‘Friendly Fires’ was the debut album from the St Albans-three piece, Ed McFarlane, Edd Gibson and Jack Savidge. Featuring hit singles ‘Jump In the Pool’ and ‘Paris’, it was an era-defining record. It launched the band to huge critical and commercial success, nominated for The Mercury Prize and a Brit Award. The LP is now reissued for its 15th Anniversary on silver vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

1. Jump In The Pool
2. In The Hospital
3. Paris
4. White Diamonds
5. Strobe
6. On Board
7. Lovesick
8. Skeleton Boy
9. Photobooth
10. Ex Lover

Aeroplane’s remix of Friendly Fires’ ‘Paris’ has been out of print on vinyl for over a decade. A cover more than a remix, their version of Friendly Fires’ first big single was all over the radio waves when it was first released, surely due to its sweet female vocal provided by Au Revior Simone. Now reissued for its 15th Anniversary on gold vinyl, the 12” also contains a remix by Justus Köhncke.

TRACK LISTING

1. Paris (Aeroplane Remix)
2. Paris (Justus Kohncke Remix)

Archy Marshall announces Space Heavy, the fourth studio album under his King Krule alias, via XL Recordings. Coming 10 years on from his debut album, Space Heavy presents King Krule at his most articulate; using his years of experience to create a dynamic body of work that reveals something new with every listen.

Written from 2020 to 2022, between London and Liverpool, Space Heavy took shape over the course of commutes between the two cities where Archy Marshall was splitting his time. Befitting an album quite literally written on the commute between the two places he called home, Archy found himself fascinated by the notion of “the space between” - the space haunted by dreams of love, touching a narrative of lost connection, losing people and situations to the guillotine of the universe. Once written by Archy, the music was developed by frequent collaborator and producer Dilip Harris and long-time band mates Ignacio Salvadores (Saxophonist), George Bass (Drummer), James Wilson (Bass Guitarist) and Jack Towell (Guitarist).

The result is a 15-track full-length by the musical polymath that inhabits the deepest reaches of the subterranean sonic world that Archy has constructed over the course of his career as King Krule. In it you hear a generational artist stepping into the height of their artistic powers – the auteurism apparent on his debut 6 Feet Beneath The Moon, the shapeshifting sonic palette of The OOZ, the primality of Man Alive! and the raw vulnerability expressed on You Heat Me Up, You Cool Me Down all coalesce into a wizened, dynamic body of work that reveals new elements with each listen. In line with Archy’s interest in the space between, it is an album wherein the negative space demands the same attention as the positive space. If one is willing to wade into the mire the reward is rich.

TRACK LISTING

Flimsier
Pink Shell
Seaforth
That Is My Life, That Is Yours
Tortoise Of Independency
Empty Stomach Space Cadet
Flimsy
Hamburgerphobia
From The Swamp
Seagirl
Our Vacuum
Space Heavy
When Vanishing
If Only It Was Warmth
Wednesday Overcast

Layo & Bushwacka!’s ‘Love Story (vs Finally)’, released 20 years ago, was one of those tracks you couldn’t get away from. Whether you were in the club or just listening to the radio, in 2003 it was everywhere. Infiltrating the UK Charts Top 10 and getting a Gold disc for sales, this mash up of the duo’s original ‘Love Story’ and Kings Of Tomorrow’s ‘Finally’ was the duo’s crowning jewel.

Of course XL had to celebrate ‘Love Story’ and its anniversary, deciding to do so by commissioning Paul Woolford to make a version that would hit the dancefloor just as hard 20 years later. This ‘floor ready remix proves that classics never die; Paul Woolford breathes new life into a track that “changed the course of dance music history” (DJ Mag).

Grammy nominated producer, remixer, songwriter and DJ Paul Woolford has been redefining and reinventing all shapes of dance music for over 20 years. Released in the XL classic house bag, Paul adds another huge remix to the track’s rich history.

TRACK LISTING

A: Love Story (vs Finally) Paul Woolford 2023 Extended Mix
B: Love Story (Original)

Remedy is Basement Jaxx’s joyous debut album from 1999. It was one of the most assured, propul-sive full-lengths the dance world had seen since Daft Punk’s Homework. A set of incredibly diverse tracks, Remedy is indebted to the raw American house of Todd Terry and Masters at Work, and even shares a penchant for Latin vibes (especially on the horn-driven “Bingo Bango” and the opener, “Rendez-Vu,” which trades a bit of salsa wiggle with infectious vocoderized disco).

TRACK LISTING

A1. Romeo
A2. Breakaway
A3. SFM
B1. Jus 1 Kiss
B2. Broken Dreams
B3. I Want U
C1. Get Me Off
C2. Where’s Your Head At
D1. Do Your Thing
D2. Freakalude
D3. Crazy Girl
D4. All I Know

Named after their infamous Brixton club night, Basement Jaxx’s second album Rooty saw Basement Jaxx continue to push the boundaries of pop and club music. The album mixes classic house with generous lashings of punk, funk, R&B, jazz, hip hop, 2-step and pop song-craft in a mad genre crash that works like a charm. It features the massive tracks “Where’s Your Head At”, “Romeo” and “Do Your Thing”.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Romeo
A2. Breakaway
A3. SFM
B1. Jus 1 Kiss
B2. Broken Dreams
B3. I Want U
C1. Get Me Off
C2. Where’s Your Head At
D1. Do Your Thing
D2. Freakalude
D3. Crazy Girl
D4. All I Know

Mere weeks before the world went into lockdown, King Krule had performed a handful of European shows which featured tracks from his critically acclaimed third album Man Alive! Performed with a ferocious intensity, the recordings offer fans a glimpse into a live tour that never was, while also reminding them of the artist's unique stage presence and incredible performances delivered across his entire catalogue. Available on double LP and CD, You Heat Me Up, You Cool Me Down features a setlist of 17 songs that span the acclaimed artist’s entire discography including fan favourites “Easy Easy,” “Baby Blue,” “Out Getting Ribs” and more.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: 'You Heat Me Up..' perfectly displays the energetic live show that Marshall has become so known for, and includes some of the biggest tracks from the past couple LP's we've sold so many of in the past few years. A wonderfully immersive and thoroughly worthwhile listen.

TRACK LISTING

Out Getting Ribs
Emergency Blimp
A Slide In (New Drugs)
The Ooz
Cellular
Stoned Again
Slush Puppy
Rock Bottom
Comet Face
Perfecto Miserable
Alone, Omen 3
Baby Blue
Half Man Half Shark
Underclass
Energy Fleets
Please Complete Thee
Easy Easy

Radiohead announces KID A MNESIA, a multiple format triple-album release marking the 21st anniversary of Kid A and Amnesiac, out via XL Recordings.

KID A MNESIA collects Radiohead’s fourth and fifth albums alongside the debut of a newly compiled third disc titled Kid Amnesiae. Exclusive to this release, Kid Amnesiae is comprised of unearthed material culled from the Kid A / Amnesiac sessions. Along with alternate versions and elements of Kid A and Amnesiac album tracks and B-Sides, Kid Amnesiae features the never-before-heard "If You Say the Word” and a previously unreleased studio recording of "Follow Me Around." 

TRACK LISTING

Vinyl Tracklisting:
Kid A:
Side A:
1. Everything In Its Right Place
2. Kid A
3. The National Anthem
4. How To Disappear Completely
5. Treefingers
Side B:
1. Optimistic
2. In Limbo
3. Idioteque
4. Morning Bell
5. Motion Picture Soundtrack

Amnesiac:
Side C:
1. Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box
2. Pyramid Song
3. Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors
4. You And Whose Army?
5. I Might Be Wrong
Side D:
1. Knives Out
2. Morning Bell/Amnesiac
3. Dollars And Cents
4. Hunting Bears
5. Like Spinning Plates
6. Life In A Glasshouse

Kid Amnesiae:
Side E:
1. Like Spinning Plates (‘Why Us?’ Version)
2. Untitled V1
3. Fog (Again Again Version)
4. If You Say The Word
5. Follow Me Around
Side F:
1. Pulk/Pull (True Love Waits Version)
2. Untitled V2
3. The Morning Bell (In The Dark Version)
4. Pyramid Strings
5. Alt. Fast Track
6. Untitled V3
7. How To Disappear Into Strings

CD Tracklisting:
CD1 Kid A:
1. Everything In Its Right Place
2. Kid A
3. The National Anthem
4. How To Disappear Completely
5. Treefingers
6. Optimistic
7. In Limbo
8. Idioteque
9. Morning Bell
10. Motion Picture Soundtrack

CD2 Amnesiac:
1. Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box
2. Pyramid Song
3. Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors
4. You And Whose Army?
5. I Might Be Wrong
6. Knives Out
7. Morning Bell/Amnesiac
8. Dollars And Cents
9. Hunting Bears
10. Like Spinning Plates
11. Life In A Glasshouse

CD3 Kid Amnesiae:
1. Like Spinning Plates (‘Why Us?’ Version)
2. Untitled V1
3. Fog (Again Again Version)
4. If You Say The Word
5. Follow Me Around
6. Pulk/Pull (True Love Waits Version)
7. Untitled V2
8. The Morning Bell (In The Dark Version)
9. Pyramid Strings
10. Alt. Fast Track
11. Untitled V3
12. How To Disappear Into Strings 

BADBADNOTGOOD return with their highly anticipated album, "Talk Memory", the sixth full length excursion from this Canadian trio if you count their collaboration with Ghostface Killah amongst their discography. Collaborators include legendary composer Arthur Verocai and contemporary icons such as Terrace Martin, Karriem Riggins and Laraaji.

It's high octane, ambitious and noisy, modern jazz set firmly in present times and holding no punches with its delivery. The boys can play, make no mistake, effortlessly drifting from languid passages to all-out throttle. Considering there's only three of them, it's a full and realized sound; slightly gritty but sophisticated in its execution; with each musician challenging the next to out-better themselves. As the songs swirl into a mighty cresendo you can almost picture them trying to compete with each for dexterity and flair... I'm sure they'd be an amazing prospect live.

Favourite moment for me is the opener of disc two, "Love Proceeding", featuring Arthur Verocia, which glides in on optimistic and cinematic sax before erupting into an explosion of augmented 7s and frenzied drums; the ultimate example of jazz's fusion of tension and release; a formular that's executed with aplomb throughout the album.

Advanced and highly accomplished, "Talk Memory" finds these bastions of modern jazz in exquisite form. Recommended. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: BadBadNotGood return for their first LP for XL Recordings, with their trademark enthusiastic jazz fusion sound in full force, bolstered with a number of huge music industry names. It's yet another groundbreaking juxtaposition of loungey downbeat jazz and rhythmic hip-hop, both innovative and warmingly familiar.

TRACK LISTING

1. Signal From The Noise
2. Unfolding (Momentum 73) Featuring Laraajii
3. City Of Mirrors Featuring Arthur Verocai
4. Beside April Featuring Karriem Riggins, Arthur Verocai
5. Love Proceeding Featuring Arthur Verocai
6. Open Channels (physical Only)
7. Timid, Intimidating
8. Beside April (Reprise) Featuring Arthur Verocai
9. Talk Meaning Featuring Arthur Verocai, Terrace Martin And Brandee Younger

‘Still Slipping Vol.1’ is the debut full length project from Joy Orbison. Fans of Joy O’s DJ sets and radio shows will already be aware of his diverse tastes and inspirations, represented here through a roll call of delicately curated, mainly UK, collaborators that include Herron, James Massiah, Bathe, Léa Sen, Goya Gumbani and TYSON.

Just as important are the voices of Joy Orbison's family - mum, dad, sister Sarah, uncle Frankie, uncle Keith (recently departed), auntie Helen and cousins Lola and Mia, as well as Leighann, who was the first person to introduce him to drum and bass and garage as a kid and stars on the mixtape’s cover art.

They appear throughout the record via a series of voice notes, his only contact with his family during this year of worldwide lockdown and an intimate, vicarious glimpse into the personal world of an artist who has generally side-stepped the public gaze. 

It's a long time coming since 2009's "Hyph Mngo" revolutionized and married the worlds of bass and techno together. Instrumental in advancing dance music and merging tribes of different electronic genres together, his Sunklo items have become treasured artifacts of dance music lineage and it seems utterally bewildering that it's taken him until now to release a full length album.

Painfully succinct, delicately poised and highly advanced; all the trademarks that mark this singular and innovative producer / DJ. Sequenced to perfection and playing more like a mixtape tape than a collection of individual tracks, you'll struggle to take the needle off the record until its completion I can assure you! Highly recommended!  

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Can you believe this is Joy-O's first long player?! His tracks seem to have influenced and soundtracked the better dancefloors of the last decade on a near-permanent basis. Over a transient, constantly-morphing LP we get the skitty, advanced kinetics; emotive washes and his shadowy, blurred vox all showcased at their most intimate and astonishing. One of our royal treasures of electronic music.

TRACK LISTING

W/ Dad & Frankie
Sparko (feat. Herron)
Swag W/ Kav (feat. James Massiah & Bathe)
Better (feat. Léa Sen)
Bernard?
Runnersz
Rraine (feat. Edna)
Glorious Amateurs
S Gets Jaded
Froth Sipping
Layer 6
In Drink
Playground (feat. Goya Gumbani)
Born Slipping (feat. TYSON)

The Avalanches’ era defining debut album ‘Since I Left You’ has finally come of age. Now 20 years old, ‘Since I Left You’ gets a timely reissue along with an additional record of fifteen remixes from the likes of MF DOOM, Stereolab and Carl Craig. The Avalanches made ‘Since I Left You’ out of hundreds of vinyl samples, the grand finale and biggest climactic triumph of the Sampladelic Decade. Containing classic singles ‘Frontier Psychiatrist’ and ’Since I Left You’, the reissue’s remixes give each track a new lease of life, while still maintaining the sunny disposition of the originals.

Do you remember what you were doing twenty years ago? I do. I was a fifteen year old kid from the burbs, spending my summer playing football and recreating WWF classics in the back yard while dressed like a nerdish Eminem (bleach blonde hair and everything). Then a wacky-ass radio track packed with film snippets and horse noises worked its way into my teenage brain and changed things for good. The Avalanches were insane, inspired and in full effect; following the 'horse song' ("Frontier Psychiatrist") with a soulful and swooning summer jam ("Since I Left You") which has played in my head ever since. Family Allowance firmly in hand I took my privileged ass off to the Market Hall, picked up a CD copy of this album and spent the whole bus journey home feasting my eyes on the liner notes and sleeve artwork. As I hit the play button on my naff home stereo, I was whisked away Dorothy-style and taken on a head spinning journey through 50 years of popular music. Leaving the monochrome mundanity of Bolton behind, I soared through technicolour stage sets of paradise islands, Brooklyn block parties and countryside BBQs, Sci-Fi spectaculars and rewired romances as 3,500 samples were sticky taped together before my very ears. The plunderphonic sound of six men who spent their adolescence rummaging through the bargain bins of Melbourne's record shops, "Since I Left You" applies hip hop's cut'n'paste mentality to the full gamut of weird and wonderful pop, from exotica to erotica, disco and funk to lounge and psych. Unlike anything I'd ever heard before, and better than any imitators I've heard since, The Avalanches are truly in a class of their own. 

TRACK LISTING

4LP
Disc 1
Since I Left You
Stay Another Season
Radio
Two Hearts In 3/4 Time
Avalanche Rock
Flight Tonight
Close To You
Diners Only
A Different Feeling

Disc 2
Electricity
Tonight May Have To Last Me All My Life
Pablo's Cruise
Frontier Psychiatrist
Etoh
Summer Crane
Little Journey
Live At Dominoes
Extra Kings

Disc 3
Since I Left You (Cornelius Remix)
Tonight May Have To Last Me All My Life (Edan Remix)
Frontier Psychiatrist (Mario Caldato Jr's 85% Remix)
Close To You (Sun Araw Remix)
Since I Left You (Stereolab Remix)
Flight Tonight (Canyons Travel Agent Dub)
Radio (Sinkane Remix)

Disc 4
Since I Left You (Prince Paul Remix)
Electricity (Harvey's Nightclub Re-edit)
Summer Crane (Black Dice Remix)
Extra Kings (Deakin Remix)
Tonight May Have To Last Me All My Life (MF DOOM Remix)
Tonight May Have To Last Me All My Life (Dragged By Leon Vynehall)
A Different Feeling (Carl Craig's Paperclip People Remix)
Thank You Caroline (Original Avalanches Demo Tape)

2CD
Disc 1
Since I Left You
Stay Another Season
Radio
Two Hearts In 3/4 Time
Avalanche Rock
Flight Tonight
Close To You
Diners Only
A Different Feeling
Electricity
Tonight May Have To Last Me All My Life
Pablo's Cruise
Frontier Psychiatrist
Etoh
Summer Crane
Little Journey
Live At Dominoes
Extra Kings

Disc 2
Tonight May Have To Last Me All My Life (MF DOOM Remix)
Summer Crane (Black Dice Remix)
Frontier Psychiatrist (Mario Caldato Jr's 85% Remix)
Electricity (Dr. Rockit's Dirty Kiss Remix)
Electricity (Original Avalanches Demo Tape)
Thank You Caroline (Original Avalanches Demo Tape)
Thank You Caroline (Andy Votel Remix)
So Why So Sad (The Avalanches Sean Penn Mix) – Manic Street Preachers
The Shining (The Avalanches Good Word For The Weekend Mix) – Badly Drawn Boy
Pablo's Cruise (Original Avalanches Demo Tape)
I'm A Cuckoo (The Avalanches Remix - DJ Edit) – Belle And Sebastian
Chico (The Avalanches Wernham Hogg Mix) – The Concretes
Fade Together (The Avalanches Remix) – Franz Ferdinand
Since I Left You (Stereolab Remix)
Flight Tonight (Canyons Travel Agent Dub)
Radio (Sinkane Remix)
A Different Feeling (Ernest Saint Laurent Remix)
A Different Feeling (Carl Craig's Paperclip People Remix)
Two Hearts In 3/4 Time (Jackson & His Computer Band Remix)
Tonight May Have To Last Me All My Life (Dragged By Leon Vynehall)
Tonight May Have To Last Me All My Life (Edan Remix)

Norwegian duo Smerz have announced the release of ‘Believer’, their forthcoming debut album that pushes Smerz far beyond their previous EP releases, 2017’s Okey and 2018’s Have Fun. Since releasing the ‘Believer’ trailer back in October 2020 followed by a video for the tracks ‘I don’t talk about that much/Hva hvis’, the duo of Catharina Stoltenberg and Henriette Motzfeldt have slowly revealed a new auditory world. The duo meld sonic touchstones from their youth, like musicals and classical music, with swirling, trance-indebted synth lines and hip-hop plus R&B vocals that is distinctly Smerz.

Last fall the duo performed at Oslo’s Ultima festival; in early 2020 they scored a performance by Carte Blanche, the Norwegian national company of contemporary dance, as well as performed at Mira festival in collaboration with legendary visual maverick Weirdcore.

TRACK LISTING

Gitarriff
Max
Believer
Versace Strings
Rain
4 Temaer
Hester *
Flashing
The Favourite
Rap Interlude
Sonette
Glassbord
Grand Piano
Missy
I Don’t Talk About That Much 

New album from Jungle which follows on from 2014's award winning and acclaimed debut album. Jungle highlighted the aspirational sound of young London at a turbulent time in the city's history. Shunning the dark, claustrophobic sound of grime, or the frenetic, inhuman electronics of (ironically) jungle or its many mutations; for a much sunnier, dare-I-say friendlier sound, indebted to soul and pop music.

Masterminded by Josh 'J' Lloyd-Watson and Tom 'T' McFarland, a production and multi-instrumentalist duo who never expected to leave their bedroom studios, far less become the core of a talent-filled seven-strong collective that morphed into a killer live outfit. "Jungle" garnered rave reviews, untold amounts of hype and a Mercury Music Prize nomination; Noel Gallagher declared the album 'fucking amazing' and it achieved half a million sales.

"For Ever" follows up with a lot of prove. Less dreamy and more direct, it's 'inspired by real life experiences of places they've always dreamed of'. Swapping Shepherds Bush for the Hollywood Hills, J and T set up camp in Los Angeles to write and record the album. Over time however, their romanticization of The Californian Dream clashed with the reality of actually living it, the feeling of being adrift on the West Coast compounded by the collapse of long-term relationships. Returning home to London, they teamed up with highly regarded young producer Inflo where they sought to create a 'post-apocalyptic radio station playing break up songs', whittling down loads of ideas this concept spawned into the core 13 tracks you have before you. "For Ever" is for real, deeper and higher, more intimate and more expansive, feel-good and, just occasionally, feel-bad. It is, then, a proper second album and solidify Jungle as a true UK talent to cherish.

TRACK LISTING

1. Smile
2. Heavy, California
3. Beat 54 (All Good Now)
4. Cherry
5. Happy Man
6. Casio
7. Mama Oh No
8. House In LA
9. Give Over
10. Cosurmyne
11. Home
12. (More And More) It Ain’t Easy
13. Pray

After two feverishly received albums as King Krule, plus another low-key outing under his own name, this extraordinarily gifted 25-year-old from Peckham in South London adds further depth and substance to his oeuvre with another wondrous long-player called ‘Man Alive!’. It arrives packed full of his trademark sonic ambition and compositional skill, as well as the now-familiar corrosive lyricism and lurid social observation.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Following on from his riotously well received LP's, and equally desirable solo album, Marshall returns with his darkest and most clashing outing yet. Snappy percussion and jazzy breaks work their way skilfully below the shadowy vocals and post-punk distortion. Experimental but cohesive, this is definitely the best Krule album yet.

TRACK LISTING

1. Cellular
2. Supermarché
3. Stoned Again
4. Comet Face
5. The Dream
6. Perfecto Miserable
7. Alone, Omen 3
8. Slinky
9. Airport Antenatal Airplane
10. (Don't Let The Dragon) Draag On
11. Theme For The Cross
12. Underclass
13. Energy Fleets
14. Please Complete Thee

Everything Is Recorded by Richard Russell features an eclectic international and inter-generational cast of collaborators and musicians who include (in order of appearance on the album) Sampha, Obongjayar, Kamasi Washington, Giggs, Ibeyi, Wiki, Syd, Rachel Zeffira, Infinite, Green Gartside, Peter Gabriel and Owen Pallett. The twelve track album features previous singles ‘Close But Not Quite (feat. Sampha)’, ‘Mountains Of Gold (feat. Sampha, Ibeyi, Wiki and Kamasi Washington)’ and ‘Show Love (feat. Syd and Sampha)’, which have been described as “the embodiment of pure, creative freedom” by Noisey and “a celebration of artistic freedom” by Dazed, while The New Yorker stated “Russell’s vision, it seems, is about the power of collaboration … a grand synthesis of XL’s stylistic history."

Everything Is Recorded by Richard Russell was recorded at Russell’s west London studio, The Copper House. Over the past couple of years, the studio became a creative second home for the revolving cast of both new and established artists who passed through to write, record and share ideas, mixing traditional recording sessions with extended, uninhibited live jams that lasted long into the night. With Russell at the production helm, a spirit of soundsystem-inspired collaboration and experimentation runs through the heart of an album that is born out of some spontaneous moments of togetherness and periods of intense personal reflection for its creator, and is at once soulful, timeless and boldly modern.

TRACK LISTING

1. Intro
2. Close But Not Quite (feat. Sampha)
3. She Said (feat. Obongjayar & Kamasi Washington)
4. Wet Looking Road (feat. Giggs)
5. Mountains Of Gold (feat. Sampha, Ibeyi, Wiki & Kamasi Washington)
6. Show Love (feat. Syd & Sampha)
7. Echoes In The Bone - Interlude (feat. Rachel Zeffira)
8. Bloodshot Red Eyes (feat. Infinite & Green Gartside)
9. Cane (feat. Ibeyi)
10. Purify - Interlude (feat. Infinite & Peter Gabriel)
11. Be My Friend (feat. Infinite)
12. Everything Is Recorded (feat. Sampha & Owen Pallett)

Taken from Powell’s upcoming album Sport, the Frankie/Jonny 12” contains two tracks of signature Powell style but with the added luxury of vocals from Jonnine Standish of the lauded minimal electronic duo HTRK.Powell belongs to a very small pool of dance artists whose music is a style in itself.” Resident Advisor

“The whole thing is a giddy mess, slathered in squelchy bass synth, broken-Bontempi drumming, drunken-bumblebee arpeggios, and even gnarly hard-rock guitar riffing, just because.” Pitchfork

“Class A wind-up merchant and new beta techno mutant, Powell bends expectations to the fullest with a remarkably emotive, hook-riddled and tumultuous debut album called Sport for the original rave mongrels at XL.” BOOMKAT

Powell recently announced his debut album ‘Sport’ via e-mail to fans. Billboards featuring the producer’s email address appeared in London and New York and fans got in touch seeking details about his next record. Now he’s made a proper announcement.

Emerging five years ago with little announce but an instantly strong aesthetic both musically and design-wise, Powell’s sound immediately stood out in a world of producers making techno that sound took its cues from post-punk, turning the style on its head he made post-punk that had techno ideals.

‘Sport’ is an album that sounds like the perfect snapshot of his eclectic DJ sets and live gigs, Melon Magic NTS shows and the Diagonal imprint he co-runs with Jamie Williams (home to the releases from the likes of EVOL, Russell Haswell and Not Waving).

On the subject of ‘Sport’: “I called it that because I wanted it to be fun and playful, hence the games we’ve been having via these billboards,” Powell wrote in an email to one fan. “People think of my music in certain terms I think, but I don’t agree with them most of the time.

“Also, like sport, I think of this record as being something for mind and body. I mean, you’re shit at sport if you don’t bring both things to it, so yeah, the music is physical and you can dance to it, but I also want to drag people’s brains along for the ride too.

“It’s not a techno record, a dance album, a ‘no-wave techno’ thing, whatever the fuck that is. It’s just the sound of what goes in my head.”

Vocals on ‘Frankie [feat. Frankie]’ are by Jonnine Standish. Jonnine is a musician and visual artist bestknown as one-half of the lauded minimal electronic duo HTRK.

In a collage of fuzz guitars, tuning radios, pitched up soul samples, pitched down exotica records, and a whole lot of background chatter, The Avalanches return after an unprecedented 16 year wait. Created by the band’s core duo - Robbie Chater and Tony Di Blasi – "Wildflower" is nothing less than The Beach Boys’ "Smile" reimagined in the Daisy Age - a mind-bending cartoon road movie that’s best viewed with closed eyes and an open mind. Unmistakeably the work of Australia's sample kings, "Wildflower" is a Technicolor kaleidoscope of everything great and groovy about music, blessed with the warm and dreamlike aesthetic we first fell in love with on the sublime "Since I Left You". A throwback to those halcyon days when artists made albums, as opposed to a couple of radio singles and eight tracks of filler, The Avalanches sophomore LP drifts from one track to the next, taking us on a tripped out tour of downtown Melbourne in the summer time.

Lead single "Frankie Sinatra" divided the critics on its initial release, making a marmite statement with its oddball calypso samples, oompah brass and unhinged lyrics from Danny Brown and MF DOOM. Here, nestled comfortably between the gorgeous summertime soul of "Because I'm Me" and the sampledelic disco of "Subways", the track makes perfect nonsense. The inner city synth pop of "If I Was A Folkstar" strolls through the sunshine like a laid back relative of Cut Copy's "Bright Like Neon Love", while the spectral "Colours", featuring some heavily treated vocals from Mercury Rev's Jonathan Donahue, is as dreamy and doped up as pop music gets. Elsewhere Ariel Pink, Father John Misty, Warren Ellis (Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds)  and Toro Y Moi’s Chaz Bundick make cameos, as does Biz Markie on the light-hearted, full stomached old school hip hop of "Noisy Eater". The dusty sixties soul of "Harmony" leaps out the grooves in the middle of a succession of dreamy sketches (in a day-glo Dilla style) before the triple threat of "The Wozard Of Iz", "Over The Turnstyles" and "Sunshine" form the apex of an outstanding LP. "Kaleidoscopic Lovers" and "Stepkids" serve up a pair of pastoral love songs before the driving haze-gaze of "Saturday Night Inside Out" leads us off into the sunset with the widest smile of our lives. Against all odds and expectations, The Avalanches have done the impossible, following up an instant classic with a second album which is even better than the first. If we have to wait another sixteen years for the next one, at least we'll be waiting in the company of two flawless records. 

TRACK LISTING

01. The Leaves Were Falling
02. Because I’m Me
03. Frankie Sinatra
04. Subways
05. Going Home
06. If I Was A Folkstar
07. Colours
08. Zap!
09. The Noisy Eater
10. Wildflower
11. Harmony
12. Live A Lifetime Love
13. Park Music
14. Livin’ Underwater (Is Somethin’ Wild)
15. The Wozard Of Iz
16. Over The Turnstiles
17. Sunshine
18. Light Up
19. Kaleidoscopic Lovers
20. Stepkids
21. Saturday Night Inside Out
22. Frankie Sinatra (Extended Mix)

Radiohead's ninth LP proper sees them once again couple with mega-producer Nigel Godrich. Together they have created possibly the band's most coherent record of their whole career.  Some of these songs date well back in time and that coupled with the accessibility of comeback single Burn The Witch and their recent  dare-I-say fan-pleasing set-lists suggest a group finally comfortable in their own skin, embracing all that they really are.  So you do still get electronica, but less of the fractured kind. Sure, Thom still sings of alienation, doubt and paranoia, but  in the most beautiful way imaginable. These songs  build and build, swept into shape by Johnny Greenwood's London Contemporary Orchestra strings, peppered with psych-folk and even dub reggae vibes. It's heavy, (let's face it) depressive, but eminently listenable. One for diehards, but crucially, the casual listeners too. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: These songs build and build, swept into shape by Johnny Greenwood's London Contemporary Orchestra strings, peppered with psych-folk and even dub reggae vibes. It's heavy, (let's face it) depressive, but eminently listenable. One for diehards, but crucially, the casual listeners too. One of the last bands standing that truly matter to their people. They just don't disappoint!

TRACK LISTING

Burn The Witch
Daydreaming
Decks Dark
Desert Island Disk
Ful Stop
Glass Eyes
Identikit
The Numbers
Present Tense
Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief
True Love Waits

Kaytranada presents his highly anticipated debut album ‘99.9%’ via XL Recordings. The album finds the Haitian born, Montreal raised producer delivering on the promise of his early self-released EPs and remixes.

Since the age of fourteen, when he first began to DJ and when his brother introduced him to music production software, his output has been relentless. He explains, “after he showed me the basics, from that day on I couldn’t stop making beats,” pumping out a handful of tracks per day for the next couple of years.

Single releases like ‘Drive Me Crazy’ with Vic Mensa and ‘Leave Me Alone’ with Shay Lia soon spread his name like wildfire. With that release Kaytranada cemented his reputation and his sound; an undeniable swing of the drums comparable to Dilla’s, a signature soulful touch in the melodies and a healthy dose of funky basslines.

Spread across a wide range of genres including house, bass, hip hop and R&B, '99.9% continues that tradition. The album features a wealth of guest talent, including acclaimed percussionist / producer Karriem Riggins, rising Toronto vocalist River Tiber, UKG favourite Craig David, AlunaGeorge, Badbadnotgood, Anderson .Paak, Little Dragon and many more.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Following ley-lines laid by Anderson.Pak and Kendrick Lamar, Kaytra takes musical genres and flips them on their head - taking the gangstas out of hip-hop and adding the raving club-goer to pop music. The result is an album both welcoming and challenging in equal measure.

TRACK LISTING

Track Uno
Bus Ride (ft Karriem Riggins & River Tiber)
Got It Good (ft Craig David)
Together (ft AlunaGeorge & GoldLink)
Drive Me Crazy (ft Vic Mensa)
Weight Off (ft BADBADNOTGOOD)
One Too Many (ft Phonte)
Despite The Weather
Glowed Up (ft Anderson .Paak)
Breakdance Lesson N.1.
You’re The One (ft Syd)
Vivid Dreams (ft River Tiber)
Lite Spots
Leave Me Alone (ft Shay Lia)
Bullets (ft Little Dragon)

Southport-raised, London-based 19 year old singer, songwriter and producer Holly ‘Låpsley’ Fletcher releases her debut album ‘Long Way Home’ on XL Recordings.

The twelve track album features new versions of her previous acclaimed releases ‘Hurt Me’, ‘Falling Short’, ‘Painter’ and ‘Station’, as well as brand new single ‘Love Is Blind’. Sitting somewhere in the intersection of the Venn diagram that includes Adele, Rosie Lowe and James Blake in the outer circles.

‘Long Way Home’ documents a turbulent time in Låpsley’s life - a period in which she revelled in her new-found music career as it took her from Liverpool to London to Los Angeles and back again. “It’s an autobiography of my emotions and events over the past year,” she says. “Everything that’s happened, I’ve channelled in some way into a song - whether that’s the theme of a long distance relationship, or something that he’s said, or the way that I’ve felt, or an argument. I only revisit the memories of that relationship when I go into the studio. I think it’s helped me, to be able to collect everything for those moments when I’m writing. I think that’s what’s driven this album.”

Låpsley’s determined views on her own production have ensured her involvement in every element of these songs, a fact that in the early days seemed to confuse many of the producers she met. “They didn’t want to listen to me,” she says, “or they think a girl’s just there to add a top line, or they come to the table with ideas already. Straight away if I come in to a studio and someone says ‘I’ve written something for you’, then I’ll just walk out. I don’t care. I’m not there for that.”

For the bulk of ‘Long Way Home’ she worked with XL’s in-house producer Rodaidh McDonald. “This album wouldn’t be how it is if it wasn’t for Rodaidh,” she says. “He’s at the top of the thank yous.” There were two tracks recorded with Paul O’Duffy, a producer she admired because “the way that he thinks is different to anybody else. He’s not tainted by a commercial idea, it’s so creative and beautiful and what I aspire to be like in the future.”

TRACK LISTING

Heartless
Hurt Me
Falling Short
Cliff
Operator (He Doesn’t Call Me)
Painter
Tell Me The Truth
Station
Love Is Blind
Silverlake
Leap
Seven Months

“My last record was a break up record and if I had to label this one I would call it a make up record. I’m making up with myself. making up for lost time. making up for everything I ever did and never did.”

So says Adele about her new long player '25'. "Highly anticipated" doesn't quite cut it, with the video for lead single 'Hello' clocking in at 404,293,556 views the last time I looked (and undoubtedly more by the time you read this). '25' might be the event record of 2015, but really it's a continuation of the sound that brought '21' 9 x platinum global sales. The intimate piano ballads, epic swelling choruses, R&B pop hints and BIG production are all present and correct on '25', along with the emotional catch in Adele's voice - the thing that lifts her head and shoulders above all the melisma-ing X-Factor wannabes. The album features co-production from Greg Kurstin, Tobias Jesso Jr ('When We Were Young'), Danger Mouse ('River Lea') and Swedish pop svengalis Max Martin & Shellback ('Send My Love (To Your New Lover)') 

TRACK LISTING

1. Hello
2. Send My Love (To Your New Lover)
3. I Miss You
4. When We Were Young
5. Remedy
6. Water Under The Bridge
7. River Lea
8. Love In The Dark
9. Million Years Ago
10. All I Ask
11. Sweetest Devotion

Following a BBC Sound Of 2015 nomination and signing to XL Recordings, the hotly-tipped talent Shamir comes correct with his debut album "Ratchet". The Las Vegas-based singer crept slowly into the awarenesses of music fans with a steady rise in popularity following the release of debut EP "Northtown", which was put out on the Godmode Records label. Hypnotic single "On The Regular" marked the transition to the indie label giant XL and promised an album of addictive rhythms and bold pop magic.

Dismissing any questions of over hype straight off the bat, Shamir opens the LP with the Sylvester "I Need Somebody To Love Tonight" stylings of "Vegas", delivering the best low tempo cut of the year so far. From that point forward there's no looking back as the young gun unites Larry Levan-era house, DFA-style beats and strikingly sincere and lyrics into a ménage à trois which calls to mind the finest work of Hot Chip, Holy Ghost! and Tiga. Alongside the pure pop majesty of "Make A Scene" and "On The Regular", there's the thumping house hit of "Call It Off" and "Hot Mess" before the smooth R&B stylings of "Demon" closes the A-side. As we dive to the flip, LP standout "In For The Kill" goes woozy and wonky in an explosion of brass backed 'Arthur Russel goes house' genius. "Youth" channels Hot Chip at their dancefloor best (think of "My Piano") before "Darker" heads off on an emotive FKA Twigs-esque crank anthem. And how better to finish this glorious artistic statement off than with a high camp, high energy house slammer, which is exactly what "Head In The Clouds" is.

"Ratchet" sees Shamir live up to the hype and reset the bar for danceable pop music - get involved.

TRACK LISTING

Vegas
Make A Scene
On The Regular
Call It Off
Hot Mess
Demon
In For The Kill
Youth
Darker
Head In The Clouds

Over the last year, London-based East India Youth has combined strikingly original music with euphoric live performances and has quickly become recognised as one of the most experimental and captivating artists around.

Here he delivers brand new album, titled ‘Culture Of Volume’; his first since signing to XL Recordings. The record follows his critically acclaimed debut album ‘Total Strife Forever’ (released in January 2014 on Stolen Records) that went on to be nominated for the Mercury Prize.

‘Culture Of Volume’ opens with the synth sweep of instrumental track 'The Juddering', which does indeed judder. It then switches tack to 'End Result', an emotive, melancholic number featuring live instrumentation. 'Beaming White' and 'Turn Away', while 'Hearts That Never' and 'Entirety' head to the peak-time dancefloor with 90s rave beats, fidgeting keyboard lines and a touch of an unrelenting Underworld feel to it. Wearing its heart on its sleeve, solo vocal / synth number 'Carousel' sounds like a number U2 should have written for the Spiderman musical, but didn't. Firing up the club rhythms again, jittery 2-stepping drum & bass-ish cut 'Don’t Look Backwards' is catchy pop with fancy footwork. The album closes with the sparkling machine-pop of 'Manner Of Words' and 'Montage Resolution', which, like 'The Juddering', does exactly what it says on the tin. 

Mostly recorded and produced in his bedroom at home in London and named after a fragment of verse from the poem ‘Monument’ by Rick Holland, ‘Culture Of Volume’ was mixed by Graham Sutton (Bark Psychosis, Boymerang) and the artwork was created by visual artist Dan Tombs (inspired by Andy Warhol’s experiments with computer technology).

Ibeyi (pronounced “ee-bey-ee”) is Naomi and Lisa-Kainde Diaz, daughters of the late Cuban percussionist 'Anga' Diaz of Buena Vista Social fame. Naomi plays percussive instruments, the Cajon and the Batas, while Lisa plays piano. Together the twins have learned the songs of their father’s culture, Yoruba. Their love of Yorùbá choirs was inspired by their mother.

Yoruba travelled from West Africa to Cuba with slavery in the 1700s. The Yoruba people have the highest twinning rate in the World and twins occupy an important position within Yoruba culture.

Ibeyi sing in English and Yoruba and they have created a minimalist sound that merges elements of their heritage with their natural love of modern music as teenagers brought up in Paris. This self-titled debut album, produced by XL’s Richard Russell, is an inventive collision of the old and the new - stark electronic atmospherics, heartfelt soulful vocals and melodies inspired by slave chants to produce what Ibeyi themselves have dubbed “contemporary negro spirituals”.

For fans of James Blake, Bjork etc.

Jungle are based around a core musical duo of lifelong friends known simply as ‘J’ and ‘T’, who expand to a thrilling seven piece live, and make mesmeric, kaleidoscopic modern alt-soul-pop that’s unmistakably born in the UK but has true global appeal.

Debuting on Chess Club 45 with ''Platoon' and 'The Heat' back in 2013, Jungle gained instant praise for their seductive sounds and equally mesmeric videos of a breakdancing child and rollerskating duo. Minus the striking visuals Jungle are just as impressive with a delicate yet immediate music that brings to mind the likes of Prince, the Bee Gees, The xx, Bon Iver, Portishead, krautrock, Curtis Mayfield, ELO, P-Funk, MGMT psychedelia, Disclosure and more, all fed into the Junglist blender creating a refreshing soul-pop smoothie. Now signed to XL Recordings the duo / septet's debut long player looks set to be the crossover album of summer 2014.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Heat
2. Accelerate
3. Busy Earnin’
4. Platoon
5. Drops
6. Time
7. Smoking Pixels
8. Julia
9. Crumbler
10. Son Of A Gun
11. Lucky I Got What I Want
12. Lemonade Lake

"Fans of Radiohead's 1993 single "Creep" basically divided into two camps: those who loved it as a dynamic slice of self-loathing rock & roll, and those who just enjoyed the skrakunk-skrakunk guitar distortion before every chorus. On their later albums, Radiohead would throw their lot in with the skrakunk-skrakunk crowd, pushing the boundaries of sonic experimentation. But for one record, they demonstrated how good they could be when they stuck to guitar rock. Singer Thom Yorke explored the expressive power of moaning, while guitarist Jonny Greenwood proved equally gifted with restrained strumming and electric flare-gun solos. When critics describe bands such as Coldplay as sounding like Radiohead, they usually mean that they sound like Radiohead's brilliant second album.

The title of The Bends refers to decompression sickness, when deep-sea divers come up too quickly — a comment on the band's sudden fame. The lyrics are filled with Yorke's unhappiness rendered as health metaphors: He makes himself a cripple who can't climb the stairs in "Bones," and with "My Iron Lung," he immobilizes himself even more completely and complains, "This is our new song/Just like the last one/A total waste of time."

The record is filled with lovely ballads, full of longing, jealousy and critiques of consumer culture. But the best is the last: "Street Spirit (Fade Out)." Over chiming guitar arpeggios, Yorke sings a hymn to his own claustrophobia and insignificance, making them sound like exalted states of being. When he intones, "Cracked eggs, dead birds scream as they fight for life," he finds solace in the vowels, transforming them into a melody of hope. By the end of the song, with harmonies swirling around, the beauty has touched even him: The final words on an emotional, bleak album are "Immerse your soul in love." - Rolling Stone.

Bobby Womack is a funk and soul legend with more hits under his belt than we can count. 'The Bravest Man In The Universe' is his first album for 18 years. It was recorded and co-produced by Damon Albarn, which came about when he did guest vocals for The Gorillaz's 'Plastic Beach' album, and XL label boss Richard Russell who was behind the controls on Gil Scott Heron's final album 'I'm New Here'.

Recorded at Albarn's Studio 13 in west London and New York's Manhattan Center between October and December 2011, the album occupies a similar space to Russell's work with Gil Scott-Heron, letting Womack's heart-rending soul vocals ride over more contemporary electronic backing tracks. The album also features vocal contributions from African singer Fatoumata Diawara and Lana Del Rey.

STAFF COMMENTS

Philippa says: Bobby Womack's first album in 18 years, co-produced by Damon Albarn. Soul with a downbeat edge. Includes vocal contributions from Fatoumata Diawara and Lana Del Rey.

The Horrors make their eagerly awaited return with the release of a new album on XL Recordings. ‘Skying’, self-produced and recorded in The Horrors’ own self built studio in London’s Dalston, was mixed by Grammy Award winner Craig Silvey. It features ten brand new tracks and includes the forthcoming single ‘Still Life’, also released on 11th of July. ‘Skying’ is the band’s third long player, and follows 2009’s Mercury Prize nominated ‘Primary Colours’ and their debut ‘Strange House’ which was released in 2007.

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: Wow, these guys love their music. If last LP "Primary Colours" surprised with its celebration of dark Mancunia, here they keep that vibe but now add a moodily baggy groove and swathes of shoegazery wooziness. It's psychedelic, see? The Horrors want to take you somewhere. Self-produced and in their own studio as well, you can feel just how deeply this band are immersed in their sound; it's bold, expansive, heavy and melancholic, but also really uplifting 'cause it's such a powerful blend. There's only one track that breaks the spell ("Monica Gems") but a little playfulness was probably required. The rest are all massive, swirling and majestically beautiful. This is gonna unite nostalgic oldies and da youth, alike. I'm sure "Skying" will end up being seen as of the greatest albums of the year.

Darryl says: A truly wonderful album that manages the impossible, and trumps 'Primary Colours'.

TRACK LISTING

1. Changing The Rain
2. You Said
3. I Can See Through You
4. Endless Blue
5. Dive In
6. Still Life
7. Wild Eyed
8. Moving Further Away
9. Monica Gems
10. Oceans Burning

Tyler, The Creator is the 20 year old rapper, producer, writer, video director, visual artist, skater, cultural lightning rod and leader of LA’s acclaimed Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (OFWGKTA). OFWGKTA are an eleven strong hip hop collective from Los Angeles who have self-released twelve solo albums over the last three years, including Tyler’s solo album "Bastard". Tyler, The Creator now delivers his second album ‘Goblin’ worldwide on XL Recordings. The 15 track album features the track "Yonkers", whose Tyler-directed video has already racked up nearly five million hits on Youtube.

About its release Adele says 'I'm very excited, nervous, eager, anxious but chuffed to announce my new album! It's taken a while and it knocked me for six when writing it. It's different from "19", it's about the same things but in a different light. I deal with things differently now. I'm more patient, more honest, more forgiving and more aware of my own flaws, habits and principles. Something that comes with age I think. So fittingly this record is called "21". The whole reason I called my first album "19" was about cataloging what happened to me then and who I was then, like a photo album you see the progression and changes in a person throughout the years.'

Most of the album was made in Malibu with the legendary Rick Rubin (Johnny Cash, Jay Z, Red Hot Chilli Peppers) and back in Kensal Rise in London with Paul Epworth (Plan B, Bloc Party, Florence). Adele cites Wanda Jackson, Yvonne Fair, Andrew Bird, Mary J Blige, Mos Def, Elbow, Tom Waits and Kanye West amongst others as key influences on "21".

Critically acclaimed by many of her musical contemporaries, Adele well and truly made her mark with "19". Chapter two begins here.

Having wowed us with a 45 and a couple of ace 10"s on People In The Sky, Friendly Fires now deliver their full length debut album. Two years in the making, this long player is a heady mixture of dancefloor friendly monsters, amidst beautiful washes of understated lo-fi pop music. The album opens with "Jump In The Pool", a mixture of angular punk-funk jerkiness and big emotion-drenched chorus, while "In The Hospital" mixes post-punk disco with guitar slashes and all sorts of alt-funkiness. "Paris" opens with frenzied percussion before morphing into a sing-along stadium favourite, and "Strobe" pushes the indie envelope further with its jangly guitars before adding a nice dose of sparkling electronics. And so the album continues, blending disco-punk rhythms with an emotional intensity to work both the feet and the brain.

Dizzee Rascal returns with new album "Maths & English". On the one hand it's easily his most accessible record to date. On the other, it's as brutally honest and confrontational as anything he's done to date. Check out first single "Sirens" – with its Korn-inspired metal guitars. Or the Lyn Collins-sampling "Pussyole", which is the straightest hip hop track he's ever done. The album also features a host of special guests, including the vivacious backchat of Lily Allen on "Wanna Be", the Shy FX-produced "Da' Feelin", and the gangster rap anthem "Where's Da G's" with US legends Bun B and Pimp C (UGK). Then there's the reggae infused "Temptation" which samples Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys. While "Maths & English" may have been inspired by a huge number of different styles and influences, the album retains its distinctively British identity and only goes to enhance that Dizzee Rascal really is one of the country's best musical talents.