Our super soaraway six for 13 June opens with Remembering Now, on which the legendary Van Morrison returns to the transcendent, uncategorisable rhapsodies that make him unique in music. It’s rich with hallmarks of classic Van, with dominant themes of love in spirit, some escapist romance, a smattering of self-deprecating candour and specific references to locations from his youth.
Half Man Half Biscuit are back with a brand-new studio album released by the band themselves on their own RM Qualtrough label. All Asimov and No Fresh Air is the band’s sixteenth full album of original material since 1985, and the first since 2022’s The Voltarol Years.
Avkrvst’s new album, Waving at the Sky, is a dark and devastating concept record about real-life events: a spiritual successor to 2023’s The Approbation, and a huge leap forward on every conceivable level. The album’s hazy, unsettling narrative is inspired by gruesome family tragedy that took place in rural Norway when the band were children. This is modern progressive music at its deepest, darkest and most bewitching.
Phantom Island is a companion album to 2024’s Flight B741, recorded during the same sessions. This latest release sees King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard expanding their sonic palette to include a full-blown orchestra across the album’s 10 tracks!
Indian Summer, the new album from The Dark Flowers, sees Paul Statham retain his principal role in the project as both producer and songwriter. Jim Kerr from Simple Minds continues his involvement, as does Welsh songwriter and multi-instrumentalist The Anchoress, plus David J from Bauhaus/Love and Rockets, Gabriella Cilmi and Shelly Poole.
Our release of the week is Talkin to the Trees, the debut album from Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts. This is a personal and powerful album featuring ten new compositions by Young. ‘Big Change’, the first song from the album, has a message that leaves no doubt where Neil Young stands in these challenging times.
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