Galaxy Bear – Gala Xyb Ear EP
Claiming to be “your favourite band with a bear drummer”, this Auckland-based 6-piece starts the year out rocking with their debut 7-track EP.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Gumboot Soup (Flightless)
With four full-length albums under their collective belt already in 2017, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard close out the year with album number five…released on the last day of December.
The Rolling Stones – On Air (Polydor)
“Like somebody reaching into my brain and turning a switch that suddenly changed my fundamental vision of life from grainy black and white into glorious Technicolor”. That’s how Nick Kent describes the first time he saw The Rolling Stones perform on February 28th, 1964 in Cardiff. That sound, that feeling, can now be revisited […]
Charlotte Gainsbourg – Rest (Because)
Sung mostly in French, Charlotte Gainsbourg’s new album, Rest, is no simple melancholic melodrama. There’s no bitchin’, cussin’ or swooning; no mumbling oaths or references to languid loss or betrayed consciousness. Instead we find her caught up in a tangle of grief, history and family legacies. It is both personal and intimate, yet cinematic and […]
Bob Dylan – The Bootleg Series: Trouble No More 1979-1981 (Columbia)
This was always going to be a hard sell…hours of previously unreleased live recordings from Dylan’s “Christian Period” when the former Mr Zimmerman preached fire and brimstone from three studio albums between 1987 and 1981.
The Cactus Channel – Stay A While (Hope Street Recordings)
The new incarnation of this ever-evolving Melbourne based seven-piece collective sees The Cactus Channel flexes their soul/lounge influences whilst searching for, and sometimes successfully landing on, their own planet in this vast musical universe.
Taylor Swift – Reputation (Big Machine)
My household was counting down the days to the new Tay Tay album following Instagram feeds, fan pages and the like. Lead single Look What You Made Me Do had us worried as it was clearly not her best work and there were some sharp intakes of breath when she appeared to transform into a […]
Bootsy Collins – World Wide Funk (Mascot)
“‘C’mon Baby,” sings Big Daddy Kane on Bootsy’s Hot Saucer “You really touch my soul/You got that jelly and you’re making it roll!” This track is one of a full funk set, with deep groovy bass, Parliamentary guitar licks and full-on pre-disco. Bootsy’s back after a 6-year hiatus and he’s gonna party like it’s 1972! […]
Sam Outlaw – Tenderheart (Six Shooter)
After serving up a critically-acclaimed debut album produced by Ry Cooder, Southern California cowboy Sam Outlaw takes a surprise musical turn on his follow-up.
Shed Seven – Instant Pleasures (Liberator)
Former 1990s Britpop darlings Shed Seven return with Instant Pleasures, their first new album in 16 years. The York-based band, led by the uber-cool frontman Rick Witter, were a dominant UK singles force in the late 1990’s, with a passionate fanbase affectionately known as, “Shed Heads”. This will be their fifth studio album and sees […]
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings – Soul Of A Woman (Daptone)
Sadly, Sharon Jones passed on to the great stage in the sky after a protracted battle with pancreatic cancer. But before going she managed to record one final album with her exceptionally talented band the Dap-Kings. These guys have stood by her since day one. In the documentary, Miss Sharon Jones, you can see her […]
Sam Smith – The Thrill Of It All (Capitol)
The 13th Floor’s Sam Smith reviews Sam Smith… British pop sensation and my own personal namesake Sam Smith is back after a three break with his second studio album The Thrill of It All. Smith emerged on the scene in 2014, taking the world by storm with his debut In the Lonely Hour and hit […]
Weezer- Pacific Daydream (Warners)
Chief songwriter Rivers Cuomo has always had an amazing ear for good melodic hooks. Sometimes these hooks are covered in the bands trademark mix of fuzzed guitar and high harmony vocals and sometimes they are dipped in nothing but pure pop. Pacific Daydream is definitely double dipped in pop and may in fact be their […]
Great North – The Golden Age (Great North)
Kiwi couple Hayden and Rachel Donnell have upped stakes and moved to London in an attempt to build their career. Before they left New Zealand, they recorded The Golden Age, a beautifully realized collection of songs that address regret, loss, redemption, and what Hayden calls, “the tyranny of nostalgia”.
Curtis Harding – Face Your Fear (Anti-)
The modern retro-soul scene is a crowded place. Artists such as Leon Bridges, Benjamin Booker, Alabama Shakes, and Michael Kiwanuka have all put out albums in recent times making it hard for similar artists to get their album to stand out. Atlanta’s Curtis Harding is one of those artists and he has just released his […]
Jamie Lawson – Happy Accidents (Gingerbreadman)
Jamie Lawson’s Happy Accidents is a mature emotional retrospective from a writer finally content in his own skin. Sometimes sombre in places, sometimes romantic or heartfelt, it’s a record of warmth, comfort but most of all connections – all wrapped up in an accessible and easily digestible pop package.
Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile – Lotta Sea Lice (Milk/Matador)
The fact that Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett are simultaneously an odd couple and sonic soulmates is what makes Lotta Sea Lice such a solid album.
Destroyer – ken (Dead Oceans)
Destroyer can be classed as many genres and never just one in particular. An artist must always improve, change and adapt to new ways to remain relevant. This is exactly what Dan Bejar did on his most recent Destroyer release.
King Krule – The Ooz (XL)
King Krule is one of the most interesting artists going around at the moment. Interesting because it is impossible to pin his music down stylistically. The English-born Archy Marshall is a singer, songwriter, and rapper whose music encompasses everything from jazz, post-punk, trip hop and hip hop. Marshall has just released his second studio album […]
Beck – Colors (Capitol)
Genre hopping changeling Beck has just released his new album Colors to the masses. Jointly produced with the Grammy Award winning Greg Kurstin, whose recent works involve such high-profile artists as Adele, Foo Fighters and most recently, Liam Gallagher.