The Maccabees review – farewell gig creates powerful fan communion
Re-energised and euphoric, the band sweep away any knock-kneed flimsiness for a full-bodied final bow
Moon Diagrams: Lifetime of Love review – undulating soundscapes for an anxious world
With stress, anxiety and memes taking up ever more of our valuable mental real estate, it is little wonder that the visualisations, mantras and brain-tickling sounds offered by mindfulness and ASMR videos have gone mainstream in recent years. This debut … Continue reading
Bedouine: Bedouine review – one of the most charming albums of the year
Bedouine, real name Azniv Korkejian, was born in Aleppo to Armenian parents, lived in Saudi Arabia as a child, moved to America when her family won a green card lottery, and settled in LA, eventually piquing the interest of discerning … Continue reading
Ed Sheeran at Glastonbury 2017 review – thrillingly raw and defiantly alone
The headliner admits to last-night nerves, solo with just a guitar and effects pedal in front of the huge crowd, but their vocal support puts fire in his belly
Bedouine: Bedouine review – elegant, honeyed country-soul
Azniv Korkejian’s gentle songs prove a fine addition to Spacebomb’s roster
Radiohead at Glastonbury 2017 review – a slow creep towards transcendence
Despite alienating visuals, Thom Yorke’s random chat and an eclectic set that includes a hefty slice of experimental fare, the band leave the crowd satisfied by saving their best till last
Jeff Tweedy: Together at Last review – Wilco frontman makes vivid, wistful acoustic return
Jeff Tweedy’s band Wilco have become synonymous with experimentalism and sonic adventures. However, this first instalment in a planned series of acoustic sessions continues the more stripped-down trajectory which began with 2014 solo debut, Sukierae. This time, Tweedy revisits his … Continue reading
Radiohead: OK Computer OKNOTOK 1997-2017 review – prescient and correct
OK Computer offered an eerily clairvoyant vision of digital angst and alienation. Twenty years on, this reissue reveals just how unusual it was
Ride: Weather Diaries review – shoegaze heroes broaden their horizons
For a genre that had shuffled out of the spotlight by the mid 90s, shoegaze is in remarkably rude health in 2017. Two months on from the well received return of Slowdive comes another assured effort from one of the … Continue reading
Beth Ditto: Fake Sugar review – sequinned stompers to strut to
In a world of received-pronunciation indie, wispy club-track warbling and London Grammar, it’s great to have Beth Ditto back, with her decibels to rival Aretha Franklin and flotilla of sequinned sizzle. Her first solo album since the Gossip split retells … Continue reading
Royal Blood: How Did We Get So Dark? review – an archetypal difficult second album
The only guitar band on the BBC’s Sounds of 2014 list, the Brighton drums and bass (as opposed to drum’n’ bass) duo Royal Blood hit No 1 with their debut album and acquired a celeb fan in Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy … Continue reading
Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, James McAlister: Planetarium review – masters of the universe
Grandeur meets digital mayhem on this heavenly suite of songs about our solar system, updated since its live debut five years ago
H Hawkline: I Romanticize review – hypnotic indie-folk with an edge
As the likes of the Super Furry Animals, Cerys Matthews and Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci have proven, the Welsh accent is a gift for indie music – its melodiousness and intonation are able to jerk songs out of stultifying formulas. Huw … Continue reading
Sufjan Stevens, James McAlister, Bryce Dessner and Nico Muhly: Planetarium review – majestic celestial space opera
As lofty ideas for concept albums go, outer space is one that continues to fascinate beardy musicians. Techno pioneer Jeff Mills has just released Planets, an electronic-classical record inspired by Gustav Holst’s orchestral suite of the same name. And from … Continue reading
Cigarettes After Sex review – noir dreampop could be among 2017’s best
Greg Gonzalez lifts the echoey guitars and washes of sound into another league, with amazing vocals and great melodies. Hopefully the lyrics will mature