Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds review – anti-nostalgia set doesn’t look back in anger
Unlike his brother, Gallagher Sr mostly refuses straightforward Oasis renditions, and instead embraces electronic drones, dance-rock and saxophones
Jenny Wilson: Exorcism review – a masterclass in catharsis
A victim of sexual assault, Wilson has mined the painful repercussions to make an album of astonishing warmth
Alexis Taylor: Beautiful Thing review – confessional electro marvels
The erstwhile Hot Chip singer’s latest solo release contains joyful songs that really speak to each other
Mr Fingers: Cerebral Hemispheres review – house survivor still going strong
(Alleviated Records)
Mø review – plenty of swagger, but can the Danish star be the main feature?
Best known as a guest singer on huge cowrite-hits, Danish star Mø’s own songs approach pop from the leftfield
Daniel Avery: Song for Alpha review – majestic, cavernous techno
Between 1992 and 1994, Warp Records released the Artificial Intelligence series of albums. Including key early work by household names in electronica circles – Aphex Twin, Autechre, Richie Hawtin – it was ostensibly home-listening music, all unfolding minor-key melodies, gurgles … Continue reading
Czarface & MF Doom: Czarface Meets Metal Face review – action-filled hip-hop supersquad
The undergroup hip-hop group Czarface – made up of Wu-Tang Clan member Inspectah Deck, MC Esoteric and producer 7L – get more super still, with the addition of metal-masked rapper MF Doom. This Avengers-style squad, already nerdily fixated on comic … Continue reading
Contemporary album of the month – Laurence Pike: Distant Early Warning review
This Australian drummer’s solo debut introduces pleasing layers and textures to a minimalist palette
Fever Ray review – cartoonish camp and eco-rave vibes
Swedish art rocker Karin Dreijer is best when she translates experimental music to the stage with a bang
Essaie Pas: New Path review – techno dystopias with witty flashes of funk
From Run the Jewels to Gary Numan, musicians technophobically fretting over the future of humanity have long used Philip K Dick as a touchstone – and that’s not counting the endless riffs on Vangelis’s synthscapes from the Dick-derived Blade Runner. … Continue reading
Sophie review – hideous and heart-rending BDSM-friendly pop
The once-shy producer has now, after a gender transition, arrived front and centre to deliver nightmarish, bracingly contemporary electro
Nils Frahm review – neoclassicism with knobs on
Germany’s cult king of ambient piano charmed London with his uplifting arpeggios, artful dial-twiddling and… toilet brushes
Nils Frahm review – short on harmony but texture and tone in spades
Frahm jokes about his musical limitations, but his piano solos are quiet riots that transport you to a higher plane
Principal Sound review – Luigi Nono’s fragile postcards from Venice
Alongside works by Morton Feldman, the experimental music festival centred on the Italian composer’s enigmatic pieces that blur instrumentation into electronics