Releases from March–April 2019

Great albums from around the world

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Find releases from 2020 | 2018.

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Releases for 26 April 2019

26 April’s lovelies are headed by Aldous Harding, who went straight into the studio off a 100-date tour with a collection of songs written on the road to produce Designer. This is an artist confident in his work, with rich and timeless songwriting. 30 years after forming in Limerick, The Cranberries release their eighth and final album, In The End, bringing a remarkable career to a fitting and powerful closure. “I can’t think of a more fitting way to commemorate the first anniversary of Dolores’ passing and to celebrate her life,” says Dolores O’Riordan’s mother, Eileen. Though not identifying as ‘religious’ in the slightest, Kevin Morby has always recognised in his work the ubiquity of an apparent religious theme. In an effort to tackle that dichotomy head-on, he has produced his first true concept album: the lavish, resplendent, career-best Oh My God. SOAK brings four years’ worth of growth, introspection and understanding to Grim Town. Her astonishingly assured, emotionally mature songwriting has often been hailed as wise beyond its years, but Bridie dissolves all such assuredness with imaginative, ambitious, and cathartic results. Catfish And The Bottlemen’s new album The Balance is a lean, refreshed version of everything Catfish fans find so easy so to love. What has changed, subtly, is the cool, open air in which songs are allowed to hang. It’s a progression that remains satisfyingly inside the box.

Our album of the week is Fever Breaks from acclaimed musician Josh Ritter, produced by Jason Isbell and backed by Isbell’s band, the 400 Unit. Ritter says of the album: “The songs are very reflective of the times in which they were written. And the world has just become even crazier. There’s a lot of the record that feels reflective of the moment it was in.”

- Josh Ritter Fever Breaks
Fever Breaks is the tenth studio album from acclaimed singer, songwriter and performer Josh Ritter. Produced by Grammy Award-winning musician Jason Isbell, the 10-song record was recorded at Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A and features Isbell’s band, the 400 Unit. Ritter says of the album: “The songs are very reflective of the times in which they were written. As we started coming together and playing, the songs that felt like they were going to work really jumped out as obvious. From there on, we had this really nice time to stop and listen and let the songs marinate a little bit. In that time, the world has just become even crazier. There’s a lot of the record that feels reflective of the moment it was in.”

- Aldous Harding Designer
After the sleeper success of the internationally lauded Party, Aldous Harding came off a 100-date tour last summer and went straight into the studio with a collection of songs written on the road. Reuniting with Party’s producer John Parish, Harding spent 15 days recording and 10 days mixing at Rockfield Studios, Monmouth and Bristol’s J&J Studio and Playpen to produce Designer.
From the bold strokes of the opening track, ‘Fixture Picture’, there is an over-riding sense of an artist confident in his work. Contributions from Huw Evans (H. Hawkline), Stephen Black (Sweet Baboo), drummer Gwion Llewelyn and violinist Clare Mactaggart broaden and compliment Harding’s rich and timeless songwriting.
Note: the LP is available on indies-only gold vinyl.

- The Cranberries In The End
30 years after forming in Limerick (initially as The Cranberry Saw Us), The Cranberries release their eighth and final album, In The End. With Stephen Street once again taking producer duties, the eleven-track record brings a remarkable career to a fitting and powerful closure. Announcing the album, the band has shared the first single, ‘All Over Now’, which blends rock, alternative and catchy almost pop-sounding melodies to deliver a classic Cranberries sound. “I can’t think of a more fitting way to commemorate the first anniversary of Dolores’ passing and to celebrate her life than to announce to the world the release of her final album with the band,” says Dolores O’Riordan’s mother, Eileen.
Note: the LP is available on indies-only red vinyl.

- Kevin Morby Oh My God
Throughout four solo albums and various collaborations, Kevin Morby has recognised in his work the ubiquity of an apparent religious theme. Though not identifying as ‘religious’ in the slightest, Morby – the globetrotting son of Kansas City who has made music while living on both coasts before recently returning to his Midwestern stomping grounds – recognises in himself a somewhat spiritual being with a secular attitude towards the soulful. And so, in an effort to tackle that notion head-on and once and for all, he sat down in his form of church – on planes and in beds – and wrote what would become his first true concept album: the lavish, resplendent, career-best Oh My God.

- SOAK Grim Town
SOAK returns after four years with a new album, bringing with her four years’ worth of growth, introspection and understanding. The result is Grim Town, the follow-up to her Mercury Music Prize-nominated debut Before We Forgot How To Dream. Her astonishingly assured, emotionally mature songwriting has often been hailed as wise beyond its years; but, as her new album often asks, when do we ever truly shake off those childlike fears, the imposter syndrome, the outsider status? The term ‘to come of age’ lands with so much expectation, but with Grim Town, Bridie dissolves all such assuredness with imaginative, ambitious, and cathartic results.

- Catfish And The Bottlemen The Balance
‘Fluctuate’, the first snapshot of new Catfish And The Bottlemen album The Balance, was performed throughout summer 2018, and teased out a lean, refreshed version of everything Catfish fans find so easy so to love. Van McCann performed for fans what sounded like a personal diary entry and he sang it to them, about them, for them and with them. They, typically, soon started to sing every word back. What had changed, subtly, was the cool, open air in which the song was allowed to hang, McCann’s rhythmic delivery in each verse pinned to the bass and drums, saving the collective push for a supercharged chorus. It’s a progression that remains satisfyingly inside the box.

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Releases for 19 April 2019

We have 6 smashers for you from 19th April’s releases. We start with Serfs Up!, the third album from Fat White Family, which marks the most gratifying and unexpected creative volte-face in recent musical history. After Songs For Our Mothers, core members Lias and Nathan Saoudi relocated to Sheffield and set about writing something new. The majority of Cage The Elephant’s new album, Social Cues, was written during a break-up, lead singer Matt Schultz digging deep into his psyche to create fictional characters to tell aspects of a personal story far from fairytales. “It can be a vehicle to act out things that are hard to confront,” said Schultz. South London rapper Loyle Carner’s second album, Not Waving, But Drowning, features recent singles ‘Loose Ends’, ‘Ottolenghi’ and ‘You Don’t Know’ alongside 12 previously unreleased tunes, with guest appearances from Sampha, Jorja Smith, Tom Misch, Rebel Kleff & Kiko Bun, Jordan Rakei, as well as his mum Jean Coyle-Larner. Honk features the biggest hits and classic cuts from every studio album by The Rolling Stones from 1971 to 2016. The bonus disc of the deluxe 3-CD edition includes 10 live tracks recorded during the band’s recent sold-out tours. The Quireboys have made their most diverse album ever in Amazing Disgrace. And for a band celebrating its 35th anniversary, that’s saying something. This is a band at the peak of its creative powers.

Our album of the week comes from Jade Bird, who is a total breath of fresh air in the current musical landscape, a next-generation artist who appears as clued up on the past as she is determined to learn from its lessons: in control, sometimes in your face, and in possession of gifts beyond her years.

- Jade Bird Jade Bird
Jade Bird twists big themes of disillusionment, divorce, cheating, sorrow into the realities of an independent-minded, modern British teenager on her self-titled debut. Jade’s music transcends genre with a wealth of influence coming from everywhere, and anywhere. Classic, contemporary, and a total breath of fresh air in the current musical landscape, Jade Bird is that rare, next-generation artist who appears as clued up on the past as she is determined to learn from its lessons: in control, sometimes in your face, and in possession of gifts beyond her years.
Jade celebrates the release of her debut album by coming to Hundred Records on at 1pm on Saturday 20 April to provide some lunchtime delight. If you don’t already know her music, have a look at her latest video here. Pre-order the album to guarantee your place at what’s sure to be a gem of an event.

- Fat White Family Serfs Up!
Serfs Up! is the third album from Fat White Family, and marks the most gratifying and unexpected creative volte-face in recent musical history. Having released Songs For Our Mothers, core members Lias and Nathan Saoudi relocated to Sheffield and set about writing something new. Joined by co-conspirator Saul Adamczewski, Serfs Up! was finished with the help of long-time collaborator Liam D. May.

- Cage The Elephant Social Cues
The majority of Cage The Elephant’s new album, Social Cues, was written during a break-up, lead singer Matt Schultz digging deep into his psyche to create fictional characters to tell aspects of a personal story far from fairytales. “It can be a vehicle to act out things that are hard to confront,” said Schultz.

- Loyle Carner Not Waving, But Drowning
South London rapper Loyle Carner’s second album, Not Waving, But Drowning, features recent singles ‘Loose Ends’, ‘Ottolenghi’ and ‘You Don’t Know’ alongside 12 previously unreleased tunes – and features guest appearances from Sampha, Jorja Smith, Tom Misch, Rebel Kleff & Kiko Bun, Jordan Rakei, as well as his mum Jean Coyle-Larner.

- The Rolling Stones Honk
Honk features the biggest hits and classic cuts from every studio album by The Rolling Stones from 1971 to 2016, including ‘Brown Sugar’, ‘Angie’, ‘It’s Only Rock’n’Roll (But I Like It)’ and ‘Emotional Rescue’, right up to ‘Doom & Gloom’, recorded in 2012, and three singles from the band’s 2016 Grammy Award-winning album Blue & Lonesome.
The bonus disc of the deluxe 3-CD edition includes 10 live tracks recorded at packed-out stadia round the world during the band’s recent sold-out tours, recorded in venues such as Philadelphia in June 2013 and London in May 2018.

- The Quireboys Amazing Disgrace
The Quireboys have amazed themselves. “The new music has surpassed all of my expectations,” admits guitarist Guy Griffin. “It’s the most diverse album we’ve ever done,” adds fellow strummer Paul Guerin. And for a band celebrating its 35th anniversary, that’s saying something. Amazing Disgrace contains twelve typically frank and familiarly evocative rock and roll classics by a band at the peak of its creative powers. “It’s always time for a party where The Quireboys are concerned,” adds founder member and frontman Spike. “But even by our standards this looks like being one hell of a party!”

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Releases for 12 April 2019

Our recommended releases for 12 April kick off with Fontaines D.C., whose evolution, like all the best bands, seems to have happened fast, and now they prepare to take on the world for real. With Dogrel, their ascent seems effortless. Since forming in 2009, Southampton’s very own Band Of Skulls have built a reputation with four acclaimed studio albums and a phenomenal live act. Their latest, Love Is All You Love, is a tough and tender record with a rebellious spirit that looks at how a little love and human kindness can help bring about positive change. Superstar DJs The Chemical Brothers go back to basics on their feral new album, No Geography, mixing it up the way only they can, and still dancing to a different beat, with guest appearances from Norwegian singer-songwriter Aurora and Japanese rapper Nene. Begin Again, the sixth studio album by nine-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Norah Jones, presents seven snapshots of creativity from one of the music world’s most versatile and consistently intriguing artists, running the gamut from riveting electronic experiments to starkly acoustic folk ballads to organ- and horn-drenched soul. This Wild Willing is Glen Hansard’s fourth solo album, and features a group of global talents who each left an indelible mark on this recording. “When you surround yourself with great musicians and do your best to keep up, stay loose, give little direction, and allow everyone to bring what they bring, something transformative may happen.”

Our album of the week comes from In The Shape Of A Storm, which Damien Jurado recorded over just two hours. In place of the thundering drums and psychedelic arrangements that defined the trilogy of concept albums he made with Richard Swift, there’s only Jurado’s voice, acoustic guitar, and occasional accompaniment from Josh Gordon on guitar.

- Damien Jurado In The Shape Of A Storm
Damien Jurado has always worked fast, but In The Shape Of A Storm came together with unprecedented speed. Recorded over the course of just two hours one California afternoon, it’s Jurado’s sparsest album to date. Gone are the thundering drums and psychedelic arrangements that defined the trilogy of concept albums he made with his longtime collaborator and close friend Richard Swift. Here, there’s only Jurado’s voice, acoustic guitar, and occasional accompaniment from Josh Gordon, playing a high-strung guitar tuned Nashville style, rendering its sound spooky and celestial.

- Fontaines D.C. Dogrel
With the best bands, it seems to happen fast. The trajectory is steep, the progression seemingly preordained, inexorable. Assembling while still at college in Dublin a mere three years ago, from the ruins of early nowhere bands, and having discovered a shared love of poetry and a common zeal for authentic self-expression, the evolution of Fontaines D.C. has been swift, sure and seemingly effortless.
Reluctant to be viewed as part of any wider movement (“I get a bit uncomfortable with some of the comparisons that have been made,” says Chatten, as he must, though comparisons will inevitably be made), Fontaines D.C. have delivered on their tremendous promise in a way that few bands have. It is to their credit and it augurs well that their collective eye is already on the next phase as they prepare for now to take on the world for real.
Note: the LP is available on indies-only coloured vinyl.

- Band Of Skulls Love Is All You Love
Southampton’s very own Band Of Skulls release their latest, Love Is All You Love. “This record is tough and tender with a rebellious spirit,” say Emma and Russell. “It is a positive record. It looks to what is possible and how a little love and human kindness can help bring about positive change. We drew on personal experiences, changes in our situation, and couldn’t help but be affected by what has been going on in the world politically, culturally and environmentally. Attempting to overcome that sometimes powerless feeling by creating and connecting with people and making something new.” Since forming in 2009, Band Of Skulls have released four acclaimed studio albums and built a reputation as a phenomenal live act, both at home and overseas.

- The Chemical Brothers No Geography
Following on from the critical and commercial success of their Grammy-nominated 2015 album Born In The Echoes – the band’s 6th consecutive UK number 1 – The Chemical Brothers release their ninth studio album, No Geography.
The superstar DJs go back to basics on their feral new album. Mixing it up the way only they can, The Chemical Brothers are still dancing to a different beat. Several of the tracks on No Geography feature vocals by Norwegian singer-songwriter Aurora, who wrote and recorded parts in the band’s studio in close collaboration with the band. Japanese rapper Nene features on ‘Eve Of Destruction’.

- Norah Jones Begin Again
Begin Again, the sixth studio album by nine-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Norah Jones, features a collection of seven eclectic songs that Jones recorded over the previous year with collaborators including Jeff Tweedy and Thomas Bartlett. The track ‘Just A Little Bit’ was produced by Jones and features her on vocals, piano, and organ along with Brian Blade on drums, Christopher Thomas on bass, Dave Guy on trumpet, and Leon Michels on tenor saxophone. The singles she released in the summer of 2018 ran the gamut from riveting electronic experiments to starkly acoustic folk ballads to organ- and horn-drenched soul songs. With the addition of three more previously unreleased songs, Begin Again presents seven snapshots of creativity from one of the music world’s most versatile and consistently intriguing artists.

- Glen Hansard This Wild Willing
This Wild Willing is Glen Hansard’s fourth solo album. Glen brought together a group of global talents who each left an indelible mark on this recording. “It became quickly apparent in the studio we were onto something interesting. I was finding new ways into the existing songs and we were improvising new ideas every day. When you surround yourself with great musicians and do your best to keep up, stay loose, give little direction, and allow everyone to bring what they bring, something transformative may happen. This collection of songs is mainly made up of those that came through while improvising and following the melodic lines and threads. Sometimes when you take a small musical fragment and you care for it, follow it, and build it up slowly, it can become a thing of wonder.”

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Releases for 5 April 2019

The first of 5 April’s recommended releases comes from Weyes Blood, a.k.a. Natalie Mering, who soulfully navigates life’s mysteries as a melodic, sometimes melancholic, anthropologist and, on Titanic Rising, combines a wilful expansiveness with an imperative to connect with listeners. What A Boost is full of the intriguing word-play and fantastic melodies we’ve come to adore in perpetual wanderer Rozi Plain’s writing, and was constructed over a number of months while she flitted from location to location, including a week of one-off collaborative performances in Berlin arranged by Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and Aaron Dessner of The National. When I’m Alone: The Piano Retrospective is a reimagining of Iowan songsmith Lissie’s best-loved and career-defining tunes, stripping them down to their most intimate and vulnerable selves, letting her pristine voice and songwriting shine. Circa Waves return with What’s It Like Over There?, a creatively unshackled album that fuses the visceral thrill of rock music with a slick pop sound, and themes of inside-outs and upside-downs that could only have been made now. Out Of The Blue, the new album from Mike + The Mechanics, features re-workings of some of the band’s best-loved tracks, including ‘The Living Years’ and ‘Over My Shoulder’, that have developed over years of live performances, along with three brand-new songs.

We’ll leave it to Idlewild’s Roddy Woomble to describe our album of the week, Interview Music: “A lot of the songs are about dreams and dreaming … whether driving down Sunset Boulevard as the sun sets or driving over the remote Ardnamurchan peninsula as the sun rises, the world seems unreal, magical. You’re dreaming through a landscape.” And that is what the album sounds like.

- Idlewild Interview Music
Idlewild’s new album, Interview Music, is best described by the band’s Roddy Woomble: “A lot of the songs are about dreams and dreaming and the thoughts and ideas that come from this state. I live in the Scottish Highlands, and between there and California you’ve got two locations that can put you in a dream-like state – driving down Sunset Boulevard as the sun sets or driving over the remote Ardnamurchan peninsula as the sun rises. The world seems unreal, magical. You’re dreaming through a landscape.” And that is what the album sounds like.

- Weyes Blood Titanic Rising
Weyes Blood, a.k.a. Natalie Mering, has designed her own universe to soulfully navigate life’s mysteries. Manoeuvring through a space-time continuum, she plays the role of melodic, sometimes melancholic, anthropologist. Tellingly, Mering classifies Titanic Rising – which was written and recorded during the first half of 2018, after three albums and years of touring – as the Kinks meet WWII or Bob Seger meets Enya. The latter captures the album’s wilful expansiveness. The former relays her imperative to connect with listeners.

- Rozi Plain What A Boost
Perpetual wanderer Rozi Plain constructed her new album, What A Boost, over a number of months, possibly even years, flitting from location to location. Initially working at Old Dentist’s Studios in East London, she then popped over to Berlin for a week of one-off collaborative performances arranged by Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and Aaron Dessner of The National. A day in Los Angeles followed, before finally returning to London. What A Boost is full of the intriguing word-play and fantastic melodies we’ve come to adore in Rozi’s writing.
Note: the LP is available on indies-only ‘glow-in-the-dark’ vinyl.

- Lissie When I’m Alone
“When you take a song out of its production and strip it down to its basic elements, you get the heart of the song,” says Iowa resident Lissie about songwriting in general. That sentiment carries directly over to her new album, When I’m Alone: The Piano Retrospective. A reimagining of her best-loved and career-defining tunes, this collection unclothes the songs down to their most intimate and vulnerable selves, letting her pristine voice and songwriting shine. “You find out whether [a song] can stand on its own, whether it’s a good song,” she continues. “When they come down to their basic bones, are these really meaningful pieces that stand on their own?”

- Circa Waves What’s It Like Over There?
Circa Waves mark their highly anticipated return with a new studio album, What’s It Like Over There? Recorded in just one month, the album is creatively unshackled and refuses to stay still. It fuses the visceral thrill of rock music with a slick pop sound, its themes of modern ennui, emotional fragility and all the inside-outs and upside-downs of relationships making it a record that could only have been made now.

- Mike + The Mechanics Out Of The Blue
Even inside Genesis, Mike Rutherford’s forté has always been his melodic songwriting. Out Of The Blue, the new album from Mike + The Mechanics, features re-workings of some of the band’s best-loved tracks, including ‘The Living Years’ and ‘Over My Shoulder’, along with three brand-new songs. Mike Rutherford explains: “Having toured with the Mechanics over the last 10 years, I have heard the old songs change a bit each year with Andrew Roachford and Tim Howar singing and the same band playing. In some cases songs have been extended and developed, so it seemed a good idea to record these versions in the studio.”

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Releases for 29 March 2019

29 March’s smashers start off with Hundred Records favourites Son Volt, whose new album, Union, showcases the pain of division while spotlighting music’s ability to heal and offer respite from troubling sociopolitical times, delving deep into a batch of songs thematically and symbolically steeped in the history of protest music. White Denim’s latest, Side Effects, is more experimental and freewheeling than anything else they’ve released since Last Day of Summer, capturing the essence of the band’s full-throttle live shows – an album as varied and vivacious as anything they’ve ever done. Billie Eilish’s meteoric rise to global stardom has been nothing short of phenomenal; her debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? was written on the road by 17-year-old Billie and brother Finneass over the course of 2018, then produced and recorded entirely by the pair, and shows a maturity beyond their ages. In 1974, the nineteen-year-old Steve Earle joined Guy Clark’s band, starting an indelible 40-year friendship. Steve and The Dukes now release their tribute to Guy, who recently succumbed to cancer. Deforming Lobes captures Ty Segall’s Freedom Band in fiery flight, igniting a handful of songs from Ty’s catalogue in a visceral live performance; these recordings redefine the physical experience of witnessing the concert in person.

Our album of the week just has to be the collaboration between English folk royalty and Australian soul in Marry Waterson & Emily Barker, whose first album together, A Window To Other Ways, is a fabulous collection of fly-on-the-wall observations of the contradictions and disconnections of modern life, performed in a mixture of styles from folk to country, soul, blues and indie.

- Marry Waterson & Emily Barker A Window To Other Ways
English folk royalty meets Australian soul in the collaboration between Marry Waterson & Emily Barker. English folk singer Marry Waterson is the daughter of Lal and a member of the famous folk music family The Watersons. Emily Barker is an Australian singer/songwriter whose music you may have heard on the UK version of crime drama ‘Wallander’ even if you don’t already know her name. The pair met at a songwriting retreat run by Kathryn Williams. Their first album together, A Window To Other Ways, has thrown up a mixture of styles from the obvious folk, with country, soul, blues and indie, and is a fabulous album full of fly-on-the-wall observations of the contradictions and disconnections of modern life.

- Son Volt Union
Hundred Records favourites Son Volt release their new album, Union, which showcases more of the pain of division, while still taking time to spotlight music’s ability to heal and offer respite from troubling sociopolitical times. “There are so many forces driving our country apart,” says founding member Jay Farrar. “What can we do to bring our society back together?” To answer that question, Son Volt delve deep into a batch of songs steeped in the history of protest music, both thematically and symbolically. Several of Union’s 13 tracks were recorded at locations Farrar views as important to America’s history.

- White Denim Side Effects
Side Effects is the eighth studio album by White Denim, and it’s more in line with the experimental, freewheeling spirit of Last Day of Summer than anything else they’ve released since. This is a record that captures the essence of the band’s full-throttle live shows, and features a rotating cast of band members led by James Petralli and Steve Terebecki. The tracks on Side Effects draw on the sounds of different personnel to create a cohesive whole – the result being an album that’s as varied and vivacious as anything they’ve ever done.

- Billie Eilish When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Billie Eilish’s meteoric rise to global stardom has been nothing short of phenomenal, and is arguably unparalleled to date. Since her debut single ‘Ocean Eyes’ in 2016, Billie has quietly yet unapologetically infiltrated the forefront of pop. When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? was written, produced and recorded entirely by 17-year-old Billie and brother Finneass. The pair spent most of 2018 writing songs on the road, then spent many days and nights at home, recording the album.

- Steve Earle & The Dukes Guy
In 1974, the nineteen-year-old Steve Earle had just hitch-hiked from San Antonio to Nashville. Steve started playing bass guitar in Guy Clark’s band and was soon flying high on what would become an indelible friendship of like-minded musicians who bonded in a kinship of stories told through song.
Flash forward more than forty years to May 2016, when Guy succumbed to lymphoma after a long battle. He had lived with the disease and continued to write songs until the day he died. He also painted, built instruments and owned a guitar shop in the Bay area. According to Earle, “You hung around with Guy and knew why they call what artists do disciplines. Because he was disciplined.” The same can be said of Earle. In the autumn of 2018, Steve and The Dukes went into House Of Blues studio in Nashville and recorded their tribute, Guy.
Note: The LP is available on indies-only blue vinyl.

- Ty Segall & Freedom Band Deforming Lobes (Live)
Deforming Lobes captures The Freedom Band in fiery flight, igniting a handful of songs from Ty Segall’s catalogue in a live performance at LA’s Teragram Ballroom. The band explores everything with unrestrained curiosity and zeal, never losing their collective bond with the audience. For the album, analogue recordings supervised by Steve Albini present the band somehow even more brutally front and centre, redefining the physical experience of witnessing the concert in person.

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Releases for 22 March 2019

Leading off our top picks for 22 March is an album that wasn’t meant to happen – in fact, Sleeper promised each other it wouldn’t! Thankfully they clearly didn’t listen to each other, and The Modern Age is the outward-facing sound of a band refreshed and revitalised, adding a shiny contemporary feel to Sleeper’s classic pop sensibilities. Lucy Rose uses her voice to devastating effect on No Words Left. In spite of the title, Lucy has plenty to say, and the album is lyrically and musically fearless, a beautifully intense but often unsettling listen with a dash of brooding, Joni Mitchell-like troubadour folk in there as well. Long lauded for jubilant, explosive live shows, Ibibio Sound Machine fully capture that energy on Doko Mien, and album of inventive, glittering collages of genre, for which your dancing shoes will most definitely be required! These New Puritans, the great heretics of British music, return with Inside The Rose, a record unlike anything else you’ll hear this year – 40 minutes of powerful melodies, lush strings and progressive electronics, packed with jaw-dropping sonic left turns. It’s rare to find a ’60s legend still on trailblazing form, but 73-year-old Robin Trower, the iconic guitarist who rose to fame with Procol Harum, finds himself in a golden late bloom of creativity, and his songcraft and soulful performances have never sounded more alive as on Coming Closer To The Day.

Our release of the week is On The Line, the highly anticipated return of Jenny Lewis, which features a backing band of legendary talent including Beck, Benmont Tench, Don Was, Jim Keltner, Ringo Starr and Ryan Adams. Lewis is a songwriter of rare talent and this album proves it all over again.

- Jenny Lewis On The Line
On The Line is the highly anticipated return of Jenny Lewis, following 2014’s critically acclaimed The Voyager. The 11 original songs on the album were written by Lewis and recorded at Capitol Records’ Studio B, and feature a backing band of legendary talent including Beck, Benmont Tench, Don Was, Jim Keltner, Ringo Starr and Ryan Adams. Dry marketing speak that may be, but that doesn’t hide the fact that Jenny Lewis is a songwriter of rare talent and this album proves it all over again.

- Sleeper The Modern Age
2019 brings us the first album from Sleeper in 21 years! It wasn’t meant to happen. In fact, the band had promised each other it never would. But, as singer Louise Wener said: “We had no plan to get back together. Sometimes life throws you a massive curve ball. You end up jumping off the cliff, just to see what it feels like.” And so The Modern Age is here.
This is the outward-looking sound of a band revitalized and refreshed, and covers subjects from motherhood and social media to personal loss and, inevitably, relationships. The Modern Age retains Sleeper’s classic pop sensibilities but has a shiny contemporary feel.

- Lucy Rose No Words Left
We last heard from London-based Lucy Rose with the release of 2017’s Something’s Changing, a record that heralded a new outlook for a musician re-evaluating what she wanted to do and how she wanted to do it. If Something’s Changing was an artist rediscovering their voice, No Words Left is Lucy using that voice to devastating effect. Don’t misinterpret the title, though: Lucy has plenty to say. The album is stuffed full of words, every one carefully chosen and sincere. Lyrically and musically fearless, this record is a beautifully intense but often unsettling listen. It’s an integral body of work, a fine modern example of the enduring strength of the album format. Rose’s various credits are a testament to her perceptive modern songwriting, but there lingers a dash of brooding, Joni Mitchell-like troubadour folk in there as well.

- Ibibio Sound Machine Doko Mien
Long lauded for jubilant, explosive live shows, Ibibio Sound Machine fully capture that energy on Doko Mien, the followup to Uyai. The labels tells us that: “The songs follow in the tradition of much African music, making themselves the conscience of a community. By pulsing the mystic shapes of Eno Williams’ lines through further inventive, glittering collages of genre, Ibibio Sound Machine crack apart the horizon separating cultures, between nature and technology, between joy and pain, between tradition and future. That propensity for duality and paradox seems common in people whose lives span continents.”
I’m not sure what all that guff means, but your dancing shoes will be required!

- These New Puritans Inside The Rose
These New Puritans, the great heretics of British music, return with Inside The Rose, their first new studio album since 2013’s critically acclaimed Field Of Reeds. Brothers Jack and George Barnett began writing the album in Essex in 2015 before relocating to Berlin to finish things off in a former Soviet broadcasting studio in the city’s industrial suburbs. Inside the Rose is a record unlike anything else you’ll hear this year – 40 minutes of powerful melodies, lush strings and progressive electronics, packed with jaw-dropping sonic left turns.

- Robin Trower Coming Closer To The Day
It’s rare to find a ’60s legend still on trailblazing form in their eighth decade. But while his peers recycle the old hits or retreat from view, the 73-year-old Robin Trower, the iconic guitarist who rose to fame with Procol Harum, finds himself in a golden late bloom of creativity. Even at this career pinnacle, Trower admits he “just can’t stop”. And with his new album, Coming Closer To The Day, his songcraft and soulful performances have never sounded more alive.

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Releases for 15 March 2019

Our selection of treats from 15 March’s releases start with a stellar collaboration between Karen O, lead singer of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and super-producer Danger Mouse, who has worked with pretty much every musician ever, who have teamed up to make Lux Prima, on which they push each other’s sound out towards the furthest limits and inspire each other to take risks. The Cinematic Orchestra have assembled collaborators old and new to produce To Believe, a definitive new album that explores a timeless question of particular importance in 2019 – what to believe? Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery is the second album from The Comet Is Coming, Mercury-nominated side project of Sons Of Kemet’s Shabaka Hutchings, and serves to expand the trio’s 21st-century take on spiritual jazz. Brian Jonestown Massacre burst into 2019 with a self-titled album that was recorded this time last year and originally slated for release in September but was held back because of the runaway success of their world tour. And Jack Savoretti returns with his stunning new album, Singing To Strangers, feturing highlights such as ‘Touchy Situation’ was co-written with Bob Dylan, and ‘Music’s Too Sad Without You’, co-written with Kylie Minogue.

Our release of the week comes from dazzlingly talented blues-rock guitarist Joanne Shaw Taylor, whose fans include Joe Bonnamassa, Glen Hughes and Jools Holland. She travels back to her roots in Reckless Heart, incorporating her love of soul, blues and rock into what she says is “probably my most honest work to date.”

- Joanne Shaw Taylor Reckless Heart
With famous fans such as Joe Bonnamassa and Glen Hughes and having been described by Jools Holland as a dazzling talent, Joanne Shaw Taylor has certainly mastered her craft and become one of the world’s most formidable guitar players. Joanne is thrilled to be releasing her new album, Reckless Heart.
“I decided for this album I wanted to go further back to my roots,”, she says. “A large part of that was my decision to work with Al Sutton. Al’s been a good friend of mine since I moved to Detroit in 2008 and I’ve always been a big fan of his work with the Detroit Cobras, Thornetta Davis and most recently Greta Van Fleet. Working together was something we’d always discussed and in particular that he’d like to hear me do something more raw and live. The other main reason for recording in Detroit was the calibre of musicians in that town, we managed to incorporate my love of soul, blues and rock into the album and I think it’s probably my most honest work to date.”

- Karen O & Danger Mouse Lux Prima
Two stars from different genres of music – Karen O, lead singer of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and super-producer Danger Mouse, who has worked with pretty much every musician ever – have teamed up to make Lux Prima, on which they push each other’s sound out towards the furthest limits and inspire each other to take risks.

- The Cinematic Orchestra To Believe
The Cinematic Orchestra are back with a definitive new album that explores a timeless question of particular importance in 2019 – what to believe? Founding member Jason Swinscoe and longtime partner Dominic Smith have enlisted contributions to To Believe from collaborators old and new: Moses Sumney, Roots Manuva, Heidi Vogel, Grey Reverend (vocalist on Bonobo’s ‘First Fires’), Dorian Concept and Tawiah (Mark Ronson, Kindness), Miguel Atwood-Ferguson (Flying Lotus, Anderson Paak, Thundercat, Hiatus Kaiyote) features on strings and photographer and visual artist Brian “B+” Cross collaborated with Swinscoe and Smith on the album’s concept.

- The Comet Is Coming Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery
The Comet Is Coming, the side project of Sons Of Kemet’s Shabaka Hutchings who were nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2016, release their second album, this time on the Impulse! label. The themes on Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery revolve around universal truths and questions, and expands the trio’s 21st-century take on spiritual jazz.

- Brian Jonestown Massacre Brian Jonestown Massacre
Brian Jonestown Massacre burst into 2019 with the release of their 18th full-length album, just 7 months after their last one. The self-titled album was recorded and produced at Anton Newcombe’s Cobra Studio in Berlin this time last year and was originally slated to be released in September but was held back because of the runaway success of their global tour taking in USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. The album features Sara Neidorf on drums, Heike Marie Radeker (LeVent) on bass, Hakon Adalsteinsson (Third Sound & Gunman & Holy Ghost) on guitar and Anton Newcombe on multiple instruments.

- Jack Savoretti Singing To Strangers
Jack Savoretti returns with his stunning new album, Singing To Strangers. Jack explains this origin of the title track: “That’s my job: I sing to strangers. That’s what I’ve spent most of my life doing. Singing to friends and family and fans; they’re already onside, so you can to some extent sing anything. Strangers need convincing, touching, connection.”
Two co-written tracks on the album are amongst its highlights: ‘Touchy Situation’ was co-written with Bob Dylan, possibly because he’d heard Jack’s cover of the Dylan rarity ‘Nobody ’Cept You’, a song Jack found in Jackson Browne’s studio, on Written In Scars. From the sublime to the … even more sublime: ‘Music’s Too Sad Without You’ is the song Savoretti co-wrote and sang with Kylie Minogue for her recent Golden album. “She sing-whispers the song,” says Jack, “and I fell in love with that side of Kylie on her duet with Nick Cave on Where The Wild Roses Grow.”

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Releases for 8 March 2019

There are some great new releases coming out on 8 March, starting off with Foals, who continue to hit new peaks with the bravest and most ambitious project of their career: not one but two astonishing new albums, of which Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Part 1 is released this week. Jim Jones & The Righteous Mind kick-start 2019 with their incendiary second album, CollectiV, on which chain-gang chants, mutant soul, gospel and psychedelia mix with rock’n’roll at its most primal, feral and elemental. Sky Blue is a newly discovered time capsule of unreleased songs that Townes Van Zandt, one of the most celebrated songwriters of the twentieth century, created 46 years ago, plus two new, never-heard-before songs. Gold In A Brass Age is a vital new collection of songs by the multi-platinum-selling David Gray, who clearly still revels in song-craft, surprising himself as much as his fans along the way. And Dido is back with Still On My Mind, an album that wafts in like a beautiful breeze – a chilled-out tumble of sadness and joy, melancholy and bliss – with that familiar voice.

Our album of the week is Beware Of The Dogs, the full-length debut from proud, self-proclaimed stirrer Stella Donnelly, who fearlessly tells it like it is, whether to an abusive man, a terrible boss or a clueless significant other. Delivered entirely with a sarcastic wink and a full heart, this is a life-affirming statement of the power in sticking up for yourself, for your friends and for what’s right, and showcases an artist totally in command of her voice, able to wield her inviting charm and razor-sharp wit into authentically raw songs.

- Stella Donnelly Beware Of The Dogs
Beware Of The Dogs is the full-length debut from proud, self-proclaimed stirrer Stella Donnelly. When something needs to be said, whether it’s to an abusive man, a terrible boss or a clueless significant other, the 26-year-old musician from Fremantle, Western Australia is fearless in telling it like it is. Delivered entirely with a sarcastic wink and a full heart, the 13 life-affirming songs that make up Beware Of The Dogs prove the power in sticking up for yourself, for your friends and for what’s right. The album showcases an artist totally in command of her voice, able to wield her inviting charm and razor-sharp wit into authentically raw songs. It’s a resounding statement of purpose in recent memory; and, most importantly, it’s a portrait of Donnelly taking charge.
Note: the LP is available on olive-green vinyl.

- Foals Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost: Part 1
Foals have had a remarkable trajectory, from playing chaotic house parties in their home city of Oxford to becoming major festival headliners across Europe. And while the majority of their contemporaries have fallen by the wayside, Foals continue to hit new peaks. Now, after more than a decade in the game, Foals again embrace that love for the unconventional with the bravest and most ambitious project of their career: not one, but two astonishing new albums: Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost. A pair of releases, separate but related, they share a title, themes and artwork. Part 1 is released this week, with Part 2 following later in the year. “They’re two halves of the same locket,” explains frontman Yannis Philippakis. “They can be listened to and appreciated individually, but fundamentally, they are companion pieces.”

- Jim Jones & The Righteous Mind CollectiV
Hot on the heels of 2018’s successful reunion with garage-psych testifiers Thee Hypnotics, singer and guitarist Jim Jones returns with The Righteous Mind. The band give 2019 a kick-start with the release of their incendiary second album, CollectiV. Rising from the ashes of The Jim Jones Revue, Jim Jones & The Righteous Mind paint from a broader sonic palette. Incorporating elements of chain-gang chants, mutant soul, gospel and psychedelia, Jim Jones & The Righteous Mind are fervent torchbearers for rock’n’roll at its most primal, feral and elemental.

- Townes Van Zandt Sky Blue
Sky Blue, a collection of unreleased songs by one of the most celebrated songwriters of the twentieth century, is a time capsule that Townes Van Zandt created 46 years ago, and that we’re only now able to unearth and open to find the treasures inside. This release shows the artist working out some of his most iconic songs in an intimate, comfortable setting with one of his life-long confidantes.
Two new, never-heard-before songs sit alongside the unreleased acoustic archive recordings.

- David Gray Gold In A Brass Age
Gold In A Brass Age is the eleventh album from David Gray, whose career has spanned more than 25 years and included several Brit and Grammy nominations and three No.1 UK albums, including the breakout, multi-platinum White Ladder. It is also a vital new collection of songs from an artist still revelling in his passion for song-craft, pushing himself into unfamiliar terrain, surprising himself as much as his fans along the way.

- Dido Still On My Mind
Still On My Mind wafts in like a beautiful breeze, a chilled out tumble of sadness and joy, melancholy and bliss. That familiar voice is fully present, soft, intimate and delightfully conversational, caressing melodies over a subtle flow of beats, with an aching catch that tugs at the heart strings. She was the girl who got away. But after five years of silence, Dido is back.

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Releases for 1 March 2019

Our recommendations for 1 March start with Lines, a trilogy of song cycles from The Unthanks, each using poetry to focus on a different female perspective: lines by Maxine Peake on fishermen’s rights campaigner Lillian Bilocca; on the centenary of World War One; and poems by Emily Brontë set to music played on her own piano in the parsonage in Haworth where she lived and worked. While Gary Clark Jr. didn’t set out to make a political album, writing This Land during the US elections in 2016 leant an inevitability to the outcome; this album demonstrates about empathy for all. Sundara Karma follow up their acclaimed debut, Youth Is Only Fun In Retrospect, with Ulfilas Alphabet, continuing their primary sound of hook-laden guitar-driven indie music. What a 12 months it’s been for Tom Walker! After scoring an international hit with ‘Leave A Light On’, the UK’s biggest breakout star starts 2019 with a bang with his much-anticipated debut album What A Time To Be Alive and a Brits nomination. 2019 looks certain to be a big year for this exciting artist. This week’s recommended dose of the heavy stuff comes from hard-rock veterans Queensrÿche, one of most respected and celebrated acts in the scene, who with The Verdict bring us their most metal and most progressive record in a long time.

Our release of the week is Wasteland, Baby!, singer-songwriter Hozier’s follow-up to his ridiculously successful eponymous debut album and last autumn’s Nina Cried Power EP. Hozier says: “The album has been over a year in the making and it’s a pleasure to finally turn out my pockets and share the work.”

- Hozier Wasteland, Baby!
Wasteland, Baby! is singer-songwriter Hozier’s follow-up to his ridiculously successful eponymous debut album and last autumn’s Nina Cried Power EP. Hozier says: “The album has been over a year in the making and it’s a pleasure to finally turn out my pockets and share the work. I want to sincerely thank fans and listeners for their continued support in between the records. See you out on the road soon.”

- The Unthanks Lines (Trilogy)
Lines is a trilogy of song cycles from The Unthanks, each with a very different subject but each using poetry to focus on a different female perspective.
- Lines Part One – Lillian Berocca CD £10.99 / LP £14.99
Lines Part One – Lillian Bilocca features lines written by actor Maxine Peake about this campaigner for fishermen’s rights turned into song by Unthanks pianist and composer Adrian McNally.
- Lines Part Two – World War One CD £10.99 / LP £14.99
Lines Part Two – World War One were originally written in 2014 for a project marking the opening year of the war’s centenary but recorded and released in this, the final centenary year.
- Lines Part Three – Emily Brontë CD £10.99 / LP £14.99
Lines Part Three – Emily Brontë features a collection of her poems set to music played on Emily’s own piano in the parsonage in Haworth where she lived and worked.
- Lines Parts One, Two & Three 3-CD Box set £34.99 / 3-LP Box set £42.99
The complete Lines trilogy is available in box-set form.

- Gary Clark Jr. This Land
Gary Clark Jr. was writing his new album, This Land, during the US presidential election in November 2016; and, while he didn’t set out to make a political album, there’s an inevitability to the outcome. Gary says: “I don’t wanna make this thing a whole political statement, who’s right or who’s wrong, because people are right and wrong anywhere you go.” His desire was to demonstrate and sing about empathy for all.

- Sundara Karma Ulfilas Alphabet
Sundara Karma follow up their acclaimed debut, Youth Is Only Fun In Retrospect, with Ulfilas Alphabet. The album continues their primary sound of hook-laden guitar-driven indie music. Frontman Oscar Pollock says: “Normally I’ll have a batch of ideas and I’ll chip away at them for months until something emerges but I was fortunate enough to have that moment where everything fell into place.”

- Tom Walker What A Time To Be Alive
What a 12 months it’s been for Tom Walker! After seeing his single ‘Leave A Light On’ become an international hit in 2018, the UK’s biggest breakout star has started 2019 with a bang with the release of his much anticipated debut album What A Time To Be Alive. Add to to that a Brits nomination, then as big as 2018 was, 2019 looks certain to be even bigger for Tom Walker.

- Queensrÿche The Verdict
Queensrÿche are one of most respected and celebrated acts in the scene, selling over 30 million albums around the world. The Verdict is the most metal and the most progressive record that Queensrÿche have made in a long time.

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Other releases for 2019

Find releases from 2020 | 2018.