New releases on CD & DVD
Waylon Jenning’s 'Songbird' raises this country great from the grave
Thursday, 02 October 2025
This is quite a tale: Shooter, son of Waylon Jennings, discovers a tranche of his father’s personal multitrack tapes from the analogue years, dating between 1973 – when he wrestled artistic control from RCA – and 1984, when he had quit cocaine, joined The Outlaws and digital technology took over everything.
Slovenian avant-folk outfit Širom’s 'In the Wind of Night, Hard-Fallen Incantations Whisper' opens the door to inner space
Wednesday, 01 October 2025
The 16-minute album opener “Between the Fingers the Drops of Tomorrow's Dawn” coalesces at the 12-minute point, when clattering percussion meshes with what sounds like a sitar to fashion a hypnotic, repetitive whole. It’s as if Slovenia’s Širom have used the time so far to work themselves into a trance-like state. Iztok Koren, Ana Kravanja and Samo Kutin have surrendered to the drone.
'The Art of Loving': Olivia Dean's...
Monday, 29 September 2025
In the age of streaming, it’s never been less clear knowing when you can safely say an artist is well known in the mainstream. But for the...
Doja Cat's 'Vie' starts well but...
Saturday, 27 September 2025
Doja Cat is a fascinating one-off. She’s a rap-centric Californian artist whose background dips into everything from new age philosophy to skate...
Mariah Carey is still 'Here for It All...
Friday, 26 September 2025
One of the great moments of Private Eye magazine’s fustiness in recent years was putting Mariah Carey in Pseud’s Corner, for the quote about how she...
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Album: Solar Eyes - Live Freaky! Die Freaky!
Psychedelic indie dance music with a twinkle in its eye |
Album: Night Tapes - portals//polarities
Estonian-voiced, London-based electro-popsters' debut album marks them as one to watch for |
Album: Mulatu Astatke - Mulatu Plays Mulatu
An album full of life, coinciding with a 'farewell tour' |
Album: Robert Plant - Saving Grace
Mellow delight from former Zep lead |
Album: Biffy Clyro - Futique
Scottish alternative rock trio return with elegant, balanced 10th album |
Album: NewDad - Altar
The hard-gigging trio yearns for old Ireland – and blasts music biz exploitation |
Album: The Divine Comedy - Rainy Sunday Afternoon
Neil Hannon takes stock, and the result will certainly keep his existing crowd happy |
Blu-ray: The Sons of Great Bear
DEFA's first 'Red Western': a revisionist take on colonial expansion |
Album: Twenty One Pilots - Breach
Ohio mainstream superstar duo wrap up their 10 year narrative |
Album: Ed Sheeran - Play
A mound of ear displeasure to add to the global superstar's already gigantic stockpile |
Album: Motion City Soundtrack - The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World
A solid return for the emo veterans |
Album: Baxter Dury - Allbarone
The don diversifies into disco |
Album: Yasmine Hamdan - I Remember I Forget بنسى وبتذكر
Paris-based Lebanese electronica stylist reacts to current-day world affairs |
Blu-ray: The Sweeney - Series One
Influential and entertaining 1970s police drama, handsomely restored |
Album: Josh Ritter - I Believe in You, My Honeydew
The alt-country singer's latest isn't consistent but does hit highs |
Album: David Byrne - Who is the Sky?
Born to be weird |
Album: Faithless - Champion Sound
Three decades into their career the perennial dance duo nail a lengthy but likeable set |
Album: Saint Etienne - International
British pop institution’s final communiqué is an unalloyed winner |
Blu-ray: The Graduate
Post #MeToo, can Mike Nichols' second feature still lay claim to Classic Film status? |
Album: Brad Mehldau - Ride into the Sun
A sincere tribute to Elliott Smith |
Album: Sabrina Carpenter - Man's Best Friend
Short but not so sweet |
Album: CMAT - EURO-COUNTRY
The flame-headed chanteuse with the comic touch hits pop perfection |
Album: The Hives - The Hives Forever, Forever The Hives
No power ballads, no acoustic interludes - just speedy rock’n’roll all the way |
Album: Benedicte Maurseth - Mirra
Haunting, intense evocation of Norway’s uplands and its wildlife |
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