by Ed Biggs The gap of six years after 2010’s Barking may be the longest wait between albums in Underworld’s history, even for a band that has only really ever operated infrequently, but that hiatus has been productive for both Rick Smith and Karl Hyde. Smith worked closely with British film director Danny Boyle, both on the original score segments for the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony and on Boyle’s 2013 movie
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by Ed Biggs Given what has happened to so many of their contemporaries from the early ‘90s, who’ve either disappeared into complete irrelevance or are desperately coining it in re-touring their old albums, Primal Scream have become some of the hardiest survivors in music. Just when everybody has written them off as an irrelevant museum band, Bobby Gillespie, his trusty crew and an ingenious producer reinvent Primal Scream once more with
by Matthew Langham Emmy The Great’s first two albums, First Love and Virtue, both explored heartbreak and the ending of a relationship. It’s been five years since Emma-Lee Moss’s last record and her third effort to date is certainly more introspective and focused on advancements in technology, and how it affects everyday life. Labelled as a former anti-folker, Second Love mixes electronica with intricate orchestral arrangements to create a confessional record,
by Ed Biggs Since his untimely death in 1997, Jeff Buckley has cast a shadow over popular music that’s vastly disproportionate to the tiny catalogue he left behind. One seminal album released during his lifetime (1994’s Grace), a double album of rough, unfinished material (Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk) are the only studio material in existence, alongside half a dozen live documents of varying quality that have been released to
by John Tindale Two years ago Låpsley, aka Holly Låpsley Fletcher, released the Monday EP – a four song introduction to what was clearly a very promising career. After a major label scramble and bidding war, Låpsley eventually signed for indie record label XL. Though it operates to all intents and purposes as a major, XL is notably home to Adele, the biggest sensation the music industry has known in a
by Matthew Langham Following a three-year hiatus, Miike Snow return with their third album, imaginatively titled iii. Their 2009 self-titled debut featured hit record ‘Animal’ and it’s perhaps no surprise that the single became such a big success, with its bouncy hybrid of electro and indie. The trio is made up of Swedish production duo, Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg, alongside lead vocalist Andrew Wyatt. Karlsson and Winberg’s credits read as a
by Ollie Rankine Having been recorded whilst vocalist, Channy Leaneagh has been expecting the birth of her second child, Poliça have returned after nearly a three year break with their third studio album, United Crushers. Although the Minnesota quintet have retained the infectious synthpop tones demonstrated during their previous two records, United Crushers introduces a newfound rawness that suitably accompanies the album’s murky composition.
by Ed Biggs Once upon a time, The Coral were one of the most inspired and promising new bands of the British indie scene, standing out even among a glut of bright young things that emerged in 2002 with their bold, psychedelic slant on Britpop. That year’s self-titled debut album remains one of the best debuts of the decade, with the jaunty ‘Dreaming Of You’ becoming an indie disco staple. Maintaining
by Ed Biggs To describe Robert Pollard’s output rate as ‘prodigious’ would be the greatest understatement in music. As the lead singer of the obscurantist indie heroes Guided By Voices since the mid ‘80s and latterly as a solo artist, Pollard has more than 1,700 songs registered under his name with various performing rights organisations. Of Course You Are is his 22nd solo album since 1996, indicating a man who truly
by John Tindale Kendrick Lamar may already have registered himself as one of the greats before the age of 30; having released the classic good kid, m.A.A.d city in 2012, he went on to better himself with what will certainly be regarded as one of the very best records of the decade, To Pimp A Butterfly, last year, so the surprising news that we are now getting some extracts from the
