
Music is a funny ol’ business, and in the days of streaming, something interesting has happened. Thanks to algorithmic sentiments, it feels like it’s never been harder for smaller artists to reach an audience. Radio play is decided by committees and focus groups, which leaves us with a trace amount of DJs playing whatever they…

Well, Spotify have decided the way to fix the broken royalties model is to stop paying small bands. Now, that’s not how they’ll be spinning it, but it’s the reality of the situation. See, Spotify have a problem with ‘noise’ tracks and those generating plays by making ‘non music’. So, to fix that, they’re going…

The Chemical Brothers are saying ‘Goodbye’. Not forever, mind you. It’s the name of their new single and as ever, it’s got a really fancy, psychedelic video. They always have ace visuals don’t they? If you’ve seen them live recently, your eyeballs are probably still fizzing like Alka Seltzer in soup. Great craic. There’s also an…

Mildlife are an Australian band designed for dancing too. However, it’s also very much music of the head too, as they’ve been dubbed variously as ‘psychedelic jazz fusion’ and ‘prog disco’. If both of those phrases gave you a bit of the ick, don’t worry – this track you’re about to hear is cool, cool shit.…

For so many years, library music was only a thing that tapped people’s toes if they were absentmindedly watching TV, as it soundtracked incidental moments on shows and whatnot. However, nerds started valuing the complex pop-jazz moments, the ambient segues, and more. Soon enough, library music was having a renaissance. Matt Berry (who seems to…

We’re very sentimental and excited about the ‘Now And Then’ release that’s due from The Beatles. It’s all very bittersweet, given that it’s the ‘last recording’ they’ll do. A short film with snippets from the isolated vocal, strings, pop vox from the family and surviving members and… …stop reading this and just press play already.…

Jazz never died, but it did feel harder to find since major music publications effectively turned their back on it some time in the ’70s. Jazz is of course, in rude health and as disparate as it ever was. With that, we were super thrilled while listening to baritone sax’er Zoh Amba’s new one, which…

Island Records is one of the most legendary record labels in the history of rock, pop, reggae and more. Especially iconic is the ‘Island pink’ years, where the records sported a gorgeous baby pink label and was home to some of the finest records ever cut on the lathe. With that, following first volume, there’s…

It certainly seems there’s a quiet revival of boom bap rap in recent years, underlined obviously, by the all-conquering Doechii LP released last year. Of course, she’s not the only one putting a fresh twist on golden era hip hop, and now we look to the new one from prodigious talent Che Noir. Hailing from…

We wrote a very glowing review of the wonderful album by Tortoise cohort Jeff Parker and his IVtet, being one of the best jazz LPs we’ve bought in years. In case you missed, Parker and his band did a blissfully wonderful and super invigorating set for the always great NPR Tiny Desk. Watch it here.
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