Reviews
Album, track, gig and club reviews
Dummy XO [Barbarella, SXSW, Texas] Bold and true performances from Blondes, Pure X, Korallreven and more at our official SXSW showcase.
Bodytronix live at SXSW [Emo's, Austin, Texas] Acid techno from another dimension from the Texan “ultra jammers”.
Listening post: 12th March 2012 Albums of the week An exceptional week of albums, with Julia Holter, Grimes, VCMG and Nedry.
Listening post: 5th March 2012 Albums of the week Nite Jewel, Shangaan Shake and Nina Kraviz in our roundup of the week’s listenings.
Listening post: 27th February 2012 Albums of the week New textures for new times, across five of the week’s hot-hot-hottest listens.
Listening post: 20th February 2012 Albums of the week The reissues, mixtapes and albums you need to hear this week, from glowering techno to cloud rap to hyper-personal folk.
Listening post: 13th February 2012 Albums of the week The albums you need to hear this week, from Ital to Loops Of My Heart.
Listening post: 6th February 2012 Albums of the week The records you should own, hear or know about this week.
Listening post: 30th January 2012 Albums of the week Lana Del Rey – the final verdict in 250 words, plus Raf Daddy and Joe Goddard’s bear-y nice house music and We Have Band’s return evaluated.
Music & Politics John Street The politics of apolitical music and its power to provoke social change are the subject of interesting but flawed new book.
Listening post: 23rd January 2012 Albums of the week Chairlift’s nods to 80s pop, Porcelain Raft’s improv folk, Francois & The Atlas Mountain’s Moroccan pop and TI’s attempt to assert his authority over trap rap’s new generation.
Listening post: 16th January 2012 Albums of the week Porter Ricks, The Big Pink and The Caretaker star in our round-up of the week’s albums.
Drexciya 'Journey Of The Deep Sea Dweller I' [Clone] Sea-obsessed techno band, one of the all time best, opened up on essential new compilation.
The Weeknd Echoes of Silence [Self-release] A confident summation of a fantastic year for the Canadian bedroom R&B star, a great start for music fans in 2012.
Oneohtrix Point Never Replica [Software] Daniel Lopatin’s standout album is a deeply moving work on memory, media and mortality.
Kuedo Severant [Planet Mu] Kuedo’s mesmerising sonic science fiction combines Vangelis, Vivaldi and footwork with filmic vision, writes Adam Harper.
Justice Audio, Video, Disco [Ed Banger] The French electro band fall flat with a impression of stadium prog that veers towards self-parody.
A$AP Rocky LiveLoveA$AP Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky’s eagerly anticipated debut mixtape, despite occasional weak lines, is a slow, weird and honest rap classic.
VIA Festival [Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA] Pittsburgh new music and media festival thrills with FRKWYS 7 Ensemble, Light Asylum, Blondes, Araabmuzik and Underground Resistance.
Rustie Glass Swords [Warp] Chal Ravens salutes the no-holds-barred maximalism and biting clarity of Glaswegian producer Rustie’s first album.
Slava [Death By Audio, Brooklyn, New York] Moody footwork blues and tripped out bass from Brooklyn-via-Chicago producer.
Autre Ne Veut [Death By Audio, Brooklyn, New York] Vivid and visceral performance from one of Brooklyn’s freest.
Co La [Death By Audio, Brooklyn, New York] Baltimore producer makes jams and jokes with flair.
Harmonizer [Death By Audio, Brooklyn, New York] Synth duo get heavy, drown the crowd in sound.
Ryan Power [Death By Audio, Brooklyn, New York] Vermont singer charms with warm wit in Williamsburg.
Laurel Halo [285 Kent, Brooklyn, New York] New York synth musician shows her mettle, shines in Brooklyn.
La Big Vic La Big Vic Brooklyn trio surprise with electric violin jams that span the globe.
Main Attrakionz Main Attrakionz Oakland rappers cut deep at Brooklyn showcase.
Water Borders Harbored Mantras [Tri Angle] San Fran duo combine industrial folk and tectonic vastness to make an unsurprisingly terrifying, and surprisingly enjoyable, listen.
All Tomorrow's Parties presents I'll Be Your Mirror in New Jersey [Asbury Park, New Jersey] The UK festival stalwarts throw a Portishead-curated event in America.
Emeralds and Fennesz [Union Chapel, London] A transcendental night of noise, as two titans of the scene meet in a north London church.
James Ferraro Condo Pets [Hippos In Tanks] A short introduction to James Ferraro’s new sound, the Google-coloured hyper-real tones of our hyper-networked world.
Iceage New Brigade [Abeano] Teenage bullies full of anger and anxiety make purist punk minus politics.
Girls Father, Son, Holy Ghost A majestically classic rock album that captures the tensions and tremors of the night blows Aimee Cliff away.
Pictureplane Thee Physical Denver artist touches moments of greatness on ambitious, new age rave second album.
The Rapture In The Grace of Your Love The New York band swap disco-punk for art-rock, with varying degrees of success, to show us they’re all grown up now.
Lil Wayne Tha Carter IV A child on the cover, a brat inside, Tha Carter IV is a deeply disappointing album from a lost boy too lazy to justify his place at rap’s top.
Balam Acab Wander/Wonder [Tri Angle] The debut LP from Pennsylvania artist Balam Acab is a work to be drenched in, writes Aimee Cliff.
The Weeknd Thursday [Self-released] Matt Chlebek wonders how long the “party-done party tunes” party can last, as The Weeknd’s new album drops.
Clams Casino Instrumentals [Type ] One of the best releases of the year, the irresistible, dazzlingly imaginative rap instrumentals of Clams Casino, repressed by Type.
