by Matthew Langham Following a whole quarter of a century on from their 1990 acoustic covers album Fakebook, Yo La Tengo’s latest release sees a return to the concept of influence with another collection of classics alongside a bunch of their own material in light of their 30th anniversary. Stuff Like That There, which takes its name from a song first recorded by Betty Dutton in 1944, sees a mixtape-style curation
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by Matthew Langham Previously writing and performing as Columbus, Ohio-based trio All Dogs are this week’s release which has gone quietly under the radar, but one that comes highly recommended. Their first full full-length record Kicking Every Day is a colourful blend of power pop and early ‘90s American noise pop – think along the lines of The Breeders and Veruca Salt.
by Ed Biggs Baltimore duo Beach House have been one of the most heartening success stories of the decade so far, with their third album Teen Dream (2010) and its sumptuous follow-up Bloom (2012). Both albums echoed with achingly exquisite, sugar-sweet yet melancholic melodies, and were testament to the transportive power of all the best music. It’s somehow fitting that their fifth LP Depression Cherry should arrive right at the end
by Ed Biggs With their expansive third album Holy Fire, which won this publication’s Album of the Year of 2013, Oxford’s Foals put themselves forward as the next British band to cross over into the seriously big leagues – the Number 1 albums, the awards winners, the Glastonbury headline sets – reserved for acts whose sound is able to fill the biggest spaces. Two and a half years and distribution deal
by Ed Biggs With important albums turning 50 years old in the next 12 months, it’s perfectly arguable that Bob Dylan is the greatest artist of the 1960s, whose willingness to experiment with what pop music could sound like, and what topics it could address, predates even that of The Beatles. Fans often cite the three albums he made in 1965 and 1966 as his golden age, which saw him make
by Matthew Langham The second release from Mazes frontman Jack Cooper and James Hoare of Veronica Falls, who record as Ultimate Painting, is very familiar in sound and style to their 2014 self-titled debut. Taking their cues from impeccable indie influences ranging from Pavement to The Velvet Underground, their sound took shape after an elderly neighbour complained when recording sessions got too loud and forced the duo to reshape their
by Ed Biggs Nottingham three-piece Kagoule are the latest serious contenders to emerge from a burgeoning scene in that city. While Jake Bugg rocketed to superstardom seemingly overnight, Sleaford Mods have quietly grown a fanbase over the course of eight years. Vocalist and guitarist Cai Burns, bassist Lucy Hatter and drummer Lawrence English are doing things with a middle approach of those two success stories, spending two years building an impeccable
by Matthew Langham Formerly of mid-noughties indie group Les Incompetents and Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man, outspoken frontman Fred MacPherson returns with Spector almost three years on from their debut record Enjoy It While It Lasts. Naturally compared to The Vaccines due to their indulgence in heavy production values and glossy, hi-definition indie riffs, it may have featured dramatic retro indie gutpunches like ‘Chevy Thunder’ and ‘Friday Night, Don’t Ever Let It End’, yet accidentally
by Ed Biggs We’ve been keeping an eye on the brothers Radke for a couple of years now. Going under the sort-of-family-band name of Radkey, their 2013 EPs Cat & Mouse and Devil Fruit were short, sharp blasts of retro garage punk, and their ferocious yet disciplined live act has been seen on the likes of ‘Later… with Jools Holland’. Following extensive touring throughout 2014, the trio began work on their
by Ed Biggs Tim Presley has been one of the busiest names in indie over the last decade or so. A member of cartoon punks The Nerve Agents and then his own project Darker My Love, he’s also been a short-term member of The Fall (on Reformation! Post-TLC) and released six albums in five years under the name White Fence. Drinks is a collaborative effort with curious Welsh siren Cate Le
