electronic albums
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 …
Album Review: Yann Tiersen – Rathlin from a Distance | The Liquid Hour; a immersive two part journey from solo expressive piano to urgent electronics
On Ninnog – out now via Mute Records, Yann Tiersen delivers an ambitious and deeply personal double album that journeys from delicate, introspective piano meditations to full-bodied electronic eruptions. Split into two distinct halves—Rathlin from a Distance and The Liquid Hour—the record captures both the serenity and turbulence of a life shaped by the sea, …
Album Review: Snapped Ankles – Hard Times Furious Dancing: primal yet relentlessly danceable
With Hard Times Furious Dancing, Snapped Ankles take the chaos of modern life and distill it into something primal, absurd, and relentlessly danceable. The masked woodwose collective have always thrived on fusing industrial menace with kinetic energy, but here, they push their sound to new extremes, capturing the full-throttle intensity of their live shows. This …
Album Review: Various Artists – Krautrock Eruption: An Introduction to German Electronic Music 1970-1980
The very idea of an introductory Krautrock compilation is a tricky one. As the liner notes themselves acknowledge, the genre (if you can even call it that) has been sliced, debated, and redefined in countless ways over the years, with the likes of Julian Cope’s Krautrocksampler and Crack in the Cosmic Egg both mythologizing and …
EP Review: The WAEVE – Eternal; Dark, cinematic, and beautifully unsettling.
The WAEVE’s new EP, Eternal, out this Friday via Transgressive, sees Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall continue their journey into the shadowy corners of modern life, crafting a sound that’s as cinematic as it is unsettling. Across its three tracks, Eternal shifts between pulsing synth-pop, jagged post-punk, and lush orchestration, capturing a sense of …
Album review: Michel Moers – ‘As Is’. Long-awaited second solo album from Telex frontman.
It’s been thirty three years since Telex frontman Michel Moers released a solo album, with 1991’s ‘Fishing Le Kiss’. During that time he’s been consumed by photography and architecture but still making music on the quiet. Often described as “the Belgian Kraftwerk”, Telex’s emergence in the 70s marked them as leftfield players in Electronic Pop’s …
Album Review; Porij release a statement album of smart and ambitious (synth) pop music with debut Teething
Porij’s eagerly awaited debut album is a sonic journey that defies expectations and embraces the chaotic energy of their creative process. Hailing from Manchester, the band’s eclectic mix of club tropes and indie pop elements creates a musical landscape that feels both familiar and refreshingly unique. With nods to their influences ranging from Disclosure to …
Album Review: David Jaycock’s Hold. Star. Return is a glorious slice of 80s infused Synthpop that sparkles throughout
Let’s get this straight from the start, to quote Kevin Rowland – whatever musical hat he’s wearing, David Jaycock writes fantastic songs and tunes. In the guise he’s adopted for his latest album Hold. Star. Return, he’s buried himself in analogue synths to make a delightful record of 80s flecked synthpop. Taking influences from across …
Album Review: Slow Knife – A Hymn Supreme
Todmorden experimentalists Slow Knife have returned with a second album, the fully improvised two track long player, A Hymn Supreme. Taking its lead more than likely (as well as half of its title) fromJohn Coltrane opus, it’s explores spiritual jazz, but alongside noise electronics and lyrically explores the ‘authenticity of spiritual transcendence’. Part 1 lies …
Album Review: Maria Chiara Argirò – Forest City
After teaming up with Jamie Leeming on the album ‘Flow’ (read our review here) jazz fusion pianist Maria Chiara Argirò has returned with a new album, ‘Forest City’ released on US label Innovative Leisure. Forest City is a concept record, about the “duality of nature and city”, and where organic sounds and textures seem to …