review – desperately lacking in personality

Masked pop-techno producer Deadmau5 has long been as famous for online beefs with Madonna and Kanye as for his music. His Twitter trolling is frequently hilarious, even as it hints at the underlying persona of a man who’d be at … Continue reading →

Kitty Empire: best rock and pop of 2016

Mavericks were lost, Dylan bagged a Nobel (and then went quiet), the Knowles sisters sparkled, and grime moved centre stage

Deadmau5: W:/2016ALBUM/ review – genre-surfing EDM that’s better than he thinks

In a series of tweets last month, EDM superstar Joel Zimmerman all but disowned his eighth album, calling it “rushed” and “slapped together”. “I don’t even like it,” he claimed, adding that he is only releasing it to pay the … Continue reading →

Gaika review – street-corner evangelist reignites music’s political passion

The Brixton vocalist injects powerful drama into intensely poetic dub sermons about city life and society ‘in a state of emergency’

Busted: Night Driver review – hear Charlie Simpson roar

(East West)

Sampha review – a polite, pulsing performance cuts to the core

Selling out venues even before his debut album is out, the British songwriter’s distinctive vocals are a brand of their own

Various: PC Music Volume 2 review – the smartest gang in British pop

Related: PC Music: the future of pop or ‘contemptuous parody’? PC Music first presented its ridiculously saccharine and relentlessly weird dance-pop to the world three years ago, and were greeted with a mixture of fervour, revulsion and skepticism: was it … Continue reading →

Justice: Woman review – funky electro return is light on bangers

As any genre’s unofficial 10-year grace period allows, it is now acceptable to be nostalgic for mid-2000s electro, which exploded around the time of Justice’s first album, Cross, in 2007. It had its lineage in Daft Punk’s filtered house but … Continue reading →

Romare: Love Songs Part Two review – experimental psychedelic love songs

In 2014, Romare – AKA producer Archie Fairhurst – released Love Songs: Part One, pasting Peggy Lee into stuttering, bass-heavy R&B and aping retro funk, jazz and blues. Although the result was timeless in the sense that it borrowed from … Continue reading →

Iceland Airwaves festival day two – the rappers come out in force, but rock steals the day

Iceland’s hip-hop and electronica scenes are thriving, but it’s more traditional fare from Hannah Lou Clark and the mighty Sonics that has the greatest impact

Moon Hooch: Red Sky review – raucously infectious sax’n’drums trio

Former buskers Moon Hooch, dischargers of massive noise and infectious techno-fuelled dance grooves from just two saxes and a drumkit, showed how fast they are building a young international fanbase on their eagerly greeted recent UK tour. The pounding opening … Continue reading →

Ólafur Arnalds: Island Songs CD review – sweet, boring hipster melancholia

This sleekly produced project involved indie-classical composer Ólafur Arnalds travelling around his native Iceland recording seven songs in seven small-town locations with various local musicians. The vibe is picturesque hipster melancholia, with accompanying music videos by Baldvin Z showing long … Continue reading →

James Blake review – a spine-chilling, melancholic homecoming

Sung live, Blake’s skeletal songs become fleshier and more intense, the otherworldly atmosphere skilfully ramped up by his drummer and guitarist

John Carpenter review – thrilling electronica from Halloween director

The film director and soundtrack composer rampages through a wall-shaking 90-minute set of his movie music with grisly glee

Tove Lo: Lady Wood review – a hard sell for girl power

A classy second album of sex, drugs and honesty lacks the commercial catnip of its predecessor

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