One of Matthew Sweet’s most acclaimed pieces of work gets a release proper. Kimi Ga Suki * Raifu is upon us now to enjoy in full, and music this good is always worth waiting for.

The energy is still flowing with Pere Ubu, as to is the creativity, “The Long Goodbye” is a doorway to further adventures.

“She deftly meshes electronica with dreamy, psychedelic rainbow swirls of sound that comfort and succor the listener. Electronic music so often has a chilled ambience, whereas Jane’s music is suffused with warmth. I am not sure how she does it, perhaps she’s divinely inspired on some level.”

The upcoming Violent Femmes album Hotel Last Resort, due on July 26th, punches like a heavyweight and is deserving of more than just one casual listen.

Hot Water Music, celebrating twenty-five years, have released the EP, Shake Up the Shadows on Epitaph. This legendary band own their own sound, one carved out over the years through sweat and hard work.

Easily Lucinda Belle’s finest work yet, Think Big: Like Me is an aural buffet of delectable, carefully-crafted treats.

Damaged Good release an outstanding overview of Underground Star Billy Childish in Punk Rock Ist Nicht Tot 1977-2018

On July the 12th, New Order release the mouthwatering live set ∑(No,12k,Lg,17Mif) New Order + Liam Gillick: So it goes.. .

Cherry Red Records has released a comprehensive compilation by English songstress and actress Dana Gillespie.

Joined here by Audra guitarist Bret Helm and longtime co-vocalist Ericah Hagle, bandleader Michael Laird curates a program of melancholy ballads and mini-anthems that pay tribute to grief, romance and altered states of being.

On July 19th, Live release the 25th Anniversary Celebration version of Throwing Copper

Mike Peters and The Alarm has really brought out an interesting album that locks the audience in at an early stage.

Aldous Harding presents an album of avant-garde imagery, wrapped in integrity and melodic joy.

Cherie Currie and Brie Darling forthcoming collaboration is an album that showcases two veterans pushing forward and making their mark once more

Pianist Paul Bley, bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Paul Motian constituted a fearsome free jazz trio in the sixties, expanding on the fine work by Bley’s former sideman Ornette Coleman and showing what a piano trio could do with the form. Despite the excitement and acclaim the band generated, it went strangely under-recorded.

On Everything So Far Paul Den Heyer brings you on a personal journey into his artistic soul.

Released through Cherry Red Records this coming Friday, the essential guilt punk pleasure of 1977:The Year Punk Broke

Silent Forum release “Safety In Numbers” which offers another dimension to what the band are capable of.

Michael Ciravolo’s Beauty In Chaos return with a new release, Beauty Re-Envisioned. A follow on from 2018’s Finding Beauty In Chaos

PJ Harvey releases new music as part of The Virtues Soundtrack

The Venus Fly Trap album Mars is a classy release, not just a reissue but a reminder of the reactive sound of late-eighties post-punk.

Back in the nineties, singer/songwriter Peter Hutchison led Subduing Mara and (with Miracle Legion guitarist Mr. Ray Neal) Lucas Shine, a pair of alternative rock powerhouses that never caught on with more than a small cult audience. Talent and passion persevere, however, and now Hutchison has a new band called Empire of Light.

The Allegations have created an album that swings between straightforward seventies-based rock and sun-drenched avant-garde.

Arising from the sessions for Supercalifragile, the final, posthumous Game Theory album, Salt turns on the collaboration of Posies co-frontman Ken Stringfellow, singer/songwriter Anton Barbeau and French guitarist/songwriter Stephane Schück.

Medway band Theatre Royal release a powerhouse-compilation of mouthwatering goodness with 22-tracks

The umpteenth album from the ever-prolific Anton Barbeau, Berliner Grotesk is a tribute of sorts to the Sacramento native’s adopted city.

After a gap of almost twenty-seven years, British band The Claim release a new album, an insightful and enjoyable listen.

The Black Watch release Magic Johnson, twelve tracks of conceptual adoration, along with further releases spanning the career of the band.

Get Pocket Full of Fire as a primer of band’s prowess through a collection of its best songs recorded live, but don’t miss a chance to see this compelling culture clash in person.

This live set will be warmly received by Deadheads and fans of intuitive and skillful jam band playing. Not many songs are duplicated among these three shows spanning five years, but there are a handful of opportunities to hear how the band flexes and twist songs in different moments.

The Divine Comedy are captivating with confidence on their latest, delightful long-player called Office Politics

The Electric Language compilation released by Cherry Red Records gets a review by Kevin Burke.

Once upon a time the term “contemporary instrumental” got thrown around a lot, mainly as a euphemism for the saccharine sounds of new age or fuzak. But if any album deserves this literal description, it’s Lost River, the debut by the speechless trio of drummer Michele Rabbia, trombonist Gianluca Petrella and guitarist Eivind Aarset.

Like any good record by a thoughtful, experienced writer, The Birmingham Poets covers a lot of emotional ground, from self-loathing to detachment to compassion – sometimes all in the same tune. And like any forward-thinking artist, Matthew Edwards builds on his past successes, continuing to evolve as a performer and a tunesmith.

Joan As Police Woman releases Joanthology, a reflection of her work which is long over due.

Scars & Wounds, which is out June 8th, is a tiny but wonderful glimpse at a burgeoning new songwriter who has everything it takes to find a completely original voice of his own.

Kevin Burke reviews Tenderness by Duff McKagan, which offers a new dimension to the Guns N’ Roses bassist.

Kevin Burke reviews the debut Ep by Where We Sleep, entitled “Experments In The Dark”.

Story Of My Life is out June 15, and although short, it might just be West’s finest and most mature statement as an artist yet.

Kevin Burke reviews the new single “Hurry On Home” from Sleater-Kinney,

Due for release Friday the 31st of May, the latest from Cellista, Transfigurations gets a review from Kevin Burke

This third and final set in Omnivore Records’ series of Buck Owens’ Capitol Records singles is a treasure for fans of the Bakersfield sound, and a testament to the power of Owens’ friendship and collaboration with guitarist/fiddler Don Rich.

Where The Action Is swaggers with the very wit and talent of Mike Scott.

The Frank Zappa reissue campaign hits a high-water mark with this lavish 40th anniversary presentation of the bandleader’s 1978 live album recorded over seven concerts between Christmas and New Year’s Eve in 1976 at New York City’s Felt Forum and the Palladium.

Scissor Sisters was the best-selling album of 2004 and a dance-pop smash in the UK, but failed to reach gold-record status in the band’s native USA. This high-quality LP reissue provides fresh opportunity for reevaluation.

Dream Journal may not be a masterpiece, but it is the long overdue return of an artist who has the talent and vision necessary to someday soon produce one.

Nimo & The Light are clearly inspired by a disparate, wide-ranging group of influences, but it’s quite innovative how they take them all and combine them into something fresh and new.

Released today, Morrissey’s California Son lacks far too many of his unique qualities sadly to make it a great album