James review – joyous singalong
With a hit album, a sellout tour and no sign of the tunes running out, James continue to live the indie-rock dream
Thomas Cohen: Bloom Forever review – sensitive response to living with grief
(Stolen Recordings)
Dan Michaelson and the Coastguards: Memory review – magical, melancholy songs
The third instalment of a trilogy, following 2013’s Blindspot and 2014’s rave-reviewed Distance, Memory finds Dan Michaelson further expanding his “epic minimalism”. Guitars, bass and piano are now augmented by slightly louder drums, and the new brass provides the warmth … Continue reading
Live at Leeds review – big ideas, intimate moments
This rapidly growing celebration of homegrown indie talent sends punters racing breathlessly around the city in pursuit of the next big thing
Travis: Everything at Once review – the same old harmless jangle
In many ways, this Travis record is no better or worse than previous Travis records. You still get your plangent guitars, your harmless jangle and Fran Healy’s way with an inoffensive semi-melody. You also get a video in which the … Continue reading
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard: Nonagon Infinity review – Aussie psych-rockers return with urgency
Related: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard: We should have started a taxi service King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have released four albums in less than two years; that lack of downtime might have resulted in an absence of … Continue reading
Mitski review – Smiths-indebted indie-rock … with a nod to The Simpsons
The Brooklyn songwriter’s way with a melody makes you want to grab the guitar and sing the songs yourself
Stewart Lee’s All Tomorrow’s Parties review – the indie connoisseur’s festival
Despite organisational problems, acts such as the Fall, Roky Erickson, Sleaford Mods and Ex-Easter Island Head made the seaside festival the place to be for fans of the avant garde, esoteric or outsider
Cate Le Bon: Crab Day review – whimsical, melodic sweetness
There’s something very cheering about the quietly blossoming career of Cate Le Bon. Each of the Welsh songwriter’s last three albums have won new fans for her idiosyncratic guitar pop, and she is now a cherished indie institution. Her fourth … Continue reading
Parquet Courts: Human Performance review – a New York punk state of mind
Related: Parquet Courts: ‘Winning is the whole point’ Human Performance sees Parquet Courts sprucing up their sound – although that says less about any mainstream ambitions the fiercely DIY Brooklyn band may have and more about the fact their previous … Continue reading
Teleman: Brilliant Sanity review – terrific motorik indie
Teleman’s brilliant second album is proof of the desirability of letting musicians develop. Three members of the quartet were previously in the unrelentingly OK indiepop group Pete and the Pirates, all jangling guitars and cloying sweetness over their two albums. … Continue reading
Cate Le Bon: Crab Day review – a rubber-band-ball of energy and invention
Related: Cate Le Bon: how Cardiff’s finest found a California state of mind After third album Mug Museum, Welsh art-popper Cate Le Bon has turned the last of her pottery-wheel twee and, on Crab Day, creates a springy rubber-band-ball of … Continue reading
Sam Beam and Jesca Hoop: Love Letter for Fire review – magnetic, dusky Americana
Love Letter for Fire’s particular charm lies in its two creators’ hesitance to take centre-stage. Written as conversational duets, the musical magnetism between first-time collaborators Jesca Hoop, California songwriter and adopted Manchester resident, and cult folk artist Sam Beam of … Continue reading
PJ Harvey: The Hope Six Demolition Project review – potent, beautiful songs and minor lyrical missteps
A few unconvincing moments aside, Polly Harvey’s latest is a raucous and powerful set of highly memorable songs
Lush review – pithy indie chroniclers stage a confident comeback
After a 20-year break, Miki Berenyi and friends return fresh and inspired with new songs every bit as catchy and well crafted as their 90s hits