MWWB firing on all cylinders with The Harvest
Having scheduled The Harvest for release in March 2021, Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard (MMWB) instead went on hiatus
Albums
Shoegaze pioneers LOOP underwhelm on second release of comeback era
80s shoegaze pioneers Loop return with the second album of their post-reformation era, Sonancy, which might sound better live than it does on record.
FRIENDS OF HELL drag us back to metal’s golden era – kicking and screaming
With the current metal scene in somewhat of a lull, Friends Of Hell are dragging us back to the golden era of the 70s and 80s.
SURRENDER is the perfect intro to electro legends SUICIDE
Surrender is not a greatest hits or best of, but an essential primer to one of the most uncompromising and influential electronic bands to set foot in or out of New York: Suicide.
The hotly-tipped SEA GIRLS’ third album is packed with youthful anthems
Hailed as 'ones to watch' by the UK music establishment for the last couple of years, Sea Girls release their second studio album, Homesick, full of anthemic indie-pop.
After 10-year break, MIDLAKE return with an instant classic
Reconvening after a 10-year hiatus, Texan quintet Midlake return, rejuvenated on a perfectly paced fifth album, For The Sake of Bethel Woods.
Like KEITH RICHARDS himself, MAIN OFFENDER stands the test of time as 30-year re-issue
During a Stones hiatus in the late 80s, Keith Richards worked on his next solo outing, Main Offender, which - now re-released - doesn't sound at all dated 30 years on.
THE LAZY EYES: Aussie psychedelics’ album debut is a glorious promise of things to come
Sydney four-piece The Lazy Eyes have conjured up a collection of blistering compositions on debut album Songbook.
LAURA CANNELL wants you to fall in love with the recorder
Recorders are back! Or at least they are on Norfolk folk experimentalist Laura Cannell’s Antiphony Of The Trees - an album that truly shows the dexterity and potential of the instrument.
Genre disrupters HO99O9 put the pedal to the metal on audacious second album
“No one sounds like us”, Ho99o9 told Kerrang!’s Mischa Pearlman ahead of the release of Skin, their second LP, and they might have pulled it off.
FRANZ FERDINAND’s greatest hits album: a nostalgic trip with few left-turns
Franz Ferdinand have curated a highlights reel of their 18-year history with Hits To The Head: a greatest hits album with lots of hits (as you'd expect) and few surprises.
Swedish metal gods SABATON continue historical deep dive on THE WAR TO END ALL WARS
Swedish multi-award-winning metal gods Sabaton’s 10th album picks up where its predecessor The Great War ended and delivers further World War I history in a palatable way.
ZERO AND BELOW: another sludge metal masterclass from CROWBAR
Celebrating 30 years in the game, sludge metal legends Crowbar return with another solid collection of riffs in new album, Zero And Below.
KRAFTWERK pioneer WOLFGANG FLÜR delivers sublime electro-pop on second solo effort
Wolfgang Flur's second solo album Magazine 1 reminds us of just how influential Flur was within Kraftwerk.
Album no. 20 from MARILLION rewards on repeat listens – and the highest volume
An Hour Before It’s Dark, the 20th studio album from Marillion, has profound and witty lyrics, great musicianship and a flow of undulating instrumentals.
OOCHYA!: STEREOPHONICS stay tried and true on 25-year album milestone
Instead of a nostalgic compilation album for their 25th year, Stereophonics have put out all-new music in Oochya!, which feels safe and sure as ever.
Nu-metal? Country-rock? – SQUEEZE from SASAMI defies labels (to varying effect)
Sasami Ashworth’s second studio album Squeeze has been labelled a cross between nu-metal and country-rock, and despite enjoyable snippets, its mixed identity becomes more annoying as it progresses.
Genre misfits MELT YOURSELF DOWN excel themselves on fourth, heavier album
Pray For Me I Don't Fit In is a welcome return for jazz/dance/punk/kitchen sink experimentalists Melt Yourself Down
If you’re not an ADULT. fan already, BECOMING UNDONE will make you one
Though a worthwhile reshuffle of the broad Adult. aesthetic for old timers, latest album Becoming Undone is also a good place for newcomers to start.
Dazzling debut BACKHAND DEALS cements Cardiff’s BUZZARD BUZZARD BUZZARD as ones to watch
Fast becoming the leaders of the Cardiff indie scene, Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard have released a truly outstanding debut album in Backhand Deals.
JOHNNY MARR’s FEVER DREAMS: his most ingenious album yet
The songs on Ex-Smiths and Electronic pioneer Johnny Marr's Fever Dreams touch on his creative past, but aren't an exercise in going back in time.
Live album PULSING SIGNALS from GONG is a double dose of bliss
What initially appears utterly preposterous on Gong's new double live album gradually makes more sense as Pulsing Signals progresses.
New name, same old sound: SEA POWER go back to basics with latest album
Now devoid of their ‘British’ prefix, Sea Power get back down to core business on their latest album, Everything Was Forever.