Latest new releases on vinyl record, CD and cassette tape

Esteemed curator of sprawling hip hop Otis Jackson Jr., known professionally as Madlib, adds yet another slice of pioneering creativity to his canon. 'The Professionals' crystallises Madlib's collaborations with such forces as Adub, Elzhi and Chino XL. Unmissable work from the Californian creative.

Through a Glass Darkly is a seminal document in terms of synth music. Peter Howell began work on the album in 1977 with the brief to create music to fill one side of an LP. The result is a low budget classic and ranks alongside great works by the likes of Vangelis and Jean-Michel Jarre.

A vinyl only reissue of Paddy Kingsland of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop's 1973 solo album, 'Fourth Dimension'. Much sought after by synth-sniffers the world over, this record features plenty of VCS 3 and 'Delaware' Synthi 100 action backed by a 1970's session band. Includes funfair favourite and Doctor Who Theme B-side 'Reg'.

For complex yet easy-listen jazz, look no further. Dextrous drummer and Louisiana-born Idris Muhammad's latest work 'Power of Soul' is a gorgeous slice of creativity, tinged with soul and leftfield ideas. As a legend in his field, history looks back kindly at Muhammad's works and this is a real highlight of the pioneer's back catalogue.

New album from Mr Tracey Thorn as he eschews the organic sound of his previous two solo LPs with a much more bold and out there sonic experimentation. Remember that Ben Watt was producing electronic work in the latter days of Everything But the Girl and here he creates a unique trio of piano, double bass and drum kit to play songs inspired both by personal and political upheaval. Low's Alan Sparhawk guests.

Composer and musician Jeff Parker uses a mix  of samples and improvisation to create his music. Suite For Max Brown sees him using influences such as John Coltrane to create a free jazz piece over a sequenced beat. He is joined on the album by pianist and saxophonist Josh Johnson, bass player Paul Bryan, Makaya McCraven, Rob Mazurek, trumpeter Nate Walcott, Jamire Williams and Jay Bellerose on drums and cellist Katinka Klejin. His daughter Ruby even pops upon on the opening track.

A must-have for any fans of jazz auteur Allen Lowe, this one. An Avant Garde of Our Own is an eight-CD box set comprising various rare and unreleased tracks from the American musician and composer’s lengthy career from 1980 to 2018, with some discs arranged thematically and some housing never-before-heard compositions. 

Smoke Fairies are back with Darkness Brings The Wonders Home - their first album in five years. The starting point was the woodsy folk of their debut Through Low Light And Trees. They found their performances had a new boldness, however. This coupled with some exciting visits to a guitar shop near producer Phil Ek’s studio meant more guitars and new sounds were added to that sound. 

The precocious Billie Eilish drops her debut LP. WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? - no need to shout, Billie - is a family affair, with Eilish’s brother Finneas O’Connor co-producing the record. Music-wise the songs here lean into Lana Del Rey’s dark-Disney Americana while also incorporating EDM and Adele-ish balladry.

Bryan Ferry is still quite the old charmer at the ripe old age of 77. When Jorja Chalmers moved to the UK from Australia and started performing old twinkle trousers saw her and invited her to join his band. Her debut Human Again was made in those times on tour when Ferry wasn't swanning about and she set about making some art rock in the style of David Bowie and Ferry's old nemesis Brian Eno. Produced by none other than Johnny Jewel this should appeal to fans of the  likes of John Carpenter and of course Chromatics.  

Frances Quinlan is the front woman of american indie band Hop Along, although she is already a well established solo artist. Likewise is her latest album and sees her experimenting with synths and using fewer guitars than she usually might. Her voice and heartfelt delivery doesn’t change though, so fans will still delight in this new record.

A six-track vinyl album released in tribute to legendary Dutch cinematographer Robby Müller (Dead Man, Paris Texas and 24 Hour Party People), recorded by SQÜRL as the soundtrack to filmmaker Claire Pijman’s documentary Living The Light. The artwork includes two luminous Polaroid images taken by Müller himself. 

A modern global dance music hero and collaborator with Four Tet and Björk, and with (allegedly) over 500 live albums to his name, Syrian artist Omar Souleyman turns in his fourth studio album Shlon, released on Because Music. Spanning six tracks, the album sees Souleyman fuses techno and house with Lebanese folk dance dabke. 

Raw Like Sushi, the debut album by Neneh Cherry, was originally released 30 years ago. Here we have a deluxe expanded reissue. It included the massive hits Buffalo Stance and Manchild. Contributors to the album included 3D and Mushroom from Massive Attack and, looking very relaxed, on vibes, Nellee Hooper.

As a 'celebration of love' in all its guises, Blossoms return with their most mature offering to date - 'Foolish Loving Spaces'. As the five-piece's fifth album, tracks are characterised by their trademark harmonies between intertwining arcade synths and twitchy guitars. Highly anticipated stuff from one of biggest modern day indie wave-makers.

Consisting of a rotating line-up that’s also elastic in number, Gentle Stranger present their debut album Love and Unlearn. Recorded almost entirely live in the studio over the space of just a week, and the music sounds raw and spontaneous despite the careful planning and attention to detail from the band. 

An otherworldly dance album from Melbourne-based artist Andras - a.k.a. Andrew Wilson. Available at the end of January via the Beats In Space label, Joyful is an exploration of his formative influences as a teenager, and the results are both sentimental and tender yet capable of filling dancefloors. 

The soundtrack to first-person shooter game Borderlands 3 should suit Normanites (that's you, our customers) down to the ground with its mix of ambient, dubstep, blues and electronica. It was made by some of the best names in the business too - Jesper Kyd Michael McCann Raison Varner, Julian Peterson and Mike Jones. Remastered for this vinyl reissue.

Modest Heroes: Ponoc Short Films Theatre, Vol 1 (Original Soundtrack) features the music to short animated films directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Yoshiyuki Momose, and Akihiko Yamashita and produced by Studio Ponoc. The music is composed by Takatsugu Muramatsu, Yasutaka Nakata, Masanori Shimada. It also includes the theme song by Kaela Kimura.

Multi-talented, multi-instrumentalist Jack Tatum begins a new decade with a new Wild Nothing EP. Laughing Gas is the latest edition to a highly acclaimed discography which on his last album, Indigo, saw elements of classic ‘80s bands (Cure, New Order, etc) coming through. The five tracks on offer here were recorded during the same sessions.

You can tell by the sleeve that Sam Lee is an environmental campaigner. No trees have been hacked down and animals appear to frolic gaily. A delight. But as well as looking after the planet, Sam is known as a folk musician and archivist and has regularly appeared on BBC Radio 4. This is his fourth full length album and is led by a new interpretation of the Garden of England celebrating both the song and the environmental meaning behind it.  

She may just look like any old person soaking wet climbing up a rope ladder but she is Caroline Polachek and you may know her as the lead singer of Chairlift. Following the success of that band she's already tried her hand at a few side projects and written for Beyonce no less but now is the time for her debut solo album to be unleashed.  We;re expecting idiosyncratic vocals and washes of sonically enthralling synth textures. This is sure to be hugely anticipated. 

French musician Pascal Comelade is known for his off-kilter covers of rock with a unmistakable style, cooperating with the likes of Faust and Robert Wyatt. This wonderful 4 track offering, 'Les Memoires d'un Ventriloque', showcases a selection of the veteran's best fresh spins on treasured rock classics.

A breathtaking collection of three face-melting club workouts from Lisbon-based PML Beatz on this 12” vinyl release with the curious title Pedra de 800 Kg. Sibling team Lisandro and Ivan draw on their Portuguese and Angolan heritage, as well as a variety of contemporary global electronic influences. 

This new compilation on the increasingly excellent French label Good Morning Tapes pulls together three tracks previously only available on cassette, from their back catalogue, with three new exclusives. Titled All Welcome, it features contributions from Tapes, Anthony Naples, Kiki Kudo, Eszaid, INNSYTER and Eddie Ruscha. 

Hospital Productions delivers an unreleased album by Japanese noise music icon Kohei Gomi, better known as Pain Jerk. Apparently recorded at around the same time as Gallon Gravy way back in 1997, Mission Invisible is similarly constructed in a spirit of avant-garde electronic experimentation, and an insight into the creative peak of a fascinating underground scene. 

Ella O’Connor Williams presents her debut album under her Squirrel Flower alter ego, a persona she adopted as a child. Having grown up surrounded by music, the 23 year old’s debut album I Was Born Swimming is another gem from the same kind of creative fountainhead that produced Soccer Mommy, Julien Baker and Frankie Cosmos. 

Revolution (Live Disco Show In New York City) by Sidiku Buari displays different aspects of the artist. Side one is supposedly, although not definitely, recorded live at a show in NYC that may or may not have happened. Their disco sound is anchored by heavy bass. Side 2 shows the versatility of the band with a couple of politically charged numbers, a Christmas song and some afrobeat grooves.

Tom Reybould’s score for The Machine is regarded as criminally overlooked and one of the best scores of the past decade. He has taken the influence of score-writing masters such as John Carpenter, Vangelis, Brad Fiedel, and Tangerine Dream and twisted them into his own special shape. First time on vinyl, comes in a glow in the dark sleeve.

Estonian shoegazers Pia Fraus return with Empty Parks. It is an album that sees them welcoming two former members of the band back to the fold in drummer Joosep Volk and Kristel Eplik on backing vocals. The band add a bit of tension to their otherwise bright outlook here, but it’s perfectly balanced. Aided by John McEntyre in the producer’s chair who, alongside his role in Tortoise, has probably worked with one of your favourite bands at some point.

Avant-garde musician Dan Rosenboom releases his latest album on Gearbox Records. Spread over four sides of vinyl, Absurd In The Anthropocene gathers together a massive amount of collaborators as Rosenboom explores everything from jazz fusion to modern classical music, and reaffirms his ongoing commitment to pushing back against expectations of his sound. 

Mingus Ah Um was Charles Mingus's first album for Columbia released in 1959. It is a personal work which sees the double bass player and bandleader look back upon his childhood assisted by an all star group including Jimmy Knepper and Brooker Ervin. It contains some of his most enduring tracks and is widely regarding as a masterpiece. 

Stepping out of the structured work of The Paradox Ensemble, Nick Walters hooks up once again with 22a to create a mini-album of spiritual avant garde jazz. Active Imagination relies on the active imaginations of the assembled musicians that Walters got together for a day of improvisation and experimentation. Jeff Guntren, Rebecca Nash and Ed Cawthorne all come along for the ride.

Characterised by the sound of toy instruments and French electro outfit Heldon, Pascal Comelade forged his own route while making a name for himself with esoteric covers of rock hits. This 4 track offering contains unreleased hidden gems featuring star guest vocalists and a whole load of creativity.

The Matrix Reloaded: The Album blends segments of the films score along with songs used in the film. It features acts such as Rage Against The Machine, Marilyn Manson, Deftones, Rob Zombie, P.O.D., Linkin Park, Fluke, Oakenfold and Dave Matthews Band and score composer Don Davis. It’s a triple LP too!

As with the other Matrix films, Matrix Revolutions was scored by American composer Don Davis. Three of the tracks feature collaborations with London-based electronica band Juno Reactor. It also features the song In Your Head by German three-piece Pale 3. This double vinyl reissue might just keep you going while you wait for the fourth Matrix installment due in 2021.

Former Soft Cell frontman Marc Almond delivers his 26th solo album Chaos and a Dancing Star. It sees him join forces once again with producer/pianist Chris Braide, who worked with him five years back on The Velvet Trail, and the record’s themes deal with hope surviving amid darkness and depression. 

After being introduced by a mutual friend, Manchester band Easter went down to London to play with Bromide and they got on, musically and personally. Simon, singer in Bromide, thought they should put out something on his label, Scratchy. Split single Doubt Rings / I'll Never Learn is what they recorded. Easter mix the sounds of Yo La Tengo, Buffalo Tom and Swell, whilst Bromide take their influences from Big Star, Nada Surf and classic New Zealand power pop. Includes download with extra tracks.

Bersarin Quartett is the ambient project of German DJ, sound designer and musician Thomas Bücker. Methoden und Maschinen is the fourth album by the project. It seems Bücker has allowed influences from Andy Stott, Tim Hecker, Fennesz, Murcof, Dictaphone and Hidden Orchestra with whom Bersarin Quartett has played with in recent years. This, of course, is no bad thing.  

Poliça’s fourth studio record When We Stay Alive was forged in the face of practical adversity, after lead singer Channy Leaneagh suffered a serious back injury after falling off her roof clearing ice around 18 months ago. The regular Poliça sound is intact, but the record is much richer, and features contributions from a wide range of fellow musicians, from The National’s Aaron Dessner to Bon Iver. 

Jeunes Filles Impudiques is a 1973 French erotic drama about hitchiking schoolgirls. The film isn’t great, but we're not here for that. Director Jean Rollin used the pseudonym of Miche Gentil in an attempt to disown it. The soundtrack, however, fuses French hard-bop with acid folk. It’s quite something and has been put out by Finders Keepers as a five-track EP.

Nice sleeve art. Looks like Destroyer (aka Dan Bejar) is heading down the eccentric path on his thirteenth album which comprises of recordings culled from home brainstorming sessions and stuff recorded in his kitchen. The music was then worked on and remixed and only finished when collaborator John Collins had to go help his wife give birth. Stream of consciousness stuff from an artist refusing to rest on any kind of laurel.     

David Lynch’s favourites Chromatics took their fans by surprise a month or so ago with the release of their first new album in seven years. Keeping their signature minimalistic synth-pop sound intact, Closer To Grey now arrives boasting resplendent covers of Simon & Garfunkel (‘The Sound of Silence’) and the Jesus & Mary Chain (‘On The Wall’). 

Featuring six original pieces from PJ Harvey, as well as tracks from the likes of Aphex Twin, Gazelle Twin and Micah P. Hinson, Invada presents the double-vinyl soundtrack to Channel 4’s acclaimed series ‘The Virtues’, directed by Shane Meadows and which aired back in May this year.

Squirrel And G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out) by Happy Mondays was the first time we were introduced to the nonsense ramblings (not a criticism) of Shaun William Ryder. They went on to be quite well known in their hometown of Manchester and beyond. It was originally released by the legendary Factory Records in 1987 and was produced by John Cale, once of The Velvet Underground. Features the singles 24 Hour Party People and Tart Tart.

By the time their second album, Bummed, was made, Happy Mondays had made their loose indie-funk sound, topped with the thoughts of Shaun Ryder, their own. It was met with a lukewarm reception on its release but had the same people giving it gushing praise a decade later. We now know the band as a legendary act who were central to the Madchester scene. Features Wrote For Luck and Lazy-itis.

It would be fair, I think, to classify Pills ‘n’ Thrills and Bellyaches as a classic album, crystallising for many a certain era of totally losing it. Happily for those people, Rhino are reissuing the Happy Mondays’ third album for its 25th anniversary, on vinyl (180g no less).

The score to Frederico Fellini’s 1954 film La Strada was composed by Nino Rota. Its main theme recurs throughout the film being played by the characters, firstly on violin then on trumpet. Fellini initially wanted to use a soundtrack by Arcangelo Corelli which he played on tape whilst filming. Rota wasn’t particularly on board with this idea so wrote his own piece that was rhythmically identical to match the on screen movements. Rota’s final score included parts that were reminiscent to Larghetto from Dvořák's Opus 22 Serenade for Strings in E major.

Tom Jenkinson returns with a new Squarepusher album after a hiatus of over half a decade. 'Be Up A Hello' represents an abrupt about-face from the bleeding-edge technology used on his last outing 'Damogen Furies', revisiting the vintage analogue and digital equipment that Jenkinson used at the start of his career in the early Nineties. He even busts out his trusty olde Commodore VIC-20.

Great news for readers of Uncut magazine....there's a new Drive By Truckers album in town. The magazine's flagship band haven't released a record in three years which is a long time for them but leader Patterson Hood has been struggling with writers block brought on with worrying about how to convey the very mess the world is in. Thankfully he started to look closer to home, to matters of the heart for inspiration and found that his band were at the peak of their powers on an album that mixes the politics with the personal. 

...Yes Please! is the fourth album by Happy Mondays, originally released in 1992. It will forever be known as the album that cost far too much to record and sold too few copies to recoup the costs, thus bankrupting Factory Records. It was produced by Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz of Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club fame. Features the singles Stinkin’ Thinkin’, Angle and Sunshine & Love.

Now with three records under their belts, it’s a great time to revisit their 2014 debut effort Sunchokes. Quietly released via Bandcamp, the lo-fi production and effortless pop melodies endeared it to those who heard it, and for its fifth anniversary the mini-album has been remastered by friend Lucas Knapp. Both CD and pink-coloured vinyl versions include eight bonus tracks and a 20-page memory book. 

Deriving from the humble Uruguayan city of Canelones, Las Cobras are the creators of grumpy and murky pop-tinged shoegaze. 'as indebted to tropicalia as it is the Brian Jonestown Massacre' (CLASH), 9-track offering 'Selva' is packed full of scuzzy riffs, stomping beats and a whole load of originality.

Fernando Torres has retired from professional football, but don’t worry, he hasn’t embarked on a musical career. No, this is Torres, AKA McKenzie Scott and Silver Tongue is her fourth album. This the first album she has produced by herself after previously collaborating with PJ Harvey cohort Rob Ellis. Expect a mix of guitars and synths, sparkling new wave sounds some irresistible hooks and the odd brooding number all about the journey of love.

Michael are a band who rose from the ashes of The Quietus approved London psych outfit Bad Guys. One interesting fact about Michael is that none of the members are called Michael. There's surreal lyrics and heavy psych riffs abound on their debut long player Tell Your Friends. Get on it. On Cracked Ankles.

Since 2015’s Glass Riffer album, Baltimore’s electronic maestro Dan Deacon has been throwing his whole self into other projects such as soundtracks for Rat Film and Time Trial. He did, however, keep nipping back to his day job of making his music. The songs on Mystic Familiar were formed over this time, and whilst he was returning to what he knows best, the experiences have fed into him expanding his sound on this record. 

Fredrico Fellini was a visionary filmmaker. His films are regarded among some of the best films ever committed to celluloid. In collaboration with composer Nino Rota, he also scored his films. Here we have a vinyl version of the score to his 1960 Palme d'Or winning masterpiece LA Dolce Vita, released via Le Chant Du Monde.

Swiss/Catalonian producer J. M. Pagán wrote the science fiction-funk soundtrack to daytime TV show ‘Kiu I Els Seus Amics’, a curious tribute to the film E.T. that only lasted for one series but captured the minds of many, making it a fondly remembered cult affair to this day. This new edition from the Finders Keepers label immaculately preserves Pagán’s synthesiser soundscapes as well as including some bonus TV edits. 

With the band name Mint Julep you might expect a bunch of white suited gents from southern USA playing...well, I don’t know what. What Mint Julep actually are though, is an electronic pop duo made up of Hollie and Keith Kenniff, also a married couple. Mr. Kenniff is known for his experimental projects, the ambient Helios and the post-classical Goldmund. On Stray Fantasies however, we get straight up synth pop and you will enjoy it.

London band The Bitter Springs have been making music since the mid ‘80s, initially under the name The Last Party before evolving into The Bitter Springs in '96. They’ve been doing this for a long time. In recent years they’ve felt a little ignored by fans so have only bothered releasing music digitally. They have finally decided to release an album physically again though, and The Odd Shower surprisingly is the band’s first full length album to be released on vinyl. It comes with a bonus 5-track CD EP, Excrectus In Completus which features a Vic Goddard remix of their song The Addison Brothers.

Black psychedelia, noise, metal, drone... Whatever you’d like to call it, Skullflower are one of thee finest exponents of it. Matthew Bower is the constant at the center of this world. Recently he has been working on the project with Samantha Davies. There’s been a whole bunch of stuff available digitally, but with Purity, they return to the physical format for the first time in two years. This one's a total stunner.

Beat Hotel are a band with a real British indie heritage and have been a long time in the making. The band are made up from members of The June Brides, The Loft, The Weather Prophets, Distractions, Mudlow, Mojo Fins and Lolita Storm and the idea for a band was formed after a couple of the guys met in 1988. The band make a sound reminiscent of  that golden age of indie, so should appeal to those that were there the first time around, and have an eponymous mini-album to prove it. 

Described by New York rock 'n' roll mag Trouser Press as "a balance of pop-conscious song-structuring and outright-croak as Sonic Youth's Evol-period", UT's 'In Gut's House' is the sophomore record by the New York genre-blenders. It's a fantastic justification on how the No-Wavers became a serious force on the east coast.

Jonathan Elliott and Stewart Lawler make their long-awaited comeback as Kl(aüs), following the hugely positive reception of their 2016 self-titled debut album. Kl(aüs) 2 largely picks up where its predecessor left off, taking inspiration from the first artists to experiment with synthesisers and giving it a modern twist. 

Experimental, avant-garde, free jazz and minimalist are words that have been used to describe the adventurous musical career of composer and double bass player Gavin Byars. It would suggest that he’s not scared of trying anything new. Following collaborations with equally adventurous characters such as Tom Waits, Brian Eno and Aphex Twin he has now teamed up with underground metal band Crowhurst. Crowhurst and Gavin Bryars present Incoherent American Narrative was recorded in an old hotel in the Pyrenees and matches metal drone that recalls Sunn O))) circa Monoliths with the albums Bryars recorded with the aforementioned Eno.

On Fire was the second album from legendary US slowcore merchants Galaxie 500 and is an album that has often been cited as the band's definitive statement. For the uninitiated Galaxie 500 played a kind of slow moving dreamy sprawl influenced by the Velvet Underground and Jonathan Richman, slowing the tempo down to crawling pace and spawning a slew of imitators in the process.  

Metal Gear was released in Japan in 1987 as the MXS2 version. It wasn’t available elsewhere for a long time. The seminal game is considered one of the best games of the ‘80s, essential in fact, and has spawned a whole series of games that are considered to be among the best there is. Here we have the first ever physical release of the original game’s soundtrack on 10” vinyl, cut at 45rpm.

Regarded as one of the most pioneering and boundary-pushing electronic twiddlers in the game at the moment, Jon Hopkins' recent works have seen the producer reach new stratospheric level. In this collaboration with Kelly Lee Owens, 'Luminous Beings' is re-worked into a sparkling and transcending slice of gold named 'Luminous Spaces'. 

A deeply rare psych-pop obscurity from 1969, barely ever available to begin with and only sort-of reissued in 2009 by Record Collector magazine. But now, one can actually straightforwardly buy Pussy Plays, the only full-length record ever produced by Pussy. Contains everything that you love about the 60’s. 

Soden are a three-piece instrumental band from Worcester who play dark, low and slow music that gradually increases in its ferocity. A kind of heavy metal post-rock, if you will. Onwards...Toward The Tundra is the band’s second album. It follows their 2017 album Led By Foxes. It was recorded by Slabdragger guitarist and singer, Sam Thredder.

Luxury 50th anniversary re-issue of one of Townes Van Zandt's most enduring works. It stripped back the lavish production of his debut For The Sake of the Song allowing the real genius of the songwriter to shine through. It contains some of his best known works and is considered an American folk classic. Comes on 180g vinyl in tip-on sleeve.  

The second full length from Phase Fatale comes via Ostgut Ton. Phase Fatale is Berlin-based American DJ and producer Hayden Payne. He is known for his innovative take on techno, which brings elements of industrial electronics to the party, and his sound design. Scanning Backwards is the follow up to 2017’s Redeemer, which was released on Hospital Productions.

Cave Hill is a hill that overlooks Belfast in Northern Ireland. Climbing it, and the view, is quite a thing to experience. So much so that United Bible Studies, a trio made up from Alison O’Donnell  and Dominic Cooper of The Owl Service and electronic musician David Colohan, have made an album about it. Cave Hill Ascension combines two long-form devotional instrumentals with two folk songs. 

The creative outlet for Suzy Poling for 17 years and which has spawned a career that’s racked up well over two dozen vinyl and cassette albums, Transdimensional System is the latest outpouring from Pod Blotz. Intricately composed using samples collected from the Vintage Synthesizer Museum in California, and topped off with remarkable vocals. 

Infinite Scale is the electronic project of Harmi Palda. He has been releasing music for the past 15 years on labels such as Boltfish, Rednetic and Toytronic Records. His music is always evocative and emotive mixing a sense of apprehension with uplifting release. The Value of Accessibility is an album about the amount of information that is available to us via the internet, delivered in his melodic, acid-tinged way.

New Zealand singer / songwriter Sarah Mary Chadwick returns with Please Daddy. It is the follow up to her critically lauded 2018 live album The Queen Who Stole The Sky. That album was filled with heartbreaking catharsis. Please Daddy is an album written after a lifetime of pain - and she wrings every last drop out of herself on these raw, powerful songs.

Forest Drive West (aka Joe Baker) prepares to drop 'Parallel Space' - a murky 4 track slab of techno. It's opening track, Creation Dub, kicks things off with off-kilter and fizzing percussion aside nuanced soundscapes and sparkling pads. It's a soothing concoction, suitable for both dancefloors and candle-lit rooms.

Trimeter Records presents Family Songbook, the latest record from Tanya, Petra and Rachel Haden. As its generation-spanning title might suggest, it includes four recently excavated tracks from the triplets’ grandfather, Carl E. Haden, recorded and written during the Great Depression, on top of new originals from their brother Josh, takes on Americana standards and even a Kanye West cover... 

So you downloaded the four singles from The Twang’s If Confronted Just Go Mad album, but that’s not good enough, you need a physical product you can hug and kiss, right? Well, luck you - the Birmingham indie band are releasing them as two limited 7” singles. Here we have the double A sided Everytime / Dream to have and to hold, forever and ever. 

Birmingham’s favourite indie sons, The Twang, digitally released four singles taken from their If Confronted Just Go Mad album. Rather than just having them floating around in the ether, they are making solid, holdable product out of them as two ltd 7” singles. Here we have the double A sided It Feels Like (You're Wasting My Time) / Tinseltown In The Rain. Buy ‘em and wear ‘em out or buy ‘em and keep ‘em in pristine condition - the choice is yours!

East London’s Polytechnic Youth launch the new decade by re-packaging the label’s two compilation LPs released to date, under the aegis of one double-LP release. 2016’s They Make No Say arrives on ‘deep red’ vinyl, consisting of 13 slices of minimalist electronica, and 2018’s follow-up Popcorn Lung is issued on ‘mustard’ coloured vinyl, charting the intervening two years of the label’s impressive output. 

Polytechnic Youth begins the new decade with another intriguing release, this time from mysterious Ontario-based solo project e+. Poison Control is released on 7” vinyl and includes six pieces of dark, improvisatory and resolutely lo-fi electronica, arriving in hand-assembled packaging that will thrill fans of DIY music. 

Unlucky for some, but lucky for you - Pet Shop Boys fourteenth album, Hotspot is here. It includes the single Dreamland which features Years & Years - a band that probably wouldn’t exist at all if it wasn’t for the Godfathers of chart friendly synth pop. Judging by the single, the duo are still capable of knocking out a decent tune too.

Lightbox of Magic Unknowledge is the unlikely supergroup featuring former Sepultura drummer Igor Cavalera, Joe Goddard of Hot Chip and Laima Leyton who makes rather arty and odd music under the name Laima and has previously collaborated with Cavalera on his Petbrick project. The trio set up in Goddard’s studio and made some music for meditation. L M U is available on cassette.

Comedian Chris Lilley first appeared in the UK in high school spoof Summer Heights High. Now he has a show on Netflix called Lunatics. The Fuck Song is a kind of Beastie Boys pastiche, sung by his character Gavin McGregor and is taken from the show. The B-side is remixed by Sweet Valley - the duo made up from Wavves bloke Nathan Williams and his brother Joel from the band Roshi’s Garden. 

Oliver Knowles is a musician with Indonesian heritage who bases himself in Gothenburg, Sweden. He records under the name The Keep. He makes music that is built from a series of drones. Primer was recorded in Barcelona and is inspired by Catalonian street festivals which he experienced during his time there. His Indonesian heritage appears in his music through samples of traditional Indonesian instruments. 

Towards the end of the ‘80s Pale Saints, from Leeds, were part of a new movement in British indie known as shoegaze. Bands such as Ride, Slowdive and 4AD labelmates, Lush joined them in their quest, and would ultimately become better known. Perhaps Pale Saints are due a resurgence, like the bands that they broke through with initially have enjoyed of late. Comforts of Madness was their debut, originally released in 1990, and it’s a bit of classic. This expanded reissue includes unreleased demos and a Peel Session from 1989.

Matthew Doty was better known for once collaborating with none other than Josh Tillman (Father John Misty) in a group labouring under the name Saxon Shore. He recently heard the news that he was going to be a father and set about working on a solo project Deserta so he could tick it off the list before his priority becomes changing nappies and not sleeping. It's a widescreen shoegaze -influenced effort that  brings to mind Sigur Ros, the Cocteau Twins and the Cure.  

I find the idea of a Giant Swan lurching towards me rather scary. However, if you like your dance tracks (trax?) to be banging then look no further than their new full-on assault, and the wonderfully named, 55 Year-Old Daughter. Here we have the extended mix, which is essential wax for any record box. Their first new music since last years’ eponymous debut album and support slots with IDLES.

Fire Records presents the ninth studio album from Atlantan garage rockers Black Lips, now veterans of the scene despite their notoriously riotous on-stage antics, vomiting and all. Barbed and vicious, Sing In A World That’s Falling Apart shows the band haven’t necessarily matured with age, but merely become more aware of the world around them. 

Quiet Music 1 is the first in a series of albums recorded by Steve Roach between 1983 and 1986. The recordings are made up of soft sounds from synth, electric piano, flute and the sounds of nature. The music on Quiet Music was originally composed to accompany images of the lushness of nature for a meditation video but never used. Originally released on cassette, this is the first time on vinyl.

Quiet Music 2 is the second in a series of albums recorded by American New Age composer Steve Roach. They were recorded between 1983 and 1986 and originally released on cassette in 1986. Quiet Music 2 is inspired by the vast space found in a desert. Musically it follows on from his 1984 album Structures From Silence. 

American ambient / electronic / new age composer Steve Roach recorded three albums based around synths, flute and electric piano known as Quiet Music between 1983 and 1986. Each album in the series has a different reason for existence and Quiet Music 3 was intended to aid his personal healing rituals. Originally released on cassette in 1986, this is the first time it has appeared on vinyl.

Some superb old boogie from Afrosynth Records here. Night Force originally released the energetic ‘Dance’ in Europe in 1980, but the track was officially slowed down (from 45 rpm to 33) for the South African edition a year later. It is the latter we concern ourselves with here. The 1981 release was bolstered by four sleek, sexy SA disco tunes from The Tom Cats. Anyone with an interest in the rainbow nation’s house styles should give this one a spin.

Having released music through a number of labels such as Berceuse Heroique, Wisdom Teeth, Versatile, Permalnk, Banlieue and Peur Bleue Records, Berlin-based Benoit B has chosen Into The Light for his latest EP, Notes Of Love. His ethereal and redolent style with electronic music has been praised far and wide. Despite this, the new EP is eclectic, recalling artists as diverse as Vangelis and Art of Noise in places. Benoit B also has his own label, Banlieue Records.

Reflections In A Rear View Mirror is a new studio record from Stephanie Payne, a hugely interesting figure in experimental music who has been recording on-and-off under the name of Dark Arts for over 35 years at this point and who has previously worked with the notorious producer Steve Albini.  

Phase III: Selected Recording 1988-1995 collects together recordings by Berlin band I.A.O. The eagle-eyed among will have noticed that for a there was some significant changes in Berlin during the time of these recordings with the fall of the wall making two cities one. This fed into the music with the counterculture from east and west uniting and exchanging ideas. The varied music on offer here are tied together by melancholic overtones, soundscapes and ad-hoc jams creating angular sounds.

South African artist Kamazu is the subject of this short retrospective EP released by Afrosynth. Active between 1986 and 1997, the pioneering star specialised in disco variants, and Korobela takes six tracks from his discography - including his hits ‘Korobela’ and ‘Indaba Kabani’ - plus two deep cuts and selections from his kwaito-themed comeback. 

German artist Bufiman, who you may also know as Jan Schulte or Wolf Müller samples percussion from forgotten prog rock and digi-dub records. Albumsi concentrates on snare drum samples, which may sound kind of limiting, but in the hands of this creative one-off, it really is quite something. On Dekmantel.

Formed out of a Bandcamp project led by Floridian-turned-New Yorker Nick Llobet a few years back, Compare & Despair is the full-band debut project from youbet. Swarming with colour and vivid imagination, the component tracks speak to the same kind of disarming, almost naive simplicity of artists like Alex Chilton and Elliott Smith.