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Tell Me World is the debut album from Welsh duo Lowri Evans and Sarah Zyborska who came together as Tapestri in 2019. This is a partnership that the whole world needs to stop and listen to. Tell Me World is an album that highlights the struggles that women face in this world, and how to overcome the challenges. As a middle-aged male sat here listening to this album I can’t for one minute say I fully understand what these struggles must be like but I am aware of how unfair this world is, how unequal it is and how we all must talk about these topics, listen to as many different voices as possible and do what we can to make the world a more equal place. These important topics are captured with some of the most gorgeous folk, country pop melodies that have been put down on record. The album opens with the title track that has vocal harmonies that will leave you feeling warm and happy inside. Gentle guitar parts that make you feel glad to be alive. A chorus that will leave an impression on everyone who hears this perfect uplifting pop song. If that’s not enough there are some incredibly powerful lyrics that will stop you dead in your tracks “How can I leave him, when he’s all that I know / She looks at me with her daddy’s eyes / you raise your hand I raise a child / she deserves more than this”. Waiting in the Background further highlights the struggles women have faced over the decades. From being a housewife, struggling to become a career woman, the battle to find your own voice, feeling confident in who you are, fighting for equal pay and adapting to a world that is not fair. “Cos I’ve always been around / Though I shed my skin adapted / To a world that was never ever ever given to a girl”. Save Your Love treats us to some beautiful harmonies and a pedal steel guitar that holds the song together in a way that ensures this is a song that you will never forget. The lyrics further cement Tapestri’s place as a band that only an ignorant fool would be prepared to ignore “You want something more than I can give / Whisper words that I don’t want to hear / Time won’t change the way I feel for you” . These lyrics and all the words sung in this song are delivered with such honesty and raw emotion. This is song writing at its absolute best. Crazy Crazy Times certainly had me reflecting on how I have viewed the world in recent times. I often fall guilty of referring to the time we are living through as being crazy times. Hearing Tapestri sing “These aren’t crazy crazy times stop saying that they are” made me think I need to stop worrying about the troubles in this world. Workshop is one of the most relaxing songs you are going to hear this year. I have been listening to this album all afternoon on a local walk to the Folly Tower through Pontypool park and found myself drifting off gazing out at the landscape around me and feeling at peace with the world. She’s a Lover wraps itself around you with the biggest hug you can imagine, and in so doing will make you appreciate the little things in life “she’ll open up the window just to hear the blackbird sing”. Come Alive gives the album a rather anthemic moment. This song sounds like being reborn, a song that makes you want to get out of the house and feel ready to take on whatever challenges the world may throw at you. Y Fflam and Agofion are the two Welsh language songs on the album, showing the universal appeal of music. You don’t have to be a Welsh speaker to appreciate the genius within these songs. Open your minds and you will not be disappointed. The only song I haven’t mentioned on this great album is Genes which is such a sweet song about family and how we inherit parts of previous generations of our families and how those dear to us will live on, and it is vitally important to share stories. Let's face it life is full of stories, it is these stories that make life worth living and we must never forget to tell and remember these stories. Tell Me World is an album that left its mark on me within the first listen, and is one that I will be returning to on a very regular basis. I hope you will join me in my love for this album, you would be very very foolish to let this one pass you by. Tell Me World is released on Shimi Records. You can download it or buy a copy on CD from the band's Bandcamp page: Tell Me World | Tapestri (bandcamp.com)

This week I have been listening to the excellent Drowned In Sound podcasts which have had some interesting talks around Artificial Intelligence and its use in the creative industries. What these podcasts highlighted to me is how frightening it is that this Government is handing over our creative industries to the hands of Artificial Intelligence. How much money the Government is pumping into these companies, bypassing copyright so these companies can have all our songs, books, art, poems so they can then have Artificial Intelligence producing art. I strongly feel this should not be allowed to happen, art and the creative world is about lived experience, human emotions, lyrics that are written and sung from the heart. There is no way Artificial Intelligence can replicate that true and honest emotion of being a human. Milk For Flowers the fifth album from H. Hawkline is a perfect example of why we need human beings to be writing and recording albums. This is a deeply personal album about grief following the passing of Huw Evans mum from cancer four years ago. An Artificial Intelligence system could not create an album in this way quite simply because it is not real and not intelligent. These systems have no emotion, no lived experiences and no common sense. Before the world goes completely mad and hands everything over to AI please take the time to appreciate how lucky we are to have musicians like H. Hawkline giving us albums as beautiful as Milk For Flowers. I have been a fan of H. Hawkline for a number of years, have followed his journey with a great deal of interest, written about his albums in the past and enjoyed everything this man has created. Knowing all of that in my opinion Milk For Flowers is the best album he has recorded. It feels like the most complete and accomplished album he has released. Listening to the lyrics you feel that Huw is inviting us into his world, how he processed grief, his own thoughts on life and mortality. At times it feels like we are invading his own private thoughts, and we need to be mindful and respectful of that at all times. Milk For Flowers has to be played from start to finish, you can’t skip songs, you must give this album your full attention and I promise it will help you in so many ways. We have all experienced grief in our lives, at the time we may not have been able to find the words to fully capture how we felt. What Huw has done in this album is given us lyrics to relate to, “I paint my face for everyone I meet” sings Huw on Suppression Street. Many of us would have been in this place and done exactly that. I remember when my nan passed away, I was going about my usual day to day routines, walking to University at the time, looking at everyone continuing with their lives and the world I was currently living in felt very different. With grief we feel that we have to paint a face and continue as the world does not stop. All of that said this album is not a sad album, there are so many great pop songs on there. The title track has a lovely, uplifting piano melody that will fill you with joy. Plastic Man continues with melodies that are full of sunshine. Athens at Night is a classy, groovy song that will make you want to dance. These are just a few examples of the real intelligence of the pop star that is H. Hawkline, there is nothing left to chance on this album. Every sound, every lyric that we hear has been put where it is for a reason. Huw has also surrounded himself with other creative minds including Sweet Baboo, Davey Newington, Paul Jones, Tim Presley and of course his long-time friend and collaborator Cate Le Bon who has produced the album in such a majestic way. Final mention goes to Mostly which sees Huw questioning his own mortality, and how he wants to be remembered when he is no longer with us. As you listen to this song you will no doubt be thinking the same. As humans we all want to be happy, be loved, and to be remembered as someone who was kind and did the best we could with the time that we had. There is still so much more I could say about this album, I haven’t even mentioned some of the amazing imagery in these lyrics “I feel like a nun picking roses” is just one fine example of this. If these words have made you interested in hearing more, get yourself a copy of Milk For Flowers, switch off from the world, and remember how privileged we are to be living on a planet where we have creative artists like H. Hawkline who share their innermost thoughts and feelings with us in such an honest and memorable way.

The Vivian Line is the 17th studio album from Ron Sexsmith, one of the greatest singer-songwriters of modern times. Ron is a musician who has consistently given the world melodies that will outlive us all. Lyrics and uplifting pop tunes that deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Brian Wilson, Paul McCartney and Burt Bacharach. That said, although he has the love and respect amongst musicians, there are still so many people in the world who have not had their lives improved by sitting down with a Ron Sexsmith album. If for some reason you are one of those people who have yet to discover Ron it is never too late, and The Vivian Line would be a great place to start. The album opens with a lyric to shine positivity during these dark times for the world. A lyric to give us all hope and remind us that there is still love to be found in this divided world “Somewhere in the darkest night / There’s a place called love”. This lyric played out over a very gentle and soothing melody will instantly grab your attention and you will soon be lost within the gorgeous sounds that fill A Place Called Love the perfect opening song for this wonderful album. What I Had in Mind sees Ron reflecting back to his schooldays, how he found it hard to concentrate, did not always understand the reasons on why schools teach what they do and how he was a dreamer and longed for summer days. “Oh how I fell behind / For dreams and schemes / And visions of summertime / It was what I had in mind”. Flower Boxes is such a comforting song that deals with grief and how people live on through things they have created, what they have said, and memories they have left behind. “For the living must go on / Even though you’re gone / Your soul remains / In these flower boxes”. Outdated and Antiquated is another moment of honest self-reflection from Ron who finds himself questioning where he fits in with the modern world. This is a song that will be sure to put a smile on your face and there will be lyrics in here that you can relate to. I love the lyrics “Every newfangled trend / Can’t seem to go with the flow / It just doesn’t make sense / I don’t fit in” and “They’re all on their phones / While I write poems instead”. Ron you are an example that many should look up to. The world would be a much better place if everyone got off their phones and wrote poems instead. Every song on this album is quite simply wonderful and you would be foolish not to dive in and give up your time to enhance your life through these majestic sounds. A few more highlights amongst a treasure trove of diamonds include One Bird Calling a sweet song about life after a storm. How the morning can be so gentle and beautiful. It’s about appreciating the everyday, the beautiful sound of a bird singing and how lucky we are to be alive and have a roof over our heads. A Barn Conversion is a cheerful song featuring the sound of farmyard animals that will be sure to lift your spirits, the piano part ensures the song will become firmly embedded within your soul. When Our Love Was New is as good as song writing gets. This is one of those songs that will leave an instant impression on your life, it is one that will fall in love with, one that you will want to share with your nearest and dearest and one of those songs that you will return to for the rest of your days. This is such a wonderful song that looks back on those early days of falling on love and captures those feelings in such a charming and elegant way “When our love was born / And a new life was beginning / Our kisses, they were warm / Our eyes, how they’d glisten”. For over 35 years Ron Sexsmith has been writing songs as a sole songwriter, that is worthy of note as there are not as many songs in modern times that have a single writer, there are many partnerships and co-writers. Ron has made a conscious decision to write songs on his own, it is a dying art and Ron is certainly flying the flag high for songwriters. I urge all of you to listen to The Vivian Line, go through his extensive back catalogue and I give you my word you will love what you hear and you never know you might find yourself inspired to write a poem or a song of your own. Buy your copy of The Vivian Line: Ron will also be playing the Nantwich Roots Festival on 17th May 2023, you can get tickets (with no booking fee!) here:

Paramore have without a doubt been one of the biggest bands of the last twenty years. They have a devoted fanbase who have grown up with the band and have had such an impact on the world. Yet they are a band who I have not given much time towards discovering. That is all changing now with the release of This Is Why, the bands first release in five years. Looking through this weeks new releases I thought I would give this a listen and I have not stopped since. On doing so I was reminded of the importance of being open minded at all times when it comes to music and life in general. It does not matter when you discover a band, whether you were there from the early days or came late to the party, if you like a band you like a song, an album, an artist that’s really all that matters. After several listens to This Is Why the thing that really hits home with me is this is a collection of songs that are relatable to every one of us sharing this planet in 2023. The band are clearly angry at the state of the world right now as are so many of us and that comes across throughout the album. This is evidenced perfectly in the title track which opens the album and sums up how so many of us felt coming out of the pandemic “This is why I don’t leave the house / You say the coast is clear / But you won’t catch me out”. The News is another great song that captures how hard it is now to watch and keep on top of the news. How we want to do what we can to help and make the world a better place, but we are so limited in what we can do. “But I worry and I give money / And I feel useless behind this computer / And that’s just barely scratched the surface of my mind”. Those are feelings that so many of us have lived with over the last few years. To hear this captured in this brilliant song full of energy and passion should be enough to unite us all to get out there, challenge the institutions that are meant to protect us and make the world a better place. As the album unfurls it is evident that This Is Why is an album from a band who are on top of their game right now. I have nothing to compare this to as I have not listened to any of their previous albums but listening to This Is Why I am constantly hearing a band who love nothing more than writing and recording songs together. It sounds like a very collective record where each member of the band has an equal part to pay in the brilliance of this album. There is a lot of dry humour in this album which is something that certainly appeals to me C’est Comme Ça deals with the topic of ageing and how our social life changes in a way that will bring a smile to the faces of many “In a single year, I’ve aged one hundred / My social life a chiropractic appointment”. The album has some fantastic pop moments. You First is one of them with melodies, hooks and a chorus that will see this become a firm favourite amongst fans new and old. Liar is also a beautiful heart-warming anthemic pop song that will bring even the loudest of rooms to a quiet standstill. This song deservers nothing but your silence and respect whilst you let the gentle melodies and vocals soothe your soul. Like with many of the songs on this album there is a lot of honesty and pain in the lyrics Big Man, Little Dignity is written with from a very emotional place “I should look away because I know you are never going to change / I keep thinking this time it will be different / But it isn’t". Thick Skull which ends the album is another one of those tender and emotional songs that are clearly so personal to the songwriter whilst at the same time containing lyrics that will be familiar to everyone. We have all had times in life where we reflect on our own personal failings and try to move on from them “Only I know where all the bodies are buried / Thought by now I’d find them less scary / Might get easier, but you don’t get used to it / Keep on autopilot ”. I did not start 2023 thinking I would fall in love with a Paramore album, this has come as a big surprise to me and has without a doubt already made this year a great one for me. Music comes in all shapes and surprises, be prepared to be surprised. If you are like me and up until now have yet to let Paramore into your lives please don’t waste a second longer. Listen to This Is Why it is such an accomplished album from a band who wear their hearts on their sleeves and in so doing have given us an album that can be loved and enjoyed by all.

It's finally February! It might feel like it's taken forever to get here but you're in for a treat with the releases we have coming this month. We've got classic reissues from The Pale Fountains, Brand Nubian and Neural Milk Hotel, new albums from Inhaler, Young Fathers, Sweet Baboo and The Brian Jonestown Massacre as well as the debut album from The Waeve, also known as Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall. It's a veritable smorgasbord of new stuff! The Waeve - The Waeve Due 3rd February 2023 The Waeve - composed of Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall – release their eponymous debut album on Transgressive Records. Produced by The Waeve and James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Florence & The Machine, Foals, Haim) and recorded in London earlier this year, ‘The Waeve’ is a collection of 10 new tracks from songwriters Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall. Joining creative forces in The WAEVE gave the duo the opportunity to push past their instrumental comfort zones. Many tracks feature Graham on saxophone, one of the first instruments he played as a young musician back in the 80s. First single ‘Can I Call You’ starts as a ballad then morphs into a krautrock-style motorik number with a sprawling Coxon guitar solo. ‘All Along’ features Graham on cittern, a medieval folk lute. Rose plays piano and an ARP 2000 modular synth. The heavy weather all over ‘The Waeve’ recalls the blustery folk rock of Sandy Denny or John & Beverly Martyn, while tracks such as ‘Kill Me Again‘ and ‘Over and Over’ recall the 70s rock of Kevin Ayers or Van der Graaf Generator, almost industrial in places. Preorder yours here: The Pale Fountains - From Across The Kitchen Table Due 3rd February 2023 The Pale Fountains were formed in Liverpool in 1980 by Mick (as he was then known) Head with Chris McCaffery on bass, Thomas Whelan on drums, trumpeter Andy Diagram and guitarist Ken Moss. Signing with Virgin in late 1982, this was the first time the music world became aware of the work of singer-songwriter Michael Head. 1985's . . . From Across The Kitchen Table was produced by Ian Broudie, soon to form and redefine sugar-pop with The Lightning Seeds. The album is more unified than its predecessor as it was recorded over a shorter period of time. Lead single Jean's Not Happening is one of the great lost indie gems of the 80s, complete with a powerful string arrangement. The closing song, September Sting, is a joyous slice of scouse-a-billy that points the way clearly to later groups such as The Las. Near four decades later, Michael Head is adored by his hardcore following and the wider world freshly discovers him as each of his new releases achieves widescale acclaim, whether it be his subsequent band, Shack, or his current outfit, the Red Elastic Band. But The Pale Fountains was where it all began. This re-issue faithfully replicates the original 1985 Virgin Records UK release with printed inner and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl. 3rd February also sees the reissue of the band's debut album 'Pacific Street' Preorder yours here: Brand Nubian - In God We Trust Due3rd February 2023 It was released on February 2, 1993 and is celebrating its 30th Anniversary. Lead MC Grand Puba left the group to pursue a solo career in 1991, following the release of their revered debut One for All. DJ Alamo also left to work with Puba, leaving MC's Sadat X and Lord Jamar, who enlisted DJ Sincere to join the group. It was a safe bet that In God We Trust wouldn't have attempted any new jack swing crossovers or tie-dyed imagery. Though the makeover is drastic, it is convincing, with Lord Jamar and Sadat X stepping up with some of the era's fiercest, most intense rhymes and lyrics that were extremely militant reflecting the group's identity adhering to the philosophy of the Nation of Gods and Earths. The album produced two singles, Punks Jump Up to Get Beat Down and Love Me or Leave Me Alone which both charted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Preorder yours here: Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy Due 3rd February 2023 Young Fathers - Alloysious Massaquoi, Kayus Bankole and G. Hastings - announce details of their brand new album Heavy Heavy. Set for release on February 3rd 2023 via Ninja Tune, it’s the group’s fourth album and their first since 2018’s album Cocoa Sugar. The 10-track project signals a renewed back-to-basics approach, just the three of them in their basement studio, some equipment and microphones: everything always plugged in, everything always in reach. Alongside the announcement ‘Heavy Heavy’, Young Fathers will make their much anticipated return to stages across the UK and Europe beginning February 2023 - known for their electrifying performances, their shows are a blur of ritualistic frenzy, marking them as one of the most must-see acts operating today. The tour will include shows at the Roundhouse in London, Elysee Montmartre in Paris, Paradiso in Amsterdam, O2 Academy in Leeds and Glasgow, Olympia in Dublin, Astra in Berlin, Albert Hall in Manchester, Trix in Antwerp, Mojo Club in Hamburg and more (full dates below) To mark news of the album and the tour, Young Fathers today release a brand new single, “I Saw”. It’s the second track to be released from the album (following standalone single “Geronimo” in July) and brims with everything fans have come to love from a group known for their multi-genre versatility - kinetic rhythms, controlled chaos and unbridled soul. Accompanied by a video created by 23 year old Austrian-Nigerian artist and filmmaker David Uzochukwu, the track demonstrates the ambitious ideas that lay at the heart of this highly-anticipated record. Speaking about the title, the band write that Heavy Heavy could be a mood, or it could describe the smoothed granite of bass that supports the sound… or it could be a nod to the natural progression of boys to grown men and the inevitable toll of living, a joyous burden, relationships, family, the natural momentum of a group that has been around long enough to witness massive changes. “You let the demons out and deal with it,” reckons Kayus of the album. “Make sense of it after.” For Young Fathers, there’s no dress code required. Dancing, not moshing. Hips jerking, feet slipping, brain firing in Catherine Wheel sparks of joy and empathy. Underground but never dark. Still young, after some years, even as the heavy, heavy weight of the world seems to grow day by day. Preorder yours here: Sweet Baboo - The Wreckage Due 10th February 2023 The singular voice of sensitive storytelling, occasionally surreal singer-songwriter, Sweet Baboo, also known as multi-instrumentalist musical polymath Stephen Black, returns to the cut, thrust and cacophony of the music world by announcing the release of his seventh studio album, The Wreckage. Cradling an uncomplicated guitar, a man in trousers of artful proportion pours tender tales into your ear. Plucking nylon strings as he sings of waitresses who gaze through checked café windows, weathered fishermen who cast lines under blue-grey skies, and beloved, untameable dogs who stretch their long legs too far from home, is the enigmatic Sweet Baboo: musician as mirage, great beautifier of the mundane; each of his songs an ode to the tragedy and the comedy and the magnificence of life’s minutiae, momentarily appreciated before the world goes spinning on. Despite several years of contributing to the recorded and live pursuits of other musicians (among them Gruff Rhys and Cate Le Bon) — as well as the release of two albums with Paul Jones under the duo’s acid-ambient piano and clarinet project Group Listening —The Wreckage is Stephen Black’s first output as Sweet Baboo since 2017. Determined to reconcentrate his energies on his solo music and beholden only to himself, Black took a sledgehammer to the Sweet Baboo foundations; picked through the bricks; turned them over in his hands and mind, and mortared them back together in an unwieldier, more sculptural shape. Resultantly, The Wreckage is a work of quiet idiosyncrasy; surreal and sidelong observations unassumingly wrapped in the mist of a viscous voice and lush, otherworldly instrumentation. Black took to StudiOwz, Clarbeston, Pembrokeshire, with a band of well-established collaborators (Paul Jones of Group Listening on various keys; Jodie Marie and Georgia Ruth on additional vocals; Davey Newington of Boy Azooga on drums and percussion, Huw Evans, aka H. Hawkline, on bass and electric guitar; Black’s dog Herbie on woofs). Georgia Ruth contributed the lyrics to cinematic ballad ‘The Waitress’, which undulates like waves in a Spring tide, and Evans gifted the album ‘Good Luck’ — bouncy riffs and xylophones bending around the magical potential of if condensed within a lottery ticket. The record was recorded, mixed, and arranged (jointly with the band) by the multiple-Mercury-award-nominated Jimmy Robertson, noted for his work with the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Anna Calvi, and Late of the Pier. Check out Stephen Taylor's review of The Wreckage here Preorder yours here: The Brian Jonestown Massacre - The Future Is Your Past Due 10th February 2023 Recorded in Berlin & remotely between 2020 & 2021, the band returns with their 20th full-length studio album. The album was recorded in Berlin By Anton Newcombe , joining him in the studio for this album were Hakon Adalsteinsson (guitar), & Uri Rennert (drums). The band in 2022 have been touring and completed a 34 date tour in North America with Mercury Rev and the Magic Castles which was very successful , with 3 festival appearances in the summer of 2022 in Angers , France , Graz , Austria & Switzerland which were also successful. With this the band went on tour in Europe which started in September 2022 with many sold out shows. A new tour is coming up in the UK in January 2023 & going into Europe in February. Available on 180g clear Vinyl LP with a pack of 6 colour pencils so you can colour in your own album cover. Preorder yours here: Ron Sexsmith - The Vivian Line Due 17th February 2023 Half man, half melody Ron Sexsmith releases a new album entitled The Vivian Line. The Vivian Line is Ron Sexsmith’s 17th album. It features 12 new songs written and performed by Ron. The who, what, where, why and how of the record are best explained by Ron himself: “The Vivian Line is a rural route right near where we live in Stratford (Ontario). Whenever we have to get out of the city we jump on The Vivian Line and it dumps us out onto the highway. I wondered about the name when we first moved there and thought it was intriguing... it sort of represents escaping from our old life in Toronto to this new phase we're in. And it's also like a portal to my old life when I have to get back there. I recorded it (The Vivian Line) with Brad Jones in Nashville. (Brad played bass on 3 of my earlier records "Other Songs", "Whereabouts" and "Blue Boy") and it's a very lush sounding almost baroque pop record. (a distant cousin of "Whereabouts). The songs were mostly inspired by this stage in life that I find myself in and trying to figure it all out.” "A fine collection from a timelesssong craftsman" ★★★★ - MOJO Magazine Ron will also be playing the Nantwich Roots Festival on 17th May 2023 and you can buy tickets here Preorder yours here: Orbital - Optical Delusion Due 17th February 2023 Legendary electronic music duo Orbital return in Spring 2023 with new album Optical Delusion, the Hartnoll brothers first studio album since 2018’s Monster’s Exist. Recorded in Orbital’s Brighton studio, Optical Delusion includes contributions from Sleaford Mods, Penelope Isles, Anna B Savage, The Little Pest, Dina Ipavic, Coppe, and perhaps most surprisingly, The Medieval Baebes. For the first single Orbital have joined forces with Sleaford Mods on their fabulous, furious new single “Dirty Rat” Featuring a searing vocal from Jason Williamson over kinetic, driving beats, “Dirty Rat” is Orbital at their most vital, still utterly relevant and pushing forward over 30 years since they broke through with their landmark single “Chime”. Think KLF or Underworld 'Born Slippy’ - ‘Dirty Rat’ is a primal scream which crosses genres and generations. Preorder yours here: Inhaler - Cuts & Bruises Due 17th February 2023 Inhaler return with their 2nd album Cuts and Bruises in 2023. Cuts and Bruises is the follow-up to Inhaler’s debut It Won’t Always Be Like This which debuted at no.1 in both the UK & Irish Official Charts. It Won’t Always Be Like This became the fastest-selling debut album on vinyl by any band this century and saw Inhaler become the first Irish group to top the Album Charts with a debut in 13 years. 2022 has seen a relentless touring schedule with a run of festival dates, including their first Glastonbury performance, a homecoming gig in Dublin at the city’s Fairview Park alongside support shows with Arctic Monkeys & Kings of Leon. The band once again support Arctic Monkeys in 2023 alongside stadium shows with Harry Styles and Sam Fender. Preorder yours here: Neutral Milk Hotel - On Avery Island (Deluxe Edition) Due 24th February 2023 Neutral Milk Hotel‘s explosive 1996 debut, On Avery Island, receives the deluxe reissue treatment with a yellow and red vinyl 2xLP press, complete with revised artwork and cut at 45RPM. Jeff Mangum’s songs are cryptic and crazed, his ideas fast and furious, and together they force the home-recording concept out of the basement and into a brave new world, a fuzzy masterpiece of experimental lo-fi recording. Full of rapid-fire wordplay with true and heartfelt experimentation, both ambitious and eclectic, it’s not hard to see why this has been such an influential album. Part of the fabled Elephant 6 collective, Neutral Milk Hotel won over many a music critic with this cult classic. The band are recognized as one of the most influential alternative acts to come out of the mid-90s and sowed the seeds for everything from anti-folk to the likes of Arcade Fire, Caribou and even Franz Ferdinand Preorder yours here: Gruff Rhys - The Almond and The Seahorse (OST) Due 24th February 2023 Following on from his top 10 album ‘Seeking New Gods’ Gruff Rhys is pleased to announce his forthcoming soundtrack to the film The Almond And The Seahorse via Rough Trade Records. The soundtrack will be released as a foil numbered, limited edition double-LP, on yellow vinyl with a fold out film poster. The 22-track album comprises original songs and instrumental score, all composed by Gruff Rhys. Recorded between 2021-2022 with a host of featured musicians including members of the National of Orchestra Wales, the music features throughout the forthcoming film of the same name, starring Charlotte Gainsbourg, Rebel Wilson and Celyn Jones. Set for release in early 2023, the film tells the story of archaeologist (Rebel Wilson) and an architect (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and their fight to re-imagine a future after a traumatic brain injury leaves them adrift from the people they love. The title of the film itself refers to the nicknames given to the parts of our brains that lay down new memories and hold on to the old ones. Tonally, the soundtrack compliments the movie perfectly: the drama of the subject matter and the human relationships is counterbalanced by the film’s wry humour and lightness of touch, and the varied compositions and styles on Gruff Rhys’ score and compositions reflects that. “The soundtrack for The Almond & The Seahorse was recorded largely in pandemic conditions so it was a matter of recording in bursts of possible activity in various friends’ studios, homes and even scout halls as chance permitted. It’s a varied quilt work as a result. “Gruff notes. “As sonic flagpoles I wanted to signify the film’s location in Liverpool and the Wirral by liberally, but hopefully not too obviously, using the Mellotron synthesizer (as famously used in Strawberry Fields by the Beatles & therefore in my mind it represents that great city sonically) and the Cello as a nod to its use by Gwen’s character in the film.” “I was encouraged by Mike Jones the editor to take things to a more acoustic, emotional and ragged place. That, I hope, roughly explains the trajectory of the recording and how the varied music contained in this record came about. I hope you enjoy this colorful scrapbook of a soundtrack and get a chance to watch the film”. Preorder yours here: Gorillaz - Cracker Island Due 24th February 2023 ‘Cracker Island’ is the eighth studio album from Gorillaz, an energetic, upbeat, genre-expansive collection of 10 tracks featuring yet another stellar line-up of artist collaborators: Thundercat, Tame Impala, Bad Bunny, Stevie Nicks, Adeleye Omotayo, Bootie Brown and Beck. Recorded in London and LA earlier this year, it is produced by Gorillaz, Remi Kabaka jr. and eight-time Grammy Award-winning producer / multi-instrumentalist / songwriter extraordinaire Greg Kurstin. Title track ‘Cracker Island’ kickstarted the new campaign this summer hitting the charts across the globe with a top 10 video racking up 10M views in 10 days. The virtual band exploded ontoTikTok gaining over 2.1 m followers in the space of a few months where they continue to innovate, taking virtual characters where no character has been before. Format Details: The Standard vinyl is pressed onto 140 gram black vinyl. RSD Stores Exclusive LP – Exclusive pressing on neon purple vinyl. Both variants come packaged in a mat 3mm spined outer sleeve. Vinyl is housed in a printed inner bag with centre holes and matt dispersion varnish. Includes a double sided 12 panel fold out poster on 150g art paper matt with Jamie Hewlett art. Preorder yours here: The Slow Readers Club - Knowledge Freedom Power Due 24th February 2023 The critically acclaimed The Slow Readers Club will follow their 2020 Top 10 album ‘The Joy of the Return’ with the release of their new record ‘Knowledge Freedom Power’ on February 24th, 2023. The Manchester band launch the album by sharing its lead single and title track. Nothing – not despots, pandemics, self-destruction or the rise of the machines–can keep a good band down. So, When The Slow Readers Club hit the studio in early 2022 with producer Joe Cross (Hurts/Courteeners), they battled dark times with a refreshing optimism. The result is ‘Knowledge Freedom Power’ , a sizzling synth-rock beast of a record akin to White Lies, Muse and modern-day Bloc Party, and a rallying cry of emancipation, both stylistically and socially. It’s a righteous punch of the air, a surge towards the future. Frontman Aaron Starkie says, “The world had got so bleak it felt a little indulgent to paint apocalyptic pictures when they were out in the real world. I thought people would probably want to hear more uplifting things, it was my intention to be a bit more positive. There’s still a lot of melodrama in there and it’s still dystopian in places but there’s more positive shades in this record.” That positivity powers to the fore with the album’s lead single and title track, an instantly addictive hybrid of the band’s new pulsating synth style with their anthemic alt - rock roots. Its streamlined, straight – to – the - point hook highlights the fact that there can be an alternative to a world which is becoming increasingly authoritarian and ignoring the needs of the many in favour of the few. Aaron adds, “Growing up as a council estate kid in Manchester I was very conscious of having a limited horizon and I guess I had a chip on my shoulder and something to prove. It’s that background that inspired both our band name and the album’s title track ‘Knowledge Freedom Power’. It is an exercise in positive slog aneering, a mantra for education as a means of a way out from social and psychological confinement.” As much as the record finds The Slow Readers Club channelling a brighter spirit, there’s no dumbing down of their famously ferocious and insightful lyricism. A beam of hope shines throughout ‘Sacred Song’ : part in the form of a spiritual saviour, but also embracing the power of love as a force for good, something which can also be achieved by the friendship and community spirit infused in ‘Lay Your Troubles On Me’ . Yet a darkness still looms large, whether its within the warmongering satire - and ultimately individual powerlessness – of ‘Seconds Out’ or the steady march of automation over the human workforce on opener ‘Modernise’ ‘Knowledge Freedom Power’ is the band’s sixth album and the latest giant leap in one of the greatest self-made success stories in recent British rock history. Since debuting in 2011 with their eponymous and self - released debut album, they’ve constantly grown in stature leading to sold - out headline gigs including the Manchester Apollo and London’s Scala , shows as guests to Pixies ,Catfish and The Bottlemen and James , as well as festivals stretching from the Neighbourhood Weekender to Mad Cool Madrid. When lockdown kicked in the same week that ‘The Joy Of The Return’ debuted at #9, The Slow Readers Club reacted to the cancellation of their touring plans by creating a darker, more ethereal set of songs, which they recorded via Whats App and Google Drive and by recording one band member at a time in the studio. The result was ‘91 Days in Isolation’ , which they self-released in October 2020 Knowledge Freedom Power’ Preorder yours here: Remember these are just some of what's coming this month, you can check out the rest of February's new releases here .

Sweet Baboo is an artist who I have loved for a very long time. He is one of those artists who quite simply makes this world a better place and given the state of the world right now, I can’t think of any better time for Sweet Baboo to be releasing a new album. If you are feeling lost, feeling frustrated, feeling angered (and rightly so) at political decisions that have destroyed our societies, but need some time to escape from the news, need to feel warm and happy inside go and get yourself a copy of The Wreckage, the fantastic new album from Sweet Baboo and I promise you a smile will appear on your face as soon as you drop the needle on the record, press play on the CD or start streaming. How you consume your music these days really is your choice, as long as you can give your undevoted time and attention to this wonderful album that is all that really matters. The Wreckage is the first album Sweet Baboo has released since 2017, that’s not to say the creative genius that is Stephen Black has been quiet these past six years. Far from it, he has released two albums with Group Listening, performed and recorded with Gruff Rhys , Cate Le Bon , Ynys, Pixy Jones and Euros Childs to name just a few. Yet there is something always magical and special when Stephen records and performs as Sweet Baboo and when you hear the opening track Hopeless with its charming percussion, dreamlike melodies and unmistakable vocals, it is like putting on your favourite pair of slippers, returning to your home after a time away or being reunited with an old friend. The Worry is such a sweet song with a piano and saxophone combination to push those dark clouds away. Reading about this song it was so nice to hear that Sweet Baboo wrote this song for his son and how as a parent you want to take your child’s worries away from them. That subject matter is something that I can certainly relate to “Leave all your worrying down to me, let your mind wander be free to dream”. Good Luck, which you may have heard by now, is a contender for single of the year (is that still a thing?). Well, it should be, we should still care about singles and Good Luck written by Sweet Baboo’s friend and incredibly talented musician H. Hawkline is a perfect cheerful pop music that makes you feel glad to be alive. Left Out The Door with its gentle piano’s and spine tingling vocals acts as portal to a different universe. Listen to this song with your eyes closed, allow your mind to focus on nothing but the gorgeous sounds you are hearing, and you will soon forget about any worries you may be holding onto. Sweet Baboo has been known for giving us great songs to walk to ( Walking in The Rain ) now he has done it again. Goodbye with melodies that will transport you to a different time is such wonderful song to walk to “Head out to the seafront in any weather / When the waves are wild its even better”. I feel that I have been walking in the rain with my dog every day for the last month and this song is the perfect soundtrack to those walks. Sweet Baboo acknowledges the commitment we make to our dogs as he sings “Every morning come rain or shine / I’ll be there”. Horticulture comes at you with some mesmerising sounds that will leave you feeling all relaxed and ready to take on whatever life has in store for you. Not only does The Wreckage see Sweet Baboo having a song written for him by H. Hawkline , we also have a song written by another Welsh royalty Georgia Ruth who has kindly donated The Waitress for Sweet Baboo to sing on this album. Knowing all that you really don’t need me to tell you that a song written by Georgia Ruth and sung by Sweet Baboo is a song for the ages. After featuring in Goodbye, dogs make yet another appearance in Herbie a song about the family dog who contributes to the song with a wonderful bark. I have so much love and respect for artists who write songs about everyday life and those thing that are important to our families. Sweet Baboo has certainly done that with this album. The Wreckage comes to an end with the title track, a song that sounds like it has come from another time to shine a light on the world. To make the world join hands and remember that we have far more in common than what divides us. Sweet Baboo sings “don’t give up on me” during the albums closer. I promise you Sweet Baboo none of us have given up on you, and none of us ever will. The music you have given us and continue to give us is something we will hold onto and cherish for eternity. The Wreckage is released on 27th January 2023 on Amazing Tapes From Canton Records

I always love it when you hear a record that manages to capture the sound of a band enjoying themselves, providing a snapshot of a group of friends having the time of their lives doing what they were put on this earth to do. That is exactly what we have with Get Real, the debut album from CVC. Get Real is a collection of songs that were clearly a lot of fun to write and record, now it is the turn of us lucky listeners to lose ourselves with them, to smile, sing, skip, punch the air with joy, embrace friends, embrace strangers, and feel privileged to be waking up in the mornings. Yes, music can do all of that and more and Get Real is one of those special debut albums that will make the rain clouds part and leave our world full of blue skies and sunshine. The album opens with Hail Mary, a song that is full of cheerful melodies, laidback vocals and a very health nod to Wings. CVC are a band who are not ashamed to wear their influences proudly on their sleeves. What I love on this song and so many others on the album is the creative journey the band take us on, the way Hail Mary gently takes us into the chorus is truly majestic. Talking of those influences Winston has melodies that Gilbert O’Sullivan would be proud of. It would not be an overstatement to call Winston a modern-day Pop classic. This song laments the fact that radio stations do not always play the songs we want to hear. Well, if any radio controllers are reading this you really need to be playing Winston and every song on this album. Knock Knock comes at us with some great bass lines and percussion that holds the song together. Sophie opens with a beautiful, sweet voice recording of a girl who is too embarrassed to sing in front of voice. The song tells the story in such an effortless way of how this girl who does not want to sing is such a great singer whose voice needs to be heard. After some classic guitar solos, the song concludes with a declaration of love from the bands Keyboard player “Nanials in love, Nanials in love”. Anogo is another charming pop song, with melodies and backing vocals to make you sway from side to side and before you know it a big grin will be all over your face. Good Morning Vietnam is a great indie rock song of modern times. It has been a few years since I spent a lot of my time at indie discos but I have no doubt this song would fill the dancefloors of every indie club throughout the country. Woman of Mine is a perfectly crafted song, those soothing vocals and laidback vibes will be sure to capture and hold your attention. In a world where we are losing our attention spans it is so great to have bands like CVC who are giving us songs that allow us to have moments of escapism. Music Stuff is a song that serves as a reminder of the power of music as a collective experience. Let’s not forget what we lost during the pandemic, that experience of being joined together by music. Music Stuff is a song that I can see friends / strangers swaying together side by side, putting arms around each other and singing the chorus as one without a care in the world. Mademoiselle has some swirling, sometimes haunting melodies to open the song. When the lead vocals and backing vocals enter the mix there is further evidence that we really are in the company of greatness. As with Sophie we have those guitar solos that sound like they have come straight from the 70s to cheer us all up. Docking the Pay is an anthemic, passionate song about working for the man and not getting the recognition that is deserved. Get Real is full of stand out moments, this is certainly one of them with a chorus that will be firmly implanted in your minds and one you have no choice but to sing along to “Hey I can’t believe you’re docking my pay”. American Ultra closes the album with some infectious beats, rhythms and melodies combined with a chorus that would be a perfect soundtrack to a late night in your local pub. Those are my views on Get Real, the only thing left for you to do now is to go and listen for yourself and I feel confident in saying you would be hard pushed to disagree with the sentiment of this review. CVC have given us an album to start feeling excited about the year ahead. I am very aware I am writing this review during the first week of new releases for the year and I was a little afraid to use the following statement but sod it when an album is this good it is never to early to say Get Real is a strong contender for debut album of the year. Get Real is available to buy now on indie exclusive yellow vinyl

We hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year, we can't wait to bring you some amazing music in 2023. We have some great new records coming your way this month from the likes of Gaz Coombs, CVC, We Are Scientists, John Cale, Circa Waves and The Reytons as well as classic reissues from Coil, Alabama Shakes and The xx. Coil - Queens of the Circulating Library Due 13th January 2023 Queens Of The Circulating Library stands alongside Time Machines and Nurse With Wound’s Soliloquy For Lilith as a post-industrial pinnacle of sensory-warping long-form drone. Crafted by the distilled duo of Thighpaulsandra and John Balance, the 49-minute piece unfurls in swirling, cyclical waves, tidal as much as textural, channeling the spirit of levitational minimalism pioneered by La Monte Young. Touted as the first part in "a continually mutating series of circulating musickal compositions” upon its initial release in 2000, the album remains a compelling case study in Coil’s exceptional capacity for mutation and extremes. The theatrical introductory monologue delivered by Thighpaulsandra’s mother – a career opera singer, in her 80’s at the time of recording – sets the stage for a grandiose ascension. Written by Balance, the text is declamatory but dreamlike, refracted through megaphone echo: “Return the book of knowledge / Return the marble index / File under "Paradox" / The forest is a college, each tree a university.” As her voice fades, the lulling synthetic infinity deepens, congealing into transient crests of volume and haze, like slow-motion surf misting in moonlight. Thighpaulsandra describes their aesthetic intention as a “bliss out,” static but shape-shifting, an amniotic drift towards an eternal vanishing point. A supreme sonic embodiment of the slogan on the sleeve of Time Machines, two years prior: "Persistence is all." Preorder yours here: CVC - Get Real Due 13th January 2023 CVC (or Church Village Collective in full) hail from this sleepy village 10 miles north of Cardiff, nestling atop a hill in the Welsh valleys. CVC is comprised of singer Francesco Orsi, bassist Ben Thorne, drummer Tom Fry, keyboardist Daniel ‘Nanial’ Jones and singing guitarists David Bassey and Elliott Bradfield. It’s worth noting that the latter two, despite never having met them, are related to Welsh royalty Dame Shirley Bassey and Manic Street Preachers’ James Dean Bradfield. Maybe owing to genetics, Bassey states “I don't think I’d be able to not do this, I don’t actively choose to, I’m just drawn to it”. Their lush three-part harmonies echo the music they grew up on - contemporary pop’s building blocks: the Beatles, Neil Young and the Beach Boys - rich, melodic and pristine music that’s steeped in rock’s history. Get Real, CVC’s 11-track debut album finally appears and bring with it a touch of Laurel Canyon to the valleys. Made over four sun-baked weeks (once their time was up, Ross Orton (Arctic Monkeys) mixed the finished product) they kept it local by recording it in Bradfield’s’ living room! Preorder yours here: The xx - Coexist (10th Anniversary Edition) Due13th January 2023 Ezra Collective’s new era, a venture in discovered maturity and raised stakes, will be defined by the anticipated second album. Where I’m Meant To Be is a thumping celebration of life, an affirming elevation in the Ezra Collective’s winding hybrid sound and refined collective character. The songs marry cool confidence with bright energy. Full of call-and-response conversations between their ensemble parts, a natural product of years improvising together on-stage, the album - which also features Sampa The Great, Kojey Radical, Emile Sandé, Steve McQueen, and Nao - will light up sweaty dance floors and soundtrack dinner parties in equal measure. Preorder yours here: Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls Due 13th January 2023 Rough Trade Records will commemorate the 10th anniversary of Alabama Shakes’ internationally acclaimed debut album, Boys & Girls, with a two-disc deluxe edition. Hailed as one of the best albums of 2012 by Rolling Stone and numerous other publications, Boys & Girls entered Billboard’s Independent Albums chart at No. 1. It went on to attain Platinum certification and earn the band multiple GRAMMY nominations. Lead single “Hold On" was voted the #1 Best Song of 2012 by Rolling Stone.. Repackaged in a foil-board gatefold jacket with new, unreleased photos, Boys & Girls 10 Year Anniversary Deluxe Edition contains the album’s original 11 songs plus an additional 11 tracks from the band’s explosive live performance on KCRW’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic,” which aired in the months leading up to the album’s release. Preorder yours here: The Courteeners - St Jude (2022 Repress) Due 13th January 2023 To celebrate the 15th anniversary of their debut album, ‘St Jude’, Courteeners are releasing the 15th Anniversary Edition of the iconic album on numerous physical formats on 13th January 2023. The new edition includes brand new single ‘It’ll Take More Than A Weekend Away To Fix This Mess’, which is set for release on 7th September at 5pm BST. It was written around the time of ‘St. Jude’ sessions and was unearthed and recorded recently in L.A (Lower Ancoats) and produced by Liam Fray and Joe Cross . The band will perform a 45K hometown show at Heaton Park in Manchester on 9th June 2023 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the gig, which will drive pre-orders via pre-order for pre-sale. Courteeners huge single ‘Not Nineteen Forever’ will hit 1 million UK sales in early September and there will be a nice moment around this with a Dolby Atmos release, 4K video and disc presentation. The album originally peaked in the UK album chart at #4 in April 2008, so the aim is to surpass the previous peak position. F ormat Details 2LP Coloured Vinyl Grey (Indie Exclusive) St Jude was awarded the Guardian First Album Award upon release in April 2008. The album contains three Top 40 singles, Not Nineteen Forever, What Took You So Long? and No You Didn’t, No You Don’t. It was produced by Stephen Street and has been remastered for its 15th anniversary by John Davis at Metropolis Studios, who also mastered the album back in 2008. This limited edition 2LP set will be pressed on 180g grey vinyl and features the original 12 track album remastered, plus original bonus tracks and additional rare acoustic versions. 1LP Black Vinyl (Wide Retail) St Jude was awarded the Guardian First Album Award upon release in April 2008. The album contains three Top 40 singles, Not Nineteen Forever, What Took You So Long? and No You Didn’t, No You Don’t. It was produced by Stephen Street and has been remastered for its 15th anniversary by John Davis at Metropolis Studios, who also mastered the album back in 2008. This format is a 1LP 180g black vinyl reissue of the original 12 track album remastered. Preorder yours here: Billy Nomates - Cacti Due 13th January 2023 Billy Nomates, the project of the Bristol-based songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Tor Maries releases her much anticipated second studio album, Cacti via Invada Records. Recorded at her flat and Invada Studios, Cacti is a huge step up for the artist, who received widespread critical acclaim for her eponymous 2020 debut album, with heavy airplay across BBC Radio 6 Music and support from luminaries such as Iggy Pop, Florence Welsh and Steve Albini. Though every bit as unrepentant as Billy Nomates’ debut, Cacti comes from a much more exposed place and sees Tor further develop her instinctive, inventive songwriting and production. Unafraid to wade into the traumas of the past two years and the eerie sense of apathy that lingers, alongside heartache and more political themes, the 12-track collection openly confronts uncomfortable truths, as Tor puts it, "70-80% of being bold is about being vulnerable as hell." Maries said: “Writing Cacti took just over a year. I wrote very intensely and then none at all. (This seems to be the way I work best). I picked up old drum machines, mapped out things in my kitchen with the same small micro keyboard I always use and then raided the cupboards and rooms at Invada Studios, to play and experiment with old synths, an upright piano, this weird organ thing. I hope everyone finds their own narrative in Cacti. I think it's about surviving it all.” Preorder yours here: Circa Waves - Never Going Under Due 13th January 2023 Never Going Under is the band's highly anticipated fifth record, and the encapsulation of a continued upward trajectory for Circa Waves over the last decade. Becoming one of Britain's most influential and adored guitar bands, the four piece's dedication to constantly developing their sound has seen them secure increasingly high positions in the Official Album Charts, as well as amassing an army of dedicated fans. Speaking about Never Going Under, frontman Kieran Shudall says: "Never Going under speaks to that uniquely modern phenomenon of genuinely not knowing what type of world our kids are going to find themselves in in 30 years. Physically, environmentally, politically we are completely in the unknown. That scares us all but ultimately we know we can never give up on the future because how can you? The songs on the album are written differently from the previous work we've put out. They are written from the perspective of my son and also from my own current experience of the climate today. Never Going Under is a snapshot of the fear we all feel today and the resilience we will need to get through it.” Preorder yours here: Gaz Coombs - Turn The Car Around Due 13th January 2023 ‘Turn The Car Around’ is a record that I’ve been building up to for the last seven years,” says Coombes. It’s a record of feeling, an album that captures the ups and downs of modern life and all the small print in between. Written and recorded by Coombes in his gloriously ramshackle Oxfordshire outhouse Studio, he has emerged with the best work of his illustrious career. It’s an album that both taps into the sonic palettes and lyrical themes of its predecessors and marks the third and final part of a trilogy of records alongside 2015’s Mercury and Ivor Novello nominated sophomore album Matador and 2018’s World’s Strongest Man. At the same time it carves a bold new way forward for one of the UK’s most gifted and cherished singer-songwriters. “There’s a lot of subject matter in there that I’ve played with and maybe not managed to see through in the past. I’ve evolved and I feel like I’ve got better at what I do”. ‘Turn The Car Around’ features additional instrumentation from members of Gaz’s live band, Garo Nahoulakian, Nick Fowler and Piney Gir. The album also sees Coombes reuniting with his live band’s vocal trio ‘The Roxys’ (a nickname given to them by Nile Rodgers when they shared the bill at a Later with Jools show)to create a rich and nuanced sonic tapestry. Cameo performances appear courtesy of Willie J Healey and Ride’s Loz Colbert, and Coombes shares co-production duties with long-term collaborator Ian Davenport. As he celebrates 10 years of his lauded solo career since the release of his debut ‘Here Come the Bombs’, and riding a crest of the Supergrass reunion, the announcement of ‘Turn The Car Around’ solidifies Coombes status as one of the UK’s most interesting, enduring and effortlessly classy artists. Preorder yours here: We Are Scientists - Lobes Due 20th January 2023 Hot on the heels of 2021’s Huffy (which reached #1 on the UK indie chart), New York indie rock legends We Are Scientists return with their 8th studio album, Lobes. Largely written at the same time as Huffy and once again self-produced, Lobes stays glued to the indie dance floor but showcases a darker, more electronic pop sound than its rock indebted predecessor. Always present though are the catchy melodies and soaring choruses which have become the band’s calling card over their near 2-decade career. Preorder yours here: John Cale - MERCY Due 20th January 2023 For nearly 60 years, John Cale has been reimagining how his music is made, sounds, and even works. MERCY, Cale’s first full album in a decade, moves through true dark-night-of-the-soul electronic torment toward vulnerable love songs and hopeful considerations for the future with the help of some of music’s most curious young minds. Cale has always searched for new ways to explore old ideas of alienation, hurt, and joy; MERCY is the latest transfixing find of this unsatisfied mind. Preorder yours here: Ghost Woman - Anne, If Due 20th January 2023 One could be forgiven for getting that familiar feeling when listening to the music of Ghost Woman. And that's not just because songwriter & multi-instrumentalist Evan Uschenko is deeply steeped in classic guitar-led rock & pop songwriting (more on that later), it's that the music was, by design, intended to be evocative. But not evocative, however, of any one thing; what separates the music of Ghost Woman from a great many other bands working today is his openness to non-specificity. He's not trying to impart any sort of message to the listener; instead, the hope is that one will find themselves luxuriating in nuances of how the music is delivered, and the feelings it stirs up for each individual. For the past couple of years Ghost Woman has been Evan Uschenko's outlet for his interest in songwriting and recording, which began after a number of years spent playing as a sideman in various Canadian indie ensembles, most notably in the Michael Rault band, a group that displays a similar affinity for perfectly dialed, partially yesteryear-looking guitar pop. Following 2022's self-titled debut, issued by UK-based Full Time Hobby to great critical acclaim, Anne, If presents a slightly more expansive vision of what Ghost Woman can offer. The sound of Anne, If is certainly in keeping with past output: the music was performed and recorded (almost) entirely by Uschenko himself on his trusty Tascam 388 tape recorder, during what he describes as a “strange new chapter” in his life, living in a large, expansive house with nothing to do except record music, watch old VHS movies, and cook meals over an open fire in the backyard. “The ability to be making sounds and recording at any time of the day had a big influence on the way I worked and what was produced,” he says. Preorder yours here: The Murder Capital - Gigi's Recovery Due 20th January 2023 The Murder Capital’s second studio album Gigi’s Recovery, produced by John Congleton, will be released on January 20, 2023 via Human Season Records. The Murder Capital’s first album ‘When I Have Fears’ had all its songs written and recorded within the first 9 months of the band knowing each other. Now, with ‘Gigi’s Recovery’, the band had to learn to navigate their personal relationships through the relationships they harnessed with these new songs. Without knowing what these songs would sound like, the band knew what they wanted them to feel like- and worked backwards from there - “We had this slightly tongue-in-cheek mantra at the near-beginning of writing this record, it was - The evolution will not be compromised. This kept us on a course, even when we didn’t know where we were going”. And that’s exactly how The Murder Capital ended up with an album that is both totally pure and yet completely confident in its direction. Preorder yours here: The Reytons - What's Rock And Roll Due 27th January 2023 The Reytons have announced their second album is set for release following their debut album that rocketed to Number 11 in the Official UK Charts, with over 20,000 sales to date Setting The Reytons apart from the competition is their fiercely independent approach to the way they work. Not exactly welcomed with open arms by the industry from the very start, the band channel their working class grit and determination to overcome every obstacle thrown at them. Aided by the masses of loyal fans, no achievement is out of reach. Preorder yours here: Remember these are just some of what's coming this month, you can check out the rest of November's new releases here .

Time, it is without a doubt one of the most precious gifts we have. As each year passes, I often find myself asking where does time go? I hear a song, listen to an album, remember being at a gig and make comments along the lines of “I can’t believe that was ten years ago, twenty years ago?” Time just seems to go by at a faster pace with each passing year. What has provoked these thoughts as I write this article is the fact that Rough Trade are re-issuing Faded Seaside Glamour, the debut album by Delays, nineteen years after it was first released in 2004. This is an album that would certainly lead me to comment “no way has it been nineteen years since this album came out, twenty years since I first saw Delays live”. The early 2000’s was such a vibrant time for the music industry, there were amazing new albums released every week to fall in love with. There were singles released that you wanted to rush to buy to help propel your favourite new band up the charts. Just stop and think about that for a moment, this was still a time when singles mattered. I loved going to Woolworths during my lunch break on a Monday to buy singles that mattered to me. There were gigs on every night of the week where you would be guaranteed to be blown away by some new indie band in a small dark indie club in any part of the country. Living in South Wales I was spoilt for choice at the time, Cardiff, Bristol, Newport, there was always a gig to go to. The NME was still a huge part of our culture, every Wednesday morning I would pick up a copy of NME and would love to read about the new bands taking over our lives. Delays certainly ticked all of those boxes and more. Delays were such an uplifting and positive force that made us all happy and incredibly grateful to be sharing these times together. They were more than able to hold their own against many of the big hitters of the time, Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys, Kings Of Leon, The Killers, The Strokes just to name a few. What made this four piece from Southampton special was their uniqueness, there was no one else who really sounded like them at the time. The guitars, synths, percussion, and Greg Gilbert’s falsetto vocals made us all stop dead in our tracks and give the band the time, love and attention they deserved. The debut album Faded Seaside Glamour is full of sunshine, hope and quite simply pop music that will make you feel glad to be alive. Thinking about these albums that I loved (and still do) from that period some of which have sat in the CD racks for a number of years and have not been played due to other things fighting for my attention. Faded Seaside Glamour, although not one that I have played weekly or even monthly over the years, is one that has certainly not been left sat there gathering dust. What this album and many of them from that period in my life do is have the power to instantly transport me back in time. As I sit here listening to Faded Seaside Glamour on a rainy day in my conservatory (I know, 24 year old me would not have imagined I would have a conservatory either) on one of those days between Christmas and New Year when no one really knows what day of the week it is or what to do with their time I am instantly transported back twenty years. I am sat round a friend’s house putting on CDs and talking about the new bands we love; Delays were certainly one of them. Driving my car at night to get to as many gigs as we can, Delays certainly featured heavily on the car stereo. I am standing in the Fleece in Bristol watching Delays live being blown away by the inspiring pop music that is filling the venue. I am in a festival field on an endless summers’ day without a care in the world with the days being soundtracked by this wonderful summery music. If you love music and have a relationship with an album you honestly don’t need a time machine. These were the days before smart phones and social media, there is not a huge amount of documentary evidence from those times, but the memories are so vivid and real they come alive when albums like Faded Seaside Glamour are played. Some of the memories blur into one and the timeline might not be accurate but what is accurate is the feelings and the experiences that were shared at the time, and I only hope that Delays and other bands / artists from the time understand how important they were to us. The other great thing about albums is it is not just about the past. This re-issue of Faded Seaside Glamour will no doubt see others falling in love with the album, perhaps discovering it for the first time, if that is you then you really are in for a treat. For those of us who were there at the time we will always have our memories but we will also have new memories to create. I have loved seeing my daughter enjoy this album as we build Lego together over Christmas. Listening to the album as I write this article with the rain pouring down on the conservatory roof and my dog curled up sleeping at my feet is a new memory that will nestle in amongst the old ones. Despite all this positivity that Faded Seaside Glamour brings us the story of Delays is one that will always be tinged with sadness due to the untimely death of frontman Greg Gilbert who passed away at the age of 44 in 2021 of bowel cancer. Greg was always such a positive force, full of inspiration and creativity who not only wrote music, but also created some beautiful art and poetry. This all serves as another reminder of how precious time is, how for some their time on this earth is cut short. We all have to make the most of every day we have, be kind to each other and be grateful to have this opportunity to live on this beautiful planet of ours. The re-issue of Faded Seaside Glamour on vinyl for the first time is a beautiful release with the deluxe edition on orange vinyl. If you are able to get yourself a copy, fall in love with this album whether it is for the first time or time to fall in love all over again. Enjoy the optimism and wonder that will live on in this fine collection of twelve songs that make up Faded Seaside Glamour. I will leave you with the words of Greg who wrote on Twitter words that we all need to live by: “I still believe in magic, the power of a good gesture and laughter. I want to fill the days ahead with all of these and so much more.” Faded Seaside Glamour is reissued on 27th January 2023

And so this is Christmas / And what have you done / Another year over / And a new one just begun” sang a hero of mine, John Lennon. Every year I love listening to those lyrics and reflecting upon the year and what we have done as individuals, and what we have done collectively as a society. As a music fan it's always exciting to go back through the albums of the year and make our lists. I have recently compiled my top 10 for Applestump Records yearbook which was an honour to do. As much as I enjoyed putting together my list, I did struggle as I always do when it comes to putting together a top 10 as there are always so many great releases that move and inspire me and I always feel guilty about leaving albums off the list. 2022 really was a year that saw us spoilt for choose, there have been so many incredible albums released this year. You only have to look through the yearbook that Applestump has put together to see the variety in the lists from those that contributed. Why this abundance of choice when it comes to albums needs to be celebrated this year more than ever is the fact that it is getting harder and harder for creative people in our society to survive let alone thrive. Streaming has resulted in less physical copies of albums being sold which has inevitably led to a loss of income for so many people involved in writing and recording music. On the one hand it could be argued that streaming has made it easier for artists to get their music heard but the fact this does not translate to physical sales has been to the detriment of so many. Touring has been made so much harder by the cost-of-living crisis that is having an impact on all of us. Bands/artists are finding it so much harder to break even let alone make a profit from touring so yet another income stream lost. It doesn’t seem that long ago that it was being said that bands' main source of income was through touring due to the reduction in physical sales but now with touring getting harder, and many artists saying they can no longer afford to tour, this is such a devastating loss to the world. Yet despite all this we find ourselves at the end of the year with so much incredible music to enjoy and celebrate what has without a doubt been a great year for new music. Every album in my top 10 has meant so much to me and has been there for me at certain stages of the year when I have needed them the most. The point I want to make is that there are so much more than my top 10 choices that have also made a difference to my life. 2022 finally saw the debut album released from Peaness who with World of Worry gave us an album full of beautiful, melodic pop music played with so much energy and belief that has lit the world up with so much love and joy. Greta Isaac released an EP PAYRI$E which arguable contains some of the greatest pop music you have ever heard. Georgia Ruth returned with her EP Kingfisher, which consisted of five songs which transported me to an alternative world on more than one occasion this year. Georgia Ruth is in my mind one of the world's greatest musicians. I don’t think I would have got through the first stage of COVID lockdowns without her last album Mai. Talking of the worlds greatest musicians, 2022 also saw the release of a new album from Cate Le Bon who with Pompeii gave us yet another album full of inspiration and hypnotic sounds that held my attention since its release in February. Broken Fires returned in 2022 with their second album Hymns, we waited seven years for this album, and it certainly was well worth the wait. Hymns is an album full of uplifting, anthemic pop songs that just make you feel glad to be alive. Pixy Jones from sadly departed El Goodo gave us a solo album in Bits N Bobs an album that can be enjoyed by everyone, get yourself a copy, get one for your parents, grandparents, great grandparents. Bits N Bobs is an album that unites generations. The Bug Club released their debut album Dream in F# and in so doing gave the world a debut album to love to cherish and enjoy for all eternity. SZWE released a new album Holy Glory, an album that is full of so many moments that will make you stop dead in your tracks. Songs that will move and inspire you to do something with your life and make you believe that you can achieve whatever you set your mind to even when the odds may be stacked against you. The track Home on this album is without a doubt one of the most emotional tracks of the year, it features the last voice recording that SZWE’s Grandmother left him and through the inclusion of this on the track has ensured that her voice and inspiration will be there for eternity. This feels like one of those articles that could continue forever, as there really has been so much to enjoy these last twelve months, please stay with me for a little longer whilst I give a nod towards Sea Power, The Lightning Seeds, Wet Leg, Dry Cleaning, Spiritualized, Dry Cleaning, Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard, Taylor Swift, Stella Donnelly, Paul Heaten and Jacqui Abbott, Sofie Royer, Loyle Carner, and Tim Burgess you have all made such a big difference to the world. Taking the time to write this article has left me feeling inspired. The fact that the world and the music industry has changed so much yet, despite the difficulties creative people are faced with, there are still so many out there managing to get their albums out and I know I am not the only one whose life has been improved by them doing just that. There are independent record shops making a difference to communities. Radio shows that every week introduce me to something new, blogs and podcasts put together by people in their own time to share their love of new music and to do what they can to support those artists we love and respect. The final reflective thought from me is what can we do to help. We don’t buy as much music as we used to, this may be down to being lazy and relying on streaming, it may be down to not having as much disposable income as we once had, not having enough storage space. We don’t go to as many gigs, again this could be down to the increased cost of gigs and different priorities in life and not having the time we once had. Taking all that on board we can still support our creative industries, we might not be able to buy as much as we used to but just buying something from independent record shops like Applestump, Spillers, Diverse will help. If we can’t afford to go to the big gigs, go to our beloved independent venues where you can find a gig most nights for less than £10. I have had some of the best nights out of my life in these venues and we need to ensure they can keep going. If you can’t afford to buy physical copies, get the digital copy from Bandcamp where the money goes directly to the artist. If you can buy some merch, please do so, again from bandcamp to ensure the artists gets as much as they can from each sale. Use this end of year time to reflect back on the year, remember those albums you have loved, albums that have helped you get through each day. Remember the gigs you have been to, that collective experience that was taken away from us during the COVID lockdowns. Show your appreciation to those independent venues, independent shops and look forward to 2023 where no doubt we will be spoilt with yet more music to enjoy and have our lives improved by those creative geniuses who refuse to give up even when times are getting harder. Download your free copy of the Applestump Records Review of 2022:

25th November 2022 - Albert Hall, Manchester From their ‘My Mind Makes Noises’ album to their recent album release of ‘Unwanted’, Pale Waves electrified the crowd with a defiant expression of raw and dark emotion, unapologetic symphonies and bold inspiring tracks full of power and attitude at their homecoming gig in Manchester on Friday night. The four-piece band including lead singer Heather Baron-Gracie, Drummer Ciara Doran, Guitarist Hugo Silvan and bassist Charlie Wood, took to the sloping floors of the Albert Hall. Through the coloured glass roof lights, gothic features and an organ as the staging backdrop, it was pretty clear that the Albert Hall was in fact the perfect venue for Pales Waves to be performing in. The final song on the setlist before hitting the encore, ‘She’s My Religion’, was the ultimate accolade, as Heather voiced ‘now this needs to be perfect considering we’re in a church’ and then laughed. The opening song was the edgy, emo, rock-pop track from their recent album ‘Unwanted’; titled ‘Lies’ - the first track on the album. A song that expresses a tough time frame yet somehow is turned in to an empowering, euphoric feeling, especially during the live performance. Hugo and Charlie thrived on guitar riffs before Ciara kicked up a beat on the drums, to which then Heather made her first appearance on stage, wearing her black pleated skater skirt, shiny black PVC boots and cross choker, ready to kick ass on the Albert Hall stage. Bringing a different kind of religion to the stage…one of a Pale Waves variety. Myself and my friend were situated on the seated balcony section. It was my first time attending the venue, and what an impressive venue it is. We had enough space to stand too. We had the perfect view of the stage and it’s surroundings and I was highly impressed to say the least, I didn’t even pay any extra for the balcony section. You’d assume that there’s always one concert goer who ruins the whole experience, but not on that night. Well…certainly not where we were. Everyone was enjoying the diversity, sharing the love and engaging with other people, including Pale Waves. While queuing for the concert, fans were passing coloured paper hearts down the line with the words of, ‘hold up during the second chorus of She’s My Religion’ on, even this had a wonderful impact during the performance of this track. Heather and her band members were somewhat surprised and shocked that somebody had gone to all the effect of cutting out paper hearts, writing on the hearts and then handing them out. As they say, it’s the simple things that make all the difference. From breakups to make ups, from beauty to attitude, Pale Waves fetched all that from three of their albums to the main stage. 'Television Romance', the fifth track on the setlist, encapsulated Pale Waves from their very first debut album giving us an all an understanding on why Pale Waves are in fact one of the most adored and fast improving bands in the country. During ‘Television Romance’ Heather called out ‘I love you Manchester’ to which the crowd responded with nothing but content calling out the words of ‘We love you Heather’ from that moment I was adamant that I was going to attend another Pale Waves concert in the future. Their acoustic set of ‘The Hard Way’ had Heather going off stage to put a change of clothes on. As she re-appeared back on stage wearing her long black faux PVC coat the performance began with Heather down on her knees, her face filled with pure emotion while singing the heartfelt track. It was clear that Heather was musically passing on an important message to her fans as she called out how we should all reach out to each other during times of need. The emotion filled the gothic walls of the Albert Hall as vivid blue lights beamed down on stage and flew over the heads of many fans. Pale Waves were definitely finishing the concert off with a meaningful message before Heather rocked her bleached blonde hair to ‘Jealousy’, a track that got everyone singing and jumping. Heather then came down from the stage to engage with the fans who were at the front of the barriers. Pale Waves are a sparkling black guitar driven pop band with the best heavy applied black make up out there, who bring dark emotion, colourful pathways and guidance throughout their music to their fans, old and new. They write and perform with personal depth, covering subjects of new beginnings, self reflection, love and romance, break ups, sexuality and mental health. It’s no doubt that in the future Pale Waves will make it successfully to the bigger stages. They’re more confident in themselves and their music than they’ve ever been and their fast improvement is really starting to show. I would most certainly recommend attending a Pale Waves concert…before ticket prices eventually become extortionate anyway. If queuing till 11pm for a concert tee before being escorted out the premises by security staff doesn’t prove that it was a good night, then I don’t know what will.

Ignore the algorithms! Ignore the algorithms! Ignore the algorithms! That is a mantra I have lived my life by since the advent of streaming music. I hate an anonymised source trying to predict what I would like to listen to next. I have and always will take recommendations from friends, trusted radio DJ’s, trusted journalists, record store staff and sometimes just because I like the artwork or name of the band. That is exactly what happened recently when a recommendation arrived from a friend, from someone who knows what I like to listen to and suggested that I listen to the debut album That Was Then from Manchester band Friends of our Youth. I always love receiving recommendations like this and from the moment I started to listen to the album I fell head over heels in love. You all know that feeling, when you get butterflies in your stomach, can’t stop thinking about your new love and want to spend as much time as possible with them. That is exactly how I have been spending this past week, listening to That Was Then at every opportunity and hope after reading this you will all do the same and share these feelings with me. Before I started to listen to the incredible sounds that emerge from this album, I knew that I was going to love the album by the name of the band. Friends of our Youth, what an amazing name for a band. It immediately provokes a warm nostalgic feeling within. Sitting here now in my mid 40’s hearing the words Friends of our Youth takes me back to those people who have been there at different times in my life, sharing different moments and experiences, and people who we don’t see as much as we would like to but when we do it feels like no time has passed. Also being on Mai 68 Records is another reason to not hesitate and let this band into your life. Over the last few years I can’t think of any release from Mai 68 that I have not enjoyed. Onto the music next for further reasons why you are going to love That Was Then and why it must feature in your end of year charts. The music is full of charm, intelligence, thought provoking moments, warmth, melody, togetherness, love, hope and nostalgia that will brighten up the day of anyone within earshot. Trust me, if you have friends / family round over the Christmas period put this album on and I guarantee you people will ask 'what you are playing?' and will be sure to want to find out more. There really is nothing not to like amongst the eight songs that make up this debut album. I adore the mysterious sounds, melodies and vulnerability in the vocals that opens the album with the title song That Was Then. This song takes us on a very enjoyable journey with some twists and turns that ensures your attention is held throughout. Taxi opens in such a charming, peaceful, and dreamlike manner which in a world that often moves to fast, is a very welcome reminder to us all to slow down, put on an album and just allow yourself to disappear within your own thoughts. The Search is a fine example of a band making a statement against many of the injustices in this world and fighting back against the establishments “Don’t push us around / Then say sorry / Don’t feed us lies / Then starve us of choices”. Whatever Makes It Easy is the perfect song to give us hope during these long dark winter days, the gentle melodies allow the vocals to take centre stage, the harmonies will melt your heart and the way the song builds remind us that we are all individuals and we all need to do whatever it takes to get through the days. Dim Light is a great little pop song that should find itself onto radio playlists across the country, the melodies are infectious and full of charm, the lyrics are full of reflection “Said things that I probably shouldn’t have / but I don’t think twice in the middle of the night”. There is no escaping the fact that the music industry has changed so much over the years, however, one thing that remains is there are always bands out there doing what they believe in. Bands / artists who are not trying to write songs to appease CEOs of streaming services. There are individuals who continue to stand by their own values and believe in the creativity and power of music. Friends of our Youth in my mind are certainly one of those bands and That Was Then is a shining light in these challenging times. That Was Then is available now on Mai 68 Records