New releases for 31 January 2020

This week’s smashers kick off with the magnificent Torres (aka Mackenzie Scott), whose fourth album, Silver Tongue, is a full-scale realisation of the world that she has created in her previous work. Even when singing in more subdued tones, Scott’s voice is fervent, her lyrics stirring and unyielding as she draws from both the divine…

Pre-sale of the week: Pearl Jam – Gigaton, out 27 March

Gigaton is the eleventh studio album by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Pearl Jam. Produced by Josh Evans and Pearl Jam, Gigaton marks the band’s first studio album since 2013’s Grammy award-winning Lightning Bolt. The album features the single ‘Dance With the Clairvoyants’. We’re offering Gigaton at special pre-sale prices, which won’t be…

New releases for 24 January 2020

This week’s 6 lovelies start with Wolf Parade’s fifth album, Thin Mind, which has sci-fi, post-apocalyptic and dystopian narratives interwoven throughout. These themes emerged while working at Risqué Disque, which Dan Boeckner jokingly describes as a Dutchman’s failed utopia, a problematic structure with a post-apocalyptic vibe: the studio is housed in a stone barn hand-built…

Pre-sale of the week: The Cadillac Three – Country Fuzz, out 7 February

Leaving a lasting impression on fans across the globe with their instinctive sonic tendencies, The Cadillac Three prove they are Nashville’s most versatile band. The trio of singer-guitarist Jaren Johnston, drummer Neil Mason and lap-steel player Kelby Ray have been performing together for over a decade and adding to their loyal following. On their fourth…

New releases for 17 January 2020

This week’s super six start with the as-much-maligned-as-worshiped Courteeners, who are undoubtedly one of the very last of the old-fashioned Big British Guitar Bands. Having completely scrapped an album’s-worth of songs, Liam Fray and his faithful lieutenants created their sixth studio album and have given it the bold but ambiguous title More. Again. Forever. British…

Pre-sale of the week: Nathaniel Rateliffe – And It’s Still Alright, out 14 February

And It’s Still Alright is the first solo album in almost seven years from Americana-soul star Nathaniel Rateliff. It’s quieter and more reflective than the exuberant soul with which his band The Night Sweats made their name, but still has the same urgency and indelible appeal. The album explores themes of love, loss and perseverance:…

New releases for 6 & 13 December 2019

We kick off what seems to be a week for great live albums with A Beautiful Thing: Live At Le Bataclan, the brand-new live album from IDLES, which was recorded in Paris on 3 December 2018. The album celebrates the band’s success over the last two years, featuring songs from Brutalism and Joy As An…

Pre-sale of the week: Drive-By Truckers – The Unraveling, out 31 January

Drive-By Truckers’ 12th studio album, The Unraveling – their first in more than three years – was recorded at the legendary Sam Phillips Recording Service in Memphis. Co-founding singer/songwriter/guitarists Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood both spent much of the past three years doing battle with deep pools of writer’s block. “How do you put these…

Pre-sale of the week: Bombay Bicycle Club – Everything Else Has Gone Wrong, out 17 January

Everything Else Has Gone Wrong is the eagerly anticipated follow-up to British band Bombay Bicycle Club’s acclaimed number 1 charting, Mercury Music Prize nominated fourth album, So Long, See You Tomorrow released back in 2014. Vocalist and guitarist Jack Steadman explains: “This is an album for anyone who’s ever turned to music in a time…