Releases from May–June 2024

Great albums from around the world

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Find releases from 2023.

Also check out some of the great reissues of classic albums.

 

 

Jump to: 28 June  |  21 June  |  14 June  |  7 June  |  31 May  |  24 May  |  17 May  |  10 May  |  3 May

 

Releases for 28 June 2024

Kicking off 28 June’s goodies is Neil Young with Crazy Horse, some of whose historic earliest recordings are collected on Early Daze, including several original versions that have not been released before. Dirty Three – Warren Ellis, Mick Turner and Jim White – are back with Love Changes Everything, their first album in over a decade – yep, since 2012’s Toward the Low Sun – and what else is there to say or do but that? The Felice Brothers’ new album, Valley of Abandoned Songs, is a 13-song collection of recordings from sessions for the band’s 2019 album, Undress and their most recent release, 2023’s Asylum on the Hill. South of Here, the fourth full-length studio release from Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, showcases his immense talent: emotionally potent, vivid storytelling and the rugged, rhythm & blues revivalism that has powered the band to world-wide acclaim over the past decade. The Fabulous Thunderbirds, a name familiar to anyone into contemporary blues rock, release Struck Down on their 50th anniversary, featuring guest performances from Billy Gibbons, Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal, Keb’ Mo’ and Mick Fleetwood.

Our release of the week comes from the legendary Johnny Cash, who recorded an album’s worth of demos of songs special to him in early 1993, just before he met producer Rick Rubin, with whom he embarked on a prolific musical partnership that revitalised the Man in Black’s career. Some thirty years later Johnny’s son, John, rediscovered the songs and stripped them back to just Johnny’s powerful, pristine vocals and acoustic guitar, plus a hand-picked a group of musicians who had played with Johnny, to make up Songwriter.

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  • Johnny Cash  Songwriter  CD £14.99 / LP £32.99
• In early 1993, when the legendary Johnny Cash found himself between contracts, he recorded an album’s worth of demos of songs he’d written over many years at his daughter Rosanne’s studio in Nashville. Not long after the fruitful session, Johnny met producer Rick Rubin, and the recordings were shelved as the two embarked on a prolific musical partnership that revitalised the Man in Black’s career.
• Some thirty years later Johnny’s son, John, rediscovered the songs and stripped them back to just Johnny’s powerful, pristine vocals and acoustic guitar, then hand-picked a group of musicians who played with Johnny to breathe new life into the tracks that make up Songwriter.
• Note: The LP is initially available on black/white vinyl, which is exclusive to independent shops.

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  • Neil Young with Crazy Horse  Early Daze  CD £19.99 / LP £32.99 / Clear LP £34.99
• There is something so historic about the earliest recordings of Neil Young with Crazy Horse that even the most devoted fans of Young and that pivotal band cannot contain their excitement when new releases are scheduled. Early Daze collects together in one album some of the most iconic originals by Neil Young, and several with contributions by band guitarist Danny Whitten. These are recordings made by Young’s first band after the breakup of Buffalo Springfield, and set one of the high marks of rock ’n’ roll at the end of the 1960s when these songs were written. This collection includes several original versions that have not been released before.
• Note: The LP is initially available on clear vinyl, which is exclusive to physical record shops.

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  • Dirty Three  Love Changes Everything  CD £11.99 / LP £23.99
• Emerging once again from the unending waves crashing upon our fragile time-craft (adrift on the eternal ocean, and taking on water), Dirty Three – Warren Ellis, Mick Turner and Jim White – are (a) back, (b) tangled in seaweed, rank with saltwater and possessed of three rather ominous thousand-mile stares (at least!), and (c) not wasting another minute, as nothing is guaranteed. For their first album in over a decade – yep, since 2012’s Toward the Low Sun – they flew in, got together and started playing. End of story. What else is there to say or do but that? Music’s their language, their true love; they never stop listening to that. And like the label says, Love Changes Everything.

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  • The Felice Brothers  Valley of Abandoned Songs  CD £12.99 / LP £21.99
• The Felice Brothers’ new album, Valley of Abandoned Songs, is a 13-song collection of recordings from sessions primarily for the band’s 2019 album, Undress, as well as for their most recent release, 2023’s Asylum on the Hill, both of which were captured live in an 1870s church with the band’s current lineup of Ian Felice (guitar, vocals), James Felice (piano, vocals), Jeske Hume (bass), and Will Lawrence (drums).

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  • Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats  South of Here  CD £14.99 / LP £32.99
• South of Here, the fourth full-length studio release from Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, reckons with a lifetime of pain and trauma and transforms it into a stirring and soul-baring rumination on love, loss, hope and resolve. Following And It’s Still Alright, Rateliff’s beloved 2020 solo LP, and The Future, The Night Sweats’ acclaimed 2021 release, the new album blends both sides of his immense talent: emotionally potent, vivid storytelling and the rugged, rhythm & blues revivalism that has powered the band to world-wide acclaim over the past decade.
• Note: The LP is initially available on limited-edition turquoise vinyl.

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  • The Fabulous Thunderbirds  Struck Down  CD £14.99 / LP £24.99
• The Fabulous Thunderbirds is a name familiar to anyone into contemporary blues and blues rock. Now the band celebrates their 50th anniversary with the release of their first new studio album in eight years, Struck Down, which features nine original new songs co-written by Hamilton bluesman Steve Strongman and Kim Wilson plus a stellar cover of Memphis Minnie’s song ‘Nothin’ in Ramblin’. The album was produced by Kim Wilson, Steve Strongman and Glen Parrish, recorded in New Jersey and Hamilton, and mixed by Shelly Yakus (John Lennon/U2/Tom Petty). Guests include Billy Gibbons on the first single, ‘Payback Time’, and Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal, Keb’ Mo’ and Mick Fleetwood on ‘Nothing in Rambling’.

 

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Releases for 21 June 2024

The first of 21 June’s midsummer marvels is HiFi Sean & David McAlmont, whose exhilarating new album, Daylight, celebrates, expresses and explores the colours and feel of summer, with a sister album, Twilight, to be released on the first day of winter. Daryl Hall – legendary singer, pop-culture icon, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and one half of the most successful duo of all time – returns for the first time in over a decade with his new solo project, D, produced by Dave Stewart. Afraid of Tomorrows is a deeper and darker foray into The Mysterines’ psyche that reflects the maturity and growth of the band; it’s a mirror in which you see yourself stripped bare, a collage of what’s been lost and of love unbounded. Marking a new chapter in Brit Award-winning singer-songwriter Kate Nash’s illustrious career, the lyrical scope of 9 Sad Symphonies is both deeply personal and achingly relatable, while its orchestral arrangements and melodies draw from Kate’s experience in the world of musical theatre. An Hour Before It’s Dark: Live in Port Zélande 2023 is a stunning performance from last year’s Marillion weekend of their latest and most successful album, plus some fan favourites and rarities.

Our release of the week is Chasing the Light, the latest album by Jesse Malin, a man known for his heartfelt lyrics and raw energy. With his distinctive voice and introspective songwriting, Malin takes listeners on a journey through themes of love, loss and redemption on this powerful collection of songs. The live performance on the accompanying Blu-ray showcases his dynamic stage presence and ability to connect with audiences, bringing the music of the album to life in a whole new way.

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  • Jesse Malin  Chasing the Light  CD + Blu-ray £18.99 / 2-LP £34.99
• Chasing the Light is the latest album by Jesse Malin, a man known for his heartfelt lyrics and raw energy. With his distinctive voice and introspective songwriting, Malin takes listeners on a journey through themes of love, loss and redemption on this powerful collection of songs. The live performance captured on the included Blu-ray showcases Malin’s dynamic stage presence and his ability to connect with audiences, offering fans a unique and immersive experience. From intimate acoustic moments to high-energy rock anthems, this concert experience brings the music of Chasing the Light to life in a whole new way.

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  • HiFi Sean & David McAlmont  Daylight  CD £14.99 / Limited edition LP £26.99 / Limited edition LP + Flexi-disc £32.99
• HiFi Sean & David McAlmont are taking you on a journey for 2024. The twelve exhilarating songs on Daylight celebrate, express and explore the colours and feel of summer. It will be the first of two albums from the duo in 2024 with the nocturnal sister album, Twilight, to be released on the first day of winter, 1st December.
• Note: The LP is initially available on limited-edition yellow vinyl, and on limited-edition neon-orange vinyl with a bonus flexi-disc.

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  • Daryl Hall  D  CD £14.99 / LP £28.99
• Daryl Hall – legendary singer, pop-culture icon, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and one half of the most successful duo of all time – returns for the first time in over a decade with his new solo project, D. The album, including its first single, ‘Can’t Say No to You’, was produced by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics fame.
• Note: The LP is initially available on limited-edition silver vinyl.

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  • The Mysterines  Afraid of Tomorrows  CD £12.99 / LP £26.99 / Limited Edition LP £28.99
• Afraid of Tomorrows is a deeper and darker foray into The Mysterines’ psyche than its predecessor and reflects the maturity and growth of the band: Lia Metcalfe (vocals and guitar), George Favager (bass), Callum Thompson (guitar) and Paul Crilly (drums). “Afraid of Tomorrows is a mirror where you find you’re nothing more than a formless being, one made from celestial constellations – of traumas, of the old and new, mistakes, addiction, fear and happiness, loneliness, but ultimately a desire for life and the fight to keep living. It’s a collage of what’s been lost and of love unbounded,” says Lia.
• Note: The LP is initially available on limited-edition Coke-bottle clear vinyl.

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  • Kate Nash  9 Sad Symphonies  CD £14.99 / Limited Edition LP £26.99
• Marking a new chapter in Kate Nash’s illustrious career, the lyrical scope of 9 Sad Symphonies is both deeply personal and achingly relatable, while its orchestral arrangements and melodies draw from Kate’s experience in the world of musical theatre. Kate Nash is a Brit Award-winning singer-songwriter, musician and actress known for her fearless approach to music and unapologetic storytelling. A platinum-selling artist with a career spanning over a decade, she has garnered critical acclaim for her chart-topping hits and electrifying live performances.
• Note: The LP is initially available on limited-edition baby-blue vinyl.

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  • Marillion  An Hour Before It’s Dark: Live in Port Zélande 2023  2-CD £19.99 / DVD £19.99 / Blu-ray £19.99 / 3-LP £46.99
• Since 2002, Marillion have welcomed their dedicated fans every two years to a very special weekend: the Marillion weekend. On three nights, Marillion perform three different shows with different set lists consisting of full records played from start to finish, fan favourites and rarities. Fans travel from all over the world to be part of these truly amazing nights. From Friday 17 March to Sunday 19 March 2023 the Marillion weekend took place at Center Parcs, Port Zélande, The Netherlands. On Saturday night Marillion performed their latest and most successful album, An Hour Before It’s Dark. With their imposing live show containing stunning projections and laser effects, Marillion once again proved to be one of the leading audio-visual musicians of the present time.

 

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Releases for 14 June 2024

The first of 14 June’s soaraway six is Midnight Butterflies, an uncompromising record from Sea Girls for fans of indie guitar music who are not afraid of big hooks and massive choruses. Rock ’n’ Roll Star! contains a wealth of material that charts David Bowie’s journey to the creation of the Ziggy Stardust character, from early home demos to radio sessions, live performances and studio outtakes. The Decemberists refine their distinctive brand of hyper-literate folk-rock on their first new album in six years, As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again, whose empathetic, accessible songs act like semaphores of mutual recognition for our fraught times. Black Country Communion is a powerhouse supergroup fusing the incredible talents of Glenn Hughes, Joe Bonamassa, Jason Bonham and Derek Sherinian, whose latest album, V, showcases their earth-shattering heavy blues-rock. Isobel Campbell spreads her net wide on Bow to Love, a soft-spun yet sharp-edged set of reflections on modern crises that doesn’t stop at diagnosing the problems: it goes further to ask how we might progress from our tense, conflicted times.

Our release of the week is The Art of the Lie, the most opulent, cinematic and luxurious record yet from John Grant and one that confirms his status as a modern electronic auteur. The musical flavours of the album echo the sumptuous Vangelis soundtrack for Bladerunner, or to The Carpenters if John Carpenter were also a member, and the songs nestle humour into tragedy, bleeding anger into compassion.

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  • John Grant  The Art of the Lie  CD £11.99 / LP £26.99 / Limited edition LP £28.99
• John Grant’s sixth album is his most opulent, cinematic and luxurious record yet and confirms his status as a modern electronic auteur. Grant likens the musical flavours of The Art of the Lie to the sumptuous Vangelis soundtrack for Bladerunner, or to The Carpenters if John Carpenter were also a member. While undeniably a John Grant record, nestling humour into tragedy, bleeding anger into compassion, there is a musical ambition and nerve to The Art of the Lie which offsets its most political and personal moments.
• Note: The LP is initially available on limited-edition pink vinyl.

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  • Sea Girls  Midnight Butterflies  CD £10.99 / Cassette £8.99 / LP £21.99 / Independent shops exclusive LP £25.99
• Since roaring onto the scene four short years ago, Sea Girls have cemented themselves a reputation as one of British indie’s most consistent and successful bands. Their immediacy and carefree attitude are the driving motivations of their superb new release, Midnight Butterflies, a record for fans of guitar music who are not afraid of big hooks and massive choruses. The result is their first album without compromise, reflecting the joy and energy they brought to the scene with their debut, Open Up Your Head, and with hit songs like ‘Call Me Out’ and ‘All I Want to Hear You Say’.
• Note: The LP is initially available on petrol green vinyl, exclusive to independent shops.

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  • David Bowie  Rock ’n’ Roll Star!  5-CD + Blu-ray Boxset £154.99 / LP £26.99
• Rock ’n’ Roll Star!contains a wealth of material that charts David Bowie’s journey to the creation of the Ziggy Stardust character. Starting with early home demos, the collection moves through radio sessions and live performances to session recordings, outtakes and alternate versions from the recording of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. The LP half-speed master that accompanies the 5-CD + Blu-ray version features alternative takes and mixes including an alternative version of ‘Lady Stardust’, a previously unheard version of the deep-cut classic ‘Shadow Man’ and an up-tempo take of The Who’s ‘I Can’t Explain’, which he would later slow down and cover for the Pinups album.

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  • The Decemberists  As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again  CD £14.99 / 2-LP £32.99
• For over 20 years, The Decemberists have been one of the most original, daring and thrilling American rock bands. Their distinctive brand of hyper-literate folk-rock set them apart from the start, since when they have released nine full-length albums that are unbound by genre and highly ambitious. Now the beloved indie band is back with their first new album in six years, As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again – not only the longest Decemberists album to date (and their first intentional, proper double LP) but also their most empathetic and accessible, its 13 songs like semaphores of mutual recognition for our fraught times and faint hope.
• Note: The LP is initially available on fruit punch vinyl, exclusive to independent shops.

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  • Black Country Communion  V  CD £14.99 / 2-LP £36.99
• Black Country Communion is a powerhouse supergroup fusing the incredible talents of Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Trapeze), blues-rock legend Joe Bonamassa, Jason Bonham (Led Zeppelin, Sammy Hagar and the Circle, Foreigner) and Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Sons of Apollo), whose brand of earth-shattering rock is heavily influenced by both classic British and American hard-rock and blues-rock music. The reputation they’ve cultivated over 15 years – not only as amazing songwriters but as a powerful live act – is exceeded only by dedication to their craft and a willingness to challenge each other to make the best music imaginable. Their latest album, V, is a worthy addition to the canon.
• Note: The LP is initially available on blue splatter vinyl.

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  • Isobel Campbell  Bow to Love  CD £14.99 / LP £25.99
• Isobel Campbell is no stranger to navigating turmoil. In 2020, she re-emerged after a decade of label trouble with There Is No Other, a gem of subtly questing psychedelic folk. Four years on, Campbell spreads her net wider on Bow to Love, a soft-spun yet sharp-edged set of reflections on modern crises that doesn’t stop at diagnosing the problems: it goes further to ask how we might progress from our tense, conflicted times.
• Note: The LP is initially available on limited-edition yellow vinyl.

 

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Releases for 7 June 2024

The first of 31 May’s super six is Eels Time!, which consists of twelve brand-new tracks created by Eels with collaborators such as Koool G Murder, The Chet, Tyson Ritter, Sean Coleman and more. Forever, the 16th studio album from one of history’s most iconic bands, Bon Jovi, is “a return to joy – from the writing, through the recording process, this is turn-up-the-volume, feel-good Bon Jovi.” Almost 20 years since Seasick Steve shot to fame after appearing on Jools Holland’s Hootenanny, he releases A Trip a Stumble a Fall Down on Your Knees, the piece of work he’s most proud of. Chart-topping British blues-rocker Joanne Shaw Taylor effortlessly demonstrates her guitar wizardry and songwriting prowess on Heavy Soul, which reaffirms her reputation as a musical powerhouse and an iconic guitarist of her generation. Goat Girl’s third album, Below the Waste, explores the relationship between tension and resolution in music, and honesty and authenticity in relationships, and was recorded at a number of locations including Dublin, Damon Alban’s Studio 13, a barn in Essex and Goat Girl’s own studio in south London.

Our release of the week comes from Bonny Light Horseman, who have lived a big ol’ messy, tangled-up pile of life, and this permeates their music with wisdom, humour and depth. Their new album, Keep Me on Your Mind/See You Free, is an ode to the blessed mess of our humanity. Confident and generous, Bonny Light Horseman’s most vulnerable, unvarnished and bounteous offering to date puts every feeling and supposed flaw out in the open.

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  • Bonny Light Horseman  Keep Me on Your Mind / See You Free  CD £12.99 / 2-LP £32.99 / Independent shops exclusive 2-LP £34.99
• Bonny Light Horseman have lived a big ol’ messy, tangled-up pile of life, and this permeates their music with wisdom, humour and depth. Theirs is the stuff of folk music: love and loss, hope and sorrow, community and family, change and time. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the force of their voices together, which work with complete trust in one another through the gentlest moments and the most ruthless wails. Their new album, Keep Me on Your Mind/See You Free, is an ode to the blessed mess of our humanity. Confident and generous, Bonny Light Horseman’s most vulnerable, unvarnished and bounteous offering to date puts every feeling and supposed flaw out in the open.
• Note: The LP is initially available on blue/pink vinyl, exclusive to independent shops.

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  • Eels  Eels Time!  CD £11.99 / Limited Edition LP £24.99
• Recorded between Los Feliz, California and Dublin, Eels Time! consists of twelve brand-new tracks created with collaborators such as Koool G Murder, The Chet, Tyson Ritter, Sean Coleman and more. Eels Time! follows a busy year for the band, in which they finally hit the road for their long-awaited Lockdown Hurricane tour of Europe and North America, and was helmed by Eels’ principal singer-songwriter Mark Oliver Everett.
• Note: The LP is initially available on limited-edition neon pink vinyl.

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  • Bon Jovi  Forever  CD £16.99 / 2-LP £28.99 / Exclusive 2-LP £32.99
• Forever, the 16th studio album from one of history’s most iconic bands, Bon Jovi, features 12 new songs, including the hit lead single, ‘Legendary’. Of the album, Jon Bon Jovi said: “This record is a return to joy. From the writing, through the recording process, this is turn-up-the-volume, feel-good Bon Jovi.”
• Note: The LP is initially available on candy apple/translucent vinyl, exclusive to physical record shops.

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  • Seasick Steve  A Trip a Stumble a Fall Down on Your Knees  CD £15.99 / LP £32.99 / Independent shops exclusive LP £28.99
• It’s been almost 20 years since Seasick Steve’s celebrated appearance on Jools Holland’s Hootenanny launched the unknown American singer-songwriter to worldwide fame, and his beat-up three-string Japanese guitar and old wooden stompbox became part of musical history. Of his new record, A Trip a Stumble a Fall Down on Your Knees, he says: “This album was made by mistake, as the title suggests we just tripped and stumbled into it, and it became my favourite album ever and the piece of work I’m most proud of. There’s not a week goes by that I don’t thank my lucky stars for that night on the Hootenanny which has brought us here to this record.”
• Note: The LP is initially available on yellow vinyl as well as on toffee vinyl, exclusive to independent shops.

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  • Joanne Shaw Taylor  Heavy Soul  CD £14.99 / LP £22.99
• Chart-topping British blues-rocker Joanne Shaw Taylor returns with her eagerly anticipated 9th studio album, Heavy Soul. Following 2022’s universally praised Nobody’s Fool, Joanne yet again effortlessly demonstrates her blues-rock wizardry as well her ever-evolving skills as a singer-songwriter. Heavy Soul highlights Joanne’s guitar prowess and instantly recognisable, smoky yet sultry vocals across seven brand-new original tracks plus three captivating covers of songs by Van Morrison, Joan Armatrading and Joe Simon. Here, Shaw Taylor once again reaffirms her reputation as a powerhouse modern blues-rock musician and an iconic musician of her generation.
• Note: The LP is initially available on limited-edition violet vinyl.

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  • Goat Girl  Below the Waste  CD £11.99 / LP £23.99 / Red LP £24.99
• Goat Girl’s third album, Below the Waste, explores the relationship between tension and resolution in music, and honesty and authenticity in relationships. The album was pieced together like a collage over an extended period of time, with the instrumentation tracked mostly over a ten-day stint at Hellfire Studios in Ireland, in the shadow of the infamous Hellfire Club itself. They also used Damon Alban’s Studio 13. Additional strings, woodwind instruments and vocals – including a choir made up of family and friends – were added to this framework at a number of locations, from a barn in Essex to Goat Girl’s own studio in South London.
• Note: The LP is initially available on red vinyl, exclusive to independent shops.

 

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Releases for 31 May 2024

The first of this week’s sparklers is Gravity Stairs, the eighth album from Crowded House, on which they prove to be as sharp as ever, feeling musically adventurous and still capable of reaching the staggering highs that have made them an international favourite over four decades. Richard Thompson revisits his own musical roots on Ship to Shore, employing them in the service of fashioning a deep and diverse 12-track collection that pulls from various styles, genres and eras, but remains unmistakably Richard Thompson. Arooj Aftab explores, entirely in her own voice and through her own story, the multi-faceted, bold and fascinating realm that comes to life after dark in Night Reign, whether it be falling in love, solitude and introspection or being annoyed at a forced social gathering. Bat For Lashes’ new album The Dream of Delphi was created when Natasha Khan gave birth to her daughter Delphi during the Covid-19 pandemic, documenting the polarity of navigating an exterior world that was seemingly turning upside down while experiencing the profoundly personal and transformational early moments of motherhood. Good Grief is the first new solo album in 25 years from songwriter and producer Bernard Butler, during which he has ventured into the world of pop songwriting and producing, including two seminal albums with folk musician Sam Lee, a Mercury-nominated project with actor Jessie Buckley plus an eight-million-selling, Grammy-winning record with Duffy, as well as working with Bert Jansch, Ben Watt (Everything But the Girl), The Libertines and Tricky.

The 12 outstanding songs on In This City They Call You Love include some of the finest ballads Richard Hawley has ever written, which can be described as ‘vintage Hawley’. Gorgeous melodies and arrangements are accompanied by Hawley’s emotive and sonorous voice, which sounds better than ever, making this a crowning moment in a hugely successful recording career of almost 25 years.

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  • Richard Hawley  In This City They Call You Love  CD £12.99 / LP £24.99 / Blue LP £26.99
• The 12 outstanding songs on In This City They Call You Love include some of the finest ballads Richard Hawley has ever written, which can be described as ‘vintage Hawley’. Gorgeous melodies and arrangements are accompanied by Hawley’s emotive and sonorous voice, which sounds better than ever, making this a crowning moment in a hugely successful recording career of almost 25 years.
• Note: The LP is initially available on transparent blue vinyl, exclusive to physical record shops.

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  • Crowded House  Gravity Stairs  CD £13.99 / LP £26.99
• For more than four decades, Crowded House’s leader Neil Finn has been on an evolving, winding journey. That creative spirit brings Finn and his bandmates to Gravity Stairs, their first new album since 2021’s Dreamers Are Waiting and their eighth overall. Produced by the band with Steven Schram, the album shows Crowded House’s current incarnation – Finn, Nick Seymour, Mitchell Froom, and Finn’s sons Elroy and Liam – to be as sharp as ever, feeling musically adventurous and still capable of reaching the staggering highs that have made them an international favourite. It’s the act of climbing those figurative ‘gravity stairs’, inspired by a heavy stone staircase near where Finn holidays, that he likens to his own mindset as a creator.
• Note: The LP is initially available on cloudy blue vinyl.

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  • Richard Thompson  Ship to Shore  CD £14.99 / LP £31.99
• When Richard Thompson began writing songs for his latest album, Ship to Shore, he was instinctively drawn to his own musical roots, employing them in the service of fashioning a deep and diverse 12-track collection that pulls from various styles, genres and eras, but remains unmistakably Richard Thompson. There’s the rumbling, Motown-style rhythm that propels ‘Trust’, and the straightforward riff-rock of ‘Turnstile Casanova’. The drone-y ‘The Old Pack Mule’, an “old man’s song” that takes musical cues from 1600s-era European music, and ‘Life’s a Bloody Show’, an ode to “snake-oil salesmen and hucksters” that floats on a glammy, cabaret-like melody that’s “almost like a parody of a Noel Coward song, or something from Berlin in the 1920s,” as Thompson says.
• Note: Copies of the CD and LP (pressed on marbled yellow vinyl) are initially available signed by Richard, exclusive to independent shops.

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  • Arooj Aftab  Night Reign  CD £15.99 / LP £28.99
• Arooj Aftab makes the night the focus of her latest nine-song collection. Entirely in her own voice and through her own story, she delves into the multi-faceted, bold and fascinating realm that comes to life after dark. Some nights are for falling in love, some are for solitude and introspection, some are for being annoyed at a forced social gathering – and so go the stories of Night Reign. The album features new friends like Cautious Clay shredding on flute, Moor Mother echoing Aftab’s sentiment of how cruel the world is, and Chocolate Genius aka Marc Anthony Thompson lending his tender sensibilities to a song about being grounded. Long-time collaborators Petros Klampanis and Maeve Gilchrist also continue their musical partnership as core members of Arooj’s musical family. The resulting new music again showcases Aftab’s striking ability to build a thing of beauty from distinct elements.
• Note: The LP is initially available on silver vinyl, exclusive to independent shops.

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  • Bat For Lashes  The Dream of Delphi  CD £14.99 / LP £28.99
• Bat For Lashes’ new album The Dream of Delphi is an ode to motherhood created in LA, Natasha Khan’s second home, during the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s a sonic archive of a time when Natasha gave birth to her daughter Delphi – named after the site of the Greek oracle, the ancient future-teller. The record weaves together ten song-poems, documenting the polarity of navigating an exterior world that was seemingly turning upside down while experiencing the profoundly personal and transformational early moments of mothering Delphi. The music became Natasha’s sanctuary, born out of stolen trips to the studio, where each track was improvised and completed in a few hours and chronicles her diary-like offerings over a period of two years.
• Note: The LP is initially available on red vinyl, exclusive to independent shops.

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  • Bernard Butler  Good Grief  CD £14.99 / LP £24.99 / Silver LP £25.99
• Good Grief is the first new solo album in 25 years from songwriter and producer Bernard Butler. Between then and now, Butler has ventured into the world of pop songwriting and producing, including two seminal albums with folk musician Sam Lee, a Mercury-nominated project with actor Jessie Buckley plus an eight-million-selling, Grammy-winning record with Duffy, as well as working with Bert Jansch, Ben Watt (Everything But the Girl), The Libertines and Tricky. Of returning to solo work after two and a half decades, Butler says: “For a good while I was scarred and I was scared. I was happily distracted and joyously involved with so much music. I realised just being there was more than I had ever hoped for.”
• Note: The LP is initially available on silver vinyl, exclusive to independent shops. The first few copies of both black and silver versions will include a signed insert.

 

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Releases for 24 May 2024

The first of 24 May’s smashers comes from John Peel favourites Billy Mahonie, whose original late-’90s line-up has reformed for Field of Heads, once again putting the rock into post-rock. Brighton-based singer-songwriter Bess Atwell has teamed up with Aaron Dessner of The National for Light Sleeper, and the result finds a new-found rawness in her voice, and a new depth of feeling. Blue Electric Light, the latest studio album by Lenny Kravitz, is an impassioned suite of songs that is timeless, explosive, romantic and inspiring and a testament to the talent of the man. Frog in Boiling Water is a collection of snapshots by DIIV that explores the brutal realities of end-stage capitalism and overwhelming technological advance with unusual sensitivity and depth of purpose. And David Bowie’s classic Diamond Dogs, with apocalyptic themes inspired by George Orwell’s 1984, gets a loving half-speed remastering for its 40th anniversary.

Our release of the week is a future classic. Few artists possess the enduring influence and innovative spirit of Paul Weller, who has always demonstrated an unwavering commitment to pushing artistic boundaries while staying true to his roots. 66 promises to be no exception, offering a captivating journey through his continuing musical evolution.

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  • Paul Weller  66  CD £14.99 / Deluxe 2-CD £19.99 / LP £32.99
• 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 roots. 66 promises to be no exception, offering a captivating journey through his continuing musical evolution. This is quite a reflective and inward-thinking album that pulls back the camera lens and shines a light on the way Weller’s creativity interacts with his wider world. Continually finding new ways to alchemise the miracle of living and the meaning of it all, he draws on.
• Note: The LP is initially available on blue vinyl, exclusive to physical record shops.

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  • Billy Mahonie  Field of Heads  CD £14.99 / LP £26.99
• Formed in the first wave of British post-rock in the late ’90s alongside the likes of Mogwai, John Peel favourites Billy Mahonie return with Field of Heads, the first new music from their original line-up in some twenty-four years. Billy Mahonie always crafted their intricate music with memorable hooks and melodies and performed it with energy and gusto, and their 1999 debut album The Big Dig is considered a classic of the post-rock genre. Theirs was not an aimless, meandering sound; instead, the songs and attitude were rooted in punk rock, and still are. Billy Mahonie put the rock into post-rock.
• Note: The LP is initially available on blue vinyl, exclusive to independent shops.

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  • Bess Atwell  Light Sleeper  CD £10.99 / LP £24.99
• “You called yourself broken, but that’s just what people are, that’s how the light gets in,” sings Bess Atwell in the opening moments of Light Sleeper, before gentle hums of strings and shuffling snares make way for the Brighton-based singer-songwriter’s voice at full pelt, singing with a new-found rawness. “Light Sleeper is about the willingness to feel,” she explains. “Somewhere along the line I had become very afraid of feeling.” A huge part of this exploratory new era was Aaron Dessner of The National, who produced the album. His isolated cabin studio Long Pond, in Hudson Valley, New York, was once Bess’s desktop background, never imagining she would end up star-gazing on its veranda and noodling away on the same instruments used by her heroes, not to mention a certain world-conquering pop star …
• Note: The LP is initially available on transparent pink vinyl, exclusive to independent shops.

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  • Lenny Kravitz  Blue Electric Light  CD £12.99 / Deluxe CD £16.99 / 2-LP £29.99 / Independent Shops Exclusive 2-LP £33.99
• Timeless. Explosive. Romantic. Inspiring. How else to characterize Blue Electric Light, the 12th studio album by Lenny Kravitz? Kravitz’s mastery of deep-soul rock’n’roll is a long-established fact. As a relentless creative force – musician, writer, producer, actor, author, designer – he continues to be a global dynamic presence throughout music, art and culture. Blue Electric Light is an impassioned suite of songs that broadens this distinction and is the latest contribution of a man whose music – not to mention his singular style – continues to inspire millions all over the world. On the album, Kravitz’s talents as a writer, producer and multi-instrumentalist resonate as he wrote and played most of the instruments himself, with longtime guitarist Craig Ross.
• Note: The LP is initially available on blue/magenta vinyl, exclusive to independent shops.

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  • DIIV  Frog in Boiling Water  CD £14.99 / LP £32.99
• Frog in Boiling Water, the fourth album by DIIV (pronounced Dive), is a collection of snapshots that explores the brutal realities of end-stage capitalism and overwhelming technological advance. Across 10 dark and dazzling tracks, produced by Chris Coady, DIIV documents the collapse from various angles with unusual sensitivity and depth of purpose while expanding their grand, hypnotic shoegaze to create a transportive, sensual work of hope, beauty and renewal.
• Note: The LP is initially available on spring green vinyl, exclusive to independent shops.

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  • David Bowie  Diamond Dogs (50th Anniversary)  LP £32.99 / Picture Disc LP £39.99
• After George Orwell’s widow refused David Bowie the right to use ‘1984’ as the title of his forthcoming album, he instead used the novel as a conceptual blueprint for what became Diamond Dogs. Accompanied only by keyboardist Mike Garson, bassist Herbie Flowers and drummers Aynsley Dunbar and Tony Newman, Bowie played guitar, sax, Moog and mellotron in addition to his contributions as vocalist, composer, arranger and producer of the album. With the Orwellian themes as a loose backdrop, Diamond Dogs has much of the apocalyptic sense of future-shock that informed Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
• Note: This classic album has been half-speed remastered for its 40th anniversary.

 

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Releases for 17 May 2024

The first of 17 May’s soaraway six is Lives Outgrown, the debut solo album from Portishead frontwoman Beth Gibbons and her most personal work to date, the result of a period of sustained reflection and change – ‘lots of goodbyes’, in Beth’s words. To All Trains is Shellac’s sixth studio album – their first in ten years, recorded between 2017 and 2022 – and is released just after the untimely death of leader Steve Albini. The Lovely Eggs return after a four-year break with Eggsistentialism, which explores a far more personal, introspective and reflective side to the Eggs, and sees them explore new sounds and experiment in unventured musical territories. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Cult, Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy have recompiled the tracks recorded in 1983 by the short-lived earlier incarnation Death Cult for a new release titled Paradise Now, cataloguing the genesis of a musical partnership that has endured for 40 years and counting.

Our release of the week comes from Michael Head, ‘our greatest living songwriter’, who vividly recalls 62 years of music, loves, losses, long summer days and longer, darker nights as he and The Red Elastic Band play out flickering scenes from his life in twelve evocative and autobiographical songs on their new album, Loophole.

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  • Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band  Loophole  CD £12.99 / LP £25.99 / Blue LP £26.99
• Michael Head, ‘our greatest living songwriter’, vividly recalls 62 years of music, loves, losses, long summer days and longer, darker nights as he and The Red Elastic Band play out flickering scenes from his life on new album, Loophole. Twelve evocative and autobiographical songs will be accompanied by the written word as Michael Head prepares his memoirs for release.
• Note: The LP is initially available on blue vinyl, exclusive to physical record shops.

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  • Beth Gibbons  Lives Outgrown  CD £11.99 / Deluxe CD £14.99 / LP £24.99 / Deluxe LP £31.99
• Lives Outgrown, the debut solo album from Portishead frontwoman Beth Gibbons, 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 measure, Beth’s most personal work to date, the result of a period of sustained reflection and change – ‘lots of goodbyes’, in Beth’s words. Farewells to family, to friends, even to her former self. These are songs from the mid-course of life, when looking ahead no longer yields what it used to, and looking back has a sudden, sharper focus.

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  • Shellac  To All Trains  CD £16.99 / LP £32.99
• To All Trains is Shellac’s sixth studio album – their first in ten years – and is released just after the untimely death of leader Steve Albini. Recording and mixing took place at Electrical Audio in Chicago over a bunch of long weekends in November 2017, October 2019, September 2021 and March 2022. The record was mastered by Albini with Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service. The LPs are being manufactured by Green Vinyl Records using 100% recyclable PET and is environmentally friendly, containing no PVC or phthalates. The process also uses 79% less CO₂ than conventional hydraulic PVC vinyl presses.

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  • The Lovely Eggs  Eggsistentialism  CD £14.99 / Green LP £24.99 / Splatter LP £26.99
• The Lovely Eggs return after a four-year break since I Am Moron with a new album, Eggsistentialism. During that time they have made their own TV show, Eggs TV (featuring Ian McKaye, Stewart Lee, Katie Puckrik, Maxine Peake, David Shrigley and more), duetted with Iggy Pop, played a load of sold-out gigs and festivals and fought a campaign to save Lancaster Music Co-op (a community rehearsal rooms and recording studio where they live). The album was recorded at home in Lancaster, with production advice from Dave Fridmann, and mixed at Tarbox Road Studios, New York, by Dave Fridmann and the band. As the title suggests, Eggsistentialism explores a far more personal, introspective and reflective side to the world of The Lovely Eggs and sees the Eggs explore new sounds and experiment in unventured musical territories.
• Note: The LP is initially available both on mint-green vinyl and also on splatter vinyl, exclusive to independent shops.

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  • Death Cult  Paradise Now  LP £32.99
• In 2023, Death Cult returned and reunited for a handful of performances. In 2024, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Cult, Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy have curated the previously released collection Ghost Dance and recompiled the tracks for a new release titled Paradise Now. Southern Death Cult formed in 1981, releasing their sole, self-titled album posthumously in 1983. That same year, Death Cult formed, with Astbury joining forces with Duffy for a musical partnership that has endured for 40 years and counting.
• Note: The LP is initially available on crystal clear vinyl with a white-and-black splatter.

 

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Releases for 10 May 2024

The first of 10 May’s musical marvels finds Kings of Leon coming back big with Can We Please Have Fun, harking back to their gritty origins while simultaneously finding new gears, and having a lot of fun along the way. The impossible-to-pigeonhole Josienne Clarke has redefined herself in the present on Parenthesis, I with a body of work that is shimmering, warm, intimate and, at times, profoundly heart-wrenching. The windswept, rain-soaked moors of Keeley Forsyth’s adopted Yorkshire home inhabit The Hollow: she had a sound in her head that hovered above her but was nonetheless inevitably tethered to the soil. Arab Strap return with the wonderfully titled “I’m totally fine with it 👍 don’t give a fuck anymore 👍”, a fierce testament to the band’s transformation from swooning, slow-core romantics to raging alt-pop chroniclers. And finally Keane’s classic album Hopes and Fears, full of soaring and romantic songs, receives a limited-edition 20th-anniversary reissue, remastered on bespoke galaxy-effect vinyl and housed in updated artwork.

Our release of the week is That Golden Time from Dublin’s Villagers. After the band-centred sessions of Fever Dreams, the intimate, solo-centric core of the new album is the most vulnerable material that Conor O’Brien has created: played and recorded alone by him in in his apartment, only inviting others into the process right at the end.

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  • Villagers  That Golden Time  CD £11.99 / LP £24.99 / Gold LP £25.99
• Following the kaleidoscopic adventure of Villagers’ fifth album, Fever Dreams, award-winning Dublin singer-songwriter-instrumentalist-dramatist Conor O’Brien returns with the intimate That Golden Time. After the band-centred sessions of its predecessor, the solo-centric core of the new album was not forced on O’Brien by lockdown. “For me, That Golden Time has an internalised voice, so much so that I almost found it impossible to let anyone else in,” he says. “It’s probably the most vulnerable album I’ve made. I played and recorded everything in my apartment, and finally, towards the end, invited people in.”
• Note: The LP is initially available on gold vinyl, exclusive to independent shops.

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  • Kings of Leon  Can We Please Have Fun  CD £15.99 / LP £28.99 / Red LP £32.99
• Grammy award-winning, multi-platinum rock band Kings of Leon are coming back big with their 9th full-length studio album, Can We Please Have Fun. As the title suggests, it’s a document of one of this era’s great rock & roll bands cutting loose, trying new things, and, yes, having some fun. Recorded at Dark Horse Studio and produced with new collaborator Kid Harpoon (Harry Styles, Florence + the Machine), the album sees a new side of Kings of Leon. On the new album, the band harks back to their gritty origins while simultaneously finding new gears. It’s the sound of a band unified in vision and purpose, freed from any expectations, and the album the band says they’ve always wanted to make.
• Note: The LP is initially available on red apple vinyl, exclusive to independent shops.

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  • Josienne Clarke  Parenthesis, I  CD £14.99 / LP £31.99
• Josienne Clarke has not only embraced her past on Parenthesis, I but has also redefined herself in the present with a body of work that is shimmering, warm, intimate and, at times, profoundly heart-wrenching. Throughout her career, Clarke has been both a Rough Trade-signed artist and a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award-winner, two opposing poles that neatly sum up the impossibility of pigeon-holing her music. Parenthesis, I is a masterful journey through her personal and musical evolution, drawing influence from folk greats such as Nick Drake and Sandy Denny as well as more contemporary artists like Julia Jacklin, Courtney Marie Andrews, Anaïs Mitchell and Lucy Dacus.

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  • Keeley Forsyth  The Hollow  CD £12.99 / LP £24.99
• The wilds of Keeley Forsyth’s adopted home in the north of England seem to inhabit The Hollow, her third record. An often bleak and foreboding landscape surrounds the Yorkshire town in which Forsyth resides. The moors, on clear days, visible from her home studio window, impact upon a music that often feels made of these places. Windswept, rain-soaked and blinking through the low-lit landscape, it is here through the gloaming mist that the storm breaks and the fox tears at the throat as the red kites circle to scavenge whatever’s left. “There was a sound I had in my head. One to reach, that hovers above and is slightly less grounded. But a sound and feeling that nonetheless is inevitably tethered to the soil.”

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  • Arab Strap  “I’m totally fine with it 👍 don’t give a fuck anymore 👍”  CD £11.99 / LP £24.99 / Yellow LP £26.99
• Following their critically acclaimed UK Top 20 album As Days Get Dark, Arab Strap return with their second long-player for Mogwai’s Rock Action Records, the wonderfully titled “I’m totally fine with it 👍 don’t give a fuck anymore 👍”. Almost 28 years after their debut, Arab Strap have never sounded more essential, and this new record is a fierce testament to their laser focus on wider horizons. Written and performed exclusively by Malcolm Middleton and Aidan Moffat, and finessed with long-time collaborator Paul Savage, the album furthers the band’s transformation from swooning, slow-core romantics to raging alt-pop chroniclers.
• Note: The LP is initially available on yellow vinyl, exclusive to independent shops.

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  • Keane  Hopes and Fears (20th Anniversary)  Limited edition LP £28.99
• Keane’s classic album Hopes and Fears receives a limited-edition 20th-anniversary reissue, remastered on bespoke galaxy-effect vinyl and housed in updated artwork. The album is full of soaring and romantic songs like ‘Everybody’s Changing’ and ‘Somewhere Only We Know’. Tim Rice-Oxley’s piano stylings range from Ben Folds on ‘Can’t Stop Now’ to Chris Martin on ‘Your Eyes Open’, never leaning too heavily in one direction and ultimately providing the musical backbone over which Tom Chaplin’s voice is allowed to sweep and soar.

 

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Releases for 3 May 2024

We kick off 24 April’s smokin’ six with The Red Clay Strays, who are being hailed as one of the most exciting bands currently breaking through with their incendiary chemistry on stage and eclectic rock’n’roll sound, and whose debut album, Moment of Truth, has become a massive word-of-mouth success. Frank Turner’s new album, Undefeated, is about survival and defiance, but also with a sense of fun and self-deprecation fired by his feelings of being both fortunate and proud to be in his position, 19 years into his solo career, along with a new sense of energy and liberation. Funeral for Justice, the new album by Mdou Moctar, captures the Nigerien quartet in ferocious form: the music louder, faster and more wild, with feedback-scorched guitar solos and passionately political lyrics that speak unflinchingly to the plight of Niger and of the Tuareg people. Jazz giant Kamasi Washington has shifted focus from the cosmic and existential to the physical and immediate on Fearless Movement, which he calls his dance album, helped as usual by a host of collaborators new and old, including André 3000 on flute and the voice of George Clinton. Penny Arcade (James Hoare) returned from London to the secret coves and vast weather-beaten moors of the west country he grew up in, and the eleven intimate and solitary songs on Backwater Collage recall Jack Name or Syd Barrett – only less psychedelic.

Our release of the week is Fragile as Humans, on which Emily Barker turns her lyrical gaze inwards with a deep dive into the human condition: an unflinching self-examination of grief, pain, loneliness and loss, at the same time sparkling with hope and optimism.

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  • Emily Barker  Fragile as Humans  CD £14.99 / LP £23.99
• On her new album, Fragile as Humans – written and recorded as her time living in the UK was coming to a close – Emily Barker turns her lyrical gaze inwards. The expansive themes of her previous album, A Dark Murmuration of Words, are replaced by an empathetic concern for matters more personal, familial, closer to home. The ten songs take us on a deep dive into the human condition: an unflinching self-examination of grief, pain, loneliness and loss, at the same time sparkling with hope and optimism. As Emily writes in the album’s pivotal title track, we live lives of complexity, grappling with loneliness and disconnection, searching for compassion, connection and community – we are all “fragile as humans and made of who we love”.
• Note: The LP is initially available on magenta vinyl, exclusive to independent shops.

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  • The Red Clay Strays  Moment of Truth  CD £12.99 / LP £23.99
• Hailing from the red-clay dirt of Mobile, Alabama, The Red Clay Strays have spent the past year trailblazing their musical path across the USA. Their debut album, Moment of Truth, has become a massive word-of-mouth success Stateside, driven by the breakout hit single ‘Wondering Why’. With their incendiary chemistry on stage and eclectic rock’n’roll sound, they’re being hailed as one of the most exciting bands to break through in 2024. The band’s hugely charismatic lead vocalist and guitarist Brandon Coleman – blessed with film-star good looks and the soulful vocals of a gospel confessional – becomes possessed on stage with the power of a Southern fire-and-brimstone preacher. It’s no wonder that he’s capturing hearts and souls wherever the band perform.
• Note: The LP is initially available on limited-edition ‘seagrass’ vinyl and also on ‘root beer’ vinyl, exclusive to independent shops.

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  • Frank Turner  Undefeated  CD £14.99 / Deluxe CD £16.99 / LP £22.99 / Purple LP £24.99
• ‘Do One’, the opening song on Frank Turner’s new album, Undefeated, and its first single, is the song he wrote last of all. So it’s a summation of what he’s trying to say with this record: a record about survival and defiance, but also one with a sense of fun and self-deprecation. Undefeated is Frank’s tenth solo studio album, and it’s fired by feelings of being both fortunate and proud to be in that position, and a new sense of energy and liberation 19 years into his solo career. It feels like a new chapter for him – after the pandemic, back in the independent world, the new line-up of the Sleeping Souls, and a slightly bewildered sense of gratitude that he’s still standing, that he still has something to say.
• Note: The LP is initially available on purple vinyl, which is exclusive to physical record shops.

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  • Mdou Moctar  Funeral for Justice  CD £11.99 / LP £23.99 / Red LP £24.99
• Funeral for Justice, the new album by Mdou Moctar, was recorded after two years spent touring the globe following the release of 2021’s breakout album Afrique Victime. The new album captures the Nigerien quartet in ferocious form: the music louder, faster and more wild. The guitar solos are feedback-scorched and the lyrics are passionately political. Nothing is held back or toned down. The songs on Funeral for Justice speak unflinchingly to the plight of Niger and of the Tuareg people. “This album is really different for me,” explains Moctar, the band’s singer, namesake, and indisputably iconic guitarist. “Now the problems of terrorist violence are more serious in Africa. When the US and Europe came here, they said they’re going to help us, but what we see is really different. They never help us to find a solution.”
• Note: The LP is initially available on red vinyl, exclusive to independent shops.

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  • Kamasi Washington  Fearless Movement  2-CD £14.99 / 2-LP £31.99 / Independent shops exclusive 2-LP £34.99
• Kamasi Washington calls Fearless Movement his dance album. “It’s not literal,” he says. “Dance is movement and expression, and in a way it’s the same thing as music – expressing your spirit through your body. That’s what this album is pushing.” This signals a shift in focus for Washington: where previous albums dealt with cosmic ideas and existential concepts, Fearless Movement focuses in on the everyday, an exploration of life on earth. This change in scope is due in large part to the birth of Washington’s first child a few years ago. The album features Washington’s daughter – who wrote the melody to ‘Asha the First’ during some of her first experimentations on the piano – as well as a host of collaborators new and old: André 3000 appears on flute and George Clinton lends his voice, as do BJ The Chicago Kid, Inglewood rapper D-Smoke and Taj and Ras Austin of Coast Contra, the twin sons of West Coast legend Ras Kass. Washington further enlisted lifelong friends and collaborators Thundercat, Terrace Martin, Patrice Quinn, Brandon Coleman, DJ Battlecat and more.
• Note: The LP is initially available on red/blue vinyl, exclusive to independent shops.

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  • Penny Arcade  Backwater Collage  CD £17.99 / LP £32.99
• Hailing from a place of ancient mariners’ secret coves and vast moors beaten by the wind and rain, Backwater Collage is the first solo album from James Hoare (Veronica Falls, The Proper Ornaments and Ultimate Painting) under the name of Penny Arcade. Having left London to return to the west country he grew up in, he is no stranger to the scene; he has been wandering around as if awakened from a long, not-so-peaceful sleep for some time now. The eleven intimate and solitary songs which make up this dreamy, hand-stitched album – delivered in the greatest home recording tradition – are, nonetheless. cautiously produced. James unfurls pure, uncluttered melodies in which his gentle, melancholic voice mingles with smooth, warm vocals by Nathalia Bruno. Barely saturated guitar solos sometimes disrupt the clear, unpolished musical line. Hopping on board, long-time friend Max Claps adds keyboard parts that manage to embrace the minimal nostalgia of the tracks while preventing any teary pathos. Similar to Jack Name or Syd Barrett – only less psychedelic – in terms of songwriting and stripped-back atmosphere, Hoare is sitting on the Velvet Underground’s black-and-white sofa and gives his album a subterranean feel. At times restless but light-footed, deprived of any unnecessary effects, the record follows in the steps of a less noisy but just as raw and unadorned Jesus and Mary Chain.
• Note: The LP is initially available on yellow vinyl, exclusive to independent shops.

 

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