
Arguably the best group to come from the Indie Sleaze period are Brazil’s CSS, who managed to manage their spontaneity with fabulous grooves and playfulness. For the first time in over a decade, they’re going to be doing a European tour called ‘It’s Been A Number Of Years’, which it has! Remember how good ‘Off…

Oh, the fractured and chequered history of the mighty Sugababes. There’s been six members, and you could only really argue that four of them really count, and the puritans, three. Obviously, the holy trinity are Mutya, Keisha and Siobhàn, but Heidi’s tenure involves some of the group’s most iconic moments, even if deep in our…

BBE Music put out good shit, and if you’ve heard their J-Jazz compilations, you’ll know that they’re some of the finest, most adventurous comps around. In addition to that, they’ve put out a brilliant book chronicling Japanese jazz called J Jazz: Free and Modern Jazz From Japan 1954-1988, which is a look at some super…

Khruangbin are back everyone, and yes, they’re wigs! The new song is called ‘May Ninth’ and, for fans of the trio’s sound, it sounds like Khruangbin, so no worries – they’ve not pivoted to sounding like dubstep or anything. It’s taken from the imminent ‘A La Sala’ and it’s gently psychedelic, woozy stuff. The album…

It’s 2001 and the USA, UK and pals are carpet bombing the Middle East. January, George Dubya Bush is sworn in thanks to some hanging chads, Apple launches iTunes and, later that year, 9/11 would change everything forever. While US democracy looked shaky, while war saw people taking to the streets in protest, people set…

When Mr Bongo say they’ve got a record in and describe it as “a heavy Boogie-Funk gem from 1984”, your ears should really prick up. That track is ‘Take A Chance’ by Marshall Titus (re-issued by Peoples Potential Unlimited), and it slaps. If you’re into super hot, sleazy ’80s disco that’s got a whiff of the…

It’s tough out here in these music criticism streets. If you have staff that need paying, you need to get the clicks in so the ad revenue, revenues. Is writing reviews about up-and-coming artists who might be future superstars going to cut it? Well, you have to wait ’til they become famous, and then link…

We’re hearing a smidge of noirish French ’60s pop in this new one from singer-songwriter Cornelia Murr, which is very welcome and perfect for this time of year, honestly. She’ll have a new album, out in February called ‘Run to the Centre’, and to whet the whistle, you can listen to ‘Meantime’, which is a…

There was a collective feeling that, in the period that was post-girl group, that while the solo singers and artists were all well and good, we were in the mood for a new pop group of some kind. We’ve seen a huge amount of impressive R&B solo stars and soul-adjacent singers, but when you’re listening…

The lovely folks of Saint Etienne have announced details of a new LP called ‘The Night’ and there’s a new song which is borderline ambient called ‘Half Light’ to listen to – it’s genuinely one of the loveliest things you’ll hear all year. The album will land December 13th and is the 12th from the group.…

Kelly Lee Owens has been doing great things lately, and her new LP ‘Dreamstate’ is something that you should absolutely have in rotation. Mixing synthpop with house and tech, she’s collaborated with some big hitters (Daniel Avery, Chemical Brothers, Bjork to name just three) and her own work is genuinely excellent. Have you heard ‘Higher’ yet?…
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