Alison Goldfrapp – The Love Invention (Skint/BMG) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Alison Goldfrapp, as one half of electro-pop duo Goldfrapp, has released seven albums that have traversed across multiple genres including glam, folk, dance, disco and trip-hop, producing some memorable dancefloor bangers.
Pacific Avenue – Flowers (BMG) (Album Review) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pacific Avenue, a shoal of friends originating in 2017 from a NSW idyllic coastal surf town of Gerringong, focussed around two failed buskers heavily influenced by their contemporary Australian Indie Rock sound, the likes of Jet, Powderfinger and Silverchair, rooted in the history of The Rolling Stones, The Stooges and not forgetting Aussie past heavyweights […]
Dictaphone Blues – Greetings from Glen Eden (EP Review) ⭐⭐⭐
Dictaphone Blues is multi-instrumentalist Edward Castelow’s main vehicle for his retro rock’n’roll. He describes Greetings from Glen Eden as a throw-back to the Nineties dirty garage guitar sound.
Tiny Ruins – Ceremony (Ursa Minor) (Album Review) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tiny Ruins has released Ceremony, 11 songs that are “set on the shores of Tāmaki Makaurau’s Manukau Harbour, known to locals as Old Murky,” or so the PR tells me.
The Damned – Darkadelic (Ear Music) Album Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Damned, The Stranglers, and The Buzzcocks are, or were, all punk rock survivors because of their ability to reinvent themselves, to tangent onto differing musical paths and stay relevant to not just their fans, but to also hook into greater masses.
The National – First Two Pages of Frankenstein (4AD): Album Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The National The title of their ninth studio album, First Two Pages of Frankenstein alerts us to their literary and art-as-rock’n’roll sensibilities. This aligns them with Lou Reed and Leonard Cohen. And Nick Cave if you insist.
Josh Ritter Spectral Lines (Thirty Tigers) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Josh Ritter has been banging around, making decent records since 1999. But on this, his 11 studio record, Ritter has struck gold.
Rickie Lee Jones – Pieces of Treasure (BMG) Album Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rickie Lee Jones’ new album is Pieces of Treasure and the first impression is one of warmth and comfortable familiarity. She sounds like she is inhabiting Billie Holiday to the point she is present in both flesh and spirit.
Terrible Sons – The Raft Is Not The Shore (Nettwerk) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Raft Is Not The Shore is the exquisite debut album from the ironically-named Terrible Sons (Lauren (L.A Mitchell) and Matt Barus). Neither male children nor anything terrible is involved. Rather, beauty, hope and the essential goodness of human relationships strongly shine through this album.
Country Westerns – Forgive The City (Fat Possum) ⭐⭐⭐
Country Westerns come roaring back with their second album with a sound and a fury that will leave you breathless.
We Will Ride Fast – Army of Invisible Zombies: Album Review ⭐⭐⭐
We Will Ride Fast is the handle for Kyle Sattler, who describes himself as a multi-media artist, multi-instrumental musician and singer. Army of Invisible Zombies is his third album in this incarnation of himself.
Everything But The Girl – Fuse (Virgin) (Album Review) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Everything But The Girl last released an album two scores and four years ago. But triggered by covid lockdowns, EBTG duo Tracey Thorn and husband Ben Watt, synthesised the best and the average of the band’s historical output to create a new precipitately perfect album – Fuse, in which EBTG’s sophisti-pop sound with is further […]
Silver Moth – Black Bay (Bella Union) (Album Review) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Silver Moth has arrived offering music of rare beauty and vision.
Ingrid and the Ministers – Boofhead (Album Review) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ingrid and the Ministers shake things up and make some noise with their second album, Boofhead, inspired by idiots everywhere.
Ian Hunter Defiance Part 1 (Sun) (Album Review) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ian Hunter releases a star studded album at age 83 that would put any rocker half his age to shame.
St. Paul & The Broken Bones – Angels in Science Fiction (ATO) Album Review ⭐⭐⭐
St. Paul & The Broken Bones are five albums deep in a career spanning 10 years. Reputedly one of the best live bands in the US – I’d like to make a judgement on that myself – the 8-piece serve up a southern soul sound woven around the vocals of Paul Janeway.
Mudhoney – Plastic Eternity (Sub Pop) (Album Review)
Mudhoney has just released their new album, Plastic Eternity, celebrating their 35th year together. The 13th Floor’s Jeff Neems weighs in with his thoughts.
Lana Del Rey – Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Boulevard: Album Review
Lana Del Rey releases her ninth album in eleven years, a meditation and spiritual quest inside the psyche of America. Did you know there’s a tunnel under Ocean Boulevard aims high in its ambition to deliver a benediction for the country. In the wake of the moral crisis spanned by the 2008 financial disaster and […]
Heavy Blanket – Moon Is (Outer Battery) Album Review
Heavy Blanket, a J Mascis side project has released their 3rd album, Moon Is, inspiring our man Jeff Neems to write these words about it.
The Veils – …And Out Of The Void Came Love (Album Review)
The Veils have just released their first album in 7 years, …And Out Out Of The Void Came Love, setting a hauntingly beautiful tone to the year with their long-awaited return.