As autumn arrives and the nights start to draw in, we’ve got six crackers to give you a warm glow. Here we go!
The last time you heard The Big Moon was when you welcomed the release of their dazzling second album, Walking Like We Do, back in January 2020, when life was very different to how it is now. That was a coming-of-age record: bold songs for Saturday nights and sad songs for Sunday mornings. So much has changed, continues to change, and promises to change some more. And in this world of constant change, we yearn for the familiarity of a constant. Thankfully, one constant remains the unique, jubilant, unassailable bond that sews this brilliant London band together and what that does for their music, too. Another such constant is their collective ear for melody and knack for writing smart, sharp and infectious indie-pop knockouts, as shown admirably on Here Is Everything.
FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE is the 22nd solo studio album from Brian Eno and his first in more than five years. Eno recorded and produced the 10-track album at his studio in West London, and sings on the majority of tracks. It’s a sonically beguiling, ultimately optimistic exploration of the narrowing, precarious future of humanity and our planet. As Eno himself concludes, “Briefly, we need to fall in love again, but this time with nature, with civilisation and with our hopes for the future.”
Since 2004, Alter Bridge has been one of the most consistent bands to successfully represent the rock and metal communities with their driving melodies, blazing guitar riffs and topical lyrics that resonate with fans around the globe. Their seventh album, Pawns & Kings, shows a new fire and heaviness, and adds ten unforgettable new songs to their catalogue.
London-based musician and producer Ryan Lee West, aka Rival Consoles, creates driving, experimental electronic music that makes synthesisers sound human. His consistent desire to create a more organic, living sound leads him to create pieces that capture a sense of songwriting behind the machines. Now Is marks a new chapter in an ongoing quest for refinement and evolution. More playful and melodic, the album draws from much experimentation in minimalist songwriting and seamlessly blends synthesisers and acoustic instruments. “There are some pieces that are influenced quite strongly by the isolation and anxiety of these times. There are also pieces which are more optimistic and vibrant, which I think is a consistent attitude of my records, as I want art to express many aspects of life.”
The 1975’s fifth studio album, Being Funny In A Foreign Language, was written by Matthew Healy and George Daniel and recorded at Real World Studios in Wiltshire and Electric Lady Studios in New York. The 1975 have established themselves as one of the defining bands of their generation with their distinctive aesthetic, ardent fan base and unique sonic approach.
Our release of the week is Return Of The Dream Canteen – the Red Hot Chili Peppers’s second album of 2022, hot on the heels of the platinum-selling chart topper Unlimited Love, which debuted at #1 in the UK in April. It is also the band’s second Rick Rubin-produced album of 2022, and reinforces their reputation as a band at their absolute peak, riding the crest of an undeniable creative wave.
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