ALBUMS
APPARAT *
LP5 (Mute)
“Oh no, someone is playing the saw,” was my wife’s reaction. Apparat, one third of the excellent Moderat with Modeselektor, abandons the pure pop of that band for something entirely portentous and pretentious on his fifth solo album. Sounding like a soundtrack for some little watched Scandi Noir deep down in the Walter Presents archive, it’s an utter dirge of an album. But hey, you might like it – give lead single Dawan a go. Mute is a quality label after all. words Sam Easterbrook
BENJAMIN FRANCIS LEFTWICH ***
Gratitude (Dirty Hit)
This York musician’s latest release is more of a personal journey than previous efforts, dealing with the loss of his father and a drugs’n’booze-prompted stint in rehab. Albums made on the back of such personal struggles can often feel self indulgent and preachy but while The Mess We Make, I Got You and the title track are ones for the skip button, as a whole the album feels honest, inviting and a well-rounded journey for Leftwich. words Deniece Cusack
CHILDREN OF BODOM ***
Hexed (Nuclear Blast)
One part a melodically inspired prog act, another part crushing metal titans, Children Of Bodom continue to prove their unique qualities. Hexed is absolutely overflowing with hooks and melody. From This Road to Soon Departed, the liveliness persists. Admittedly, it is somewhat clichéd and slightly ridiculous to see incredibly aggressive vocals screamed over bright and glimmering keyboards; however, there is enough crunch in the guitars, and stomp in the rhythm, to maintain a ferocious presence throughout. words Alex Swift
DAVID GRAY ***
Gold In A Brass Age (IHT)
More than 20 years after his breakout album White Ladder, Gray is back with his 11th, Gold In A Brass Age. A master of lyrics, Gray himself states he wanted “the rhythm to begin with the words” instead of looking for hooks in melodies. Poetic, masterful lead single – and album opener – The Sapling is hypnotic, with its layered vocals and brass section, while Gray’s distinguished vocals have only got finer with age. words Deniece Cusack
DEAFKIDS *****
Metaprogramação (Neurot)
Hailing from the Brazilian underground, Deafkids release their third record on Neurot. Starting off with a DIY attitude, they embrace noise, percussion and sonic manipulation into a mesmerising journey. Originally conceived as a one-member d-beat project, Deafkids quickly mutated into something much more with a three-piece line up. Instruments and vocals are heavily synthesised and mangled beyond comprehension from their origins. Metaprogramação takes you on a mind cleansing experience throughout the course of its 13 tracks. words Gareth Moule
EX HEX ****
It’s Real (Merge)
Raised on the Washington DC punk scene and a college rock/riot grrrl icon in the 90s, Mary Timony might have been expected to keep her love of Cheap Trick and 70s FM radio rock quiet. But the glorious pedal-to-the-metal power pop of Ex Hex’s 2014 debut Rips shouted it from the rooftops. Follow-up It’s Real has a more expansive feel and some added production trickery, but the insanely catchy hooks and bubblegum melodies are still present and correct. No guilty pleasure here – just pleasure, pure and simple. words Ben Woolhead
FOALS ****
Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1 (Warner Bros)
Foals return with this self-produced album, their first since 2015’s What Went Down. Over the course of the last decade their sound has steadily evolved, and this album represents another step forward. Guitars float in and out of the mix, but the dominant sound here is sequenced synths and samples layered over programmed beats. In places Yannis Philippakis sounds like he’s channelling Thom Yorke, and Robert Smith’s presence hovers in the background of the album, but most of the album is distinctively theirs. words David Griffiths
HOLDING ABSENCE ****
Holding Absence (SharpTone)
Holding Absence’s debut full-length is long overdue. The Cardiff-based outfit underwent a drastic lineup change during writing when their lead guitarist and songwriter jumped ship, but a stronger band emerged from the uncertainty, armed with a polished blend of atmospheric softness, experimentation and melancholic melodic hardcore. Vocalist Lucas Woodland shows off his impressive range and lyrical capabilities on Perish and emotional bruiser You Are Everything, while recent single Like A Shadow is proof that Holding Absence have hit their stride. words Betti Hunter
HOUSEWIVES ***
Twilight Splendour (Blank Editions)
“Rip it up and start again” being the post-punk mantra, Housewives have done just that, ditching their guitars for electronic gizmos. Their second LP is as disorienting and challenging as it is colourful and creative, but the deep bass hum and whipcrack drums of Beneath The Glass and Speak To Me soon insinuate themselves into the memory. Dormi, meanwhile, is a latter-day Radiohead track gatecrashed by an ominous synthesised choir, and SmttnKttns refracts James Blake through a hall of mirrors. words Ben Woolhead
JAMES YORKSTON ****
The Route To The Harmonium (Domino)
This extremely personal, touchingly lovely work by the singer-songwriter is shaped by the ghosts of friends and lovers. In tones that bring to mind Cohen, Al Stewart and Ray Davies, Yorkston reflects and regrets, noting the passage of time. Not entirely sad, he cherishes the here and now. Using instruments including the titular one, concertina, dulcimer, mandolin and nyckelharpa, the Scot does some spoken word on poetic yarns – atypical folk with jazz touches. Special note: the Nick Drake-like Oh Me, Oh My. words Rhonda Lee Reali
THE JAPANESE HOUSE ****
Good At Falling (Dirty Hit)
This poppy, 80s-infused debut follows a string of sadgirl EPs from multi-skilled songwriter Amber Bain, aka The Japanese House. At first listen, Good At Falling is all synths, summer and good times galore, but don’t assume this is just another alt-pop confection. Digging past Bain’s carefully created façade reveals a mind struggling with indecision, a slowly crumbling relationship and a fear of death. You Seemed So Happy, a danceable ode to a friend who passed away, is one of many bittersweet highlights. words Betti Hunter
MAMMOTH WEED WIZARD BASTARD ****
Yn Ol I Annwn (New Heavy Sounds)
This ribaldly-named Wrexham band have turned heads in the past half-decade with a reading of doom metal that’s often epic (debuting with a half-hour song called Nachthexen), ethereal (thanks to Jessica Ball’s 90s shoegaze vocals) and stoner-adjacent. So the addition of ascendant synths and spacerock bloops on Yn Ol I Annwn, their hour-plus third album, is a fairly logical step. Gratifyingly, MWWB haven’t sacrificed their commitment to riffs, proved by the likes of Yob-resembling 13-minute Katushya. words Noel Gardner
ORVILLE PECK *****
Pony (Sub Pop)
With a vocal range reminiscent of Chris Isaak and early Roy Orbison, the leather-masked outlaw cowboy lends sensual mystique to a series of whipcrack-punctuated tales of queer love on the American frontier. Ballads rooted in nomadic Nevadan wanderings yearn with Peck’s sonorous baritone drawl, adding opulent lustre to standouts such as Big Sky and Queen Of The Rodeo. Fraught with emotional ennui, this is a debut that ricochets with brooding charisma, straddling liminal terrain; immersive and addictive in scope. words Chis Hamilton- Peach
SELF ESTEEM ****
Compliments Please (Fiction)
Following recent collaborative projects with Django Django under the Self Esteem moniker, erstwhile Slow Club member Rebecca Taylor continues to jettison her former band’s twee charm in favour of a more polished pop-inclined sensibility. Confessional lyrics are underscored with subterranean bass and glossy gospel choirs, while dialled-down fare such as Steady I Stand and I’m Shy compensates for bombastic moments with a degree of simmering tension. A confident solo release that finds Taylor flitting between breeziness and gravitas with fidelity. words Chis Hamilton- Peach
SLEEPER ***
The Modern Age (Gorsky)
With their first album in over 20 years, Sleeper (now joined by former Prodigy bassist Kieron Pepper) won‘t lose fans as singer Louise Wener still does her best Debbie Harry impression amid the guitar-powered tunes. Choice songs are the single Look At You Now, the motherhood-themed title track, More Than I Do – which references divorce – and The Sun Also Rises. Others, though, should have stayed in hibernation longer. They’re inoffensive and pickled in Britpop aspic that the group sleepwalk through. words Rhonda Lee Reali
STEPHEN MALKMUS **
Groove Denied (Domino)
Is it techno? EDM? Hiptronica? Could be all or none of these. Malkmus’s first solo album is 10 tracks of computer-induced weirdness, but it’s bitty and flits about as if it’s not sure where it should be heading. There are some catchy snippets in here and ‘interesting’ lyrics on tracks such as Ocean Of Revenge – but the album lacks oomph. Call me old-school, but I prefer drums played with sticks and keyboards to have actual keys. words Lynda Nash
SUNWATCHERS *****
Illegal Moves (Trouble In Mind)
Barely a year since their blistering second album, Brooklyn psych crusaders/jazz odysseyers/filthy commies Sunwatchers are back and still killing. Seriously, if you fancy yourself a fan of (primarily) guitar-based psychedelia but aren’t attuned to this saz’n’sax-abetted meandering fierceness, you’ve a canyon-sized hole in yer canon. Illegal Moves includes six sick originals, a spirit-honouring Alice Coltrane cover and sleeve art featuring the Kool-Aid Man beating Uncle Sam to death while Thatcher recoils aghast. words Noel Gardner
TEETH OF THE SEA ****
Wraith (Rocket)
Imagine if, rather than handing over composing responsibilities to Ennio Morricone for The Thing, John Carpenter had actually collaborated with the spaghetti western soundtracker. The resulting score would be something like Wraith, the fifth record from shapeshifting ensemble Teeth Of The Sea, on which portentous dystopian electronica and mournful trumpet meet. VISITOR, the album’s centre point in every sense, combines swirling retrofuturist synths and shredding guitar solos, while closer Gladiators Ready finds Trent Reznor joining Fuck Buttons. A thrilling headfuck. words Ben Woolhead
THESE NEW PURITANS ****
Inside The Rose (BMG)
Look at them on the high-wire. First album for six years from Southend’s art rockers-turned-cinematic minimalists, and, as the band have compacted to purely the founding two Barnett brothers, so Inside The Rose squeezes delirious life from its own reduced palette. Mostly drums, vocals, string sweeps and piano stabs, plus electronic interference, ITR locates dark and fractured torch songs somewhere between Scott Walker and Talk Talk, between Berlin and England. It’s modernist, gleaming, slightly alien; a treat and a reward. words Will Steen
THREATMANTICS *****
Shadow On Your Heart (Ffatbyrg)
Threatmantics remain unique and essential on their third album Shadow On Your Heart, hitting the floor running and never letting up. The haunting viola on Who Is Afraid Of Patrick W is the perfect example of their sound, likewise Cold Warts’ lyric “running through the snow with your scissors open”. The style this Cardiff band exude, should you not be aware, is aggressive, whimsical, punky, unexplainable and, on Mother Folker From Hell whiskey bar wild frontier genius. words Justin Evans
TIM BOWNESS ****
Flowers At The Scene (InsideOutMusic)
Tim Bowness wonderfully brings together serene synth textures with emotive guitar touches to create an experience which is equally melancholic and uplifting. Perhaps appropriately described as art-pop, I Go Deeper and It’s The World experiment with new wave and psychedelia, while Rainmark and Killing To Survive are brought to life with subtlety. Always distinctly dark, lyrics discuss death and tragedy – difficult themes addressed with maturity by virtue of the careful approach to songwriting. words Alex Swift
SINGLES
THE BLOOD CHOIR ***
Dartmoor (Village)
The opening title track may be a cure for insomnia but this EP does begin to liven up after that. A cover of Nick Drake’s Black Eyed Dog adds some punch and Lay With Me A While brings a touch of romance. This might just be the thing for late nights in a dark room. words Lynda Nash
DANIEL MAUNICK ***
A Vicious Circle (Far Out)
You may know him as Dokta Venom, Difusion and Viper Squad, to name a few; however, Daniel Maunick is out on a limb under his own name this time around. A real old school, mysterious funk sound to this one, which will no doubt be spun across umpteen underground house clubs. words Owen Scourfield
EMILY BREEZE ****
Ego Death (self-released)
Emily Breeze’s song about travelling to a mundane job is something like an amalgamation of Patti Smith’s Piss Factory and Lou Reed’s How Do You Think It Feels, set on a soulless Bristol industrial estate. With a Barry Adamson remix to boot, Ego Death is dark, catchy and pure genius. words David Nobakht
HOT 8 BRASS BAND *****
Take Cover EP (Tru Thoughts)
The New Orleans hip-hop brass band bring their blistering horns to the party on an EP of cover versions. Some you might expect: George Benson, The Jacksons, two from Michael in solo mode. Yet, it’s the complete reworking of Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart that steals the show. It’s big, it’s clever, and it’s damn funky. words Sam Easterbrook
MADISON WASHINGTON FEAT THE ABOLITIONISTS ***
Plantation Earth (Def Pressé )
I’m nowhere near a rap expert, but I can only compare this to the proper 90s back-in-the-day stuff. If that’s your thing, then I’m sure this will be. Pretty traditional on the whole, if you compare to a lot of releases within the genre these days. words Owen Scourfield