Desperate Journalist
Maximum Sorrow!
Fourth LP from dynamic 80s postpunk-inspired Londoners Desperate Journalist proves to be a belter
Various
Made to Measure Vol. 1
Re-issue of abstract and new wave compilation from 1984.on Belgian label Crammed Discs
Blondie
Vivir En La Habana
Excellent new live album recorded in Cuba from Blondie who late in their career continue to push boundaries
Snapped Ankles
Forest of Your Problems
Environmentally=concerned third album from Snapped Ankles who mourn forest demise with a set of cracking tunes.
Various
Party for Joey: A Sweet Relief Tribute to Joey Spampinato
Fantastic covers project and charity compilation album for NRBQ bassist and songwriter Joey Spampinato, who is undergoing long-term treatment for cancer
Gary Kemp
Insolo
Impressive 70's rock influenced first solo album in twenty-six years from Spandau Ballet guitarist and songwriter Gary Kemp
Amusement Parks On Fire
An Archaea
Excellent fourth album and first in ten years From Nottingham-based shoegazing outfit Amusement Parks On Fire
Jack Savoretti
Europiana
Enjoyable retro and European-influenced seventh album from bestselling singer-songwriter ack Savoretti
Chills
Scatterbrain
Reflective and thought-provoking seventh album from influential Dunedin indie act The Chills
Lou Barlow
Reason to Live
Fourth solo album from Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh member, folky and lo-fi in style, only partly justifies its existence.
Tom Odell
Monsters
Frank but uplifting pop on new album from Chichester-born singer-songwriter Tom Odell written as he recuperated from alcohol problems
Pulsar Ensemble
Bizarre City
Excellent second album from five-piece Italian band Pulsar Ensemble who create a sci-fi world and bring it to to life with nine, disparate compositions
Steve Ashley
Family Album Revisited
Impressive reissue of folk singer-songwriter Steve Ashley’s 1979 album which he recorded with members of Fairport Conventiion
Derev
Leap of Faith
Debut from Canadian progressive band with European and Middle Eastern roots Derev is both musicianly and heartfelt
Maartin Allcock
OX15
Excellent and timely reissue of late Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull multi-instrumentalist Maartin Allcock's second solo album
La Jungle
Fall off the Apex
Urgent punk disco pop from French speaking Belgium band La Jungle
Inhaler
It Won't Always Be Like This
Eclectic and exuberant debut album rom bestselling Irish band Inhaler
Last Days Of April
Even the Good Days are Bad
Appealing indie pop on tenth album from Stockholm popsters Last Days Of April who reveal increasing maturity
Motorpsycho
Kingdom of Oblivion
Dull and cliched harmonic rock on latest album from Norwegian band Motorpsycho
Gregario
Nomads on Hold
Impressive debut album from Gregario, the new piano-based project of Luxembourg musician David André which finds him moving in a new direction
Kevin Hewick
Never Give Up On a Song
Musically varied tenth album from Leicester singer-songwriter Kevin Hewick proves a strong collection concerned both with connection and its lack
Elli De Mon
Countin’ the Blues
Stunning covers album from Italian Elli de Mon, paying tribute to the early female blues singers and songwriters
Garbage
No Gods No Masters
Uncompromising yet reflective new album from much acclaimed alternative rockers Garbage
Maria Muldaur with Tuba Skinny
Let’s Get Happy Together
Return to her roots for Maria Muldaur with this new album, a collaboration with Tuba Skinny, a young group of musicians who share her enthusiasm for 1920s and ‘30s New Orleans Jazz and Blues
Bobby Gillespie and Jehnny Beth
Utopian Ashes
Excellent country-influenced new album from Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie and Savages' singer Jehnny Beth which tells of a crumbling marriage
Eric Malmberg
Milda Doden Hamtar Oss Alla Till Slut
Excellent seven inch single which takes two tracks from Swedish composer from a 2007 album
Jimi Tenor
Deep Sound Learning (1993-2000)
Excellent anthology of unshelved material from the 1990s from Jimi Tenor who has helped to shape the course of electro jazz
Mouse On Mars
AAI
Computed coordinated chaos on anarchic latest album from German electronic duo Mouse On Mars
Yonder Boys
Acid Folk
Impressive new album from Berlin-based Americana band Yonder Boys which is a heady cocktail of bluegrass, folk, Latin and psychedelia
Lillebjorn Nilsen and Andy Irvine
Live in Telemark
Recorded live in August 1994 at the Telemark Festival in Norway, in front of an appreciative audience, this album from Lillebjorn Nilsen and Andy Irvine is a great reminder that music is a universal language.
Del Amitri
Fatal Mistakes
Well-crafted and eclectic first album in nineteen years from Glaswegian band Del Amitri
Maroon 5
Jordi
Unpretentious high quality pop and R and B on seventh album from bestselling Los Angeles band Maroon 5
St Vincent
Daddy's Home
Thoughtful 70's retro pop on first album in four years from St. Vincent, the project of Texas-raised singer-songwriter Annie Clark
Joan Armatrading
Consequences
Imaginative and reassuring latest album from acclaimed 1970's singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
New Fragility
Pessimistic and misconstrued indie Americana blues from Philadelphian project Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Khalab and M'berra Ensemble
M'berra
Italian DJ Khalab and Malian refugees the M'berra Ensemble fuse traditional desert sounds and buzzing electronics.
Kasai Allstars
Black Ants Always Fly Together, One Bangle Makes No Sound
Appealing fourth album from Congo collective Kasai Allstars which finds them returning to basics
Raoul Vignal
Years in Marble
Exquisite and rich folk on latest album from French singer-songwriter and guitarist Raoul Vignal
United Bible Studies
West Kennet Ascension/Divining Movements
Impressive two releases from collective United Bible Studies, one a cassette/download only issue, the other a double CD, which prove to essential listening for these worrying times.
Ian M. Bailey
Shots of Sun
Enjoyable 60's -influenced folk pop on new EP from UK singer-songwriter and guitarist Ian M. Bailey,. the first of a series of planned collaborations with Daniel Wylie of Cosmic Rough Riders
Joe Bonamassa
Now Serving: Royal Tea: Live from the Ryman
American guitarist Joe Bonamassa, refusing to rest on his laurels despite the Covid-19 pandemic, reunites with his vast number of fans on a new DVD of livestream filmed in Nashville.
Tvfordogs
I Only Wanted to Make You Cry
tvfordogs’ fifth album is a thrillride of educated, articulate, and edgy glam rock
One Thousand Motels
Get In Where You Fit In
Rat Scabies’ and Christ Constantinou’s second album from their One Thousand Motels project conjures up classic Delta blues, gospel, and R&B
Various
Good as Gold – Artefacts of the Apple Era 1967-1975
Enthralling five CD compilation of songs associated with Apple Records, founded by these Fab Four, proves a great look into the more forgotten parts of the 60's pop scene in the UK
Various
The Mountains, The Sun And The Sea – The Art of Antonio Carlos Jobim
Fantastic five CD compilation from Cherry Red of the early recordings of bossa nova artist and pioneering 50’s composer Carlos Antonio Jobim
Lisa Gerrard and Jules Maxwell
Burn
Ethereal and mystical Nordic-influenced new album from Dead Can Dance's Lisa Gerrard and Jules Maxwell
Low Island
If You Could Have It All Again
Reflective electronic-infused indie pop on debut album from Oxford-based band Low Island
Seasurfer
Zombies
Fantastic new album which comes with an extra mini-album from German shoegazing band Seasurfer
Sorbet
This Was Paradise
Thought-inspiring combination of electronica and acoustic instrumentation on debut album from Sorbet, the project of Irish producer Chris W. Ryan, which reflects on climate change
Hiatus
Distancer
Superb electroniica on fifth album from Hiatus, the project of London-based Cyrus Shahrad, which is partially influenced by his Iranian homeland
Ja, Panik
Die Gruppe
Intriguing sixth album from Austrian rock band Ja, Panik after several years’ absence, which mixes musical approaches with German and English lyrics.
Coral
Coral Island
Entertaining guitar pop on double album from Merseyside band The Coral which pays tribute to Britain's seaside resorts
Natalie Bergman
Mercy
Powerful and therapeutic debut solo album from Wilde Bell’s Natalie Bergman recorded after the deaths of her father and stepmother in a car accident
Chrissie Hynde
Standing in the Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan
Imaginative collection of Bob Dylan covers from The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde
Marianne Faithfull with Warren Ellis
She Walks in Beauty
Haunting latest album from Marianne Faithfull which she has recorded with the Bad Seeds’ Warren Ellis and which combines readings of Romantic poetry with sound collages
Van Morrison
Latest Record Project: Volume 1
Competent but flawed and over-long triple album from Van Morrison
Earl Slick
Fist Full of Devils
Versatile latest album from Brooklyn guitarist Earl Slick, who has played with Bowie, Lennon and Jeff Beck, which will please devout blues fans and more.
Firefay and Alison O'Donnell
The Travels of Janus
Evocative and atmospheric second collection of songs from folk legend Alison O’Donnell with Firefay
MG Boulter
Clifftown
Highly personal and evocative new album from M G Boulter which tells of his relationship with his home town of Southend on Sea
Robert Jurjendal
Water Finds a Way
Imaginative fourth album from Estonian guitarist Robert Jurjendal which continues to explore the concept of instrumental exploration that is so much part of his solo work