New album: The Welsh trio’s 14th studio album is their first number 1 since 1998, contains their classic sound, defiant, power-rock melancholy and overt politics, but also a rippling piano sound that echoes some of Abba’s big hits
Read moreIron Maiden: Senjutsu
Run to the record shops, and then to the hills, with Iron Maiden’s new apocalyptic album
New album: Epic, apocalyptically double, packed with changes of pace and power, elements of folk and prog, and filled with references to the ravages and ironies of history, ancient and modern, the time is ripe to indulge in the quintessential British metal band’s 17th studio album
Read moreGoat: Headsoup
Goat’s for glory
New album: This welcome first LP helping of primal psych rock from the Swedish band since 2016’s Requium is a stirring, hallucinogenic cauldron compilation of rarities, standalone singles, B-sides, and digital edits and two brand new tracks
Read moreTropical Fuck Storm: Deep States
Tropical Fuck Storm’s back for a third helping
New album: The third album by the Melbourne quartet of two ex-Drones and more is a magnificently anarchic mix of thrummingly clever noise and art-rock, postpunk, and wittily inventive, sweary, crafted chaos
Read moreDeafheaven: Infinite Granite
Deafheaven’s fifth studio album Infinite Granite
New album: Better know as a post-black metal band, San Francisco’s George Clarke, Kerry McCoy and co return with an LP of soaring, ethereal shoegaze rock – jangling guitars and clean vocals that turn the growl into smooth and dreamy
Read moreThe Killers: Pressure Machine
The Killers’ Pressure Machine
New album: An atypical LP from the American stadium fillers eschews the sometimes nonsense (“are we human or are we dancer”) air-punching pop-rock anthems for more reflective material inspired by Brandon Flowers’ Utah childhood
Read moreWillie Nile: The Day The Earth Stood Still
Willie Nile’s The Day The Earth Stood Still is his 14th studio album
New album: The veteran 73-year-old rocker from Buffalo, NY is a lesser known treasure, and returns with more sharp, vivid political lyrics that open here comparing New York streets during Covid to a sci-fi alien movie, and many unashamed nods to Springsteen, Dylan, The Who, Mellencamp and The Beatles
Read moreJade Bird: Different Kinds Of Light
Reflectiive: Jade Bird’s Different Kinds of Light
New album: The 23-year-old English singer-songwriter and BRIT school graduate’s second LP after 2019’s debut is a strong selection of numbers influenced by Americana and more from Fleetwood Mac to PJ Harvey, Blur to various shades of country rock
Read moreBleachers: Take The Sadness Out of Saturday Night
Bleachers - aka Jack Antonoff, doing his best Springsteen look
New album: Super pop producer Jack Antonoff releases a very personal album inspired by his New Jersey upbringing, and features his hero and big influence – Bruce Springsteen – as well as guests Lana Del Rey and string arrangements by St Vincent
Read moreTorres: Thirstier
Torres aka Mackenzie Scott’s fifth album
New album: Strong melodies and witty lyrics mark this powerful set of grunge-pop songs by the American indie rocker Mackenzie Scott, whose work has echoes of The Breeders and as well as her British counterpart Du Blonde
Read moreBobby Gillespie and Jehnny Beth: Utopian Ashes
Bobby Gillespie and Jehnny Beth: Utopian Ashes
New album: The Primal Scream frontman and former Savages singer collaborate in an unusually mellow set of heartbreak numbers that recall the country rock duos between Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris
Read moreModest Mouse: The Golden Casket
Seventh heaven: Modest Mouse’s The Golden Casket
New album: Sharp, witty, and highly entertaining, this dynamic new LP American indie rockers Isaac Brock and co with post-punk, psychedelia and pop on subjects from degradation of our psychic landscapes and invisible technology and fatherhood
Read moreGarbage: No Gods No Monsters
Garbage are back with their first album for five years
New album: Shirley Manson and co return with their seventh, a double LP filled with banging cyber-punk anger, dark, seething, atmosphere, politics and personal battles. It’s one of their best since the 90s and stylistically includes echoes of Roxy Music, Depeche Mode, New Order and The Human League
Read moreSleater-Kinney: Path of Wellness
Sleater-Kinney’s surviving members Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein
Album review: This fine 10th studio album by Tucker and Brownstein was recored in Portland the summer of 2020 and rails against a backdrop of social unrest, devastating wildfires, and pandemic with a sound that has echoes of Steely Dan to Talking Heads and B-52s
Read moreBilly F Gibbons: Hardware
Billy Gibbons - still drivin’ onwards
Album review: The 71-year-old veteran ZZ Top frontman returns with his third solo LP of catchy, drivin’ dirty blues rock with innuendo inspired by motors and femmes fatales, often sounding much like his original band, and better on the faster numbers
Read moreWolf Alice: Blue Weekend
Wolf Alice - Blue Weekend
Album review: Grasping mainstream pop and rock with cleverly constructed styles and influences, a shrewd, highly polished new LP from the London indie band 2018 Mercury prize winners, jumps from soft, whispery piano ballads to big guitar bangers
Read moreOlivia Rodrigo: Sour
Olivia Rodrigo is Sour about being a teenager and her her ex …
Album review: Brimful with anger, jealousy, and melancholy, an impressive debut LP by the 18-year-old American actress and singer-songwriter is startlingly mature, fuelled by a heartbreak, and mixes punk rage with power-ballad slow-boil spite
Read moreMatt Berry: Blue Elephant
Matt Berry’s latest LP. If Francis Bacon had painted the Elephant Man.
Album review: Like a boy in a music shop let loose with all the toys, a thoroughly enjoyable and musically impressive psych-prog journey full of sonic humour and riffing adventure in this latest LP by the popular British comic actor
Read morePaul Weller: Fat Pop (Volume 1)
Paul Weller’s Fat Pop is an album of catchy singles
Album review: Woking’s finest returns with his own lockdown LP after 2020’s acclaimed On Sunset, and this 16th solo LP is a fun bag bursting full of catchy melodies and fabulous toe-tapping pop tunes
Read moreRoyal Blood: Typhoons
Rocking the dance floor: Royal Blood’s Typhoon
Album review: Third album across a decade of of signature thumping bangers of big fuzz guitar, heavy drums and high rock from the Brighton duo of Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher is also given an extra disco kick alongside producer Josh Homme
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