On the cover: Wendy Eisenberg: The prolific US guitarist collides free jazz with metal and Americana across myriad collaborations and a new introspective solo album. By Stewart Smith; Mariá Portugal: The Brazilian percussionist and improvisor reanimates song fragments from São Paolo’s radical past. By Peter Margasak; KAVARI: The Glasgow producer and DJ brings the occult to the club through visceral volume. By Misha Farrant; The Primer: Augustus Pablo: A user’s guide to the recordings of the roots reggae artist, producer and multi-instrumentalist who conjured visions of a better world. By Derek Walmsley; Invisible Jukebox: Yellow Swans: How will the psychedelic noise duo process The Wire’s mystery record selection? Tested by Ilia Rogatchevski; Cowboy Builder: Junk shop jerry-rigging from the shadowy Edinburgh quartet. By Daryl Worthington; LINTD: The Manchester based artist connects grief with ideas of Black utopia. By John Morrison; Jenna Sutela: Pond life and slime mould fuel the Finnish artist’s creative language. By Robert Barry; Global Ear: Berlin’s Turkish diaspora keep the psychedelic light burning. By Robert Rigney; Unlimited Editions: The outsider sounds of Jordan label Drowned By Locals skirt the margins. By Miloš Hroch; The Inner Sleeve: Tim Fish on Armand Hammer’s Rome; Against The Grain: The new sound of UK rap is hijacked by London’s police force for clicks. By Hugh Morris; Epiphanies: Derek Baron passes the time with Laure M Hiendl. Plus 37 pages of reviews including: Sam Pluta + Mariel Roberts Musa: Wet Ink spots. By Kurt Gottschalk; Anthony Joseph + Dinesh Allirajah: Jazz/poetry smash. By Dan Spicer; Clifton Chenier: Louisiana cooking. By Steve Barker; Listening In: How Audio Surveillance Became Artificial Intelligence: Smart spies. By Paul Rekret; Daphne Oram: A legacy of electronic invention at the Barbican. By Jo Hutton; Umlaut Big Band: Jazzing up the repertoire. By Gabriel Bristow, and much more.

2025 Rewind: the Year in Underground Music

50 Releases of the Year: We asked our contributors to vote for their top ten releases of 2025 then added up the votes

Columnists’ Charts: Our specialist critics delve deep into their musical niches from noise to modern composition

50 Archive Releases of the Year: We asked our contributors to vote for their top ten archive releases of 2025, then added up the votes

Critics’ Reflections: Our writers discuss their memorable cultural experiences of the year

Style Counsel: Experimental music’s uneasy flirtation with high fashion. By Lucy Thraves

Against the Stream: DIY radio subverts the hierarchies and algorithms of the mega-platforms. By Paul Rekret

Time out of Joint: Old school instruments and ancient wisdom connects past and present. By Daryl Worthington

Arch Rivals: London’s crumbling infrastructure provides a haven for experimentation. By Deborah Nash

Hybrid Vigour: Jazzing up improvisation via beats, noise and rhymes. By Stewart Smith

Extended Play: Drones and duration versus doomscrolling. By Xenia Benivolski

Hilary Woods: The Irish songwriter’s craft explores trauma and terror. By Leah Kardos

Company: Derek Bailey’s rekindled improvisation meet-up recalled. By Mark Wastell

Tristan Perich: 1-bit electronics hook listeners into the cosmic circuit. By Antonio Poscic

Anna Högberg: The Swedish saxophonist blowing burnout away. By Peter Margasak

Makaya McCraven: Group recordings are reworked to infinity in his kaleidoscopic jazz. By Melvin Gibbs

Carrier: Antwerp beatmaker follows in the footsteps of Torsten Pröfrock with his technoid breakbeat constructions. By Christian Eede;

Hypomanic Daydream: Marie McAuliffe’s creations gene-splice Rock In Opposition, video games and heavy metal. By Kek-w

Erwan Keravec: The Breton piper brings global and experimental approaches to trad sounds. By Francis Gooding

Invisible Jukebox: Ikonika: Will the London beatmaker get all mixed up with The Wire’s mystery record selection? By April Clare Welsh

Global Ear: Chicago’s jazz and blues scene stands tall in the face of racist immigration raids. By Howard Mandel

Unlimited Editions: Warm Winters Ltd. By Antonio Poscic

The Inner Sleeve: Tony Herrington on Here & Now/Alternative TV’s What You See... Is What You Are

Against The Grain: MayDay Rooms’ anarcho-punk archive disinterred by Chumbawumba vocalist. By Seth Wheeler

Epiphanies: Cosey Fanni Tutti reflects on a life in art.

Soundcheck: Marja Ahti & Manja Ristić; Alpha Maid; Beat; Matt Berry; Infinite Coles; Richie Culver; Tashi Dorji; EarthBall; Gerald Eckert; Ergot Project; Mark Fell & Pat Thomas; Ghostface Killah; Philip Glass/Suzanne Vega/Collegium Vocale Gent/Ictus; Jean-Luc Guionnet; Trey Gunn & Robert Forlano; Agnes Haus; Anna von Hausswolff; Eva-Maria Houben; Ikonika; Tessa Rose Jackson; Julinko; KIK; Komara; Ann Kroeber & Alan Splet; Éric La Casa & Jérôme Noetinger; Makaya McCraven; Miniseries; Juana Molina; Anthony Moore with AKA & Friends; Moor Mother; Rie Nakajima & David Toop; MJ Noble; Luigi Nono/Roberto Fabbriciani; Organs Obsolete; Daisy Rickman; Rosalía; Vanessa Rossetto; Saint Abdullah & Jason Nazary; Scanner; Scanner & Gareth Davis; Shell Company featuring Richie Culver & Lindt; Chad Taylor Quintet; Asmus Tietchens & Thorsten Soltau; Penelope Trappes; Jakob Ullmann; Webber/Morris Big Band; Jim White; Hilary Woods; Xiu Xiu

Lempuyang is a label you will know and respect for its high quality stream of immersive dub techno. Now the man behind it, Alastair Kelly, debuts a new label with none other than revered UK techno mainstay Ibrahim Alfa Jnr. He opens up with 'Component A' which is a moody melange of slow, broken dub beats and fizzing synths. There is further experimentation on 'Untitled B2 1' which pairs a churning dub rhythm with naive and innocent melodies and lots of lo-fi static. 'Entangled' ups the ante with the suggestion of a fast paced rhythm through a skeletal groove and the flip brings broken beat dub weight, meaning and percussive bass with a 2-step swagger then deep introspection on the closer. A classy EP that suggests this label will be well worth watching.

TRACK LISTING

Component A
Untitled B2 1
Entangled
Are You?
648
Carrier

The Catenary Wires are a group comprising Amelia Fletcher, Rob Pursey and Ian Button. Their critically acclaimed third album ‘Birling Gap’ was released in 2021. Since then, they have been focusing on their other bands, playing around the world with Heavenly (stars of the 90s indiepop scene) and Swansea Sound.

A couple of years ago, word reached Rob and Amelia that Brian had been spotted wearing a Heavenly t-shirt at one of his shows, and was a big fan of their music. Given that they, in turn, were fans of Brian’s poetry, introductions were made, friendships were formed, and ‘Sounds Made By Humans’ took shape.

The album isn’t a set of readings with musical backdrops: it’s a collection of songs, where words and music have become completely intertwined. There are verses, and there are choruses. There is no ‘riffing’, no improvisation. In many ways, Brian’s poems are already like pop songs: brief, direct, and witty; sometimes poignant, sometimes biting and political; but always economical, and always accessible.

Rob took thirteen of Brian’s poems and created melodies and arrangements, which are then played by a full band, with Ian Button on drums and Fay Hallam on keyboard. Sometimes the words of the poems are sung by Amelia or Rob. Sometimes they are spoken by Brian. Sometimes both these things happen at once. This is a pop record where the poetry and the music are equal partners: sounds made by humans in perfect artistic alignment. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Alexa, What Is There To Know About Love?
2. The Interview
3. Every Song On The Radio Reminds Me Of You
4. Might Have, Might Not Have
5. To Do List
6. Compilation Cassette
7. Out Of The Rain
8. 31 Rules For Midliefe Rebellion
9. As I Grow Old I Will March Not Shuffle
10. She’d Dance
11. My Heart Is A Lump Of Rock
12. Thou Shalt Not Commit Adulting
13. Customers Who Bought This Record Also Bought…

Formed in Edinburgh in 1992, The Kaisers set out to bring the excitement and joi de vivre of the early ‘60s beat era back to the Scottish music scene. Armed with junk shop guitars and tiny amplifiers, they quickly gained a reputation as one of the country’s most exciting live bands, belting out forgotten rock ‘n’ roll gems and their own period-perfect compositions with unsurpassed rawness.

As their fame spread, they were soon firing their beat salvos at audiences from America to Japan. The broadcasting authorities took notice and radio sessions for John Peel, Mark Radcliffe and many others followed, both at home and abroad.

The Kaisers released seven albums plus many singles and EPs – all on vinyl and always in mono. One EP was recorded during a particularly wild night at New York’s famous CBGB. Although their records featured plenty of the good-humoured sonic violence that their fans craved, heartfelt yet visceral ballads were never off the musical menu.

After a 13 year hibernation, The Kaisers returned to the stage via the festivals circuit and continue to appear at festivals across Europe. The resurgence of interest in the band has led to the writing and recording of a brand-new album ‘More From The Kaisers’, due for release on the 28th of June, 2024.

TRACK LISTING

1. That Kind Of Fun
2. Keep Walking That Way
3. Do You Wanna Twist
4. You Tell Me
5. Cruelty
6. Tremblin'
7. Guillotine Twist
8. Hey Lulu
9. Monkey Train
10. Come On And Tell Me
11. Voodoo Lily
12. Ain't Gonna Talk
13. She's Long And Tall
14. Shaking And Stomping

A raucous yet reflective look back at the evolution of the music press and the passionate rock and pop journalists who defined the music of the 20th century. Totally Wired is the definitive story of the music press on both sides of the Atlantic, tracing its rise and fall from humble beginnings nearly 100 years ago. Along the way, this potent creative breeding ground for scores of writers, publishers, photographers, designers and music-makers tested the very limits of journalistic endeavour and influenced the wider worlds of film, media and pop.

Focusing on developments from the 1950s to the 2000s, a period that witnessed rock 'n' roll, mod, the Summer of Love, glam, punk, pop, reggae, dance music, R&B and hip-hop, Paul Gorman chronicles the stories of individual magazines from their Tin Pan Alley beginnings and the countercultural foundation of Rolling Stone and the underground press. He explores the 1970s heyday of NME, Melody Maker and Sounds plus such punk-rock publications as Sniffin' Glue and Temporary Hoarding; tracks the emergence of dedicated monthlies Q, The Face and Mojo as well as dance-culture independents like Boy's Own and Jockey Slut; and spotlights feminist and Riot Grrrl 'zines Ben Is Dead and Girlfrenzy along with the rise of media by and for people of colour, from Black Music and Black Echoes in the 1970s to The Source, Vibe and XXL in the 1990s. Evoking the music press's kaleidoscopic visual identities, Totally Wired is illustrated with rare and legendary magazine artwork throughout.

Painting a complete picture of the scene, Gorman discusses the role played by such writers as Lester Bangs, Charles Shaar Murray and Nick Kent in the development of the careers of, among others, David Bowie, the Clash and Led Zeppelin. He also tackles the entrenched sexism and racism faced by women and those from marginalized communities by highlighting publications and individuals whose contributions have been unfairly overlooked. The resulting narrative, containing stories of unbound talent, blind ambition and sometimes bitter rivalry, makes Totally Wired a riveting and roller-coaster read.

Celebrating 10 years since his first album, Tom Williams releases his most eclectic project to date. 'Follow The Leader' represents a departure from his previous output, and is comprised of a collection of songs which comment on pre- and post-lockdown life, providing beautifully crafted snapshots of modern Britain.

Having released six studio albums to date, Tom Williams has built a passionate fanbase of discerning music lovers since his first album, Tom Williams & The Boats Too Slow ten years ago. His 2017 album All Change was voted by BBC 6 Music Recommends as one of their Top Ten Albums Of The Year, and his last album 2019s What Did You Want To Be? which was produced by Tim Rice-Oxley, was described by The Guardian as surging, vintage pop-rock and championed extensively by Jo Whiley at BBC Radio 2, Steve Lamacq and Lauren Laverne at BBC 6 Music, Huw Stephens at Radio 1, Q Magazine and Clash.

Follow The Leader signifies a departure from Williams previous output. Self-produced, the album boasts rich orchestral sounds and full band performances, mixed with claustrophobic drum machines, synthesizers and deep sub bass sounds.

Indie pop comes of age!

Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey love pop songs, but pop songs with an edge. With their early bands Talulah Gosh and Heavenly, they were often dismissed by critics of the time as fey or ‘twee’, but this prejudice has since been revised: some of those sweet fizzy songs were about date-rape, and the band were an influential part of the movement that became riot grrrl.

On their new album as The Catenary Wires, the songs are as strong as ever, full of sweet melody and rich with vocal harmonies. But the tunes are now vehicles for startlingly honest adult concerns: the fractured relationships, anxieties, passions and politics of people who live on an island that’s turning in on itself. Like the Go-Betweens and XTC before them, The Catenary Wires know that pop music can convey dark, sardonic, complex emotions, just as well as it can celebrate teenage angst.

The album depicts England, not just in its lyrics, but in its music. The Catenary Wires have listened to the songs and stories England has comforted itself with over the decades, and re-imagined them. Canterbury Lanes presents a duetting couple, old now and worn down, but still aspiring to put their folk band back together, hoping to rekindle the idealistic flames of the early 1970s. Mirrorball, fizzy with syn-drums and Casio, presents another couple – middle-aged and unattached, who find unexpected love at a retro 80s disco. In the 70s-flavoured pop of Always on my Mind, love appears again, almost by surprise, conjured up by an old photo in a pile of memorabilia.

The opening track, Face on the Rail Line, is a love song set in the now, full of emotion, but shot through with the paranoia that we all feel, living at a time when we are constantly in contact, but rarely communicate the truth. The last two songs on the album, Like the Rain, and The Overview Effect, are anxious romances, set in a fragile world.

The Catenary Wires are now a five-piece band. The other members have impressive musical pedigrees of their own. Fay Hallam was in Makin’ Time, and now releases records in her own name. Andy Lewis played bass in the Weller Band, and has more recently worked with Louis Phillippe and Judy Dyble. Ian Button was in Thrashing Doves and Death in Vegas. These talented musicians elevate the songs, taking the arrangements onto another level.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Catenary Wires craft perfectly balanced pop songs, with rich production and a deep rooting in classic British indie music. there are echoes here of the storytelling vocals of Jarvis Cocker or the swooning harmonies of The Beautiful South, but with a casual and personable production aesthetic. Really lovely stuff.

TRACK LISTING

1. Face On The Rail Line
2. Alpine
3. Always On My Mind
4. Mirrorball
5. Three Wheeled Car
6. Liminal
7. Canterbury Lanes
8. Cinematic
9. Like The Rain
10. The Overview Effect

The Catenary Wires are Rob Pursey & Amelia Fletcher , formerly of Tender Trap, Marine Research, Heavenly & proto-riot-grrrl machismo-mocking punk-pop explosion Talulah Gosh. They specialise in emotive indie duets, capturing the spirits of Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood, Serge Gainsbourg & Brigitte Bardot, & releasing them into modern Britain.

The resulting songs will appeal to fans of Courtney Barnett &Kurt Vile or Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan. On this album, they are joined by Andy Lewis (Paul Weller Group)on cello, mellotron and percussion, & Fay Hallam (Makin' Time, Prime Movers) on Hammond organ & backing vocals. The local Kentish countryside provides ambient noise.

After five years as a band, encompassing five EPs and two albums, Kent-based six-piece Tom Williams & the Boat might appear fully-formed but, with the release of their second album, ‘Teenage Blood’, they’re only just beginning to reveal their true colours.

‘Teenage Blood’ is made up of ten tracks that Tom says reflect a new sense of focus for the band. After becoming obsessed with the idols of pop-rock’s history, such as Tom Petty, Teenage Fanclub, The Band and Loaded-era Velvet Underground, Tom decided to write songs that take the traditional song structures of that genre – repeated choruses, catchy hooks – and fill them with a subversive lyricism, touched upon in the debut release.

The result is a tight, narrative set of tracks that don’t so much form a concept as a series showing the progression of doomed love affairs – moving from youthful naïveté in ‘Too Young’ into ‘There’s A Stranger’s gut-punch realisation of the death of a romance (‘the best song I’ve ever written’, says Tom) and finally the ‘rolling credits’ of ‘Emily’, a depiction of the (re)birth of a new relationship. Teenage Blood’s consistent focus and narrative drive make for a more cohesive album than Too Slow; a mixture of the black and white polarity of their debut that explores new, captivating shades of grey - the spaces in between pop and alternative music, love and hate.

Tom Williams and the Boat return following a summer that has seen them play across the UK at various festivals including five sets at Glastonbury and high profile sets at Latitude and Lounge On The Farm with an EP of new material recorded throughout August. The band are currently putting the finishing touches to their debut album, due for release in Spring 2011.

Lead track "See My Evil" has been raising eyebrows amongst fans, who now number the likes of Huw Stephens, Steve Lamacq and Tom Robinson, taking their well known ear for a melody into new and darker musical territory and saw The Fly rapt with ‘an unexpected dark dynamism, and an all-round righteous fury’ whilst Likesounds thrilled to a track so ‘massive and loaded with hooks’ when they caught the band live at the Buffalo Bar. Coupled with "Get Older", a bluesy confessional burning with the anger of a young Nick Cave, the two tracks further demonstrate Tom Williams and the Boat as one of the most inventive songwriting teams around. With the dark mood persisting into the groove of "Strong Wheels", threaded gossamer like with a sinewy guitar line there is still space for the release of "Kick the Cat" and the warped confessional of "In Love".

STAFF COMMENTS

Laura says: This EP is all over 6 music at the moment, and deservedly so - it's ace!

TRACK LISTING

1. See My Evil
2. Get Older
3. Strong Wheels
4. In Love
5. Kick The Cat

Having recorded albums for labels such as XL and Planet Mu, Capitol K returns with full length number six, this time on Faith and Industry. The first track unfolds gradually in classic Capitol K style with the beat-poet driven, nostalgic rave of "Diamond Skys", the energy rises with the deconstructed bossa-nova of "Go Go Go", again influenced by the early days of Beat poetry. Things slow down a little for Steve Lamacq ROTW single "Libertania". Next up, "Acid Favela" takes the gigantic baile funk "Rambo" anthem and mixes in some acid lines and shoe-gazing riffage like only Capitol K can. "Freak" is a progressive hyper-funk freak out over a cut up 2-step rhythm. "Impression", is part two of "Freak", reflecting on a love with a sense of stillness and calm, musically revisiting K's penchant for revealing serene melodies from dictaphone tape cut ups.

New single from this indie-rock quartet from Ames, Iowa. This is a really good single which hints at lots of bands but doesn't really sound like any of them. It's got the pounding rhythm of Doves, vocally it reminds me a bit of Cold War Kids (and someone else who I can't quite think of!) and there's maybe a hint of Radiohead in there too.

A brand new EP from Southern California's explosive Red Onions. A hyper-charged blast-out of Stooges-fueled punk rock, delivered with tight rhythms, powerful riffs, tons of adrenaline, and plenty of destruction in mind.