Jeff Tweedy review – fistfights and fan favourites lead romp through 30-year career
The Wilco and Uncle Tupelo frontman creates fascinating juxtapositions as he hops around his back catalogue like a magpie
Hookworms: Microshift review – vast leap forward into a psychedelic future
On their third album, the Leeds band shed some distortion to reveal powerful vocals and tough pop melodies – without sacrificing any intensity
Django Django: Marble Skies review – prog-indie alchemists splice Bo Diddley with dancehall
From krautrock and prog-pop to Appalachian square dance, the oddball rockers are never short on – frequently lovely – ideas on their third album
Paramore review – slick stadium pop act just as earnest as when they were emo
Hayley Williams claims to have done a lot of growing up since her band’s angsty days, but has lost none of her magnetic intensity during their reinvention
The Go! Team: Semicircle review – a psychedelic tonic
(Memphis Industries)
Winter Sprinter 2018 review – a place where wry, literate indie can feel at home
The Surfing Magazines, Jessica’s Brother and former Weather Prophet Pete Astor got Fika Recordings’ four-day residency off to a shambolic but intriguing start
Hüsker Dü: Savage Young Dü review – edge-of-hysteria punk with psychedelic yearnings
More than any other band that emerged out of the US hardcore punk scene, Minneapolis’s Hüsker Dü paved the way for what would happen next. This beautifully curated set covering their earliest years reveals a band already sporting an advanced … Continue reading
Maryam Saleh, Maurice Louca, Tamer Abu Ghazaleh: Lekhfa review – remarkable Egyptian indie collaboration is a triumph
It’s not easy being an experimental indie musician in Egypt. There are very few venues, no state funding, and censors to worry about. All of which makes this compelling, brooding collaboration so remarkable. Each of these three musicians has an … Continue reading
Charles Hayward and Thurston Moore: Improvisations review – strong noise grooves
Since he and Kim Gordon split, effectively bringing Sonic Youth to an end, Thurston Moore has been living in north London, where he’s been a regular fixture in the city’s improv scene, popping up alongside the likes of Steve Noble, … Continue reading
LP review – pop-rock alley cat stalks the stage with dramatic intent
Kentish Town Forum, London Laura Pergolizzi’s delivers her bruising, Britney-referencing breakup songs with haunting vocals, Cyndi Lauper-ish whoops and champion whistling
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds: Who Built the Moon? review – like Oasis on a sun lounger
The third record from Noel Gallagher’s solo outfit is, according to the ex-Oasis man, merely him in “more colourful clothes”. Brightness is certainly the first thing that strikes you about Who Built the Moon, an album that cloaks Gallagher’s hardy … Continue reading
Algiers review – anti-fascist fury locked into a dystopian groove
The rising Atlantan band blend harsh electronics with gospel vocals to create rousing hymns for society’s underdogs
Björk: Utopia review – romance, angst and troublingly thin tunes
The musician’s self-professed ‘Tinder album’ spins from ecstasy to frustration by focusing more on soundscapes than melody