The first of this week’s smashers comes from John Peel favourites Billy Mahonie, a band formed in the first wave of British post-rock in the late ’90s alongside the likes of Mogwai, who return with Field of Heads, the first new music from their original line-up in some twenty-four years. Billy Mahonie always crafted their…
The first of this week’s soaraway six is Lives Outgrown, the debut solo album from Portishead frontwoman Beth Gibbons, which features 10 beautiful new songs recorded over a period of 10 years. The album was produced by James Ford and Beth Gibbons with additional production by Lee Harris (Talk Talk). Lives Outgrown is, by some…
In the ever-evolving landscape of contemporary music, few artists possess the enduring influence and innovative spirit of Paul Weller. A recording career that began in 1977 now reaches the release of his 17th solo album, his 28th in total. Weller has always demonstrated an unwavering commitment to pushing artistic boundaries while staying true to his…
Our pick of releases for the run-up to Christmas opens with the extraordinary performance captured on An Orchestrated Songbook in which Paul Weller exquisitely reworked and updated a quintessential selection of his vast catalogue into 75 minutes of breath-taking music that was broadcast by the BBC. The set list includes classic tracks from The Jam,…
This extraordinary performance was a first for Paul Weller, performing with a full orchestra, and saw a quintessential selection of his vast catalogue exquisitely reworked and updated into 75 minutes of breath-taking music that was broadcast by the BBC. The set list includes classic tracks from The Jam, Style Council and Paul’s solo career. It…
We open this week’s selection of tasty treats with a brand-new album from Paul Weller. We may be cursed to be in the midst a global pandemic, buffeted by all of its stresses and pain. But everyone knows that art provides succour, that music is the most reliable balm. And for many there is further…
Our soaraway six for 27 November starts with the 14-song collection No Fun Mondays, which sees Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong putting his signature melodic-punk spin on the songs that have formed the soundtrack to his life, including classics by John Lennon, Billy Bragg and Johnny Thunders. The No Fun Mondays series launched in…
Our fantastic five for 3 July start with A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip, the latest from propulsive pop perennials Sparks – brothers Ron and Russell Mael – lift the lid on their new album, A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip, with the release of ‘Self-Effacing’, in which the evergreen masters of the musical vignette show no…
It’s a vintage week, and our smashers start with Paul Weller’s fourteenth solo album, True Meanings, a record unlike any he has ever made before. It’s characterised by grandiose yet delicate, lush orchestration: an aesthetic to which Paul’s better-than-ever voice, singing some of his most nakedly honest words, is perfectly suited. Turning 60 this year…
Put simply, True Meanings, the fourteenth solo album from Paul Weller and the twenty-sixth studio album of his career, is a record unlike any he has ever made before. This is an album characterised by grandiose yet lush, delicate orchestration: an aesthetic to which Paul’s voice, never sounding better and singing some of his most…