On January 24, the Pet Shop Boys will release Hotspot. It is not the work of a band reinventing the wheel, but using the extent of their knowledge to build a work of contemporary, outstanding music.
On January 24, Anton Barbeau will release his latest work Kenny Vs. Thrust. What is pitted as the first go-to release of 2020 delivers on the promise, and then some.
To mark four decades as a live band, Robert Smith and the Cure staged two ambitious concerts during the summer of 2018. Of the 57 songs split across the shows, only seven are repeated. One performance offers a deep dive into the Cure’s evolution, and the other is a career-defining celebration.
Atlanta based Ambulette present their debut Ep Too Bad About All Your Problems, a work that is undeniably addictive, and even springs nostalgia from unexpected places
The album comes off like the work of one man who clearly knows his music history, and it’s a tribute to the bands that have inspired him the most, while putting his own unique spin on his influences.
Snowgoose release “Hope” on February 20, the first insight to their upcoming sophomore album The Making of You.
In late 2019, 4AD reissued Gene Clark’s No Other on various formats, a masterpiece which is thankfully no longer lost.
As 2020 begins one of the most sublime albums released in 2019, Buzz And Fade by Norman, sets a high bar for the year to come.
Based out of Vienna, Austria, Pastor has bestowed their final release Unveil. Six originals plus one cover of riff-heavy, galloping songs, Pastor do not hide their influences
A look at the latest by The James Clarke Five Parlour Sounds, an album which has the words ‘modern classic’ tattooed on it’s very core.
Moving from Blade Runner lullabies to upbeat electroclash lounge, 6 is sort of a Soft Cell shimmer over a Casio pop aesthetic, but with way more colors than basic black.
Songwriter and musician Tommy Marolda has just released a fourteen-track set of demos in The Toms The 1979 Sessions. A release which is on par with the self-titled Toms debut
New Jersey based Empty City Squares release the long-player 337, an album that delves deeper into the influences of Yanni, taking further steps into forging his own unique style
On February 7 next, LITHICS re-release the sublime The Wendy Kraemer Ep on vinyl via Moone Records,
Lloyd Meadows, the Australian multi-instrumentalist releases Oxford Synthesiser Club Ep. An outing with ideas galore and executed with a stylish confidence.
Shplang release a silver anniversary collection, Los Grandes Excritos {1994-2019}. A definitive view into the magnificence of this power pop outfit.
Behind her impassioned, one-of-a-kind voice and idiosyncratic songs, Helsinki, Finland singer/guitarist Jokelin’s solo debut Kaamos has a distinctive ambience that is enticing and transcendent.
Craft celebrates the 50th birthdays of CCR’s classic third and fourth albums with heavyweight LP reissue.
Fronted by vocalist Dylan Hundley and multi-instrumentalist Pablo Martin (The Du-Rites/Tom Tom Club), this self-styled NYC post-punk band released this LP on their own Ilegalia imprint.
This live set of hits and fan favorites finds founding Toto members including guitarist Steve Lukather, keyboardist Steve Porcaro, and keyboardist/singer David Paich celebrating the band’s 40-plus year legacy of blending slick pop-soul, technical chops, and hard rock.
Just Another Band from East L.A. unwraps a new holiday classic.
Kevin Burke looks at the anticipated reissue of London After Midnight’s incendiary debut, along with sharing an insight into modern Goth from front man Sean Brennan
This record’s return to the spotlight as a double-vinyl reissue, with bonus tracks, is well-deserved – not just because of its status as ECM’s debut, but simply because it’s an excellent record in its own right.
This Queens, NY quintet’s fifth album dispenses with the too-conventional, leisurely-paced country/roots-rock that dominated their last LP, 2015’s 3 Shots, in favor of more buoyant, vivacious playing and arrangements.
For her tenth album Not Far From Here, German pianist Julia Hülsmann expands her working trio (herself, bassist Marc Muellbauer, drummer Henrich Köbberling) to a quartet with the addition of tenor saxophonist Uli Kempendorff. Though, as leader of the band, Hülsmann sets the agenda, this group is a true collective, with each member bringing tunes to the table.
Right Hand-Left Hand release the relevant, and conceptual Zone Rouge. What appears heavy on context becomes easy on the ear very quickly
On January 10, 2020, Matthew Shaw will release a work of adventurous beauty with Into The Unknown.
Los Angeles based Big Stir Records release a collection of thrillers, not just a showcase of talent but a charity based effort.
Live at Yoshiwara is music made at a high level, but with an accessibility and humor that makes it cracking entertainment as much as high art.
Indebted to his heroes, Rob Alexander nevertheless continues to prove that he has his own distinct voice with Being Myself.
Swiss quartet Sonar takes a unique approach to its music by tuning all of its guitars and bass to tritones, also known as augmented fourths.
The rivalry between the Rolling Stones and the Beatles may have been almost entirely fictional (Paul McCartney has called it “fake news” at concerts since the 2016 presidential election), but that doesn’t mean the World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band would allow the Beatles 50th anniversary celebration of Abbey Road to go unanswered.
The Godfather of Soul sets the stage on fire. Funky nirvana ensues.
Rack Bridges to Buenos Aires alongside Bridges to Bremen, No Security and concert film Bridges to Babylon Tour ’97–98 for a broad overview of a year when the Rolling Stones circled the globe and played to well over four million fans. This set’s highlights set Bridges to Buenos Aires apart.
“Silver-laden music with elven choirs may not transport you to Rivendell, but it will surely bloom into something precious and wonderful and stay present in your head.”
Sublime soul instrumentals, from “Green Onions” to “Hip Hug-Her.”
Whereas most collaborative efforts result in uninhibited vibe sessions, Little Common Twist offers informal exploration with intent.
Writer Kevin Burke looks at the importance of Sparks as they release a comprehensive collection, Past Tense: The Best Of Sparks.
This Friday November 8, Blaine Campbell releases the digital single “Happy Faces” via Big Stir Records, a taste of his upcoming Under The Tidal Wave album.
Ray Davies’ greatest concept album gets supersized.
Peter Yates and Andy Delany release a sublime set on the Lost And Found Ep
Best Coast are back with a new single and the promise of a new album in 2020
The Doors release a much expanded celebration of The Soft Parade, by no means a lazy collection put together without forethought.
The Kut present a new single “X-Ray Eyes”, a brash banger, energetic and magnetic which draws audiences into their aura.
Chrissie Hynde has released her latest solo work Valve Bone Woe, an album which is anchored in a jazz-psychedelia sound with sprinkles of electronica.
The long awaited return of one of Kentucky’s finest singer/songwriters picks up right where he left off.
R.E.M. are set to release an expanded edition of Monster, marking twenty-five years of the modern classic
On November 15, Gozer Goodspeed releases his new album Running With The Outliers, an album of gravel soaked grace with an in-your-face presentation.
The former Duane Allman and Stevie Ray Vaughan sideman celebrates his 50+ year career in rock, soul, and country music with the release of his own first album.
The torch of great Midwestern power-pop passed from bands like Shoes and Cheap Trick is carried another mile by the Injured Parties on songs including the acerbic “Murder the Truth” and idealistic call to action “Obama’s Girl.”
