Album Reviews
Album Review: Ellen Beth Abdi – Ellen Beth Abdi; Soulful, smoky, and quietly spellbinding.
In a landscape where genre boundaries are dissolving and artists increasingly draw from deep wells of influence, Ellen Beth Abdi’s debut album arrives as a quietly luminous, confident statement. It is not a work that demands attention with volume or bombast—instead, it beckons the listener inward, rewarding those who linger. With a rich blend of …
Album Review: Cole Pulice – ‘Land’s End Eternal’ : An electro-acoustic touchstone moment from the ambient saxophonist and composer.
Saxophonist/composer Cole Pulice often draws on metaphors to describe their alluring electro-acoustic music. For the 2021 solo debut ‘Gloam’ they suggested the music mirrored shifting patterns of a twisting kaleidoscope whereas the follow up ‘Scry’ was closer to gazing at a stained-glass crystal ball from different angles. You wonder what poetic phrases Pulice might be …
EP Review: John Beltran presents Sol Set – Love Revolution EP
With Love Revolution, John Beltran’s Sol Set project returns in fine form, delivering a sun-drenched, deeply musical EP that radiates warmth and groove. Rooted in Brazilian jazz-funk but stretching comfortably into soulful house, Latin rhythms, and downtempo bliss, this latest chapter in the Detroit-based collective’s journey feels both timeless and joyfully present—a record made for golden …
Album Review: Surprise Chef – Superb; kings of instrumental soul delight once again
Surprise Chef return with Superb, a rich, groove-driven collection of instrumental funk, soul, and jazz that deepens their cinematic sound while loosening the edges. Rooted in the Australian five-piece’s signature blend of vintage textures and head-nodding rhythms, this album expands their palette with bolder moods, freer structures, and a broader sense of place. It’s music made …
Album Review: Azzurro 80 – Flashback; warm 80s fused instrumentals hit the right spot
On Flashback, Azzurro 80 invites listeners into a lush, imagined memory of the 1980s—a world shaped more by the ghosts of old television idents and faded VHS movie trailers than by the actual charts of the era. It’s a beautifully constructed instrumental album where groove, mood, and nostalgia blend seamlessly into a single cinematic vision. Opening …
EP Review: Chapterhouse – White House Demos; early psych-fuzz brilliance from Shoegaze legends
Long before they carved out a legacy as one of the defining names in shoegaze, Chapterhouse were just four gigs in and brimming with raw psychedelic energy. White House Demos, recorded live in a single day in January 1989 at The White House studio in Weston-super-Mare, captures the band in their earliest and perhaps most primal …
Album Review: TVOD – Party Time; loud, jagged and full of heart
Brooklyn’s post-punk firebrands TVOD (Television Overdose) explode onto the scene with Party Time, a debut album that’s loud, jagged, and unexpectedly full of heart. It’s a record built for sweaty clubs and emotional release — an intoxicating mix of snarling guitars, warped synths, and chant-along choruses that channel chaos into catharsis. It’s punk for misfits who …
EP Review: DJ Cosworth – Hard30 EP; fierce and finely tuned UKG/tech-house from Hardline boss
Bristol’s own DJ Cosworth takes the wheel with Hard30 EP on his own Hardline imprint, with a debut that lives up to its name – three fierce, finely-tuned cuts that fuse tech house toughness with the rolling swagger of UK garage. This is music for dark rooms, low ceilings, and high energy. Opening track Nuff Gyal kicks things off …
Album Review: Arjuna Oakes – ‘While I’m Distracted’: a lush, sophisticated contemporary pop soundscape, rich in soul-jazz understanding.
Even if you’ve picked up on any of singer-songwriter/pianist Arjuna Oakes’s previous offerings, it’s unlikely you would have predicted the scale and ambition of his debut album ‘While I’m Distracted’. Not that the New Zealander’s earlier EP’s lacked flare or impact. His first release ‘The Watcher’ from 2019 stirred things around with its exquisite blend …
Album Review: Arjuna Oakes – ‘While I’m Distracted’: a lush, sophisticated contemporary pop soundscape rich in soul-jazz understanding
Even if you’ve picked up on any of singer-songwriter/pianist Arjuna Oakes’s previous offerings, it’s unlikely you would have predicted the scale and ambition of his debut album ‘While I’m Distracted’. Not that the New Zealander’s earlier EP’s lacked flare or impact. His first release ‘The Watcher’ from 2019 stirred things around with its exquisite blend …