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Raveena; smooth, cross-cultural blending
New album: Eclectic, striking mainstream label debut LP for the 27-year-old American pop artist Raveena Aurora who mixes rhythms and more from her Sikh Indian heritage with traits of R&B, soul, funk, 00s trip-hop and ambient electronica
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It’s definitely in the bag, but where next for Black Country, New Road after Ants From Up There?
New album: Second LP by the London young experimental, baroque-pop theatrical troupe, and many ways far stronger than their much applauded, arguably over-hyped 2021 debut, ironically now having greater intensity as frontman and singer Isaac Wood quits on release date
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Cate Le Bon’s sixth album, Pompeii
New album: The brilliant Welsh musician’s follow-up to 2019’s Reward is a low-key, slower paced affair, simmering with lockdown’s solitudinous lyrics, sparse keyboards, spongy bass, sax and little brass blasts, with echoes of Bowie and Talk Talk
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aya’s album - im hole
Album: Quite unlike any other LP of the last 12 months or longer, this highly experimental work by Huddersfield-raised artist is avant-garde electronica splattered with wittily odd disembodied vocals resulting in psychedelic states of poetic “transient psychosis”
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Favourite selection part 2.
Favourite albums of 2021 – Part 2: Welcome the second instalment, following Part 1, which can be found here. A huge number of excellent releases, of which again this is just a selection many of which were written during, and about lockdown, but also saw many outstanding voices emerge as well as innovative sounds developed
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Take your pick. Are your favourites here? Also check out Part 2 coming soon.
Favourite albums of 2021, part 1: Another difficult year for everyone, but from soul and jazz, electro-pop the experimental and avant-garde, an outstanding one for music releases, perhaps in part because out of diversity comes great art. Also feel free to explore Part 2, which is now available to view here.
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Mario Batkovic: taking the accordion to new places on Introspectio
New album: A mesmeric, magical fusion of boundary-pushing electronica, saxophone and organ by the Swiss virtuoso solo accordion player born in Bosnia now based in Bristol, with guests including saxophonist Colin Stetson
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Laura Cannell & Kate Ellis
Multiple release: Less an album more a uniquely special project of 12 monthly EP releases of beautiful, ghostly folk and experimental instrumentals, vocals and spoken stories by the violinist and cellist, with guests, capturing the changing seasons
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Vanishing Twin’s Ookii Gekkou
New album: After 2019’s brilliant The Age of Immunology, a wondrously evocative and playful new LP by the London-based psychedelic experimentalists tinkering with krautrock, jazz and the avant-garde with sprinkles of Sun Ra to Alice Coltrane, Martin Denny and Ennio Morricone
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The Bug’s Fire
New album: This dystopian, violent portrayal of modern Britain by the British electronic producer Kevin Martin is compelling and powerful, with guest appearances from Daddy Freddy, FFSYTHO, Flowdan, Irah, Logan_olm, Manga Saint Hilare, Moor Mother, Nazamba, and Roger Robinson
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