Supergrass – Gaz Coombes, Mick Quinn, Danny Goffey, and Rob Coombes – are one of the most important bands to emerge during the 1990s, with several million record sales, including 6 top 10 albums and 10 top 20 singles. Formed in Oxford UK in 1993, the Brit, Q, NME and Ivor Novello-winning outfit released their Mercury-nominated No.1 debut album I Should Coco in 1995. Fourth single, ‘Alright’, was a pop masterpiece and became a massive hit, catapulting the band to global success.

‘The Strange Ones: 1994-2008’ is their comprehensive best-of originally released in January 2020 and featuring all of their biggest hits packaged in a gatefold sleeve on 2LP with printed inner sleeves on 140g black vinyl. The artwork was designed by long-time collaborator of the band, Nick Bax, and art directed by the band themselves. 

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Diamond Hoo Ha Man
2. Bad Blood
3. Outside
4. Rebel In You
5. Tales Of Endurance (Parts 4, 5 & 6)
6. St. Petersburg
Side B
7. Fin
8. Kiss Of Life
9. Brecon Beacons
10. Rush Hour Soul
11. Seen The Light
12. Grace
13. Moving
Side C
14. Mary
15. Beautiful People
16. Pumping On Your Stereo
17. In It For The Money
18. Richard III
19. Late In The Day
Side D
20. Sun Hits The Sky
21. She's So Loose
22. Mansize Rooster
23. Strange Ones
24. Lenny
25. Alright
26. Caught By The Fuzz

"Róisín Machine" is the culmination of a rich, decades long partnership between Murphy and one of her most trusted collaborators Crooked Man aka DJ Parrot. Although packed to the rafters with masterclass singles, including “Simulation”, “Jealousy”, “Incapable”, Narcissus” and “Murphy’s Law”, it is also an ingeniously and seamlessly edited listening experience, designed to be listened to in one uninterrupted sitting, from start to dazzling finish.

From the intoxicating disco-funk of “Incapable”, to the quintessential “Narcissus” which crystallised New-Disco and established a high watermark for the genre, to “Murphy’s Law”, a 70s inflected stomper, “Roisin Machine” offers up everything you could ask for on an exquisite plate. Added to the familiar tunes are five new songs, including the Dalek-funk of ‘We Got Together’ and the fantastical “Shellfish Mademoiselle”. An album that works perfectly on the home sound system but also comes alive in a basement sweatbox, it impeccably sits alongside Murphy’s stellar cannon of work released across 25 boundary pushing, trailblazing years, a career encompassing iconic music, directorial, art and fashion moments.

STAFF COMMENTS

Mine says: Róisín Murphy has always had that certain indefinable something; a self-assured demeanour that although grandiose never seems pretentious. Perky and eccentric, but always charming - someone you can look up to in an artistic way but equally just want to take out for a pint and a bit of banter. Add to her showmanship, incredible voice and pop sensibility the musical genius of long-time collaborator Richard Barratt aka Crooked Man / DJ Parrot and you end up with an irresistible mix of shimmering disco strut, pulsating synths and thumping club beats.

‘Róisín Machine’ seems like the culmination of and logical conclusion to Murphy's 25-year career - from her time as one half of Moloko through to collaborations with the likes of Boris Dlugosch, Maurice Fulton and Crooked Man - but at the same time feels new and exciting and oozes with confidence, as if Murphy is only just getting started. “I feel my story is still untold, but I'll make my own happy ending...” are the revealing opening words of the album which has been a decade in the making.

Even though every song on the record is a standalone winner that would feel at home on most dancefloors, the album also works extremely well as a whole, with one track seamlessly blending into the next. It therefore equally lends itself to an afternoon on the sofa - headphones on, choice of drink in hand and dreaming of a time when we can finally hear it blasting through the speakers of our favourite clubs. Luckily, there is a wealth of lockdown video content by Murphy herself that will keep us entertained until then!

TRACK LISTING

Simulation
Kingdom Of Ends
Something More
Shellfish Mademoiselle
Incapable
We Got Together
Murphy’s Law
Game Changer
Narcissus
Jelaousy

First new studio album since 2017, I Am Not A Dog On A Chain was recorded at La Fabrique in France in 2018. The eleven track album, which was produced by Joe Chiccarelli will be release on Friday 20th March 2020.

TRACK LISTING

Jim Jim Falls
Love Is On Its Way Out
Bobby, Don’t You Think They Know
I Am Not A Dog On A Chain
What Kind Of People Live In These Houses?
Knockabout World
Darling, I Hug A Pillow
Once I Saw The River Clean
The Truth About Ruth
The Secret Of Music
My Hurling Days Are Done

Having successfully outlasted their self-described ‘guaranteed real teenagers’ tagline when they first burst into earshot in 1994, ASH announce the release of Teenage Wildlife: 25 Years Of Ash.

- Career Spanning Best Of
- Includes brand new track Darkest Hour Of The Night
- Includes hits Girl From Mars, Shining Light and Burn Baby Burn

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Sometimes it's just the first chord of a tune you need to hear to have all the endorphins come flooding back and for me, Ash's 'Girl On Mars' is about as close as you can get to a time capsule. Add that to 'Oh Yeah' and 'Goldfinger', and you have an absolutely essential collection for fans and a great best of for those uninitiated.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. A Life Less Ordinary (#10 UK Charts)
2. Arcadia
3. Darkest Hour Of The Night
4. Kung Fu
5. Cocoon
6. You Can't Have It All

Side B
1. Girl From Mars (#11 UK Charts)
2. Wildsurf
3. Shining Light (#8 UK Charts)
4. Starcrossed
5. Goldfinger (#5 UK Charts)

Side C
1. Burn Baby Burn
2. Dare To Dream
3. Annabel
4. Machinery
5. Sometimes

Side D
1. Oh Yeah (#6 UK Charts)
2. Angel Interceptor
3. Jesus Says
4. Orpheus
5. Jack Names The Planets

Some world tours feel like a victory lap. On August 25, 2017, The Sherlocks stepped onto the NME/Radio 1 Stage at the Leeds leg of the Reading & Leeds festival and announced to a rammed tent that their debut album ‘Live For The Moment’ had, that very day, entered the UK albums chart at Number Six.

By the tail end of 2018, The Sherlocks begged to be allowed back into the studio. In stark contrast to the sessions for their debut album, recorded in late-night sessions at the cut-off, rural Rockfields in Wales, this time they opted to record at Liverpool’s Parr Street Studios with The Coral’s James Skelly at the desk for the four weeks running up to Christmas, knocking off at six o’clock Monday to Friday to head into town for snooker, beer and a debrief on the day’s work. The result was a tighter, brighter, ultra-modern alt-rock record, benefiting from Skelly’s knack for focusing a killer chorus, less indebted to indie rockers of old and smattered with stylistic swerves into new wave, ‘80s textures and all-out feedback freakouts. It’s as Killers, Cars, High Flying Birds and Two Door Cinema Club as it is Catfish. A real 21st Century guitar rock record.

“The first album was us four in a room,” Kiaran says. “We wanted to make it really raw like the Arctic Monkeys’ first album or Kings Of Leon’s. We wanted to capture the live sound and polish it up a bit. It was a straight-up rock’n’roll record, there weren’t many tricks going off. With this one we’ve taken it a step further and made it slightly smoother and put more keyboards in. Rather than having the guitars thrashing all the time we’ve tried being a bit sweeter with it. It sounds more contemporary, I can hear it on Radio 1.”

And you will too. Meanwhile, Kiaran claims to already have half of album three in the bag, which is already hinting at The Sherlock’s next step towards total rock domination. “It’s quite upbeat.,” Kiaran says. “A lot of bands get to their third album and take a weird turn, thinking outside of the box. I think I know what a good melody is and we’ll try different things on each record and push ourselves a lot more but I’d never stick some weird production on to try to mask a bad song. We like big anthemic sing-alongs like The Killers would write, so that’s the direction we’re heading in, aiming for stadiums.”

Considering how accurate The Sherlocks’ aim has been so far, an elementary deduction. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A wilfully anthemic, major-key combination of soaring pop-punk and classic northern indie, this Yorshire quartet have taken the UK by storm, and this debut album shows why. Brilliantly played, and undoubtedly upbeat anthems all round.

TRACK LISTING

I Want It All
NYC (Sing It Loud)
Waiting
Magic Man
Dreams
Time To Go
Give It All Up
One Day
Now & Then
Step Inside
Under Your Sky

For album number three post-2004 reformation, Pixies have gone concept. Black Francis, meet Black Magic. Beneath the Eyrie is a haunted kind of album. Recorded in four weeks at Dreamland Studio (a former church in New York state), the album is filled with gothic imagery and thoughts of death – and whatever it is that comes after that. Grunge folk tales abound, like on ‘Catfish Kate’, an infectious epic sprung from a family legend about a woman caught in a fight to the death with (ready for this?) a catfish, emerging victorious in the track’s final minute wearing its still-bloodied skin like a robe. Pixies have said the album is their Blair Witch, and it’s true that there is darkness in every corner. Thematically speaking, Beneath the Eyrie revolves around two Ds; death, and divorce. Still, it’s hardly a miserable listen – this is Pixies, after all. Even the bitter Nick Cave growl of ‘Bird of Prey’ is offset by light backing vocals and a practically sunny guitar intro, turning it into something more longing than savage. This is one of those ‘Divorce’ songs, even if the band didn’t quite know it at the time of writing. The idea of love’s labours lost seep through.

Beneath the Eyrie marks the closure of all kinds of chapters, real and imagined alike. Campfire sing-along closer ‘Death Horizon’ brings endings like falling dominoes – dead relationships, dead human race, dead earth. The twanging, Western atmosphere also comes through on prowling ‘Head Carrier’ holdover ‘Silver Bullet’ (which may or may not be Pixies’ first werewolf anthem), while ‘Long Rider’ takes that same swagger on the road and throws its lot in with surf-rock. The latter is one of the record’s high points, catchy and rollicking enough to warrant consecutive plays. It’s a particular gift, this merging of genres. A careful balance of reinvention and heritage makes the album both fresh and familiar. ‘Los Surfers Muertos’ especially slips into the musical path the band laid long ago, while also paying fitting tribute to a friend who died while they were recording. It’s celebration of life, rather than a Danse macabre.

So sure there’s heartbreak and loss on Beneath the Eyrie, but also buoyancy and love. The one is the trade-off for the other. For all it’s lurking sprites and werewolves, the album is a salve. Feeling cursed? The witch doctor will see you now. - Loud And Quiet

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: It's only the bloody PIXIES again isn't it! In possibly their most on-brand release since their reformation in 2004, 'Beneath The Eyrie' has the gothic appeal of their early works, the production elements we expect from modern rock and / or roll and Black's voice on top form. It's a triumph in every way, and hopefully the trajectory they'll continue upon is clear. Stunner!

TRACK LISTING

1. In The Arms Of Mrs Mark Of Cain
2. On Graveyard Hill
3. Catfish Kate
4. This Is My Fate
5. Ready For Love
6. Silver Bullet
7. Long Rider
8. Los Surfers Muertos
9. St. Nazaire
10. Bird Of Prey
11. Daniel Boone
12. Death Horizon

VINYL:
Side A:
1. In The Arms Of Mrs Mark Of Cain
2. On Graveyard Hill
3. Catfish Kate
4. This Is My Fate
5. Ready For Love
6. Silver Bullet
Side B:
7. Long Rider
8. Los Surfers Muertos
9. St. Nazaire
10. Bird Of Prey
11. Daniel Boone
12. Death Horizon

DMA’S are set to release the ‘MTV Unplugged Live’ album. It was recorded at Melbourne’s intimate Memo Music Hall last October, with DMA’s becoming one of the first Australian bands to play the iconic MTV Unplugged session. It’s a format steeped in history following classic sets from Nirvana, Oasis, R.E.M. and many more.

Renowned for their ragged, anthemic energy often inspired by the Britpop and Manchester scenes, ‘MTV Unplugged Live’ finds DMA’S stripping their songbook back to basics. Focusing on acoustic guitar, piano, violin and cello, these new arrangements unveil fresh new perspectives on the songs. Some now carry a folk vibe, while others hone in on the poignancy of the band’s lyrics.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: It's when performed acoustically that the tactile songwriting and tender balladry of DMA's songwriting really comes into its own, and shows the stylistic similarities and melodic leanings of this Australian trio to our most beloved 90's britpop staples.

It’s been a while since the last Richard Hawley album - 4 years in fact. During that time he made a decision to break the recording / touring cycle he’d been working since he was 14 and went off to write music for films and also an acclaimed musical, "Standing At The Sky's Edge", based around a housing estate in his home town. But now he’s back, with a new album, and although there’s plenty of the swoonsome, croonsome Hawley we know and love, he’s not been afraid to push the boundaries a little.

If you’re a 6music listener, then you can’t fail to have heard the opening track, the bluesy rock’n’roll stomp of “Of My Mind” - maybe a bit of a shock to the system for long-time Hawley fans, but fear not! It’s followed my the Smithsian “Alone” and then the gorgeous “My Little Treasures” - a beautiful, heartfelt song written about drinking with two of his late father’s oldest friends. The sweeping strings and pedal steel of the title track and slow strummed ballad  “Emilina Says” wind things down beautifully.

I don’t know if the album was put together with the thought of an A-side and B-side in mind, but that’s how it comes across, with both sides opening with a big ballsy blast that slowly eases as the needle creeps inwards. The B-side opens with “Is There A Pill?”, with it’s pounding drums and big string surges that bring to mind “A Design For Life” era Manics. It’s followed by the chugging “Galley Girl” and then gently drifts into the languid “Not Lonely”. “Time Is” could be a Neil Diamond cover (he wrote some gems you know!) and is followed by my favourite track on the album “Midnight Train” - classic Hawley! And finally, the album is rounded off with the short but sweet, gentle strum of “Doors”.

“Further” is possibly the most diverse album Richard Hawley has recorded, but it flows beautifully - partly down to the wonderfully intertwined guitar playing of Hawley and long-time cohort Shez Sheridan, but also because Hawley is such a great song writer. If like me, you are unsure on first listen, stick with it - it’s worth it!

TRACK LISTING

1. Off My Mind
2. Alone
3. My Little Treasures
4. Further
5. Emilina Says
6. Is There A Pill?
7. Galley Girl
8. Not Lonely
9. Time Is
10. Midnight Train
11. Doors

‘Vol 4’ is the fourth studio album by Black Sabbath. It was the first album by Black Sabbath not produced by Rodger Bain. Guitarist Tony Iommi assumed production duties.

In June 2013 Mojo declared “If booze and dope had helped fuel Sabbath’s earlier albums, ‘Vol 4’ is their cocaine.”

The artwork reflects the original release, from the cover to the printed inner sleeve.

‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’ is Black Sabbath’s fifth studio album. It was produced by the band and Tom Allom and recorded at Morgan Studios in London in September 1973.

For the first time in their career the band began to receive favourable reviews in the mainstream press, with Rolling Stone calling the album “an extraordinarily gripping affair,” and “nothing less than a complete success.”

The artwork reflects the original release, from the cover to the printed inner sleeve.

TRACK LISTING

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
A National Acrobat
Fluff
Sabbra Cadabra
Killing Yourself To Live
Who Are You?
Looking For Today
Spiral Architect

‘Master Of Reality’ is the third studio album by Black Sabbath.

Released in July 1971, it is widely regarded as their most sonically influential work - the foundation of doom, stoner and sludge metal.

The last Black Sabbath album to be produced by Rodger Bain.

TRACK LISTING

Sweet Leaf
After Forever
Embryo
Children Of The Grave
Orchid
Lord Of This World
Solitude
Into The Void

‘Black Sabbath’ is the eponymous debut studio album by Black Sabbath. Released in 1970, the album reached number 8 in the UK Albums Chart and number 23 in the Billboard Charts.

Based around the band’s live set, it was recorded in a 12 hour session in October 1969 and is regarded by many as one of the most significant albums in the development of heavy metal.

In 1989 Kerrang ranked Black Sabbath as number 31 in their 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums Of All Time.

TRACK LISTING

Black Sabbath
The Wizard
Behind The Wall Of Sleep
N.I.B.
Evil Woman, Don't Play Your Games With Me
Sleeping Village
Warning

‘Paranoid’ is the second studio album by English rock band Black Sabbath. Released in September 1970, it was the band’s first LP to top the UK Albums Chart.

It is often regarded as one of the most quintessential and influential albums in heavy metal history.

Contains the title track, which was their only Top 5 single.

The new album for the US artist Young Man aka Colin Caulfield with guitarist Emmett Conway, bassist Joe Bailey, drummer Dylan Andrews and synth player Jeff Graupner - produced by John McEntire (Tortoise, The Sea And Cake a.o.)

Before he was even finished with the debut Young Man EP Boy, singersongwriter Colin Caulfield already knew what he wanted to do with this one, the 9-track album Vol. 1. First conceived in Caulfield’s college dorm room in 2009, Young Man is a concept project about youth -- about how that fleeting phase when you're emerging into adulthood can feel like reliving two decades of highs and lows in just a couple years. "I wanted all the things to come out in succession," Caulfield says, "because the series documents what happened to me when I was writing them. The whole project more or less portrays the trajectory of a young musician, first starting out, making mistakes, then growing up.

He's growing in leaps and bounds, turning out a more muscular, focused sound on 'Vol.1,' where songs such as "21" and "Fate" bend the dreamy atmospherics Caulfield has been exploring since his first EP into lean, pliable melodies. Vol. 1 is the first Young Man effort to feature a full band. He is supported here by guitarist Emmett Conway, bassist Joe Bailey, drummer Dylan Andrews and synth player Jeff Graupner, most of whom have been playing live with Caulfield for the past couple years on tours with Cold War Kids, Givers, Grouplove and Fanfarlo, among others. "I always envisioned this as a full band project," Caulfield says. "Experimenting with a group of musicians in a way that you can't when you’re alone is much more appealing for me, but I had to teach myself how to record the songs on my own first."

Vol 1 is also Caulfield's first project to be recorded in a studio -- Chicago's Soma Studios, where Young Man spent several weeks last year with producer John McEntire, known for his influential work with Nineties indie rock heavyweights Tortoise and The Sea And Cake, as well as production/engineering credits for Broken Social Scene and Stereolab. "I had a very good idea of what each song should sound like in my head before we went to the studio," Caulfield says. "They came out sounding different than I thought they were going to, but a lot of the album is about being happy with that. We almost called the album Damon & Division, which are the cross streets where Soma is, because the studio itself was such an important instrument on this record."

Beyond any one instrument, Caulfield says the biggest influence on Vol. 1 was his longtime attraction to progressive rock. "It’s such geeky music," he says. "But the musicianship is something I really get behind. Sometimes I find myself using the same chords and rhythmic concepts, but those influences always push me to do something new as much as I'm able - making music technical in clever ways without letting it get too selfindulgent."

Yet Caulfield also notes that the real writing of this record coincided with his beginning to develop a real taste for pop music again, for the first time since his early teens. "I got more interested in songwriting, and I learned to embrace pop music like Kelly Rowland and Nick Drake. I resented that music for so long, for some reason. I don’t think it’s negative anymore to write a good hook and have it repeat. For the longest time I wanted to make music that had parts that moved in and out, that didn’t follow standard pop conventions. I guess I finally realized it’s cool to do both." Prog pop? Yes. Finally.

TRACK LISTING

1. Heading
2. Thoughts
3. By And By
4. Do
5. Fate
6. Wasted
7. 21
8. Wandering
9. Directions