Come Around And Love Me
Debut album: With a classic sound and rolling back the years, sublime high-voiced retro-soul Motown in the mould of Marvin Gaye, all new by the New York singer who settled in Liverpool a decade ago to study at the Institute for Performing Arts. Out on Daptone.
Read moreCHAI: CHAI
CHAI’s self-titled fourth album
New album: Cheeky, squeaky, funky, refreshingly fun, but also full of clever irony and a feminist flavour , the Japanese girl pop quartet return their fourth, and self-titled LP, a follow-up to last 2021’s WINK, with a retro synth-pop style
Read moreMargo Cilker: Valley of Heart's Desire
Margo Cilker: Valley of Heart's Desire
New album: A warmly comforting, toe-tapping, reflective, engaging Americana follow-up to 2021’s acclaimed debut Pohorylle album by the California-raised singer-songwriter, packed with stories and vivid images
Read moreMatthew Halsall: An Ever Changing View
Matthew Halsall: An Ever Changing View
New album: An LP of delicious, delicate jazz- and African-inflected instrumentals by the Manchester jazz trumpeter, here with a gorgeous, colourful palette of sounds – woodwind, harp, electronica, thumb piano, organ and his own beautiful brass
Read moreAlabaster DePlume: Come With Fierce Grace
Alabaster DePlume: Come With Fierce Grace
New album: After last year’s Gold, another offbeat, truly oddball but original offering by Manchester-raised, London-based Gus Fairburn, his jittery side-of-mouth sax style and gnomic, mantra-style lyrics with guest such as Guinea vocalist Falle Nioke and polyrhythmic drummer Sarathy Korwar to fuse Afrobeat with clunky alt-folk-jazz
Read moreYOWL: Milksick
YOWL: Milksick
New album: Following excellent singles such as Idiot Daughters, Idiot Sons, a delightfully droll, deep-voiced, witty full debut by the London indie-post-punk band of Gabriel Byrde and co with a style attractively reminiscent of Robert Lloyd’s The Nightingales
Read moreAllison Russell: The Returner
Allison Russell: The Returner
New album: Following 2021’s Outside Child, a second excellent solo album by the Nashville-based Montreal-raised singer-songwriter and activist from the band Po’ Girl, Birds of Chicago and Our Native Daughters, with charming but emotively poignant Americana, folk, soul, gospel and pop
Read moreCleo Sol: Heaven
Cleo Sol: Heaven
New album: A gorgeously soulful, gentle, intimate and indeed heavenly third solo album by the London singer-songwriter familiar to fans of Sault and her longtime collaborator and once again here producer – Inflo
Read moreThe Pretenders: Relentless
The Pretenders: Relentless
New album: Rolling back the years to their early new wave 80s heyday, a fabulously strong 12th album by Chrissie Hynde and co, packed with strong songwriting, her powerful vocal presence and a top-notch songwriting partnership with the versatile guitarist James Walbourne
Read moreMitski: The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We
Mitski: The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We
New album: With one of the purest voices around, a sublime seventh album by the Japanese-American artist – slow, powerful, dreamy country-flecked pop with orchestra, themed around troubled love and coloured with animal-themed metaphors
Read moreCorinne Bailey Rae: Black Rainbows
Corinne Bailey Rae: Black Rainbows
New album: A landmark of powerful storytelling and songwriting in this fourth album by the Leeds-born singer with songs inspired by immersion into a rich collection of art, books and artefacts about Black history organised by Theaster Gates at the Stony Island Arts Bank in Chicago
Read morePublic Service Broadcasting: This New Noise (Live)
Public Service Broadcasting: This New Noise
New album: A tremendous noise indeed about radio, as the vintage footage-inspired experimentalist band led by J Wildgoose Esq release a remastered album version of their acclaimed 2022 BBC Proms performance from London’s Royal Albert Hall with the full BBC Symphony Orchestra
Read moreOlivia Rodrigo: GUTS
Olivia Rodrigo’s got GUTS
New album: Following the extraordinary success of her 2021 debut album, Sour, this follow-up contains all the formulas for more, from passionate pop to heartbreak piano ballad, and Billie Eilish-style vocal intimacy, but now with a harder, dealing-with-fame edge
Read moreCLT DRP: Nothing Clever, Just Feelings
CLT DRP: Nothing Clever, Just Feelings
New album: Brilliantly original and fresh post- and dance-punk and electro-pop by the Brighton band with songs about heartbreak and queerness, feminism, vulnerability and gender fluidity, packed with unique sounds, passion and humour
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