Latest new releases on vinyl record, CD and cassette tape

stomachaches is the debut solo album from Frankiero and the Celebration. They are led by former My Chemical Romance guitarist Frank Iero. The label, Hassle, are delighted to be putting out this slice of raw punk attitude. They tried to sign My Chemical Romance once upon a time, but their offer of egg and chips simply didn’t match up to the amount of zeros the majors could offer. Oh well, they got him in the end. 

Great big enormous rock racket from South Wales noiseniks Casey who fashion a new genre  - broken hearted hardcore. They may scream in your face over some very loud guitars but this five piece use it as a chance to pour out their lost love on a series of confessionals that show they have a soft centre 'neath the mayhem. Already getting good notices in the rock mags this is a half white, half crystal pressing on Hassle. 

Blakfish are a hardcore band from Birmingham. Their music has a pummeling brutality tempered with a fresh sound which tends to lead to anthemic singalongs. The NME thinks they sound like a cross between Mastodon and Glassjaw, so if you're fans of either you're in for a treat. Champions is their debut album. On Hassle.

Hassle Records marks its 15th anniversary in 2020 by re-issuing 15 records from their back catalogue as limited runs of hand-numbered LPs. On chocolate brown and crystal clear vinyl is Birthing The Giant, the debut studio album from hardcore punk outfit Cancer Bats. Acclaimed upon release in 2006, it laid the platform for a career that continues today. 

Hailing from Brunswick, Australia, it’s indie pop-punk quartet Press Club with new album Late Teens. Those dratted teens - they never show up on time. Interesting sound this lot have: tempos, percussion and guitar style that oft hint at punk; jangly indie melodies and, not least, female vocals that draw as well from soulful pop as indie.

Hassle Records marks its 15th anniversary in 2020 by re-issuing 15 records from their back catalogue as limited runs of hand-numbered LPs. On purple and crystal clear vinyl comes Rise Or Die Trying, the 2007 sophomore studio album from Massachusetts-based pop-punk act Four Year Strong, the release that saw an increase in commercial fortunes for the group. 

Hassle Records marks its 15th anniversary in 2020 by re-issuing 15 records from their back catalogue as limited runs of hand-numbered LPs. On yellow and crystal clear vinyl comes the 2011 self-titled debut album from eclectic Bristol-based hard rock quartet Turbowolf, a band who have stubbornly defied all attempts to accurately categorise them over the years.

Eyes and Nines is the critically acclaimed third album by Trash Talk. The Californian hardcore punks are known for their chaotic live shows and sheer power. Eyes and Nines was originally released in 2010 on the band’s own Trash Talk Collective label and is now reissued on vinyl through Hassle.

A re-issue on vinyl for the expanded Victory Edition of The Day’s War, the 2014 debut studio album from British indie-rockers Lonely The Brave. This edition, with a dozen bonus tracks of B-sides, alternative versions, remixes and a cover of Björk’s ‘All Is Full Of Love’, was originally released the following year.

Hassle Records marks its 15th anniversary in 2020 by re-issuing 15 records from their back catalogue as limited runs of hand-numbered LPs. In a green and crystal clear 2xLP package comes 2019’s Cut & Stitch album and the previous year’s The Future Is Dark EP from English punk act Petrol Girls. 

Cutting Our Teeth is the debut album by Essex rock four-piece We Are The Ocean. It was originally released in 2010. In Alfie Scully, they had a guitarist so young his parents had to sign his recording contract on his behalf. The energetic screaming vocals from Dan Brown were tempered by the melodic vocals of Liam Cromby. Their sound ran full gamut of rock from in your face energy to slow and brooding introspection. They split in 2017.

Juliette and the Licks are led by Hollywood actress Juliette Lewis. ...Like A Bolt of Lightning was the band’s debut EP, originally released towards the end of 2004. With this EP she set out to prove that movie stars crossing over to the music world aren’t all necessarily naff by laying down some blistering modern times rock ‘n’ roll.

You may remember Tubelord from their 2006 onwards mix of math and indie rock that blazed across venues back when we still could sweat in public without it being a public health hazard. They didn't quite break through but lots of folk remember them fondly so here is a vinyl pressing of 2009  album plus the Tezcatlipoca EP (try asking for that one at the merch counter when drunk). 

Surprise Chef are an instrumental four-piece from Melbourne. Daylight Savings sees them moving away from soul and leaning into a 70s jazz / funk sound, focusing on the power of the rhythm section. The production values have been upped to create a dramatic album with a widescreen scope. On Mr. Bongo.

Esteemed composer William Basinski and his studio assistant Preston Wendel deliver their debut studio album as Sparkle Division. To Feel Embraced sees a man associated with tape loops and ambient music widen his palette to include elements of jazz and disco, with guest vocals from Leonora Russo and Xeli Grana. 

Two decades into his career, North Carolina-based producer Travis Stewart delivers arguably his best Machinedrum album to date in A View of U. His skill at style-hopping is well-known, reflected in a stellar cast of guests here including Freddie Gibbs, Sub Focus and Jesse Boykins III, but this feels like a perfection of his art. 

The Moons are led by Andy Crofts - who, as well as being a singer / songwriter in his own right, earns his corn in Paul Weller’s backing band. Pocket Melodies is the band’s latest album, It features one track, Tunnel of Time, which was co-written by Paul Weller. Features the singles Riding Man and Today.

Just before lockdown, the ever-industrious John Darnielle assembled the current line-up of The Mountain Goats in Sam Phillips’ legendary studio in Memphis for six days of recording. The result is Getting Into Knives, the band’s 19th studio album, capturing the sound of a great songwriter at his loosest and most spontaneous. 

Fo Sho b/w Inner City Blues are the first new songs in two years from the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio and will whet the appetite for their next album. The band play funky organ-led jazz that will please fans of Jimmy Smith, Soulive, New Mastersounds, Khruangbin and other artists in that musical sphere. On Colemine.

L.A. band Starcrawler played a spectacular gig at Third Man Records' Blue Room on Halloween 2019, warming up a freezing cold night. 'Lizzy' and 'Bet My Brains', the first two tracks from the band's 2019 album 'Devour You', have been culled from that performance for this special single. For fans of The Runaways, Joan Jett, Hole, Juliette & The Licks. 

Miranda and the Beat are led by the dynamic and powerfully-voiced Miranda Zipse. They play a blend of chic European rock ‘n’ roll (yé-yé) and surf in an authentic way that makes you think they’ve just landed in the studio straight from 1966. On this 7" we find 'Such A Fool' is backed with 'Chillantro', and it's out on Third Man (of course it is).

Recorded in September 2019 during Chris Forsyth’s residency at Nublu, the guitarist was joined on stage by drummer Ryan Jewell, bassist Spencer Zahn and fellow guitarist Dave Harrington. First Flight is basically the very definition of improvised - the four musicians had only all met each other around half an hour before it was recorded! - but the jams laid down here spark with creativity.

Recorded in London during the summer of 2019 but echoing sentiments of connection, happiness and family that are all so resonant in 2020, 'Blackberry' is a surprise release from singer-songwriter and sometime Efterklang member Peter Broderick. 'Blackberry' represents Broderick's first vocal solo album in five years, and it's an LP of folksy sophisti-pop which lands somewhere between Prefab Sprout and Bibio.

Quintron + Miss Pussycat are a duo out of New Orleans who have been playing their brand of noisy dance music for over fifteen years. Goblin Alert continues the electro chaos before but this time they have added a real life human drummer to replace their hitherto trusty drum machine. Expect left of centre political anthems for sweaty late night dancing (when we are allowed to). 

Polytechnic Youth presents six pieces from electronic music veteran Hanno Leichtmann, an artist often better-known as Static. Previously only available digitally when released as part of an album back in 2017, ‘Offset’ consists of volatile, minimalist mood tracks that never settle into stability.

Following MIDDEX's 2018 debut album ‘Home’, Polytechnic Youth release a follow-up single from the minimal synth producer. Presented on 7” vinyl, the two tracks here ‘Scrutiny’ and ‘Rook Takes Town' are pretty heavy-going on the effects but can’t disguise a bedrock of Gothic moodiness indebted to the sounds of the Seventies and Eighties.

‘Lithium Blast’ is the product of a sorta-supergroup known as HHY & The Kampala Unit, a Portuguese-Ugandan endeavour consisting of HHY & The Macumbas' Jonathan Saldanha, trumpeter Florence Lugemwa and percussionist Omutaba. A ravishing mixture of techno, dub, jazz and psychedelia, it’s yet another terrific release on Nyege Nyege Tapes.

With its finger on the pulse of modern Chinese club music, the Shanghai-based SVBKVLT label introduces a new track by Tess Sun a.k.a. Hyph11E. A murky, cacophonous industrial/club monster - something that will come as no surprise to those already familiar with SVBKVLT's output - ‘Barnacles’ is also remixed here by the label’s close friend Kode9.

Shanghai-based DJ Tess Sun - better known as Hyph11E - maintains her place at the top table of contemporary dance music with her latest album. Fusing classic British hardcore trappings with the aesthetics of her scene in Shanghai and cutting-edge label SVBKVLT, ‘Aperture’ is a treat for ravers of all tastes.

Presenting Krikor Kouchian’s spellbinding score for the 2014 redux re-release of ‘Six & Demi Onze’ (English translation: ‘Six And One Half Times Eleven'), Jean Epstein’s 1927 silent melodrama. While made with portable recorders and laptops, the French composer conjures up vintage radiophonic sounds and classic, eerie film effects here in order to make one of his most fascinating projects to date.

For fans of artists like David Sylvian, The Caretaker and Akira Rabelais, Stephan Mathieu’s debut studio album ‘Wurmloch Variationen’ is reissued on the Weeding label for its twentieth anniversary. An under-appreciated gem of a record, the German sound artist explored his interest in vintage recording equipment here, juxtaposing those sounds with digital processes. 

Inspired by his relocation from Los Angeles to Berlin, sound artist Jake Muir pays tribute to the background ambience of life in both of these very different cities on his seventh studio album ‘the hum of your veiled voice’. A master of weaving found sounds and field recordings into soundscapes defined predominantly by texture, this is another beautiful record from Muir.

'Beyond The Mirror’s Image' by Dream Division is a brooding synth album inspired by ‘80s horror movies. There are also some gothic murmurs about it. 'Dream Division' is the brainchild of Tom McDowell, and for this project he wanted to conjure up the sounds of classic slasher movies (you know, John Carpenter-stylee) to fill the listener with fear. Best listened to with the lights out.

Capturing a sense of idealised nostalgia about childhood summer holidays, 'Yarmouth' is a beautiful new solo album from Tindersticks founder member David Boulter. Inspired by the band’s sporadic soundtrack work and a recent visit to the Norfolk seaside town where he spent holidays as a kid, Boulter’s work is warm, affectionate and enveloping in that Erased Tapes sort of way.

A special re-issue of the first two studio albums from Sheffield-based mathcore heroes Rolo Tomassi, packaged together in a double-LP set. 2008’s debut Hysterics and 2010’s follow-up Cosmology are presented in all their glory, boasting fiendish time signatures, intricate performances and Eva Spence’s gloriously ferocious vocals. 

'All That You Can’t Leave Behind' by U2 was originally released in 2000. It’s time for a twentieth anniversary reissue of the album that contains the hits 'Beautiful Day' and 'Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of', songs which were played pretty much everywhere you went at the time - from shops to dental surgeries. Also includes 'Elevation' and 'Walk On'. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno. Various versions available, depending on the size of your wallet.

Marking his first release as Tobacco in four years, a period that’s seen him collaborate with Aesop Rock, score HBO’s ‘Silicon Valley’ and tour with Nine Inch Nails, Tom Fec’s fifth record Hot Wet & Sassy could be his biggest yet. It houses some of his most immediate and listener-friendly compositions so far, filtering his latent pop tendencies through the long-standing experimental ones. 

Jazz legend Sun Ra died in 1993. Following a spell under the leadership of John Gilmore, his Sun Ra Arkestra has been led by free jazz whizz Marshall Allen. Swirling is the Arkestra’s first new album since 1999’s Song For The Sun. Reworkings of classics such as ‘Angels And Demons At Play’, ‘Satellites Are Spinning’, ‘Door Of The Cosmos’ and ‘Rocket No. 9’ are blended with some more obscure deep cuts and are intended to bring joy to a troubled world.

Despite being named after Tadcaster's second best brewery, Sam Smith has carved something of a career of belting out large-voiced anthems and challenging gender norms to the predictable fury of the Daily Mail. Love Goes is their third album written in collaboration with the likes of Steve Mac (Ed Sheeran) Shellback/MXM (Robyn etc) and Guy Lawrence (Disclosure) and promises to be a fun and thought provoking work. 

Now on their fourth studio album, Catalonian indie-rock quartet Mourn delve into some painfully relevant themes on Self Worth. Exploring the idea of inevitable personal change in the context of a world that now seems to have been irrevocably changed itself, it’s a dozen songs of melodic, outspoken punk rattled off in just over half an hour. 

'Lift It Down' is the new record from Jeremiah Sand, the fictional cult leader played by Linus Roache in the 2018 Nicolas Cage vehicle 'Mandy', and his followers The Children of The New Dawn. Released on Sacred Bones - where else? - and featuring liner notes from the late Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, 'Lift It Down' is a psych-folk record par excellence. 

This double-CD release contains pieces of short, improvised music written by Catalan composer Federico Mompou. Mompou's record is entitled 'Música Callada' and it is accompanied by new music from James Rushford intended as a companion, homage work to 'Música Callada'. Rushford's work is called 'See The Welter'. Tender, contemplative piano music with a bit of a Maurice Ravel vibe.

'Kajillionaire' is a crime comedy written and directed by Miranda July about two con artists who dedicate their lives to training their daughter in the "industry" only for it all to go wrong. The score was composed by Emile Mosseri, whose other works include the score to the Joe Talbot film 'The Last Black Man in San Francisco'. 'Karillionaire's original motion picture soundtrack also includes a version of Bobby Vinton’s 'Mr. Lonely' recorded by Angel Olsen - Akon fans will be pleased.

The second best Elvis is releasing his thirtieth studio album, titled 'Hey Clockface'. The various three singles indicate a diverse sound, taking in brash power pop, Nick Cave-esque smoky lounge jams, and angular post-punk. I've never been a massive Elvis Costello fan, and have never listened to any of his modern stuff, but this clutch of tunes might just rectify that...

Echo Collective work in the same kind of post-classical world as the likes of A Winged Victory for the Sullen and Jóhann Jóhannsson. The See Within sees the Brussels collective using viola, violin, cello, harp and unusually a magnetic resonator piano to produce a series of compositions that marry breathtaking beauty with a restless inventive spirit. 

Dizzee Rascal, pretty much true to form, returns after three years with E3 AF. It sees the grime legend at the top of his game, referencing his East London home and the legacy of black British music. Features production by MC The Plug and Steel Banglez along with guest spots from MC Chip and P Money. 

The eponymous album by Black Foxxes is the band’s third outing, and it sees the Exeter alt-rock three-piece mixing grunge with indie sensibilities. These songs range from the chugging riff and ripped vocals of opener ‘Badlands’ to the more expansive, haunting ‘Swim’. Some of it sounds like early-Cure being covered by a screamo band, other parts have a Cigarettes After Sex vibe.

'The Day Before Halloween' is the eleventh album by Minneapolis, Minnesota hip-hop duo Atmosphere. The duo comprise master storyteller and rapper Slug and producer Ant, who provides the perfect genre-blending backdrop for Slug’s words. The duo never stray far from what they’ve always done, though this album also sees them gently test the boundaries of their sound.

American rapper, writer and general jack-of-all-trades Action Bronson drops a surprise new full-length album in the shape of Only For Dolphins. Sticking to the same collaborators he’s worked with for many years, The Alchemist, Budgie and DJ Muggs, Action generates inventive soundscapes and couples them with vivid wordplay and imagery. 

Adam Wingard is a U.S. director, producer and composer known for works in the horror genre. For his latest work he went into a hypnotic state to see if he could find answers about his past life, and the experience inspired this new album 'Past Life Regression' on Death Waltz Originals. The music is a series of dark and cinematic synthscapes which, as you might imagine, are deeply personal.

Prior to 2004’s triumphant 'Out Of Nothing' Embrace had fallen precipitously from chart-topping indie saviours to obscurity over the course of a mere half-decade. However, being donated the song ‘Gravity’ by a certain Chris Martin triggered a massive resurgence in Embrace's fortunes, and within a few months 'Out Of Nothing's soft-rock anthemia had returned the band to the summit of the UK Album Chart. Here 'Out Of Nothing' receives its first-ever vinyl reissue.

A self-described attempt to blend together “joy, terror, and the elegiac” in a singular sound, 'Agalma' finds Scottish electronic musician Drew McDowall (formerly of Coil, Psychic TV and more) drawing on his lengthy experience and vast network of collaborators (Kali Malone, Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe, Caterina Barbieri, Bashar Suleiman, Elvin Brandhi, MSYLMA). The resulting record manages to sound devotional and terrifying at the same time. 

When you hear the latest bellow from Paul Weller it's often worth remembering that he was previously genuinely experimental with his second band the Style Council. They were political, soulful, sometimes infuriating and occasionally unlistenable but time has been kind to them and so now is a good time for a brand new retrospective with all their hits and some fan favourite deep cuts. There's a new documentary on the band on its way too. 

Jazz pianist, composer and arranger Duke Pearson was said to have heavily influenced the hard-bop direction that Blue Note took in the 1960s. 'The Phantom' was originally released in 1968, and on the record Pearson was backed by a stellar cast of musicians - Bobby Hutcherson on vibraphone, Jerry Dodgion on flute, Sam Brown and Al Gafa both played guitar, Bob Cranshaw on bass with Mickey Roker, Victor Pantojo and 'Potato' Valdes playing drums and congas. 'The Phantom's epic title track is one of the coolest jazz grooves you’ll ever hear. 

Originally released in late 1963, My Point Of View was the second studio album that legendary jazz pianist Herbie Hancock released for the famous Blue Note label. It also included an all-star band ensemble backing him, among them Donald Byrd on trumpet, and Hank Mobley on tenor sax. The label’s Tone Poet Audiophile reissue series makes this masterpiece available once again, remastered from the original tapes and pressed on heavyweight vinyl. 

'This New Day' was the fifth studio album from Brighouse-based indie plodders Embrace. The critics were never really on their side, but the all-important public were - 'This New Day' reached the top of the album charts on release. The 2020 version of 'This New Day' sees the album re-issued on vinyl for the first time since the original release. 

Tangerine Dream are one of the trailblazing electronic and ambient groups to come out of 1970s Germany. Pilots of Purple Twilight: The Virgin Recordings 1980 – 1983 is a 10-CD box set featuring the albums Tangram, Thief, Exit, White Eagle, Logos and Hyperborea - all with extra tracks along with previously unreleased soundtracks to the James Glickenhaus film The Soldier and the Michael Mann film The Keep. There’s also the full, previously unreleased 1982 concert at London’s Dominion Theatre. Comes packaged with a hardback book featuring new notes and photos.

Ty Segall’s proto-metal trio, Fuzz are back with their second album aptly named, Fuzz II. The band are in a musical time warp, ostensibly existing somewhere between 1968 and 1973, a time when guitars were fuzzy, and everything was real heavy. Their eponymous debut was a cracking homage to the rock sub-genre, Fuzz II sounds like it’s going to be just as good.

Creating lengthy electronic soundscapes with the construction of simple feedback loops, 1998’s Aeriola Frequency saw Rafael Toral drop the guitar sounds that had informed his previous two albums. Re-mastered by the artist himself, the album now gets re-issued on vinyl, with liner notes from Toral and David Toop. 

'My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising' is a Japanese animated superhero film directed by Kenji Nagasaki. It is the final film in the 'My Hero Academia' series. The score was written by Japanese composer Yuki Hayashi, who is known for his work on films such as 'Triangle', 'Zettai Reido' and 'Diabolik Lovers' as well as the previous two 'My Hero Academia' films.

'Karma & Desire' is the eighth studio LP by electronic musician Actress (aka Darren J Cunningham of Wolverhampton). Coming hot on the heels of '88', his self-released effort from earlier on in 2020, 'Karma & Desire' is a moody collection of edge-of-the-dancefloor beats and synthetic abstractions reminiscent of Funkineven and Hype Williams. The record includes collaborations with Zsela, Sampha, Aura T-9, Vanessa Benelli Mosell and Christel Well. 

Matija are an alt-pop band from Munich. With their second album 'byebyeskiesofyesterday' they have made a very accomplished album of synth-soaked lush pop. The record follows their 2017 debut 'Are We An Electric Generation Falling Apart?' and is the band’s first album as a three-piece following the departure of bass-playing founding member Johann Blake. Bare poppy, kinda like Marina and Florence & The Machine.

Inspired by the social tension following the L.A. riots, Oakland-based heavy metal outfit Machine Head released their debut studio album Burn My Eyes back in 1994, one of the best-selling debuts of its genre and kicking off a career that continues to this day. Run Out Records gives it a deluxe double-vinyl re-issue. 

Joni Mitchell Archives – Vol 1 The Early Years (1963-1967) plots the development of Joni Mitchell as a singer and a songwriter, spread over 5 CDs. It includes early recordings, from folk standards such as House of the Rising Sun and John Hardy to her first self-penned songs such as Urge For Going and Day After Day.

Brand new music from extreme metal originators Carcass. After their original late '80s/early '90s work the band went on a long sabbatical but released Surgical Steel in 2013. Despicable is a four track EP released in anticipation of a further full length album due in 2021 and featuring original members jeff Walker and Bill Steer. 

A lavish fortieth anniversary reissue of 'Ace Of Spades', which as you'll no doubt be aware was Motörhead’s most commercially successful album upon release in 1980 and houses the utterly iconic title-track. This boxset contains the remastered original album, two live double-albums taken from performances on the concurrent 'Ace Of Spaces' tour, a 10” EP of previously unreleased instrumentals, a DVD compilation of live appearances, a 40-page book telling the complete story behind the album, and a replica tour programme among many other trinkets. Phew! If you like collectables, I tell you I'm your man.

*Arms in position, chest out, deep breath* DAW-NA-NAW-NA-NAW DAH-NAH-NAH DAW-NA-NAW-NA-NAW DAH-NAH-NAH IF YOU LIKE TO BUY RECORDS, I TELL YOU I’M YOUR MAN YOU’LL ORDER SOME, PLAY SOME, IT’S ALL THE SAME TO ME Yes, that’s right, the album with arguably the greatest riff of all-time on it (and some other tracks) gets a luxury reissue from  Sanctuary to celebrate its fortieth birthday. To some ‘The Game’ is now the definitive Motörhead anthem, but no-one can deny the awesome majesty of the ‘Ace Of Spades’ title-track. This edition comes with a bonus book and live album.

Early Joni - 1963 is an album of Joni Mitchell’s earliest known recordings from a session at a radio station in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, her hometown. Joni Mitchell was just 19 at the time, so it serves as a valuable document of a nascent talent who became one of the world’s greatest songwriters. Features a new self-portrait and liner notes by radio station DJ Barry Bowman.

If you ever hear David Crosby tell a story about Joni Mitchell, he’ll always recall the time he took her to a party where she completely silenced the room with a few of her songs. Live at Canterbury House 1967 is a 3 LP, recorded before the release of her debut album in 1968, that will give you the chance to experience that feeling. 

Engine takes to Water was the debut album from June of 44 released originally in 1995. It fit perfectly in at post Spiderland moment where bands played eerie slowed down math rock with quiet/loud dynamics. The quartet all lived in different cities and features former members of the likes of Rodan and Lungfish and future members of the For Carnation and Him.  

Guitarist in Ride for three decades, Andy Bell releases his debut solo album The View From Halfway Down to coincide with his 50th birthday. Produced with the help of former Oasis bandmate Gem Archer, work began over four years ago but was sidelined by the reformation of Ride. Completed under lockdown, it’s a precise presentation of all of the influences that have informed Bell’s style, from the Stone Roses to Spacemen 3. 

Stephan Thelen is a musician, composer and maths guy who plays in the Swiss minimal groove band Sonar. World Dialogue highlights Thelen’s work as a composer with pieces performed by US string quartet Kronos Quartet and Al Pari Quartet. It includes a piece called Circular Lines which was commissioned by the Kronos Quartet.

If it weren't for the actions of their disgraced leader, we'd probably now be citing the Glitter Band as forbearers of a particular type of rhythmic stomp that could even (bear with me on this) have a line in to the beat-heavy neo-glam of the likes of Animal Collective. Original leader John Rossall left after their second album and only now has dared return to the fray. Incredibly here he collaborates with the likes of members of the Nightingales and the Membranes. It's good to be back. 

A legend of Ethiopian music forced underground by the country’s repressive Derg regime in the Seventies, Ayalew Mesfin’s music is finally being presented to the world at large on vinyl for the first time. Tewedije Limut (Let Me Die Loved) is built primarily from Mesfin’s eye-wateringly rare 7” releases, and comes with a book telling the story of the artist’s role within Ethiopian music. 

Formed around former Fall member Martin Bramah, Bingo Harry is an intriguing project about which comparatively little is known at the time of writing. This eponymous record sees a demo version of the weary yet defiant ‘If They Ever Lay A Finger On Us’, which appeared on Blue Orchids’ 2015 record 'Righteous Harmony Fist', collected alongside further demos and home recordings. Sounds a bit like LA Priest and Connan Mockasin.

Damage Control by The Vacant Lots features two of the New York duo’s EPs - Exit and Berlin.Their music can be described as electro-meets-post punk. Anton Newcombe of Brian Jonestown Massacre produced the EPs as well as lending his musical talents to some tracks.  On Newcombe's label, 'a' Recordings. 

Black To Comm is German producer and sound artist Marc Richter. 'Oocyte Oil & Stolen Androgens' follows hot on the heels of 2019’s highly-regarded album 'Seven Horses for Seven Kings'. This time out, Richter experiments with voice manipulation, piano and electronics, making an album that is unsettling and comforting in equal measure. Think James Ferraro.

A highly prized collector’s item since it was originally released back in 1970, Armitage Road was the sole studio recording from The Heshoo Beshoo Group. A critique of the apartheid regime in their native South Africa set to an inventive fusion of American and African jazz traditions, it now gets hugely overdue re-issue on vinyl via We Are Busy Bodies. 

Taken under the wing of none other than dance music icon Giorgio Moroder, Montreal-based trio Le Couleur deliver a sleek second album in the shape of ‘Concorde’. Here the group have attempted to create an audio representation of the aeroplane after which the LP is named. A set of chic, danceable pop tunes, this pivots somewhat away from the vintage influences that informed Le Couler's early work.

I’m With You is the eighth full-length album from William Elliott Whitmore. He is known for his stripped back, earthy country-folk sound, but here he strips down to just a banjo and a bass drum. The theme of the album is the unity of family and friends.Something he knows about - he still lives on the Iowa farm where he grew up.

Flying yet again in the face of the public desire to not hear from him for a while, Ukranian producer Vakula drops another album. 'In Search Of Ancient Civilization' is an electronic album created from traditional folk instruments, field recordings and throat singing, which is certainly not the stupidest thing he's ever done.

Sad13 is the solo project of Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz. The project sees Dupuis showing us her pop side, in particular taking inspiration from the likes of Tracey Ullman and Joan Armatrading, although a little math rock creeps in here and there. Haunted Painting is her second album, following 2016’s Slugger. 

Jim White usual approach is to write songs that ponder the darker side of life in the Southern States of the USA. On Misfit’s Jubilee, his 8th album, things seem a little more optimistic than usual -  as lead single Sum of What We’ve Been will attest. Don’t let that fool you though, his tales of misfits and outcasts are still lurking around the corner. On Loose.

Darlingside are an indie / folk band based in Boston, Massachusetts. Fish Pond Fish is their fourth album and follows their 2018 album Extralife. This album, thematically, seems to be concerned with going back to past lives. If you can imagine a perfect blend of Sufjan Stevens and Animal Collective, then that’s kinda what they sound like. On More Doug Records.

Shimmering Basset is the second studio album from The Green Child, a duo consisting of Grass Widow member Raven Mahon and recording engineer Mikey Young. Recorded in Australia (rather than by long distance as was the case with their 2018 debut) it’s a much more assured and thematically coherent work. 

Just look at those keyboards! Oriental Music by Omar El Shariyi was originally released in 1976 and has become a much sought after LP over time. This album sees El Shariyi reinterpreting 6 pieces by Egyptian singer and Composer Mohamed Abdel Wahab using those beautiful keyboards - Farfisa and Steelphon S900. He mixes the traditional with the modern, introducing pop and jazz along the way. 

Containing beautiful and evocative pieces of instrumental music from the likes of John Cameron, Alan Hawkshaw, Francis Monkman and Brian Bennett, the self-explanatory Bruton Brutoff – The Ambient, Electronic and Pastoral Sounds of The Bruton Library Catalogue is curated by genre expert Jonny Trunk. 

World's on Fire (Live at Milton Keynes Bowl) is the only live album recorded by The Prodigy, It was originally released in mid-2011. It sees the popular electronic troupe storm through hits such as Firestarter, Breathe and Smack My Bitch Up along with 14 other tracks. Remastered double vinyl LP on Cooking Vinyl.

I'd never come across German electronic act Extrawelt but they've been at it for fifteen years and are noted particularly for being a great live act (which is not always the case with such artists). This box set marks their fifteen year anniversary and covers each album they put out so far all newly remastered. A good place to start for people like me who have some catching up to do. 

If not Now When is a non-album single by British shoegaze / indie-pop band Jetstream Pony. The band are made up of musicians from bands such as The Fireworks, The Wedding Present, The Popguns and Trembling Blue Stars. The A side sees the band adding a touch of garage rock to their sound. It  is backed with a cover of Yellow Pills, originally by US power pop band 20/20. On Spinout Nuggets.

Waiting Out The Storm is the second album by Nashville-based singer / songwriter Jeremy Ivey. There’s some classic sounding songs here, rattling blues-tinged country and darker sounding alt. Country with Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen as clear influences.  Before recording his own songs Ivey wrote songs for his wife, fellow country singer Margo Price. Price has returned the favour by producing this album.

With ‘Attenuator’, techno music legends (not to mention close friends and collaborators) Carl Craig and Moritz von Oswald deliver the first products from a series of studio sessions they've booked in over the couple of years prior to the record's release. On this 12” single, Craig and von Oswald deliver their own separate takes on the same original track. Sure enough, Craig's take on 'Attenuator' has that stirring Detroit flavour to it while von Oswald dubs things out.

The Abyss Within Us is the bleakly-named project of Italians Claudio Porceddu and Stefano Ferrari. The fact that it is on Astral Industries should tell you all you need to know here - the duo make mystical ambient textures and deep dub-techno on a two-part journey into elegiac soundscapes. Check out 'Life In A Circle' if you like Deepchord, GAS etc. 

Faced with the imminent milestone of ten years together as a band, American shoegaze outfit Nothing get existential with their fourth studio album, The Great Dismal. Featuring guest contributions from (Sandy) Alex G and classical musicians Shelley Weiss and Mary Lattimore, it broadcasts a message of quiet hope from underneath the chaos of life as it stands in 2020. 

With original copies trading on the black market for around £200, ‘Orphée 2000’ from the Chêne Noir theatre gets a reissue for France's Record Store Day 2020 via Heavenly Sweetness. The soundtrack to a play of the same name that attracted a cult audience at the time, it evokes a spiritual atmosphere based around jazz and spoken-word. 

My brother once got a napkin signed by Mark E. Smith. I say signed, he got Mark's mum to ask him to put his mark on it and he ended up signing it 'From Wolfman'. Maybe it's something to do with the second track on this called 'Wolf Kidult Man'. Anyway, 'Imperial Wax Solvent' is the 26th album from the prolific Manchester post-punks, and it's one of their most celebrated of the 2000s decade for its different take on The Fall sound. It's rawer, more lo-fi, a bit more experimental. The record was also subject to humoured controversy when a pressing error led to audio landing on the initial shipment of X-factor contestant Faryl Smith's debut. Lovely.

All round talent Tom Misch originally released Beat Tape 2 in 2015. The South London producer began making sounds in the vein of J Dilla before finding his own sound, which incorporated influences from a range of genres. Beat Tape 2 includes spots from Jordan Rakei, Zak Abel, Loyle Carner, Carmody, Sam Wills and Alfa Mist. 5th anniversary gold vinyl reissue.

This live album from The Walkmen’s frontman Hamilton Leithauser captures him in his 2020 residency at New York’s Café Carlyle, a lavish Upper East Side venue that’s seen performances from jazz legends and rock icons alike. Live At Café Carlyle consists of ten live tracks, including covers of Big Thief, Lana Del Rey and Randy Newman. 

Featuring guest contributions from Corey Wilkes, Tomeka Reid and the late Hamiet Bluiett, 'America The Beautiful' is a heartfelt yet excoriating musical analysis of the divisions and crises besetting the U.S.A. by Kahil El’Zabar. Fusing various jazz modes - spiritual, Latin, post-bop - 'Kahil El'Zabar's America the Beautiful' is both urgent and melodic, hitting a new level of artistry for this immensely talented multi-instrumentalist. 

I'd better get on the blower to my dad as there's a new Bruce Springsteen album on the edge of town. A Letter to You is the first album he's made with his legendary E Street Band. It was made in just five days and contains nine new songs and three taken from his 1970s era of leaving his best work in the can. There's nothing like the E Street Band on full throttle so this should delight his fanbase.