We lead off this week’s recommended new releases with The Specials, one of the most electrifying, influential and important bands of all time, who release Encore, their first new music for 37 years. 2019 marks the 40th anniversary of the formation of The Specials and the legendary Two-Tone label in Coventry in 1979, and also…
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…
Our six crackers for this week start with Nocturne – The Piano Album, a soothing collection of solo piano pieces by Vangelis, recorded in his inimitable style. The album features 11 new tracks as well as brand-new versions of iconic hits ‘Chariots of Fire’ and the ‘Love Theme’ from Blade Runner. Nocturne is Vangelis’s first…
We last heard from 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…
We have six stormers to start the year off, all released on 18th January. First, Steve Mason’s latest, About The Light, follows up 2016’s Meet The Humans. Having written most of his previous albums alone, About The Light marks a change in approach for Steve. “I decided with this album that I wanted to get…
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…
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…
Our smashers for this week open with the 40th(!) studio album of Van Morrison’s storied career. The modestly titled The Prophet Speaks features 6 brand-new Van compositions amongst the 14 songs. Van himself said: “It was important for me to get back to recording new music as well as doing some of the blues material…
We have some lovely new releases to tell you about, kicking off with What Is Love, the new album from Clean Bandit, about which the band say: “The album looks at many different kinds and stages of love. We’ve been making it over three years, during which time we’ve all experienced love in our lives…
Reasons To Stay Alive, its title boldly acknowledging the themes and influence of best-selling author Matt Haig’s 2015 autobiographical book, is a unique project: a rich, colourful suite of gutsy, classic songwriting. Full of shades of Elton John, Supertramp and Queen, and with an emotional undercurrent that could not be more relevant in today’s world.…
