The Main Thing (Domino) - These Brooklyn indie types have delivered their most inspired and self-aware set of songs to date. Hooray! And they’ve opened up their sound by bringing in outside instrumentalists and special guests such as Sylvan Esso, whose vo…
The Night Chancers (Heavenly Recordings) - Dury – son of Ian – got some of the recognition he richly deserves with 2017’s ‘Prince of Tears’ album and his latest should also win him plenty of new fans too. He still retains that louche storytelling style, a…
Celebrated by Strangers (Modern Sky) - These critically lauded Glaswegians were a real breath of fresh air when they landed with their effervescent debut album ‘In Memory Of’ back in 2017 – adding plenty of glitter to their indie-rock DIY spirit. And they…
Birthmarks (Sacred Bones) - This Irish musician/singer/songwriter could once be found plying her trade with alternative rockers JJ72, but today you’re more likely to find her beguiling (and delighting) with releases that appear to have been conjured up fr…
Harlem (Provogue) - By the time he was 13 this Harlem born prodigy was on stage at the legendary Cotton Club four times a week (and then went on to open for Jeff Beck and Ringo Starr). He’s still aged only 24 and, while not pushing blues into any new or s…
Close Your Eyes and Think of Nothing (self release) - Pavey Ark are a fast-rising folk outfit from Hull, fronted by singer/songwriter Neil Thomas, who have already caught a good hearing at Glastonbury and Cornbury. The band cite artists such as Nick Drake…
The Bear and Other Stories (Disco-ordination) - This bunch began as an open-to-all community orchestra and choir based in Bristol and Paris in 2012. They started life as an Ennio Morricone covers band (as you do) and have since developed sets based on Bow…
Redundance (House of Mythology) - Stian Westerhus is a Norwegian guitarist who, if you want to pigeonhole him, can be labelled ‘Jazz’ (he was in experimental jazz band Puma), but on his new long-player he has little to do with the genre. It’s a real strip…
Sad Happy (Prolifica) - This is the fourth studio album from this bunch of indie-rockers and I don’t suppose they have ever sounded as gloriously melodic. It’s an album of two distinct sonic sides – a “happy” side which features Vampire Weekend like track…
For Us Lonely Souls (Kick The Flame) - If you’re in the market for some Scandi-noir, of the aural variety, then this fella is packing some of the murky stuff. He’s described the release as a homage to loneliness, a dedication to the lost souls trying to f…
See You Next Tuesday (self release) - The second album from this Marske/Saltburn band sees them purring along in fine form. They’re an outfit that appears to have distilled some of the best British indie-pop sounds of years gone by including the likes of …
DNA (Alligator) - Cerrone is the French electronic pioneer who scored a huge hit in 1977 with the deathless classic ‘Supernature’, which is one of those tracks that will never date. And – pleased to report – the fella is still on fine form today with this…
Sleepwalking (Kscope) - If you’re looking for someone to fall in love with the day before Valentine’s then get a load of Marjana Semkina. She’s the lead singer of cult Russian outfit Iamthemorning and this – her debut solo album – is something to behold. …
Suite For Max Brown (International Anthem) - Jeff Parker is the guitarist for the cult Chicago-based outfit, Tortoise, one of the most critically lauded post-rocking bands from the 1990s. He’s a man used to pushing envelopes and here the multi-instrumenta…
The Serpent Rings (SPV) - It’s 2020 and, yep, Magnum are still at it. This is the 21ststudio album from the British rockers and they’re once again hitting us up with choppy and melodic riffs that won’t frighten the horses. It’s a tad harder than their pre…
aloha (ANTI-) - The son of a Los Angeles preacher, Aaron Earl Livingston (aka Son Little) first twanged people’s interest with his self-titled debut album back in 2015, which, as calling cards go for new R&B artists, was right on the money. His latest is …
Wake for the Dreaming (Butterfly Effect/Spooker Rekkids) - I’ve been excited by this north-east band since they first stuck their heads above the parapet, and their debut album doesn’t disappoint. They are veritable folk-rock-opera alchemists and pushing …
Bury The Moon (One Little Indian) - This Icelandic artist really knows how to hit you right there. This was written, alone, in a tiny rural home in the depths of countryside, after the disintegration of a long-term relationship. That smacks of Justin Vern…
Vices (French Exit) - The London duo of Katy Young and Rosa Slade return with their first long-player since 2014’s rather excellent ‘Choir of Echoes’ and, glad to say, it’s rather super. They’ve always had a slackery-grungy thing going on, but there’s als…
First Contact (self release) - If you’re going to make a splash with your debut album then you need to go large and that’s exactly what this Newcastle trio have done with a concept album detailing Earth’s first contact with an alien race. If you stopped r…
Chromatic Perversion (Tenement Records) - Cult punk-folk outfit The Leg – featuring vocalist Dan Mutch, cellist and one-man scratch orchestra Pete Harvey, and percussive polymath Alun Scurlock – have been around for 20 years or so, and have added guitaris…
Europa (Tip Top Recordings) - Jim Wallis is the drummer with critically lauded bands Modern Nature and Still Corner, but with this – his debut solo album – he has shown that he’s no slouch when it comes to ambient and post-classical sounds. It’s a release…
Unsaid (self release) - This Russian band (singing in English) are a new one on me, but I’m glad to make their acquaintance as their latest album contains a myriad of delights. They paddle in distinctly indie-alt-pop waters and they certainly know how to …
Hardly A Day, Hardly A Night (Anjunadeep) - Cubicolor – featuring Amsterdam-based producers Ariaan Olieroock and Peter Kriek, and British singer-songwriter Tim Digby-Bell – caused plenty of people to sit up and take notice with their 2016 debut album ‘Bra…
Walking Like We Do (Fiction) - This all-female four-piece made a big splash with the debut album ‘Love in the 4th Dimension’ in 2017 – which was nominated for the Mercury Prize – and they’ve backed up all that early promise with a sterling sophomore. This…
Sanctuary (Liberator Music) - This is the third studio album from these London-dwelling indie-rockers and this time around they’re letting their art-pop hooks come to the party. This is partly down to Bombay Bicycle Club’s Jack Steadman being on productio…
The Lasters (self release) - I know what you’re thinking: isn’t Fred Deakin him out of electronica duo Lemon Jelly? You’re right, and here he’s crowd-funded his way to a new sci-fi concept album about the Earth’s last ever family (no, not the Kardashians)…
Our Life In The Desert (Onomatopoeia Records) - My Bus is the project, if you will, of Belfast’s Joe Cassidy (head honcho of 1980s dream-poppers Butterfly Child) and Gary McKendry (of early 90s post-rockers Papa Sprain). There’s a tension about the album …
Navarasa: Nine Emotions (Domino) - This is the third album from the esteemed trio of James Yorkston, Jon Thorne and Suhail Yusuf Khan and it’s a real melting pot of good stuff. Yorkston bring Scottish folk, sangster and literary strands, while Thorne supp…
Making A New World (Memphis Industries) - Are Field Music one of the best bands in the north-east? Hell, no! They’re one of the best bands in the UK! And certainly one of the most interesting. Their latest is a concept album of sorts which uses the afterm…
The Longest Part of the Night (Label Fandango) - Northumberland’s Chris Hornsby has always been a class act and he’s expanded from a solo performer into a fully-fledged band in the shape of Modern Hinterland, which pulls in a bassist from Wales, a Canadia…
Methoden & Maschinen (Denovali Records) - These German ambient neo-classicists have been adept at bending post-rock and electronic soundscapes into some very pleasing shapes over several albums and their latest unfurls in a (recurring) dream-like manner. …
Football Money (Persona Non Gratis) - Combining 1980s college rock with 90s Britpop jaunt, and a certain amount of slacker charm, this Canadian bunch do a very nice line in jangle. Lyrically they tackle everything from the sporting salary cap (yep, really…
The Neon Skyline (ANTI-) - This Toronto-based, Saskatchewan-raised singer/songwriter loves to tell a story and this latest album is packed with little vignettes, dense with colourful characters and packing a significant amount of emotional depth. It helps…
Tascam Tapes (Mascot Records) - These Dutch psych rockers are obviously hitting a creative high and prepared to run with it. Their latest long-player was written, performed and recorded on the road for less than 50 euros – with no proper drum kit, no Hamm…
When We Stay Alive (Memphis Industries) - There’s an interesting backstory to POLIÇA’s fourth album. She fell off her roof in early 2018, which left her in a brace with limited mobility for months. Her doctor told her to focus not on physical healing, but…
Seeking Thrills (Domino) - The daughter of Leftfield’s Neil Barnes sprung to our attention in 2019 with her superb ‘About Work The Dancefloor’ single, a Robyn-style electro-groover (included here, it also made our Singles of the Year list). Her album back…
Disrupt / Construct - N is one of the most high profile of all German drone/ambient artists – he’s been active since the early 1990s and has released more than 50 records – and on his latest he’s thrown in his lot with Ricky Graham (Signals Under Tests). …
Persona No Grate (self release) - Dan Kincaid was born in Boston but moved to Hollywood to pursue his love of all things rock. During his time in Los Angeles he fronted up the bands Spit Out Star and Six Days ‘Til Sunday, but here he’s struck out on his o…
Reflection (Independent) - This Denver based singer/songwriter showed that she was adept at harnessing the chaos on her previous couple of albums and she’s really turning the gothic-art-pop-rock up on her latest long-player. It’s packed with dark fairytal…
No Other (4AD) - Gene Clark – a founding member of the Byrds – recorded this album in 1974. It cost a fortune to make and although it was critically well-received, it was something of a commercial flop. It has since become a much sought after cult album w…
Due Anime (The Italian Collection) (Abiah Music) - The Classic Brit nominee has drawn on her Italian heritage to release a collection of Italian-themed songs featuring compositions by Ennio Morricone, Luis Bacalov and Romano. Casual Classic FM listeners w…
Late in the Day (self release) - This Sunderland four-piece are the brainchild of Ian Hedley, a man obviously in thrall to the classic indie post-punkers/new-wavers of yore. The band have been compared to the likes of Magazine and Killing Joke, but they a…
The Inevitable Train Wreck (BOT Music) - Another year, another Beans on Toast album, but his well is very far from running dry. If you’ve not yet had the pleasure then you should know that BOT is actually folk singer Jay McAllister and for his latest he’s…
Nerves and Skin (Cruel Nature Records) - ‘Stig in Lucia’, just one of the songs on Nathalie Stern’s new album, kicks off with vocals that owe something to Gregorian chants. The song appears to have been carved from something ancient and beguiling, but it …
Under A Common Sky (Apollon) - This is the third album from this London-based four-piece and – it says here – was inspired by the nocturnal nature of Corfu, and the humanitarian crisis in which we find ourselves. The upshot of all that is a release that m…
Empress (self release) - What a curious delight this is! Calista Kazuko studied classical/jazz piano and composition at London’s Royal Academy of Music, but she also has a powerhouse voice too as evinced on this startling release, which has all the strang…
Jump (Tenement Records) - Paul Vickers? Didn’t he used to be frontman with Scottish indie rockers Dawn of the Replicants? Yes indeed, but these days he’s fishing in raggle-taggle Beefheart waters. His latest eccentric album is a pretty bonkers affair, wit…
The Coast (Playground Music) - Jooel Jons and Mikko Pennanen are Lake Jons, a Helsinki duo who have been warmly received by those of us in thrall to the kind of folktronica that tips into the dreamy and the off-beat. Their second album mixes up jittery rh…
The Big Hush (Comedia) - This is the fourth studio album from the Swedish-born polymath and she’s never been on more rumbustious form. This is proper stirring stuff, a real rock and roll record, and spiky with it. She’s recently spoken about meeting Patti…
The Mental, Gentle, Man. Section Two (self release) - I don’t know much about Neil McNally other than he’s based in Stockton and his new album is “a personal story about living with mental illness”. What I do know is that he’s conjured up a release that w…
Strange Ways (Razor Edge Records) - Hailing from Hartlepool, Stockholm, LA and Galicia – and based in London – Deep Blue Sea gig regularly in the north-east and if they sound as good live as they do recorded then I’m sure they’re sizzling hot. This is rol…
Anarcho Punk Dance Party (Every Man His Own Football & Quiet Backwater) - If people are still bemoaning the lack of political fight-back in music then point them in the direction of this anarcha-feminist three-piece from Brighton. As you can probably gues…
Intergalactic Sailor (Moorland Records) - Ooh! This is truly gorgeous stuff from the Welsh-born folkie James McArthur and his band. Thematically he’s taken inspiration from road trips around Sardinia and mainland Italy – as well as visits back home to Wal…
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